Robin Olds and Scat XXVII — his last ride and end of an era

Robin Olds and Scat XXVII — his last ride and end of an era

Robin Olds, his mustache was legendary — U.S. Air Force photo

Robin Olds was a remarkable man who passed away at a ripe old age on this day in 2007. Olds served his country flying in the U.S. Air Force — his first fighter was the P-38 Lightning and his last was the F-4 Phantom II which is now on display in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force —  in between these aircraft he flew P-51, P-80 and F-86 fighters — and is the sole USAF ace with aerial victories in WW II (14 victories) and the Vietnam War (4 victories). Olds’s style was to lead from the front and he pushed Air Force bureaucracy whenever he felt that it was obstructing its mission of protecting citizens of the United States and the Constitution. He followed the tried and true — though increasingly rarely to be seen demonstrated  — credo of earning loyalty by giving it. It takes a brave person to subscribe to this credo since bureaucracy does not usually reward such a follower, though it should. Always the first to protect those under his command his loyalty is, perhaps, best exhibited in the naming of the aircraft assigned to him. He named them all “Scat” after his room mate in the academy whose eyesight prevented him from continuing through flight school. Olds did not shy from carrying weight.

The man, Robin Olds, and his F-4 Phantom II fighter, Scat XXVII in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force — photo courtesy of Jayne Davis

Scat XXVII is loaded for bear with a full complement of 750 pound bombs, AIM-7 as well as AIM-9 missiles and drop tanks (no internal gun since this is an F-4C) — photo courtesy of Jayne Davis

Red stars mark two of Old’s MiG kills during the Vietnam War (all four aircraft were MiG-21s and downed with missiles) — photo courtesy of Jayne Davis

Robin Olds had swagger, he lived the Hollywood fighter pilot archetype, but he was also possessed above average intelligence and this enabled him to see the big picture. A student of many things, including history, he brought whatever was needed for mission success. One example of many are the lessons first written down from Hannibal which inspired his Operation Bolo. This operation resulted in North Vietnam curtailing its MiG interception activities for several months during the Vietnam War.

Olds was also warrior with a humane streak as in the case during WW II when he made a strafing run on a train in occupied France. He had the presence of mind to disable the train on his first pass by aiming into the engine without striking the cab — disabling the train but allowing the captive French engineers to escape. Of course, this meant making a second strafing pass, and increased exposure to anti aircraft fire because of it, but he accepted the risk. The great leaders usually think outside themselves.

He also flew in times when aircraft entered into the fray to seek out targets and destroy them. Warfare today has changed with stealth aircraft, increasingly asymmetric warfare, UAV and UCAV aircraft as well as longer ranging smart munitions. I would never say war has become cleaner but it is becoming more of a remote experience for many who now fly. Commanders may not be like Olds again — not because good commander types will no longer exist, because they will, but the events today that forge them are now so different from the past. Scat XXVII may represent the last of an era in the USAF as the new one continues to open.

Scat XXVII and Robin Old  as they appeared while in service during the Vietnam War — U.S. Air Force photo

Robin Olds, ever the historian and warrior, wished Scat XXVII to be displayed in a conserved condition within the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force as opposed to being restored. Such is the dilemma curators face — balancing what the masses will most positively respond to as opposed to best representing historical context. The professional uses the tool that is a bit worn since it has proven itself to be reliable as opposed to a new one out of the box — but the young and those without military awareness prefer a fresh look more often than not. So what is a curator to do?

Robin Olds departing Thailand and his last combat tour of duty — U.S. Air Force photo

A book that goes far beyond an autobiography — it is an historical reference book as befits the historian in Robin Olds — is Fighter Pilot: the memoirs of legendary ace Robin Olds, Robin Olds with Christina Olds and Ed Rasimus, 2010, ISBN 978-0-312-56023-2, 400 pp.

I cannot recommend this book too highly. Learn how money was made available to develop the Lockheed “Blackbirds” as well as why the USAF lost its tactical bombing skills as the nuclear age dawned — and much, much more. Place the book’s title into the search window to find this blog’s review post, if you wish. The book can easily and reasonably be obtained here.

Scat XXVII is on exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which was recently visited by Jayne Davis who courteously lent her images to this blog under her copyright.

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The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has these two pages you may wish to also read:

• Learn about Air-to-Air Combat, Robin Olds, and River Rats as first exhibits of Southeast Asia War Gallery renovation open at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
• Brig. Gen. Robin Olds: Combat Leader and Fighter Ace

 

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