I still shake my head in disbelief over how an experienced aviator, master of jet fighters like Snort could lose his life because he overlooked one simple check on a preflight of a single-engine airplane. A hard lesson for all of us mortal beings, to be sure. RIP, Snort.
Scott Crossfield, Sparky Imeson, Steve Fossett… all massively experienced pilots who met their end in unassuming aircraft. It’s not so bad with newer generations… but in my experience older fighter pilots are some of the absolute worst around light aircraft. One who worked for my company damaged an engine by going full power while it was still in feather. Ok.. bad mistake, but we all make them.. you fess up. He then proceeded to fly the aircraft rather than grounding it. Anyone else would have been fired instantly in that case. Not him… his reputation saved him.. breeding the exact type of deviance that leads to fatal accidents.
Well he was a bold pilot who took incredible risks..and got away with them, until he didn't. Watch some of his airshow antics, very foolish. That mentality will not make for a long life forcany pilot. He became arrogant and sloppy...people know this, they mostly refuse to acknowledge it bc he was a big deal, with a big personality. I'm not the least bit surprised that he skipped a strp in his rush to get somewhere..matter of time for bold pilots.
For people that never served, these types of experiences are the best memories in life… Being a 17 year old plane capt in 1985 on the flight line in Lemoore with brand new shinny FA-18’s… Being away from home for the first time, the sound of the jets, the sweet smell of JP5… I feel like I’m 17 again… RIP Snod
Working on the USS Hancock CVA19 in the Gulf at Vietnam it was exciting to be standing close to wing edge by the catapult when the F8 would kick in the afterburner. Felt it clear to yer bones. Loved watching the navy pilots landing. Skills!
A true warrior that gives high respect for other fighter platform. The F8 is different category....and the legend "Snort" recognizes that.....true greatness! Legends never die.....
Someone really needs to do a biography of Dale "snort "Snodgrass , the people who knew him best in his day are getting older and time is going by. You can't mention the F-14 without hearing about Snort.. the whole story is just EPIC!! 🇺🇸🫡
I remember watching an F-8 takeoff from NAS Miramar at an airshow. It was like it retracted its gear into the fuselage and retracted the fuselage up to the wing. It had a two-position, variable-incidence wing.
With all due respect, before every take off, all I hear repeating in my mind is "Shit, SHIT" and I slow down and double check EVERYTHING! Flight controls, fuel, trim, flaps mixture! Snort's last words made Every Pilot I now realize just how easy even the most basic, simple aircraft can kill a complacent pilot! RIP Brother!
The 'Fighter Pilot Podcast' with Jerry Tucker expands on the legend of the "MiG Master". A Great interview with one of the best Naval Aviators ever. Podcast Episode 50 (his time in the F-8 Crusader) th-cam.com/video/cZiaYYsDtrE/w-d-xo.html ... and Video Episode 156 (his time with the Blue Angels) th-cam.com/video/rArapLrAFBw/w-d-xo.html. Enjoy ... ^v^
Note to self, Crusader, Full AB on takeoff, wheels up, hold for low transistion at end of runway, rotate to 70deg, maintain until out of airspeed, stay on AB and recover.
Well, like most sea stories, some of it is actually true. We did like those Scamp departures in the F-8 but a fully loaded F-8 didn't have enough power to fly at 70 degrees nose up forever. I doubt if two guys in formation would go all the way to zero airspeed although from the take off end of the runway, it might have looked like it. I flew the F-14 too, the early models, and even with the TF-30 it would go to zero airspeed without drama. However, the F-8 might do things like spit fire out the intake and make horrible noises especially if you got it going backwards for a few moments, (ask me how I know) so zero airspeed to a tail slide recovery was not something a Crusader driver would do on a regular basis, especially down around ten thousand feet. I suspect the story is all true right up until the recovery which could very well have been something like a cautious 1/4 g push over at a very slow air speed perhaps down around 150 knots, but not much slower than that with the wing down and certainly not in formation. You don't want to be performing the spin recovery procedure below 10 thousand feet close enough to another F-8 to read his BUNO, especially if he's in a spin too. Great story though. The long hair, handlebar or Fu Manchu mustaches, and smoking in the cockpit was pretty typical.
I flew the F-8 B, C, D, & E. Never flew the photo version. Why do so many articles on the F-8 show pictures of the photo version? Why not the fighter version?
