Jerry Stevens      

My first evaluation at the Cat III level was on good ole water burning 121. For those of you who remember that pig, the positions were all numbered even stranger than the newer models. 

Anyway I was getting my eval from one Mr. Stand-Eval, ELS, he of the ilk to ask such detailed and pertinent questions as: Into how many pieces does an AA-2 explode upon impact?  

After about 30 minutes on watch, the pilot put the pig on   autopilot and dozed off.  All the while I endured the grilling and answered the questions to the best of my ability.  About that time, we lost autopilot and dropped like a rock (2000-3000 feet at the snap of one's fingers).  

Needless to say, my evaluator was not strapped in nor did he have the luxury of those wonderful writing "desks" we used.  One second he was asking his famous question and the next he was on the ceiling, flailing like a bug turned upside down. 

All of you who have been in the air know the next move.  Pilot grabbed the stick and stopped the drop immediately.  One human bug decided to immediately vacate his "airborne" position and hurtled at intense speed down on the position. 

After clearing his head of the cobwebs, he dragged himself from the "desk", called AMS and simply stated "I'll be in the back!"  He recuperated the rest of the flight, I passed my eval and now have this story for all! .