By
Lieutenant Colonel Harold A. Susskind
He is Chief, Information Division, Ogden Air Material Area (AFLC), recently assigned there from similar duty in AIRSOUTH, Naples, Italy. During World War II he served as navigator with the Eighth Air Force, and after recall in 1949 he flew as navigator-bombardier in air rescue. Assigned to Southeast Asia as an information officer, he won the Aviation Space Writers Orville Wright Award in 1964. Colonel Susskind is a graduate of the Boston University public relations course.
Best Hit '72 "Air Force" competition
The 1972 meet brought together pilots from three of NATOS Southern Region nations, plus a combined U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force guest team, and again it featured five different air weapon systems. Representing the Hellenic Air Force and flying Northrop RF-5As was the 349th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from Larissa AB, Greece. Competing from the Italian Air Force, flying Fiat G-9ls, was the 14th LWAR Squadron from Treviso AB, Italy. Shooting for the Turkish Air Force, flying Lockheed F-104G Starfighters, was the 191st Fighter Bomber Squadron, Balikesir AB, Turkey. Making up the Navy element of the guest team, flying Ling-Temco-Vought A-7Bs, was Attack Carrier Wing Six from the USS Roosevelt. And for the USAF guest element was USAFES 612th TAC Fighter Squadron of the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, Torrejon AB, Spain, flying McDonnell Douglas F-4Es.
The uniqueness of the meet in having five different air weapon systems called for some unique decisions. The F-4E and F-104G have a gatling gun that, because of its rapid-firing capability and design characteristics, could not be loaded with only the 80 rounds required by meet rules. The solution to this problem was to load the gun fully, set a limit switch at approximately 80, and then count the expended rounds after the mission. If more than 80 rounds were fired, the number over 80 was subtracted from the pilots score. If fewer than 80 rounds were fired, the number of hits stood. This method was agreed to by all participating team captains.
Procedures also had to be set up to score the Italian Air Force G-91, which uses a .50-caliber weapon system. This was taken care of by moving the foul or firing line up to 1200 feet, whereas the rest of the competitors had to observe a 1600-foot foul line.
As in the previous years meet, each pilot was required to fly at least two familiarization flights prior to competition flying. Six competition missions were scheduled for each pilot: four range-only missions and two full missions. On each range-only mission, the pilot was to expend one dive bomb, one skip bomb, and 80 rounds of ammunition for a possible perfect score of 30 points.
On each full mission, the pilot was to low-level navigate to an equivalent target, then fly to the range to expend two rockets and 80 rounds of ammunition for a possible perfect score of 40 points.
On 11 and 12 July, 87 familiarization flights were scheduled and 86 actually flown; one pilot had to abort because of sickness. To make the familiarization flights as meaningful as possible, every pilot flew a practice low-level navigation mission, with targeting judges in place, and escorted by chase aircraft.
During the competition phase, every pilot was scheduled to fly a low-level navigation route on each of his two full missions. Low-level navigation routes and equivalent targets were all located in the area. Fourteen targets and routes were chosen prior to the meet, and a target folder was prepared for each target. Included in the folder were maps, a target route description form, and at least three aerial photographs of the target.
Since six days of competition flying were planned, eight full missions per day were scheduled. This schedule required a total of eight different targets for the meet.
As in the familiarization flights, at each equivalent target there were two target judges to accurately time and position each aircraft. Every full-mission pilot was followed by a two-place chase aircraft piloted by the Hellenic Air Force. Chase judges from Hq AIRSOUTH and the RAF occupied the rear seats.
Competition flying started on 12 July. At the end of the first days competition, the Turkish Air Force team found the Ambelon Gunnery Range much to their liking and jumped off to a five-point lead over the Greek team, 119 to 114, followed by the U.S. team with 102.
It became evident that the teams were well trained and evenly matched and that the Commanders Trophy would go to the team making the fewest mistakes.
Five points down at the end of the first day of competition, the Greek team rallied and took over the lead early in the morning of the second day of competition. They ended the day with a 14-point margin over the second-place U.S. team. Each consecutive day saw the Hellenic team gradually increasing its lead, to 29, 35, and 39 points, and when the meet ended they had won by a 28-point margin and a total score of 714 points. Finishing in second place was the USN-USAF guest team with 686 points. In third place was the Turkish team with 671 points, followed closely by the Italian team with 662.
The 714 points rolled up by the Greek team was the highest winning score to date. Besides the Over-all Top Gun of the meet, Captain G. Papaioannou, who amassed 136 points, all the members of the Greek team scored at least 110 points.
Tops in the range-only missions with 481 points was the Turkish team, which also walked off with individual honors in the dive-bombing and strafing events.
Speaking to a closing-day ceremonies audience, General Papanikolaou likened participation in Best Hit to competition in the early Olympic Games
Yparxei kai sunexeia alla den ti vrisko sto arxeio mou... Tha psakso
Ένα ενδιαφέρον άρθρο...
Συντονιστής: Διαχείριση
To exw akousi ksana autw apo ena filaraki stin PA. Mono pou oi Tourkoi pou piran protia se ena mono komati pan kai tin pasaroun san sarotiki niki enanti tis PA. Exw diavasei ena arthro tourkou pou me ekane eksalo.
Tin alithia omws tin kseroume, opws edeikse kai to arthro tou Mystic. Poly kalo. Thx Mystic. Mou aresei poly na ta diavazw auta. Dwse synexia.
Tin alithia omws tin kseroume, opws edeikse kai to arthro tou Mystic. Poly kalo. Thx Mystic. Mou aresei poly na ta diavazw auta. Dwse synexia.
Eskisehi
Den kserw pios to pire to 70 ala kserw oti merikoi parousiazoun tou 72 stin Italia gia niki tous. Kai ... apo oti akousa to 72 htan proti fora pou pire meros n PA se Best Hit. Autos kai o logos pou ekane poly entiposi giati arketoi symaxoi den eixan mehri tote kanei synekpaideusei me Ikarous. Isws nomizan oti eixame mono akrovatiko sminos 
