tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9868138.post8273678169401885732..comments2023-11-05T03:08:27.317-08:00Comments on a photo a day - photos by Donald Kinney: standing in darkness -- a very fine occupationAphotoAdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08581940419934089601noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9868138.post-90384856237995632732014-08-12T20:56:09.533-07:002014-08-12T20:56:09.533-07:00Thanks SINBAD'S DAD -- well I enjoyed writing ...Thanks SINBAD'S DAD -- well I enjoyed writing that… Some day I'll tell all about having what is called a "hang-fire" with the missile. The "gas-grain generator for the heat-seeking guidance part of the missile ignited, but the main propulsion part didn't. We had been told that after a short amount of time (probably still classified information) if the missile hadn't hit its target the missile would self-destruct, in order to prevent it from exploding when it hit the ground. So anyway, there I was, in this plexiglass canopy, about 18 inches from a 20 pound high-explosive charge, expecting it to go off. They told me on the radio to stay in place and don't move. When they finally got up enough courage to come out and pull me out of the turret they said I was white as a ghost. Anyway, I learned later that I really was in no danger--the missile needs to sever a sheer-pin at the end of the launch rail for it to arm the explosive section. Anyway, they gave me another less-defective missile to launch and that one went off without a hitch. We were shooting at a big heat source being towed by a pilotless jet. Once a Chaparral missile locks on to its target it almost never misses. Zig-zags like a snake through the sky and looks like it has no change of hitting the target, but it makes the necessary corrections and hones in on the tailpipe of a jet. Our job was to protect the ball-bearing factories near Schweinfurt, Germany, --same ones we tried to knock out with our bombers during WW2. The Chaparral is more or less defenseless from a close range attack, so each is paired with a 20mm Vulcan gatling gun mounted on an APC, spewing bullets at some astronomical firing rate. In Germany we practiced going to war a lot, but if it came down to the real thing I had plans of hopping over the back fence to our installation. We were 5 minutes away from Czechoslovakia and like I said, we were sitting ducks. It took over 30 minutes just to get lined up and ready to move out. Oh, I'll have to dig up some stories about the airbase we were stationed at--Giebelstadt--one of Hitler's secret airbases that went undetected until very late in the war. Good story about how it avoided being detected, but I'll save that for later. AphotoAdayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08581940419934089601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9868138.post-77775747386228144272014-08-12T08:43:08.871-07:002014-08-12T08:43:08.871-07:00Good post. I enjoyed the read. Do share more stori...Good post. I enjoyed the read. Do share more stories in the future.John @ Beans and I on the Loosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09185975793295220723noreply@blogger.com