CARRIER LANDING TERROR!

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/carrier1.html ^

[doorgunner69]

Bkmk

[octex]

Thanks to all of you FReepers who served!

I was in V-2 Catapults ‘60-’62 aboard the FDR (CVA-42). Night ops were often scarey for the pilots, but they were also scarey for thos of us in the flight deck divisions. The other half of V-2 was Arresting Gear. There were accidents.

I’m sending the video link to some friends, for sure!

[fredhead]

20 years in the Navy, all 10 years of sea time spent on carriers; Nimitz, JFK, and Ike. I was an ET and didn't spend very much time on the flight deck (#1 rule: STAY OFF THE FLIGHT DECK!!) but I have two stories.....

First one. 1981 Nimitz in the Atlantic. I'm on vultures row watching recovery. Next to me is an Air Force lieutenant. Why he was there I don't know. But he was white as a sheet watching the Naval Aviators “land” on the carrier. There's something that disproves the USAF song that says, “Nothing can stop the US Air Force.”

Second one. 1988 JFK in the western Med. Wind was howling and the deck was pitching. Like in the video. An F-14 came in a little off to starboard and sliced his starboard wingtip through the noses of three other Tomcats parked along the foul line. He did manage to bolter and was diverted to Sigonella, as were the rest of the aircraft still aloft.

[AFreeBird]

I believe the series was called “Carrier”. And was, if memory serves, a PBS production. I thought it was a very good series.

It’s available for streaming on Netflix.

[pabianice]

Years ago, when I was going through Navy flight training, someone posted on a wall a magazine ad for the Navy. It showed a terrified guy making his first night carrier qual. The text read something like, “Meet ENS Alvin Jones. He’s making his first carrier night landing. The deck is heaving and its raining. What would YOU do?” Under the ad some wag had added a comment sheet. The first comment was, “Fold your skivvie drawers 3 X 4,” a reference to the hundreds of details an officer candidate was required to memorize. I still laugh when I think of it.

[I Buried My Guns]

"...I believe the series was called “Carrier”. And was, if memory serves, a PBS production. I thought it was a very good series. ..."

It was good, but I sensed a lot of political correctness and a subtle denigration of military life and values.

[NY Attitude]

Later

[Lazamataz]

Washington and California are foreign lands.

[Axeslinger]

bkmrk

[CTOCS]

I was also in Danang in ‘68 flying C-121’s and A-3’s. Pretty scary times.

[AFreeBird]

Well, I think given the format, and the fact that some of the crew were able to speak freely for the most part, might give that impression.

Not everyone in the military is gun-ho, and not all share our more conservative ideals. Overall, I thought they presented a fair picture of a cross section of personnel.

And in my minds eye, there were more Patriotic supporters than there were malcontents.

[SwinneySwitch]

Can you feel the “pucker factor”?

GO NAVY!

[cva66snipe]

I was on the America 77-80. We had two bad flight deck crashes. One was a F-14 at night ops. We were at GQ I think and had several Pentagon VOP's onboard including SECNAV. The F-14 came in low and broke the landing gear off. The plane started to turn starboard and the pilot hit the starboard burner and they popped out as it went off the angle. The second one was IIRC again at GQ and I'm certain at night. A S-3 Viking came in too high and missed the first three cables snagging #4 which couldn't stop it. The plane went over and hung by the cable but the crew had already iniated jetison. Two lost that night.

The one someone had a lot of explaining to do was on the hanger deck. It seems someone parked an F-14 near either EL 3 or 4 during a repot. The door was tagged out but someone operated it and sent that plane rolling into another F-14 nose to nose..

I have some Super 8 footage of night landings and take offs I took up on Vultures Row.