Pilots' use wits, training in very difficult situation

There is no such thing as an ordinary day at the office when your office hurtles nearly 1,200 mph through the air.

So it's good to have extraordinary men such as Capt. Eli Keller and Capt. Grant Moody in the cockpits of the F/A-18 Hornets flown at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

Keller and Moody were en route to perform a fly-over at the Jacksonville Jaguars football game Oct. 18 when they discovered the left landing gear of their two-seat F/A-18 did not descend. Not even the Air Station's multi-million-dollar flight simulator prepared them for this contingency, so they had to rely upon their training and their wits as they diverted for an emergency landing at Jacksonville International Airport.

They decided to use the F/A-18's tail hook as they would on the deck of an aircraft carrier, bringing the jet to a halt in a short distance, and used the nearly empty external fuel tank under the left wing as an impromptu wheel. Their quick thinking might have saved their lives and saved the taxpayers a few dollars -- the plane skidded about 1,500 feet but suffered only minor damage to the external tank. It was back in the air two days later.

Lt. Col. Joseph Maybach, the commanding officer of Keller and Moody's squadron, said he was proud of the way the men kept cool under pressure.

"We practice emergency procedures about once a month in the simulator, but this is a situation that cannot be simulated," Maybach said. "They dealt with an incredibly unusual circumstance in a professional manner. It could have turned out much worse."

That the situation could have been worse should increase our regard for the bravery of our Marine and Navy pilots. That it was not should increase our regard for their training and skill.

We're fortunate to have such men and women defending our country and living in our community.