Call Sign- Brake!

There has been a condiderable amount of curiosity as to how I garnered the call sign brake. So, to put the record strait, here's what really happened.

Although, I'm not sure it's going to live up to all the expectations. I can assure you, however, that it does not involve premature "comment sending." It may have something to do with skid marks, though.

First, a little background to help you understand what happened. The first 3000ft of the runway in an overhead pattern is called the break zone. The procedure for flying the overhead is to approach the runway on heading at 1000ft. Once in the break zone you perform a 180-degree level turn called the break turn. The call over the radio goes, "In the break." This alerts the tower's attention to where you're at and what you're doing so they can warn you of any on coming traffic (other planes) coming the opposite direction called downwind traffic. This is very important because once you're in the turn you're belly-up to the potentially conflicting traffic. After the break turn you drop your gear and make another 180 while descending to the runway to land.

Ok, I hope you're still reading after all that. The day this story happened the weather was barely above minimums and so it was a little hard to see. It was my initial solo in the T-38. (FYI, that's the plane they painted black and used as the fabled Mig-28 portrayed in Top Gun. There's no such thing as a "Mig-28") Anyway, I had performed countless patterns before and knew the procedures cold. Coming up on the break turn I checked for traffic on downwind then started my turn and made the call, "In the break!" Tower said nothing until I rolled out and noticed the 38 at my 11 o'clock for about 100ft! They, at that point, finally made the call. "Jimmy 56 you have traffic at your 11 o'clock." Yeah, no S#@%. As it turns out the operations group commander (the OG as he's called) was in the other jet. That's my boss's boss's boss. It was determined that the OG was flying too wide and failed to make the proper call but I still caught a lot of crap from teasing flight mates. I broke into the OG! Hence, I was given the name "Break."

Now to the skid marks. Coming off a formation sortie I was taxing back leading my formation partner in his plane to parking when I was cut off by a T-37. This is the plane you start flying before you graduate to the 38. This guy was brand new and ended up washing out for this and a host of other really stupid things. He never even looked in our direction! I had to hit the brakes rather suddenly and I alerted my form partner (wingman) over the radio. Our call sign was Sundog so I said, "Sundog brake!" Not only did I avoid the 37 but because of my call my wingman also avoided an almost certain collision. I even got a safety award. What was not mentioned in the safety award write-up but what my flight mates did NOT fail to mention was that in the process of avoiding the collision I locked up my right brake and left a skid mark about 20 ft long on the main taxiway.

At the naming ceremony (yes there is an actual ceremony) they decided to change the spelling of break to brake to commemorate both instances. They mercifully did not go with "Skids" which was definitely mentioned! As I discussed previously, these call signs are assigned and you're stuck with what you get.

So, finally, there it is. To quote my beautiful cousin Candice, if you've read this far I can feel the love. I hope at least in a small way that it lived up to some of the hype.