The F-8 had a stupendously Horrendous accident rate. Of the 1261 built 1106 were involved in accidents. But it was fast, some versions are among the fastest ever built. It was matched in speed by the British Lightning. On two occasions a F8 flew with its wings folded up!
His name? The MOH guy you speak of? I flew with a Medal of Honor recipient a few times , he instructed me. Clyde Lassen. Boy I'm getting very old. Had to get help walking into Angel Stadium last night. Great crowd. Angels lost.
Oh there used to be a great audio of one of the pilots who accidentally took off from Miramar with his wings folded up. He completely confessed about the flight. My favorite F8 story. The last F8 in regular Naval service was sitting in a Hanger at the Naval Air station in Calipateria, Ca. I had just landed, and going to get a coke from the machine in the hanger, when I spied it. So it I went to inspect it. It had some burn marks under the nose under the cockpit. Story was the pilot had a puppy he was taking back from his parents back east, in the cockpit. The puppy urinated causing smoke in the cockpit.
everybody saying he overlooked it or forgot it - like Crossfield and others - did it ever occur to you that these guys wanted to check out in an airplane?? I have no doubt they just decide to punch their own ticket, in their own way.
I still shake my head in disbelief over how an experienced aviator, master of jet fighters like Snort could lose his life because he overlooked one simple check on a preflight of a single-engine airplane. A hard lesson for all of us mortal beings, to be sure. RIP, Snort.
And it was the first, most basic checks a pilot is first taught, freedom of movement of your flight controls! Complacency Kills! RIP!
Scott Crossfield, Sparky Imeson, Steve Fossett… all massively experienced pilots who met their end in unassuming aircraft.
It’s not so bad with newer generations… but in my experience older fighter pilots are some of the absolute worst around light aircraft.
One who worked for my company damaged an engine by going full power while it was still in feather. Ok.. bad mistake, but we all make them.. you fess up.
He then proceeded to fly the aircraft rather than grounding it.
Anyone else would have been fired instantly in that case. Not him… his reputation saved him.. breeding the exact type of deviance that leads to fatal accidents.
I wonder if he might still be flying today if they had an F-14 they needed him to keep on flying all these years.
Well he was a bold pilot who took incredible risks..and got away with them, until he didn't. Watch some of his airshow antics, very foolish. That mentality will not make for a long life forcany pilot. He became arrogant and sloppy...people know this, they mostly refuse to acknowledge it bc he was a big deal, with a big personality. I'm not the least bit surprised that he skipped a strp in his rush to get somewhere..matter of time for bold pilots.
You wouldnt have found a finer fighter pilot then Snort , Rest easy sir !
For people that never served, these types of experiences are the best memories in life… Being a 17 year old plane capt in 1985 on the flight line in Lemoore with brand new shinny FA-18’s… Being away from home for the first time, the sound of the jets, the sweet smell of JP5…
I feel like I’m 17 again… RIP Snod
“When you’re out of F-8s, you’re out of fighters.”
Crusader pilots were just built different.
The RF-8G with the black tail in your video was my old squadron. Awesome of Snort giving some love to those birds. RIP Captain.
No matter how many times I hear this story it doesn’t get old
Working on the USS Hancock CVA19 in the Gulf at Vietnam it was exciting to be standing close to wing edge by the catapult when the F8 would kick in the afterburner. Felt it clear to yer bones. Loved watching the navy pilots landing. Skills!
A true warrior that gives high respect for other fighter platform. The F8 is different category....and the legend "Snort" recognizes that.....true greatness! Legends never die.....
I served with VFP-63 The Eyes of the Fleet from 1970-72.
A superb Naval aviator who will be missed and long revered.
Damn those F-8 guys sound stupid cool
Last of the gunfighters.
Sometimes it's all about looking cool. 😁
You got that right!
@@TomcatTales😎
that's an awesome story !
Epic story from the legend. 🫡🇺🇸
Your message that really sticks is that it's a very, very dangerous business.
Someone really needs to do a biography of Dale "snort "Snodgrass , the people who knew him best in his day are getting older and time is going by. You can't mention the F-14 without hearing about Snort.. the whole story is just EPIC!! 🇺🇸🫡
The Man, The Legend!
All I can say is, very cool!
