"Scavenger" was a "dweeb" in Air Warrior parlance, but his humour will long be remembered in the Air Warrior Community from his posts in the old Genie Boards describing his thoughts on first flying in Air Warrior.

Unfortunately Scavenger passed on, but his posts continue to raise a chuckle from later generations of Pilots. He is now remembered with affection by most of the veterans, even in the UK, for sharing his thoughts and feelings, and also some in the UK. may remember Lone Wolf , Sysop of the UK Dos Host in the early days, who also unfortunately passed into that arena, where one can fly forever.......Spiff

The First of the Scavenger Posts - "I Go Diving Down":

Fri. Sep. 03, 1993
T.NAUGHTON [SCAVENGER] at 23:36 EDT
I GO DIVING DOWN 1

I think my handle is very far out. That's cool or hot or bad depending on your generation bias. It comes with a vision of myself in AW. I saw myself cruising around like the Red Baron watching for victims.
Since I am new I would cruise the skies of Europe looking for wounded warriors trying to get home.
Engine smoking, control cables half shot away, aileron hanging flipping back and forth like Heston in Battle of Midway.

Then down would come the SCAVENGER preying on the helpless getting some easy kills building up his score, becoming a DWEEB to be reckoned with.

Now the name is great. The problem is OLE SCAVENGER is getting his butt shot off roaming the skies of Europe. The only smoke I am see un is coming out the back view of my aircraft.
The only control cables half shot away, ailerons flipping seemed to be on MY airplane.
Something is wrong with my plan. I was thinking about changing my handle but DEAD DUCK is already taken and then someone might take SCAVENGER and I would never earn it back.

I know I'll change it to SC-avenger (Southern California Avenger). Maybe I could avenge other DWEEBS from the Southern California area. I could stay up really late when you EDT guys are very tired and then I can come diving down. hee hee hee hee

There has to be some way to make this handle work!! Surely I can figure some way where I get to come diving down. This sure isn't like SWOTL where I used to just come diving down alot. But you just wait, one of these days I am going figure out how to come diving down again and then just watch out!!!

Sat Sep 04, 1993 T.NAUGHTON [SCAVENGER] at 21:28 EDT
I COME DIVING DOWN Part 2:

O.K. so I've been waiting to come diving down like I said so I could do this SCAVENGER thing and bring sorrow and woe to the wives and girlfriends of those poor wounded prey that I come diving down on.

So last weekend I was up there waiting to come diving down right and nothing was showing on my radar. There were a couple of dots here and there when suddenly, below me was a dot that hadn't shown up on my radar but started showing up as an icon that said it was an A-26. Looked like he was sorta sneaken around the mountains trying to, shall we say, remain incognito?

Now that drove this diving down thing into a real frenzy. I mean to tell ya I reaaaaly wanted to go diving down. So I did and just to make sure it was going to work I pulled the trigger at 8,000 ft and just held it down. And just to make sure he wouldn't fly away I had the airspeed indicator pegged out. So with the guns smoken the bullets flyen man did I come diving down. I think I got some hits. I can't be sure cause I went by pretty fast. Then I found out I only had 175 ft. in which to pull out from a 475kt. vertical dive.

Well That's about it. It was over pretty quick and I sorta hope the A-26 guys weren't looken out of the cockpit when I went by but what the heck I finally got to come diving down didn't I?

Sun Sep 05, 1993
T.NAUGHTON [SCAVENGER] at 13:47 EDT

I GO DIVING DOWN PART 3:

O.K. I don't want this post to be misunderstood. I'm not really upset with anybody. It's just that I'm the sort of person that likes to do things in my own time, if you know what I mean. I like to learn at my own pace and I don't want to be rushed. So if you were the guys I met up with Sunday night I'm not still mad but give a little consideration in the future O.K.?

