http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-10-04/stunning-video-when-camera-drone-entered-active-volcano

Idontlob  sent  this along  . Amazing  video  but Iceland’s  amazing place .  Sept ’69 Asst Ops  Officer came to duty desk  where  I was  running  the phones  for  daily   EB-66 training  schedule. Smiley grinned  and  said “Get  your  dancin  shoes,  Phillips  you’re  flying  stateside!”  All Spring  and  Summer we’d  been ferrying    EB-66s  to Spangdahlem  to begin Alert  with  Nuke   bombing  F-4Cs  in activation   December. I’d   brought  one   from Shaw  AFB SC  the  morning  after  Neil Armstrong  walked on  the moon I’d  stayed  up late  watching one small step   on a  silly tiny  BOQ  B&W  with coat hanger  rabbit  ears. 2 refuelings,   off  SC coast and  at  Azores if  we found  them  on  way to Madrid.  Little  dicey but  Magellan    me ? piece of  cake. Important  thing  to exude  confidence  when pilot’s  out  of landmarks is  what  I was paid  for.

Then he  explained  it  was the  Bitburg  Goon,  C-47, WW2  used for local flying  time   and  parts  delivery  etc. going  to Boneyard  Davis  Montham AFB, Tucson AZ.  Time’d  come  to send  them all back  to salvage yard  or  conversion  to  Puff  the  Magic  Dragon gunships at OnMark factory  in  FL had  done  the B-26 conversions   used in  SEA.  I knew  DM well, I’d ferried last  B-52B   to there   in Mar ’66 on casual crew  status   awaiting my  B-57 SEA tour that May. Actually  most was spent  plotting  radar  fixing   tgts  for   3rd World  War across  Pacific  in  Command  Post  safe  room. USAF part called “Operation  Road Map”  since   after  we’d  drawn up one  copy, Guys  from  Zerox  came in and fed  their   new machine to make  all the others in  B& W.  Laughing  our heads  off  at  black suits   and narrow ties. One  I planned was  to land  in India  after nuking  Siberia  and  Indians  would not know  we  were coming.

Also  bit  earlier  I’d  taken   one  with a  broken Rt  rear  gear  truck assembly  failed to retract  and  cost  was too much  on a  old beast   used years  to train crews  at  Castle  AFB.   Since  was  stuck down? No Problemo! Looked like a  seagull one  foot  missing. .

I’d  done  some DC-3  trips ( 1st  flight  ever ’59 summer  vacation   little  airline  between Guymon OK to Liberal KS.  Uncle  ran newspaper  and  traded  ad space  for  seats around  area.  Turned   around  and  came back)  and   C-47  touring  west coast from Hamiton  AFB  to army/marine  bases  in a  USO show   before  joining   USAF in ’61.  No real navigation  needs there or  continental Europe .  Reason  I got it  was need  to be  celestial  overseas  qualified  and I’d been doing  that  in  B-52s  before  SEA duty.  Totally  no  coverage  by  any  controllers  so hourly   sextant  work  14  hours  was a long  days  work. Used  all the  tools , sun lines,  moon, Mercury at times  faint  in  day, pressure pattern close  to tropics   gives some indication  being  blown by  wind  shift between big  systems. Doppler  Ground  Speed  was  about  the newest aid   if  a  good  wave  pattern  to give  ground  speed but  the  early  B’s  did  not  have  it. We  went  to a  downgrade  school at   crew  training  Castle AFB assigned  to their  old  training models  for  an extra  2  Buff squadrons taking  B-47’s places  at  March AFB and  Biggs  AFB El Paso and  both  on TDY alert  at  Guam . LONG commute   monthly    7 day  duty  with one  going  and coming or   2 Weeks  with a  week rest  between.  Great  R&R  flight  to Tokyo shopping  and  yenning  around  Ginza. KC-135  going  west  was  a long  day sun hanging  in  sky.

Night bringing one back   was  easy just  busy. Pick 3  well spaced  stars and  have a  good time hack  so  3,  2  min average altitude readings   shifted   fwd or back to mid point time ( fix  on hour  using   :55 and  :05  reading  as well )  should   give  a  triangle  near assumed position ( another  will be  180 degrees other side of  world you  can forget  about)  and  if  well done a near pinpoint. Tacan DME reads  out to about  175+  miles  at 30K’ altitude.  Past that on  your  own   except  for  lonely  Wake  Island   between Hawaii and  Guam a  solid  radar  fix to  less than a  mile  off. .At  a  Goon’s  10-15K’  the visual  slant  range  is  much less  to about  125  miles  and  bearing  locks  in  for  direction  before  distance  is  running  too.

But  the  Gooney is  doing  about  140 MPH max so 1,000 mile  hop is   good  8  hours take  off to land   up around  14,000′ altitude need  for  oxygen and  believe me, over  cold  water N Atlantic  you  are really using  a  large  fudge  factor! TBC