{"id":4701,"date":"2020-03-03T18:44:14","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T23:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/?p=4701"},"modified":"2020-03-03T18:46:13","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T23:46:13","slug":"midway-hero-richard-dick-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/midway-hero-richard-dick-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Midway Hero Richard \u201cDick\u201d Best"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As recorded in last week\u2019s blog<\/a>, I recently viewed the movie, Midway<\/em>.  One of the pilots highlighted in the film is Midway hero Richard \u201cDick\u201d Best.  I decided to research Dick Best further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, I learned that Hollywood can take \u201cartistic license\u201d to an extreme.  So much so that the actual events and characters are badly distorted.  I wondered if this was the case with Midway<\/em> and Dick Best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Flight Deck of the USS Enterprise, May 1942<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In one of the opening scenes of the film, Best is pictured\nflying his Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless over the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise<\/em>.  In order to practice engine loss procedures,\nBest cuts the engine off (scaring his back seater).  Best explains that he is practicing engine\nout procedures in case he has to do it for real one day in the future.  (This is standard operating procedure in\nflying).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best descends towards the Enterprise<\/em> at a steep glide slope. \nBest then puts his SBD into a \u201cslip\u201d. \nA slip is when aileron is inputted (controlling the roll) and opposite\nrudder is inputted (controlling the yaw). \nSo, for example, Best would put in left aileron and right rudder.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Aircraft in a slight slip<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Picture a car fishtailing around a snowy curve and then continuing\nin the fishtail position while traveling along the straight portion of a\nroad.  This is the best picture I can\ngive the reader of an aircraft slip.  Of\ncourse, besides the fishtail the aircraft is descending as it operates in three\ndimensions versus the two dimensions bounding a car.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Slip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The slip allows an aircraft to safely descend at a steep glideslope.  Just as the pilot nears the round out and flare for landing, the aileron and rudder are released.  The aircraft returns to a \u201cstraight ahead\u201d position and the pilot accomplishes the landing.  As an aside, the slip is sometimes used by pilots in approach to landing during high crosswinds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Thoughts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Best and his squadron mates of VB-6, six months before Midway<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I won\u2019t spoil the movie for those who had yet to view\nit.  Perhaps in a future blog I will\nexamine the oxygen problem that some of the fliers encountered.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the question of artistic license, suffice it to say that\nalcohol use and abuse was emphasized and glamourized as part of the film.  I was not alive at the time and obviously,\nwas not part of naval flight during this period.  I can say that contemporary military aviation\nfilms made during my time \u201cin the wild blue yonder\u201d emphasized and glamorized\nalcohol use and abuse far more that I personally witnessed it at any Officer\u2019s\nClub or flyers\u2019 gathering.  Ditto for the\nuse of foul language.  However, as for\nthe flying footage of Dick Best\u2019s \u201cslip\u201d, I can attest that the maneuver\n(perhaps not the entry or exit) was faithfully portrayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Richard “Dick” Best<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a final note, I wanted my 16 year old son to view the film.  I wanted to make sure that he understood that men, just a few years older than he, paid a great price to win World War II.  The United States could have easily lost that war and as a result, the world would be a much different place.  \u201cTo those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As recorded in last week\u2019s blog, I recently viewed the movie, Midway.  One of the pilots highlighted in the film is Midway hero Richard \u201cDick\u201d Best.  I decided to research Dick Best further. Over the years, I learned that Hollywood can take \u201cartistic license\u201d to an extreme.  So much so that the actual events and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":338,"featured_media":4699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[39],"tags":[1127,1128,1130,1126,1131,1129],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMidway Hero Richard \u201cDick\u201d Best - Doctor Aviation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I recently viewed the movie, Midway. 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