The Right Stuff

II. The Right Stuff

Michael Collins is the nephew of which former Army Chief of Staff?J. Lawton Collins

Where did Mike Collins complete eleven weeks of combat training?The Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas

In his eleven weeks of training, Mike Collins lost how many fellow trainees just to accidents?22

Bill Bridgeman flew at Edwards Air Force Base in 1952. How many pilots died in the course of thirty-six weeks of training?

62

April 27, 1953

A Navy pilot, one who intended to keep flying for twenty years, had a probability of what percent that he would die in an aircraft accident (not including combat deaths)?

23%

Hassling

“– mock dogfighting – was strictly forbidden… destruction of an aircraft was a serious court-martial offense…”

(page 23)

The percent probability that a career Navy pilot would have to eject from his aircraft and attempt to come down by parachute was…?

56%

What was the occupation of Pete’s father during Pete’s early years?A Philadelphia stockbroker

Pete went to Princeton on which scholarship program?The Holloway Plan

What was the Holloway Plan?A scholarship program left over from WWII in which a student trained with midshipmen from the Naval Academy during the summers and graduated with a commission in the Regular Navy

Which plane was the sort of airplane of which everybody said, “You don’t get into it, you wear it”? According to the author, this aircraft was essentially the old P80 jet fighter.

The T-33 (the T-Bird)

in flight near Tyndall AFB, Florida

Kaboom. Believers in the right stuff would rather crash and burn.

“Whiskey Kilo Two Eight, do you want to declare an emergency?”“Negative, negative, Whiskey Kilo Two Eight is not declaring an emergency.”

(page 24)

What was the reason for Bud Jennings’ crash?He had gone up in the SNJ with his cockpit canopy opened in a way that sucked carbon monoxide in from the exhaust. He passed out and crashed.

Who was Robert Lee Scott?He was a pilot who flew his P-43 over Mount Everest.

What was the name of Robert Scott’s book?God is My Co-Pilot

During the Korean War, which aircraft was mainly in use by the US Air Force?F-86s (the Sabrejet)

flying in formation over Korea in 1954

During the Korean War, the Koreans and Chinese were using which aircraft?Soviet MiG-15s

More fighter pilots died in automobiles than in airplanes.

“… the military cycle of Flying & Drinking and Drinking & Driving…”(page 28)

The Korean War produced how many Air Force aces?38

The US Air Force lost how many F-86s during the Korean War?56

Who shot down five MiGs in Korea and eight German and Japanese planes in WWII? He is notable as one of only six USAF fighter pilots to be recognized as an ace in two wars.

Colonel Harrison Reed Thyng

The colonel and his F-86 Sabre