The Unauthorized Randy “Duke” Cunningham Page

I enjoyed watching the air-combat re-creations and especially the interviews with the pilots/RIOS regarding that famous day. I couldn't help but notice that Cunningham's involvement was slighted during the entire program, with a brief mention of him at the end of the entire program.

I had an executive officer at the time of Cunningham's triple in one day feat. He said, "I prefer luck to skill." That was Cunningham that day, very lucky. By his own admission in all three engagements he made significant errors that the NVA pilots did not, could not exploit.

After all these years I have come around to the idea that an air-to-air Atoll missile knocked him down. This is because his, nor any other a/c in the areas SAM sensors went off. So MiG snuck up and pickled one up his kazoo.

Cruel Shoes wrote:
".....snuck up and pickled one up his kazoo."

I understand that may be a regular occurance in the type of 'staterooms' that he is currently berthed in.
Raz

After all these years I have come around to the idea that an air-to-air Atoll missile knocked him down. This is because his, nor any other a/c in the areas SAM sensors went off. So MiG snuck up and pickled one up his kazoo.>>

I guess it really doesn't matter, on Phantom killed either way. If it WAS a MiG, My question is why didn't he/it persue his prey and ensure it was a real kill...on fire would be a real target for anothe atoll, or since the F-4 was most likely rapidly losing speed, just come up and gun it down.

And where the hell did Connelly go? Both he and Randy didn't have their regular wingman at that time, so why didn't Connelly stick with Randy. That is SOP, and my first of several big GROANS with the flick Top Gun at the beginning when after the Migs encounter, Maverick left his wingman.

Connelly was NOT a team player and had nothing but resentment for RIO's...Spent a week confined to the BOQ at NKX for a serious flight violation.....making an extremely low pass/buzz over the home/apt. complex where he and his wife....(and me and my wife) lived. My wife was out talking to our neighbor, an off duty ATC at NKX...and he said to her, "You better hope your husband isn't in that"...as he wrote down the nose #. And she and many others though the plane was going to crash he came in at such a steep angle and was so low.

Connelly almost flew into the water as he got his head out of the A/C way too early on a night landing rather than flying the instruments down the glideslope, he was watching the meatball; But it was a manual ball and the a/d in front was high so the LSO manually moved the ball to show that a/c he was high. Connelly kept descending on the other a/c ball and when the other a/c landed and the LSO's looked aft and saw Connelly almost in the water, screaming PULL UP PULL UP BURNER BURNER....We in the ready room looked at the PLAT and didn't see anything and then this F-4 coming from below the fantail rising upward.

They felt a THUMP, and the SAR helo saw a splash on the water. I'm sure Blonski in the back was screaming his head off but Connelly had ZERO respect for RIO's...And yes, I know I've told this before, but Connelly really pisses me off and pissed me off way back then with his attitude.

So it doesn't surprise me his take that it was a MiG even though he didn't stick around to protect each others (Randy and his) SIX.

Just my 2¢

As I recall Connelly was hit by ground fire and sustained a PC-1 or PC-2 hydraulic failure and went back to the boat.