Sunday night it was quite around C-Land. Didn't seem to be much of anything going on in B-Land either. A couple or three markers were all I saw and since I wasn't having much luck gunning I thought I'd try my hand at dive bombing. So I checked out a P-38 and put on a couple of bombs.

I took off from C-19 and headed over sorta of north west where I remembered seeing a B-Aircraft carrier. I got up to 10,000 ft. and it took a while to get over there and nobody I mean nobody was in sight. Not on radar and not out between all those metal bars that you look through to see out the side of a P-38. So I'm real relaxed about all this, just crusin.

I look at the radar and that carrier is getten real close and its about time to do my thing, that's right, I'm goen to go diving down real soon. I set my sights over to bomb sight with esc-sd-enter and I sorta roll over a little to see the Carrier---and all of a sudden I got red icons showing up. Three of them and they're closing fast. I need a little time here to get set up. But I see one of these ICONS moving around behind me and the numbers are going from 5000 down to about 1800 and I'm getten nervous. I want to see where the other ones are so I use my coolie hat thing on my brand new $66.00 Chips and Bits Thrustmaster FCS, but those big metal things on the side windown of a P-38 are letting me see nothen. I feel like changing my handle again. This time to a [TRAPPED RAT] who is trying to look through the bars of his cage.

So I figure I am not going to last much longer with my bombs unless I get real busy diving down. I'm just about in the right spot so I push it over and down we go. Just then I get the first taka taka taka up my rear view but I'm diving down so the heck with that. The big X is right on the carrier deck but under all this pressure I forgot what you do to drop the bombs. So I hit the help screen and read a bit and put in esc-A-ent and a little message pops up says bombs armed. Then I look up and the X is right in the center of that carrier deck so things are looking real good. I am diving down real fast.

Now this is the question. If the bombs are armed and you put them right in the center of that big carrier deck do you get credit for the hits if the aircraft is still attached to the bombs?

Tue Sep 14, 1993 T.NAUGHTON [SCAVENGER] at 23:05 EDT

I GO DIVING DOWN Part 4:

I have been on line with Genie since July 27th. I have NEVER EVER experienced NODE problems of any kind. That is until I registered for and received an invitation to, fly a Spit for the RAF in Eagle Day. As a flying sergeant in RAFVR I was called up right out of AWTA to fill in for the shortage of Spitfire pilots. I Was lucky enough to be posted to Sqd 54 at Manston. I even picked up a stove lid to sit on. The night before I got little sleep as one tends to review all that he has learned, wondering how the lessons of school will hold up to the reality of combat.

About 6:00AM I was awakened to the sound of air raid sirens. That was followed closly by the WUMP WUMP WUMP sound of the 550lb bombs from diving JU88s. We could see smoke pouring from the ruins of the El Monte node. I ran quickly to aid with fire control but to no avail. El Monte Node was out of the fight. Then I tried to report in. Over and over I got only---"HHH: His Majesty's Service Interupted".

All day Saturday and Sunday I tried to get into the battle but to no avail. "HHH His Majesty's Service" was out all weekend. All I can do is hope the Germans do not realize the strategic importance of our node network and that they will now leave the El Monte Node alone. If they ever figure out how important the nodes are to vectoring us into AW. Well" Loose Lips Sink Ships" so I will say no more, hint-hint-nudge-nudge, say no more . Lets just hope Goring did his usual poor job of strategic planning. Secretly it made me feel a bit proud that the Germans would expend that much effort just to keep-- me-- out of the battle.

I GO DIVING DOWN part 5:

It was one of those lazy summer days in /MO 4. In fact I felt pretty safe as the only dots I could see had little green icons just like mine. I was just lifting off the runway when unusual things started to happen. This time the messenger of death arrived with a friendly greeting.

*6666 Hey! Is that you Scav?
*4444 Scav's Up!
*3999 Hey,Scav

Reluctantly my eyes left the horizon and moved downward to the little black place where the messages come from. It was a place I have ignored as being new meant NO RADIO MESSAGES! Raising the gear was forgotten as I tried to recall the radio procedure. Lets see I am already on Ch#1 so if I just type / and then the reply, yes that's it just / reply.

