Welcome to Waitte's Brief
BG-CT Edward J. Waitte (RET) shares stories from his years of service.
Gunsmoke Competition
Fighter pilots have a reputation for being cowboys. They even have their own rodeo. The Israelis Air Force reviewed some of their gun camera film from the ’73 war. It was horrific. Their pilots had not been taught how to “dog fight.” They were able to get behind the enemy aircraft, but they could not keep the “pipper” (gunsight) smoothly on the target in order to shoot that aircraft down. The pipper was all over the place. A better training regimen was developed. There was no war during the ’80s. The USAF decided to have a competition out at Nellis … Read More
Why Most Airline Pilots are Military Pilots
Continental Flight 1549 has just departed LaGuardia Airport and is climbing over The Bronx. Continental Flight 1549 (calmly): “Mayday mayday mayday. This is Cactus fifteen thirty-nine. Hit birds. We’ve lost thrust on both engines. We’re turning back towards LaGuardia.” LaGuardia Departure Control (just as calmly): “Ok. Yeah, you need to return to LaGuardia. Turn left heading two-two-zero.” Flight 1549: “Two-two-zero.” …2 minutes later…. Flight 1549: “We’re are going to be in the Hudson.” Most of the airline pilots are former military pilots. That’s because they really go through very extensive training, especially in simulators. They simulate losing hydraulics, losing an … Read More
At the Air Force Academy
How shining shoes for hours on end and rugged academics turned an 18-year-old high school graduate into a capable and confident Air Force Second Lieutenant. There is a lot of very difficult training at the Air Force Academy. It was a very tough experience, but it was a good experience for me. I didn’t understand the purpose of that training until about ten years later. They put you through hell. But the whole point of that hell is just this: when you are actually leading a flight of two, four, eight, sixteen airplanes, the situation is always changing. A refueling … Read More
How The Dawn Patrol Influenced My Life
Retired US Air Force fighter pilot Edward “Jay” Waitte recalls a 1938 classic war movie with its fearless camaraderie, code of chivalry, and fierce rivalry. A lot of people have asked why I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy. It’s rather a funny story because one time I was watching Dawn Patrol starring Errol Flynn and David Niven. What interested me is that they would be in a fighter squadron. At that time pilots were lucky if they lasted past 14 days. This was World War One. Fighter pilots were the superstars of their day. Both sides wrote … Read More
Welcome to Waitte’s Brief
I have been a well-known member of the Norwich community for many years, and as far as I could tell, everybody knew I was a successful businessman, the head of a local insurance agency, and a former United States Air Force officer. Well, imagine my shock when one of my clients approached me one day and asked, “Someone told me you were in the Air Force. What was that all about?” Suddenly, I realized that not only did people NOT know that I had been in the Air Force.… …but I had been a fighter pilot…. …and I had retired … Read More
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At Waitte’s Insurance, we are committed to the safety and security of our insurance clients as well as that of our country.
BG-CT Edward J. Waitte shares his experiences in our new blog.
Military Service
At Waitte’s Insurance we are committed to the safety and security of our insurance clients as well as the that of our country.
Some areas of operation we have served in:
Jay Waitte — Brigadier General-CT; 1968-2010
Panama, (preparing to capture Noriega) Bosnia, Iraq
Mike Waitte — Major; 1977-1997
Panama, Bosnia
Ethan Waitte — Lieutenant Colonel; 1996-Present
Afghanistan, Syria
Find out more about Waitte's Insurance
Our country trusts BG-CT Edward J. Waitte you can too.
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