Honoring Advisors Who Serve(d): Fourth of July, 2023

Ben Bines

Title/company: Director of Business Development – East / Dynasty Financial Partners

Branch: U.S. Navy

Rank held at beginning of service and at end: Ensign / Lieutenant

Service dates: 2002 – 2012

Work you did: I flew as a Naval Aviator in the single-seat F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter aircraft variants for the VFA-136 Knighthawks out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Brief story that stands out from your service time: On my first mission into Afghanistan as a new single-seat F/A-18C pilot, my aircraft had a major hydraulic system failure. I was flying on the wing of our squadron Commanding Officer (CO), David “Killer” Culler, a great American. It was night, and we had pushed into Southern Afghanistan where we’d refuel on an Air Force tanker before starting our first Close Air Support (CAS) mission. As my refueling probe seated in the refueling basket, my warning panel lit up and my jet began an uncontrolled left-hand descending turn that I could only stop by going full afterburner, quickly burning my remaining fuel. There was an indication that if I tried to reset the hydraulic system, I would dump all my hydraulic fluid, leading to an ejection. I was not going to push the reset button.

Killer had seen this before and told me to reset anyway. I followed his advice, and I got back enough flight controls to come out of the afterburner and stay in control. I was now extremely low on fuel, I’d lost several important flight controls and systems, and our refueling tanker had left us due to low fuel. A British L1011 refueling crew came to the rescue and refueled us outside of normal parameters, making it a bit of a hair-raising evolution. After many hours of working the problem, we flew back to the aircraft carrier for a night trap. I still had several failed flight controls. Once aboard, Killer took me aside for some valuable words of encouragement. The next day, it was time to fly again. I credit Killer with getting me home that night.