/YUP

I type the shortest message I can think of, then my hand races back to the view keys and my eyes back to the horizon as the aircraft begins to buffet. I push the nose back down and then I stab at the views but they no longer work. I am now blind in every direction but forward

. *6666 We sure like reading your posts Scav!
*4444 Yea,They are pretty funny.
*3999 Switch to CH2 Scav!

A cold sweat begins to form on my brow. The airspeed indicator is now going down not up. The buffeting is now being complemented by the stall indicator light as it joyfully blinks on and off. I don't want to be rude, yet I want to live. To fly, to roll and go diving down on some unsuspecting prey. Instead I am less than 200 ft. off the ground rapidly approaching a mountain, staggering on the verge of a stall, landing gear down, views out trying to write a letter with my left hand and fly with my right just because some guy said Hi Scav! Is that you?

I am thinking fast. Why are the views out. My eyes travel to the message line.

/Yup

sits there waiting to be............... Entered, that's it I have to hit enter to send. I quickly hit the enter and then my hand races back to the views. They work again. Why is my airspeed so low? Oh my God! The flaps are down. I must have hit the flaps when I was pounding on the views trying to get them to work. Flaps Up. Air Speed starts to crawl back up toward 100IAS. The buffeting subsides and the stall light quits blinking. Something is still not right the airspeed is going up but too slowly. Oh, the gear is still down. I think its damaged. I am getting awfully close to that mountain... I have absolutely no idea who shot me down. I never saw him. Just just as I was trying to type the commands to switch to Channel #2 there were those red flashs going off all over the cockpit as someone put and end to my misery.

I am sure that sending messages back and forth can really be fun. One hand whipping the stick to and fro a roll here and immelman there while with the left hand one sends messages of encouragement, friendship or even invitations to a duel of death. I will learn this. Someday I too will wait high above some DWEEB I will radio Hi Dweeb, Having Fun!!! When he reaches out with that left hand I will see his aircraft begin to wobble. Then, I WILL COME DIVING DOWN!! hehehehehehe

But,For me,today, it was sort of like having the mailman show up just as I am trying to put out a fire in my house. I am naked and running around trying to figure out what room holds the dog and the cat. I hear the fire engines in the distance. They are NOT going to get here in time.

The mailman arrives, holding out a packet of mail and says just sign here. I say excuse me but my house is on fire here! He doesn't go away. He smiles sweetly and says they really enjoy reading your letters.

Reluctantly I reach into my pocket for my pen but I have no clothes on. The dog is howling, the neighbors are watching and I am wishing the fire would come and just take me quickly away.

* Numbers have been changed to accurately represent the confusion

I GO DIVING DOWN PART 6 Eagle Day

T-30 I report to my assigned Attack Sqd. #609 and present my log book; I receive a hearty welcome and a pleasant round of jolly good banter.

T-20 I am quizzed on my experiences with AWTA; My hours with instructor Bushwacker; and My flying experience in general;
T-18 Everyone gathers in good fellowship to hear my response; I reply that; Actually old chaps, I only took one session with Bushwacker and the ruddy AWTA before my Uncle Dowding pulled me out the class and sent me here; The Sqd seems to gather more closely as I answer more questions about flying the Spit;

T-15 My log book and responses are collected

T-10 I am put under close arrest until someone from intelligence arrives;

T-09 I am strip searched and required to explain the rules of cricket;

T-07 They are finally satisfied I wasn't parachuted in by the Luftwaffe to sabotage an attack Sqd;

T-06 Someone from Group HQ. escorts me away from the good ole chaps in #609 and flies me over to Patrol Sqd. 610

T-08 Sqd 610 Welcomes me and asks a few questions while examining my log book; They ask me to look at my map and discuss the defence sectors; They listen closely to my answers;

T-06 I am strip searched and required to explain why Edward gave up the Crown T-04 I am given back my uniform but no parachute and no side arm;

T-03 I am climbing out of B-33, a grin on my face, guns armed, heading for the English Channel to do battle;

T-02 Hdqs requests that I return to the field as Eagle Day has not started yet;

T-01 I am strip searched and required to explain Cromwell's tactics at the Battle of Waterloo.

