Episode 35 - 14 SAMs in 15 Minutes

Behind the Wings

Today, in celebration of National Volunteer Month, we are excited to speak with Wings Over the Rockies volunteer, Phil Mentesana.

Phil shares personal stories about his time as an Electronic Warfare Officer on the B-52, flying the F-4 in Vietnam, and his time as a captain for United Airlines. He has many firsts in his career including being a part of the first B-52 missions to engage in combat during Operation Arc Light in Vietnam, leading Operation Linebacker I in the F-4, and so much more. This one is going to be cool!

Key Takeaways:

• Phil wanted to be a pilot but elected to go to Navigation training first, earning a spot as an Electronic Warfare Officer onboard the B-52 Stratofortress.
• While stationed on the B-52, he was a part of the first B-52 combat missions in Vietnam, flying in Operation Arc Light. On the first mission, two B-52s collided in the middle of a storm when trying to refuel.
• Phil finally got his chance to fly when he was reaching the age limit for pilot training. After training, his fighter pick was the F-4 Phantom.
• Phil went back to combat in Vietnam, this time flying the F-4. While there, he led the F-4 squadrons in Operation Linebacker I and had 14 SAMs shot at him in less than 15 minutes.
• After he retired from the Air Force, he went on to pilot for United Airlines. He flew every plane model they had at the time.
• Phil came to volunteer at Wings Over the Rockies to give back to the aviation career that treated him so well.

Resources:

• Operation Linebacker
• Operation Arc Light