General Dan Caine Recounts Flying with His Dad: A Tale of Humility and Survival

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Flight

• ✈️ General Dan Caine recounts a memorable flight with his father, a wing commander at Ramstein, during a multi-ship training mission.
• 💡 The mission involved a low-level ingress and attack against a defended dam, with Caine flying as number four in a four-ship formation.
• 👨‍👦 This flight was particularly special as it was one of Caine's first Multi-Engine Qualification (MEQ) rides, flying alongside his dad in block 30 F-16s.

Losing Sight and the G-Awareness Turn

• ⚠️ During a G-awareness exercise, Caine lost sight of the other three aircraft, including his father's.
• 😨 The situation escalated, leading Caine to consider drastic actions like crashing or ejecting, while his radar indicated the other aircraft were rapidly moving away.
• ⚡ Relying on his air attack system, Caine eventually acquired a radar lock on the missing aircraft, which were a significant distance away and moving at high speed.

The Intercept and Mission Completion

• 🚀 To regain position, Caine had to engage his burner and pull significant Gs, executing a KATA maneuver to find the perfect intercept course.
• ⛷️ He flew at high speed and low altitude, passing directly over the Lake Placid Ski Resort without even noticing it.
• 🎯 Caine managed to rejoin the formation at the initial point, albeit far out of position, and they proceeded with the attack on the dam.

A Lesson in Humility

• ⛽ After the mission, Caine was critically low on fuel, while other pilots were still feeding fuel from external tanks.
• ❤️ Upon landing, his father embraced him and simply said, "Love you, son," signifying the profound lesson learned.
• 🧠 Caine emphasizes that this experience taught him humility, the importance of remaining humble, credible, and approachable, and never drinking his own Kool-Aid.