I love how is first flight in the tomcat had nothing to do about the tomcat.. LOL
I remember watching an F-8 takeoff from NAS Miramar at an airshow. It was like it retracted its gear into the fuselage and retracted the fuselage up to the wing. It had a two-position, variable-incidence wing.
With all due respect, before every take off, all I hear repeating in my mind is "Shit, SHIT" and I slow down and double check EVERYTHING! Flight controls, fuel, trim, flaps mixture! Snort's last words made Every Pilot I now realize just how easy even the most basic, simple aircraft can kill a complacent pilot! RIP Brother!
What a great story told by a great fighter pilot
The 'Fighter Pilot Podcast' with Jerry Tucker expands on the legend of the "MiG Master". A Great interview with one of the best Naval Aviators ever. Podcast Episode 50 (his time in the F-8 Crusader) th-cam.com/video/cZiaYYsDtrE/w-d-xo.html ... and Video Episode 156 (his time with the Blue Angels) th-cam.com/video/rArapLrAFBw/w-d-xo.html. Enjoy ... ^v^
SALUTE to You Sir
" SNORT "
RIP
Outstanding
Gonna miss his great stories....
Note to self, Crusader, Full AB on takeoff, wheels up, hold for low transistion at end of runway, rotate to 70deg, maintain until out of airspeed, stay on AB and recover.
Well, like most sea stories, some of it is actually true. We did like those Scamp departures in the F-8 but a fully loaded F-8 didn't have enough power to fly at 70 degrees nose up forever. I doubt if two guys in formation would go all the way to zero airspeed although from the take off end of the runway, it might have looked like it.
I flew the F-14 too, the early models, and even with the TF-30 it would go to zero airspeed without drama. However, the F-8 might do things like spit fire out the intake and make horrible noises especially if you got it going backwards for a few moments, (ask me how I know) so zero airspeed to a tail slide recovery was not something a Crusader driver would do on a regular basis, especially down around ten thousand feet.
I suspect the story is all true right up until the recovery which could very well have been something like a cautious 1/4 g push over at a very slow air speed perhaps down around 150 knots, but not much slower than that with the wing down and certainly not in formation. You don't want to be performing the spin recovery procedure below 10 thousand feet close enough to another F-8 to read his BUNO, especially if he's in a spin too.
Great story though. The long hair, handlebar or Fu Manchu mustaches, and smoking in the cockpit was pretty typical.
Wow ! He was the epitome.
The F-8 Crusader was the only aircraft that had the variable-incidence wing.
3:20 "The first take off in the F-14 is MIL. That had to be awe un-inspiring, but was probably a clean jet.
RIPSNORT!
I flew the F-8 B, C, D, & E. Never flew the photo version. Why do so many articles on the F-8 show pictures of the photo version? Why not the fighter version?
Cool!!!
What happened to Snort's little finger on his left hand?
It's a shame all the Crusader footage was of the RF-8 for Captain Snodgrass' story.
That’s cool😂👍.
Last of the gunfighters ----- picture of a recce variant
The F-8 had a stupendously Horrendous accident rate. Of the 1261 built 1106 were involved in accidents. But it was fast, some versions are among the fastest ever built. It was matched in speed by the British Lightning. On two occasions a F8 flew with its wings folded up!
One of the F8 pilots who flew with their wings folded was an Medal of Honor recipient.
His name? The MOH guy you speak of? I flew with a Medal of Honor recipient a few times , he instructed me. Clyde Lassen. Boy I'm getting very old. Had to get help walking into Angel Stadium last night. Great crowd. Angels lost.
Oh there used to be a great audio of one of the pilots who accidentally took off from Miramar with his wings folded up. He completely confessed about the flight. My favorite F8 story. The last F8 in regular Naval service was sitting in a Hanger at the Naval Air station in Calipateria, Ca. I had just landed, and going to get a coke from the machine in the hanger, when I spied it. So it I went to inspect it. It had some burn marks under the nose under the cockpit. Story was the pilot had a puppy he was taking back from his parents back east, in the cockpit. The puppy urinated causing smoke in the cockpit.
everybody saying he overlooked it or forgot it - like Crossfield and others - did it ever occur to you that these guys wanted to check out in an airplane?? I have no doubt they just decide to punch their own ticket, in their own way.
First! 🇺🇸🤘🏻
yeah because tomcat is not the coolest aurcraft ever. 😏😜😂