The conclusions you drew from the acquittal of the Marine pilot, Capt. Richard Ashby, are incorrect (“Military justice, again an oxymoron,” Editorial, March 6). Your editorial indicates a lack of understanding of the demands put on a pilot during low-level flight. Current battlefield threats mandate that the best avoidance tactic is low-level navigation, a highly evolved flying skill that pushes to the limits even the most experienced aviator. The military is obliged to provide realistic training so that its crew can deliver weapons to their targets and survive.
For safety considerations during training, pilots in certain areas are limited to minimum altitudes. But it is nearly impossible for a pilot to be exact in avoiding going below these altitudes, especially in mountainous terrain. The difference between 300 feet and 1,000 feet is merely the flick of a wrist and a few seconds.
It is indeed a tragedy that an accident occurred. The proper course of action now is not to conduct a witch hunt but learn what went wrong. From these findings we can then train our flight crews so that they will not repeat the causes of this accident.
Our service personnel are now called upon to go into combat daily. We must provide realistic training so that they can do their job for us. More importantly they rely on our support, not editorial second-guessing.
