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Training to save your butt someday

cubdriver2

FRIEND
upstate NY
This is a great read







From: Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 5:48 PM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Dedicated to Frank Crismon (1903-1990)



Dedicated to Frank Crismon (1903-1990)

by Capt. G. C. Kehmeier (United Airlines, Ret.)

I ought to make you buy a ticket to ride this airline!" The chief pilot's
words were scalding. I had just transferred from San Francisco to Denver.
Frank Crismon, my new boss, was giving me a route check between Denver and
Salt Lake City.

"Any man who flies for me will know this route," he continued. "'Fourteen
thousand feet will clear Kings Peak' is not adequate. You had better know
that Kings Peak is exactly 13,498 feet high. Bitter Creek is not 'about
7,000 feet.' It is exactly 7,185 feet, and the identifying code for the
beacon is dash dot dash.

"I'm putting you on probation for one month, and then I'll ride with you
again. If you want to work for me, you had better start studying!"

Wow! He wasn't kidding! For a month, I pored over sectional charts, auto
road maps, Jeppesen approach charts, and topographic quadrangle maps. I
learned the elevation and code for every airway beacon between the West
Coast and Chicago. I learned the frequencies, runway lengths, and approach
procedures for every airport. From city road maps, I plotted the streets
that would funnel me to the various runways at each city.

A month later he was on my trip.

"What is the length of the north-south runway at Milford?" "Fifty-one
fifty."

"How high is Antelope Island?" "Sixty-seven hundred feet."

"If your radio fails on an Ogden-Salt Lake approach, what should you do?"
"Make a right turn to 290 degrees and climb to 13,000 feet."

"What is the elevation of the Upper Red Butte beacon?" "Seventy-three
hundred."

"How high is the Laramie Field?" "Seventy-two fifty."

This lasted for the three hours from Denver to Salt Lake City.

"I'm going to turn you loose on your own. Remember what you have learned. I
don't want to ever have to scrape you off some hillside with a book on your
lap!"

Twenty years later, I was the Captain on a Boeing 720 from San Francisco to
Chicago. We were cruising in the cold, clear air at 37,000 feet.

South of Grand Junction a deep low-pressure area fed moist air upslope into
Denver, causing snow, low ceilings, and restricted visibility. The forecast
for Chicago's O'Hare Field was 200 feet and one-half mile, barely minimums.

Over the Utah-Colorado border, the backbone of the continent showed white in
the noonday sun. I switched on the intercom and gave the passengers the
word.

"We are over Grand Junction at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado
Rivers. On our right and a little ahead is the Switzerland of America--the
rugged San Juan Mountains. In 14 minutes we will cross the Continental
Divide west of Denver. We will arrive O'Hare at 3:30 Chicago time."

Over Glenwood Springs, the generator overheat light came on.

"Number 2 won't stay on the bus," the engineer advised.

He placed the essential power selector to number 3. The power failure light
went out for a couple of seconds and then came on again, glowing ominously.

"Smoke is coming out of the main power shield," the engineer yelled.

"Hand me the goggles."

The engineer reached behind the observer's seat, unzipped a small container,
and handed the copilot and me each a pair of ski goggles. The smoke was
getting thick.

I slipped the oxygen mask that is stored above the left side of the pilot's
seat over my nose and mouth. By pressing a button on the control wheel, I
could talk to the copilot and the engineer through the battery-powered
intercom. By flipping a switch, either of us could talk to the passengers.

"Emergency descent!" I closed the thrust levers. The engines that had been
purring quietly like a giant vacuum cleaner since San Francisco spooled down
to a quiet rumble. I established a turn to the left and pulled the speed
brake lever to extend the flight spoilers.

"Gear down. Advise passengers to fasten seat belts and no smoking."

I held the nose forward, and the mountains along the Continental Divide came
up rapidly. The smoke was thinning.

"Bring cabin altitude to 14,000 feet," I ordered.

