Ace

For John, BLUF:  The Air Force Academy Class of 1964 graduated into the middle of the Viet-nam War.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Today is Ace Day for Steve “Cinco” Ritchie

Here is the sub-headline:

Fifth Aerial Victory, 28 August 1972

From Class of 1964.

Here is the lede:

Ritchie was flying his usual MiG Combat Air Patrol as Buick Flight.  He was told by Red Crown and Disco (the forerunners of AWACS-type information) that MiGs were threatening the Strike Force.  His weapons systems operator, Captain DeBellevue, picked the Bandits up on radar and Ritchie made a climbing turn to convert from the front quarter to the rear.  The MiGs were high, about 15,000 feet above Buick.  From max range in the turn, he fired two missiles, which failed to track.  The MiGs were subsonic due to fuel, and Ritchie was in full afterburner at about 1.2 Mach.  The overtake resulted in an “in-range” light in the cockpit, and Steve fired the last two Sparrows.  The lead MiG went into a thin overcast, and when he came out, one missile streaked by on his left, apparently causing the MiG to break right, which solved the radar solution for the last Sparrow.  “SPLASH! I got ‘im! SPLASH!”  It was a much different situation than any of Ritchie’s other kills; at a higher altitude and greater range.

Not much to add.  Good show!

Regards  —  Cliff