Johnnye L. Blakeley is the fourth person to the left of the man in the middle on the front row wearing a white coat.
1/Lt. Roy J. Blakeley is behind and on her left.

Group Photo; 559th Strategic Fighter Squadron, 12th Strategic Fighter Wing, Strategic Air Command, Bergstrom Air Force Base, Austin, Texas

Superior handling of a recent F-84F in-flight emergency enabled 1/Lt. Roy J. Blakeley of Bergstrom's 12th SFW to win April pilot-of-the-month honors. While flying in a three-ship flight, 30 miles NE of Matagorda AFB, Lieutenant Blakeley noted he was falling behind formation; found his RPM falling through 80%, then through 70%, with throttle set for over 90% RPM.

Notifying his flight commander that he had an apparent flame- out, he set up a glide for Matagorda AFB from 9000 feet. During the glide he found his RPM had stabilized at 53% with EGT at 400°. He attempted two normal airstarts without results, tried again in emergency, and, although the emergency fuel light came on, noticed no effect on tailpipe temperature or RPM. Throttle action had no effect on power available.

By this time Lieutenant Blakeley had a glide set up for an abandoned airfield 10 miles NE of Matagorda with 4300-foot runways available. He set up a flameout pattern to this field, planning to abandon the aircraft if landing pattern and conditions were not perfect at 2000 feet altitude. His F-84F was equipped with brake chute and his engine supplying full hydraulic control system power and brakes.

Setting up a straight-in glide to a runway running 240°, he noted that another runway heading approximately 180° could be made by a slight alteration in pattern. At 2000 feet his approach was too high, but a turn onto the alternate 180° runway would put him at a perfect altitude and position for a landing, either wheels up or down.

At 1000 feet from the end of the runway and 300 feet altitude, he extended the gear, flaps and dive brakes. One thousand feet down the runway, on touchdown, he deployed the brake chute. Lieutenant Blakeley immediately initiated braking action. Eight hundred feet short of the runway his left tire blew and he was unable to keep from running off the end of the runway into soft sand. He came to a stop 200 feet from the end of the runway Total damage: two ruined tires, wheels and brakes filled with sand and dirt.

Cause of the flameout was omission of a cotter pin from a castellated nut holding throttle adjustment linkage on the fuel control. This linkage had only recently been removed from compliance with a T.O. calling for drilling and safety wiring of the assembly to prevent separation in flight from vibration. The unsafetied nut had dropped off in flight.

Skillful handling of this in-flight emergency merited Lieutenant Blakeley the title of Strategic Air Command Pilot of the Month.

08 Jan 1958: The 559th Fighter Day Squadron and wing, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated and assigned to the 366th Fighter Bomber Wing, England Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana.

08 Jan 1958: 1/Lt. Roy J. Blakeley was assigned to Wing Mobility Officer of the 366th Fighter Bomber Wing, England Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana.