Author prepares for another day of chasing missiles with camera from cockpit of supersonic jet.
Here is the exciting story
of a "chase photographer'
who lived to tell of a
mid-air collision with
an erratic "bird."
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C-OB-G:
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by Karl LaRoche, Jr.
V-f HASE PHOTOCRAPHER," they
call me. Riding jet planes,
I chase long-range missiles
launched at the Missile Test Cen
ter, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.
I work for the RCA Service
Company, Inc., one of the com
panies that manage technical as
pects of test-range operations. My
job is to fly within 50 feet of a
missile, and take its picture in
flight. From these pictures, filmed
with lightning-quick cameras, the
engineers learn how to correct
certain defects of the missile.
The "birds" are usually con
trolled from ground stations that
stretch several thousand miles
from Florida into the South At
lantic. My pictures tell the fel
lows on the ground whether their
controls are functioning properly.
Perhaps the missile's wings are
flapping. Perhaps some part of the
"bird" breaks off. The "chase
photographer" is flying alongside
to record the flap or the break.
On this particular day, I met
the pilot at 5 a.m. in the "Ready
Room" where we went over the
flight plan. We discussed the pic
tures I was after and the signals
we would use in the air.
I put on my flight suit, a cover
all of nylon with plenty of pock
ets; then a Mae West in case we
had to ditch the plane, a para
chute, and a folded life raft which
also served as a seat. Finally, a
crash helmet with a built-in
head-set and an oxygen mask
with a built-in microphone.
The pilot was new on the job.
'Nothing to it," I assured him.
"I've done this dozens of times
and there's not a thing to worry
about." I didn't tell him about
the time a missile exploded in
front of our jet and we skimmed
past the debris; or the time a mis
sile stalled in a climb, and went
into a dive right for our plane.
Our first flight that morning
was routine. We roared in over
the launching pad at about 400
miles an hour, 300 feet off the
ground. We passed over the pad
a split second after the "bird"
was launched and flew alongside
it through the "climb-out," film
ing all the way.
Our second mission was to go
out and pick up the "bird" and
,i -iw.,;(r,-
II
in -S nil- --nr"" ' "' ' -- jP" s' -; : 1
Air Force Snarlc, type of guided missile that unaccountably flew out of control and struck author's plane, is shown in take-off position at Missile Test Center in Florida.
26 Family Week I v. April 20, 1958