Posted on 01/02/2014 8:08:37 AM PST by KeyLargo
Kenneth Schechter, Survivor Of Blind Landing, Dies At 83
Kenneth Schechter, who died earlier this month in Fairfield, Calif., at age 83, had been just 22 years old when he survived an unusual blind landing in Korea. Schechter was flying an A-1 Skyraider above the Korean coastline on his 27th combat mission, in 1952, when an enemy shell blew the canopy off his airplane and metal fragments struck both of his eyes. "I'm blind! For God's sake, help me!" he cried into his radio. "I'm blind!" He was answered by Lt. j.g. Howard Thayer, who served with him on the aircraft carrier Valley Forge. Thayer flew close beside him, and talked him all the way down, until 45 minutes later Schechter was able to land safely at a dirt airstrip.
"My plane hit the ground, lurched momentarily and skidded to a stop in one piece," Schechter wrote, in 2001. "A perfect landing. No fire. No pain, no strain. The best landing I ever made." Schechter regained sight in his left eye but the right eye was permanently blinded. Schechter wrote (PDF) that he was unwilling to bail out because he'd seen other pilots drown or die of exposure after bailing out into the frigid waters of the Sea of Japan.
(Excerpt) Read more at avweb.com ...
I agree about the ‘too fast’ consideration, but can’t take anything away from the Fast FAC boys in Vietnam. Real Men.
Max speed on an AD was 320 mph. With the dive brakes extended, it was not more than 50 mph (according to Marine pilots who flew the missions).
Wow.Puts my trivial problems in a different perspective
Not to take anything away from him, but he wasn't the only one to land blind during the Korean war.
On September 17, 1050, Ensign Edward D Jackson, Jr. blind landed an F9F-2 Panther on the carrier Philippine Sea after flying into steel "booby trap" cables strung across the Han river.
The story is told in the current issue (March 2014) of Aviation History. This is one of their best issues yet!
Thanks for your service. Happy New Year.
Ship shown in the trailer is USS Oriskany (CV-34).
That was my point:the A1 could fly slow enough for the pilot to be sure of delivery on target.Vietnam pilots didn’t have laser guided bombs.
. . . not counting experimental ones.
To the grunts on the ground the SKY RAIDER was an angel of mercy. To the enemy it was the open gate to hell. The SKY RAIDER was down in the dirt with the grunts. Heaven is one angel better today because of that man that flew that wonderful beast of a ground attack aircraft.
In 1969 they were still flying and fighting at NKP Thailand. I think the training base was Hurlburt Field FL.
Thanks.
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