This week on the merge, we're zooming out to examine other perspectives of the mid-air collision

discussed so far this season. In earlier episodes, we heard from Jim Di Matteo, calls on Guido.

He and Bill Seismore, callsign size, who you'll meet in a moment, were airborne that day.

They were both observers being as far as 40 miles away from the collision, but they both saw the

results and reacted quickly. I was attached to CNAF here, so Commander Naval Air Forces. So it was

after my command tour. Guido was flying an F5 as Sloppy's Red air wingman. And I was down here.

I was basically in charge of all the adversary programs.

So Navy Marine Corps, all the adversary stuff, top gun, in SOC at the time.

Vice Admiral Kilcline, killer Kilcline was CNF at the time.

And the two of us were still flying the F5. So it was a couple of years after my change command, but they had both Killer and myself kept current and would fly with the squadron.

So occasionally they'd come down here to San Diego and we would fly out of North Island against carriers,

against VMFAT 101, do random stuff down here, and then occasionally we would fly up there

and fly out of the Fallon ranges. And this was one of those scenarios.

I was the chief of staff for Airpack, worked for the Airbus, and I was up in Fallon to observe

carrier-wing 8 that was going through their airwink training.

Size was in an FAA 18 and the senior officer airborne.

I had been to previous CAG at carrier airwing 8, so I knew a lot of the folks there.

And, you know, they were the ones that specifically asked for me to come up there to

observe them.

It was just a beautiful, beautiful day in Fallon in the early part of the summertime, or I guess

it was still spring technically.

And, you know, I think everybody's just excited to fly I

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