ATG Have you always wanted to be a fighter pilot..?

That was my first choice out of pilot training, but any Air Force jet would have been great.  My first assignment was actually as an instructor for undergraduate pilot training.

ATG You are an F-15 pilot but what planes did you fly before the Eagles…?
As an instructor pilot, I flew the T-37 for three years, and then flew T-41s and T-3s at the USAF Academy.  I went to the F-15 Eagle after than in 1995.

ATG What was your first watch..?
I had a few “kid watches”, but the first quality watch was a Seiko Sports 100 with the 7A28 quartz movement.  It is the civilian version of the military watch that Seiko put out for the RAF.  My Dad got it for me when I was accepted at the USAF Academy. I wore it for four years and then switched to the Casio G-Shock in pilot training.

ATG When did you realise that watches were not just to tell the time?
The military is where I first started using a watch as a tool for more than telling time.  I needed a watch that would keep a “hack” to the second.  I needed it to have backlighting for use at night.  I needed the chronograph functions to time events.  I used the timer countdown function to monitor time used during pre-flight briefings.  All of these requirement are what drove me functionally to quartz watches.

ATG If you had a technical failure there are obviously back ups that a watch won’t help with right?
It is possible to have total electrical failure where cockpit computers are not functional and a watch might be all that works.  The F-15 still had a mechanical clock in the cockpit, but we rarely used it.  I would rely on my watch for those rare cases.

ATG Does that mean as a flight tool watches are obsolete?
NO.  A watch is always a reliable back up for those emergencies like total electrical failure.  For navigating, the watch is still a valuable tool for what we call “clock to map to ground”.  On a visual flight rules (VFR) flight using ground references, the method was to hack the watch and at preplanned points, cross check the map for what landmarks “should be there” and then look outside to find them and confirm the flight was on track.

Nemo Flying with Bremont ALT1-Z

ATG Have you used your watch to make a technical decision in flight?
A watch (or the cockpit clock) is still needed for timing on some instrument approaches.  A decision to “go around” might be used if the field/runway is not in sight at the point at which timing says that it should be.  Not too many pilots use timing anymore, but it is still a valid method.  Timing is also still used for holding patterns.  Tactically I would use my wristwatch to time certain F-15 events involving the geometry of an intercept or keeping the 4-ship in proper proximity to the point or area we were protecting.

ATG Have watches been included in your training either flight or survival…?
Other than being issued a watch in pilot training, there was no specific training for using a watch.  During survival and evasion training, we did learn to cover the watch so that it was not reflective.

ATG Can you tell us about any scary moments you have had..? (don’t answer if classified)
Pilot training does a good job of preparing you for the occasional emergency, so despite having many in flight emergencies over my career, they never really fell into the “scary” category.  The most scary events probably involved near midair collisions when during a fight, two jets got a bit too close.  Many times it was during the debrief where you would realize just how close you came to hitting someone.  Those were always eye opening.

ATG Now I know you own a couple of watches…what are your favourites…?
My favorite is definitely my Bremont ALT1-Z.  It just screams “pilot watch”.  I also love my Breitling Professional Quartz watches (Aerospace and Emergency) with the F-15 logos.  My 1985 Tag Heuer automatic pilot specialist watch also ranks up there.

ATG What watches are impressing you at the moment…?
Definitely all the products from Bremont.  Just when I thought that anything new with respect to watches and aviation had been done, they managed to get me excited again.  I am looking hard at the MB2!  It’s probably out of my price range though!

ATG  How have watches improved over the years you have flown…?
Definitely the biggest improvements have been in quartz technology.  My most recent Casio G-shock had a motion sensor that, when bringing my watch up to read the time at night, would automatically turn on the back light.  It also had an automatic atomic clock update, and was ALWAYS to the second.  Mechanical watches just can’t compete with that.  Obviously there have been advances in mechanical watch technology too, with materials and improvements to specific mechanisms, but the basic design has remained the same.

ATG Do you have any Squadron watches…?
I have a Breitling Emergency and Aerospace that both have F-15 logos on them.  They are not squadron specific though.  I have an Omega X-33 with a special engraved “Eagle Driver” caseback with squadron numbers and call sign (NEMO).  Chase Durer also uses the F-15 silhouette, so I have one of those.

Omega Speedmaster X-33 Squadron Watch

ATG How did you go about organising this with manufactures..?
Breitling and Omega offer military sales.  It usually just involved contacting the company rep and letting them know that a group of pilots wanted a specific watch.  They love it because they want military pilots out there wearing their watches.  It’s the best advertising!  I tried contacting Bell@Ross with an idea for a logo watch, but they never even responded.  Their loss!

ATG What is your favourite aircraft…?
Is that a trick question??  The F-15 Eagle.  I do like the F-22 Raptor and would love to fly it, but the Eagle will always be my jet.

ATG Is there a aeroplane that you would ‘really’ like to fly say from a different era…?
Spitfire or Mustang

ATG Jocks like their watches I hear… one to wear and one for the bar etc…. what do you were when you meet up with your fellow aviators…?
Usually the Bremont or Breitlings.  The watch has to be large.

ATG What is the worst pilot watch you have seen….?

I hate to say this, but the worst pilot watch is the Breitling Aerospace that uses the crown for all functions.  With gloves on, I can’t use them.  Also, my Aerospace has no backlighting.  And on a sunny day, the digital readout is tough to see.  So while I give it an A+ for use at the bar telling stories, it gets a poor grade for being functional in the cockpit.  I will say that Breitling has since put backlighting on their quartz professional watches–so that’s an improvement.  The Breitling Emergency also uses the crown for functions, but the survival benefit makes it a useful pilot watch.

ATG What would you say to someone thinking of training to be a military pilot…?

I would say it is very competitive, requires a lot of work, and then won’t pay that great.  But you get to see the world and fly the most advanced machines.  It’s something others dream of.  It has its own intrinsic value.

F-15 Pilot Nemo on Patrol

ATG What do you think of the Bremont MBII watch…? Would you get one or wait to just punch out…?
It is on my list of “watches I want”.  It is a great marketing idea.  Nick and Giles are smart dudes.  I won’t have an opportunity to ever punch out and earn an MB1 though, because US Air Force aircraft don’t use the Martin Baker seat.  I am considering volunteering to be a “dummy” for the Martin Baker Corporation.  I will wear an MB2 and let them eject me in a test if I can keep the watch!

Cheers!  Check six!

NEMO