T-00 The Sqd leader escorts me to my patrol sector

T+1:30 I have seen one enemy aircraft, have not fired my guns and flew 1:30 min on the fence line. The only British casualty in my sector occurs at T+90 when ole man Herms, at the Dairy, looks up to see my plane, trips and falls on his hayfork.

But Gentlemen it was Eagle Day and I was there!!

Because of these the technical articles I have written for Air Warrior-----I am getting requests for more detailed source material. Some of these books will be available from the AWTA Library.

Thirty Seconds Over Anywhere
also titled Shortest Raids in History
The history of the DooLittle or nothing raids by Scavenger
Covers the 30 second raid over the B-Land Carriers
The 12 second raid on an A-26
The 9 second raid on A-16 and much much more.

To Fly and Die
The Eagle Day sequel to Thirty Seconds over Anywhere Reach for the Ground The true story of a mentally disadvantaged DWEEB

Augernaut
The day to day diary of Americas first Augernaut.

One Brief Shining Moment
As told to Wm Manchester by Scavenger
A series of recollections just before the wheels left the ground.
Unsafe at any Speed
As told to Ralph Nader by Scavenger
A series of recollections just after the wheels left the ground

Fighter Combat
In depth discussion of combat tactics between Scavenger and Robert DeNiro*
Low YoYo
High YoYo
Walking the Dog
Around the World
Are you talking to me?

The Bridges at Yoko Ono
Imagine there are no countries, and no radar too.

I hope these selections will help prepare your mind for the tough days ahead.

*Robert Shaw (Mouse) was invited but gratefully declined.

Dweebering, oops, During the battle of Munda I, at last, had an opportunity to exit the rands of Dweebdom. The enemy bomber formation tried to sneak around the my patrol route. I caught them redhanded and radioed command where to vector the entire Japanese force to intercept. Only problem was I radioed the wrong sectors and then got shot down. When asked to explain the misshap I wrote the following to command at Christmas 1993.

THE NIGHT BEFORE MUNDA

It was the night before Munda, when all through the house.
Not a creature was stirring,... no spoons and no mouse.
The maps and sectors were put in to place.
In hopes that the Scav would make no mistakes.
The Scav was nestled all snug in his bed.
While visions of enema danced in his head.
The take off next day was at T-ZERO.
The Scavenger hoped he'd soon be a hero.
His mission was to be a good scout.
His comrades awaited the sound of his shout.
The time passed slowly as onward he flew.
The moments grew tense, his anxiety grew.
When all of a sudden there arose such a sight.
The enema Bomber wing in all of their might.
Then down came the fighters they lanced through the sky.
Scav. must report, for soon he would die.
The radio came on, the message was fast.
"Come Kotoshi and Bebop, on Twisted and Crash.
To the top of my sector I'm in 2 comma 2.
Hurry Grey Eagle, and Bushwacker too.
The fighters came down, their tracers flashed red.
Scavenger knew, he soon would be dead.
The flames then burst from the front of his Zero
Yes, he would die, but die as a hero.
As he started to burn he heard so much chatter
He listened to hear what could be the matter.
The radio broadcasted, the words he most feared.
Scav, reported the wrong sector, no bombers are here.
His earphones turned red as his Commander exclaimed
This could cost us the battle, God, Dweebs are a pain!

These are a short extract from the Scavenger Posts. Hope you enjoyed them....Spiff - 3rd March 1997

Updated 17/01/05 03:29:53