At 14,000 feet over Fraser, we leveled and retracted the gear and speed
brakes. The engineer opened the ram air switch and the smoke disappeared. We
removed our goggles and masks.

Fuel is vital to the life of a big jet, and electricity is almost as vital.
The artificial horizon and other electronic instruments, with which I
navigated and made approaches through the clouds, were now so much tin and
brass.

All I had left was the altimeter, the airspeed, and the magnetic
compass--simple instruments that guided airplanes 35 years earlier.

"Advise passengers we are making a Denver stop."

"The last Denver weather was 300 feet with visibility one-half mile in heavy
snow. Wind was northeast at 15 knots with gusts to 20," the copilot
volunteered.

"I know. I heard it."

The clouds merged against the mountains above Golden. Boulder was in the
clear. To the northeast, the stratus clouds were thick like the wool on the
back of a Rambouillet buck before shearing.

I dropped the nose and we moved over the red sandstone buildings of the
University of Colorado. We headed southeast and picked up the Denver-Boulder
turnpike.

"We will fly the turnpike to the Broomfield turnoff, then east on Broomfield
Road to Colorado Boulevard, then south to 26th Avenue, then east to Runway
8."

The copilot, a San Francisco reserve, gave me a doubtful look. One doesn't
scud-run to the end of the runway under a 300-foot ceiling in a big jet.

Coming south on Colorado Boulevard, we were down to 100 feet above the
highway. Lose it and I would have to pull up into the clouds and fly the
gauges when I had no gauges. Hang onto it and I would get into Stapleton
Field. I picked up the golf course and started a turn to the left.

"Gear down and 30 degrees."

The copilot moved a lever with a little wheel on it. He placed the flap
lever in the 30-degree slot.

I shoved the thrust levers forward.

"Don't let me get less than 150 knots. I'm outside."

I counted the avenues as they slid underneath. . .30th, 29th, and 28th. I
remembered that there was neither a 31st nor a 27th. I picked up 26th. The
snow was slanting out of the northeast. The poplar trees and power lines
showed starkly through the storm. With electrical power gone, we had no
windshield heat. Fortunately, the snow was not sticking.

"Let me know when you see a school on your side and hack my time at
five-second intervals from the east side of the school yard."

Ten seconds.

"There it is. The yard is full of kids. Starting time now!"

Good boy. Smiley faced Holly. From the east side of the school yard, I
counted Kearney, then Krameria, Leydon, Locust. Remember the double lane for
Monaco Parkway. Then Magnolia, Niagara, Newport. Time the speed at 130
knots. Only eight blocks to the end of the runway. Oneida, Olive, Pontiac,
Poplar. From Quebec to Syracuse, the cross streets disappear; figure eight
seconds. Keep 26th Avenue under the right side of the nose.

"Full flaps."

Dead ahead, glowing dimly in the swirling snow, were the three green lights
marking the east end of Runway 8.

We crossed 20 feet above the center green light and touched down in a crab
to the left. I aligned the nose to the runway with the right rudder, dropped
the nose wheel, popped the speed brakes, and brought in reverse thrust.

It took us 10 minutes to find the terminal in the swirling whiteout. We saw
the dim, flashing red light atop the building indicating the field was
closed to all traffic.

A mechanic materialized out of the snow carrying two wands. He waved me into
the gate.

I set the parking brake.

"We have ground power," the engineer advised.

"Cut the engines."

The bagpipe skirl of sound spiraled down to silence.

"My hat is off to you, skipper. I don't know how you ever found this
airport."

"I used to fly for an ornery old chief pilot who made me learn the route," I
replied as I hung up my headset and scratched the top of my head where it
itched.

Frank Crismon passed away at his home in Denver on 25 Jan 1990.

Editor's note: Professionalism, readiness, and knowledge can never be
replaced by all the electronic gadgets in the world. Whether you drive a
truck or a C-17, nothing beats knowing your capabilities and those of your
machine, and knowing where you are at all times. It's hard to come up with
options if you don't know what's going on.
Frank M. Crismon
CAHS Honored in 1991
Click to view the LAUREATES album
Frank Crismon was born in Alberta, Canada on June 8, 1903. Frank had his
first flight in a Curtiss Oriole with an airmail pilot in 1919. Later he
sold tickets for a barnstormer who flew an Eaglerock in Utah.

