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It seems the Guy In The Back (Goose), in the Top Gun movie was just a GIB.
The truth is the RIO saved many aircraft both F-4s and F-14s.
Quote: The person seating in the second seat is often a ?navigator? who assists the pilot and operates the weapon systems but I think that their controls are exactly the same so that the plane could be piloted from the back seat. Some jets don't even eject the canopy they use explosive cord to blow a pilot and seat-sized hole in the canopy during ejection. Earlier days the ejection seat had its own safe envelope, the seat can be safely ejected only beyond a min speed and altitude: Quote.
Total, total BS. In most models of the F-4 and all the models of the F-14, there were no, zero, flight controls, no stick, no throttles, no landing or flaps in the backseat.
The Air force early models had pilots in the back seats. Their pilots did not like having a limited vision and the later GIBS were Weapons System Officers.
The USAF and USN RIO's had to have gonads the size of coconuts.
JMHO
The truth is the RIO saved many aircraft both F-4s and F-14s.
Quote: The person seating in the second seat is often a ?navigator? who assists the pilot and operates the weapon systems but I think that their controls are exactly the same so that the plane could be piloted from the back seat. Some jets don't even eject the canopy they use explosive cord to blow a pilot and seat-sized hole in the canopy during ejection. Earlier days the ejection seat had its own safe envelope, the seat can be safely ejected only beyond a min speed and altitude: Quote.
Total, total BS. In most models of the F-4 and all the models of the F-14, there were no, zero, flight controls, no stick, no throttles, no landing or flaps in the backseat.
The Air force early models had pilots in the back seats. Their pilots did not like having a limited vision and the later GIBS were Weapons System Officers.
The USAF and USN RIO's had to have gonads the size of coconuts.
JMHO
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