While attending the University of Utah in the 1920's, he was a member of the
ROTC, which led him to aviation cadet training at March Field, California,
from which he graduated as an Army pilot in 1930. He soloed was in April
1929 in a Consolidated PT-3 trainer. Shortly thereafter he became a bomber
pilot, flying under the direction of Major "Tooey" Spaatz.

In 1933, after his military service, he was hired by Boeing Air Transport
(BAT), a predecessor of United Airlines. He was assigned as the first
instrument flying instructor at the Salt Lake City base. The approach to
Salt Lake City, over the dangerous Wasatch Mountains, was a matter of
considerable concern. As a remedy, Frank helped design and implement a new
radio range monitoring procedure.

By 1932, he had become rated as an ATR, and he had obtained a FAA examiner's
license. In 1942, Frank was made chief pilot of the Rocky Mountain Division
of United Airlines, a position he held until his retirement in 1963. He had
under his direction, over 200 flying officers, all of whom were to be
exposed to his high standards of training and operations. During his tenure,
there were no accidents involving an instrument procedure or terrain. Frank
was instrumental in United Airlines adopting the Jeppesen Airway Manual
Services.

During a particularly bad snowstorm, he used Christmas trees to outline a
runway at Stapleton Airport. Realizing that something had to be done about
snow removal, he led the fight for new and better snow removal equipment.
After an aircraft accident, Frank helped bring state-of-the-art crash
equipment to Stapleton. United Airlines named a DC-8 airliner for him at the
end of his active service, a very rare occurrence. He was a strong supporter
of the Colorado Air National Guard and the United pilots flying for that
organization. For this support, he was made an honorary Colonel in the CANG
and an honorary member of the Minutemen flight demonstration team.

This pioneer airman flew every aircraft type used by United Airlines, from
Boeing 40-Bs to Boeing 720s, without mishaps or accidents. At the time of
his retirement, he had amassed over 20,000 flying hours and had flown Will
Rogers, Presidents Hoover and Eisenhower, Mrs. Roosevelt, General MacArthur,
and many others.

In later years, he and Mrs. Crismon established a memorial scholarship fund
at Western State College to honor their Navy pilot son, Scot, who was killed
during a night carrier landing off the coast of Viet Nam. By 1981, more than
250 students had benefited from this fund. They also aided the funding of
the "F. Scott Crismon Memorial Field" at Western State College, to aid the
sports programs at this school.
 
Wow, what a great story, and a terrific lesson. Thanks for posting!

Anne.
 
Cubdriver2, Thank you for sharing. I'm a low time pilot. One of my fears is getting lost. Situational awareness is surely an area I need to improve upon. It is embarrassing to admit, but at times I have a hard time even finding my own airport. I now have a GPS, but feel strongly about not relying on it. Having read your post, I will start studying with more intensity the roads and landmarks around the airports I frequent.

Thank you!
 
Haha. Hey TT, first post. Welcome on board. Keep an eye on DW, he's nothing but trouble. :p

Bill
 
Cubdriver2, Thank you for sharing. I'm a low time pilot. One of my fears is getting lost. Situational awareness is surely an area I need to improve upon. It is embarrassing to admit, but at times I have a hard time even finding my own airport. I now have a GPS, but feel strongly about not relying on it. Having read your post, I will start studying with more intensity the roads and landmarks around the airports I frequent.

Thank you!

Welcome. Your never lost just geographically challenged, the more your challenged the better you get at not being challenged. The GPS is a great tool but it makes you dumb. Try having fun with the sectionals and looking out the window and if and when you get misplaced you can always fire up the GPS to give you a new starting point. I like your attitude, good luck playing navigator, it's a fun game.

Glenn

PS. we all remember keeping the airport in sight.
 
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