I wasn’t there, and I couldn’t care either way. Post 37 describes the start sequence and what to do if you get a hot start, wet start, etc... But post 37 describes a wet start as accidental.
I think what many say is that JM had done wet starts as a joke . There were many carefree and foolish things navy pilots did for kicks.
A fellow AOCS and primary flight students dad was a spad pilot in Vietnam. His dad told me the spad pilots would sometimes drag their tailhooks in the rivers for kicks. Did they do that? I don’t know. WW2 pilots fold me some funny stories also. And even in the 90s overseas there was a healthy dose of gross buffoonery.
Wet starts probably to into the same foolish category. Did JM do them? Not a clue.
All we have is video. And the training video shows a Zuni cook off in a simulated test shot... and the narrator makes it look like the cause of the fire by saying “there it is”.
The 1973 training video says there is a dispute regarding what happened, and we will never really know the cause as time rolls on (6 years after the accident they made this 1973 tape.)
I would guess that JM did NOT start the fire, since its not on video. Many said he did. If people made up that story... Then shame on them.
Interesting post.
I think there is a host of other things to attribute to McCain outside of this, though.
BTW-I didn’t see anywhere in post 37 where “accidental” or “intentional” was ascribed to the to the article. I do see the article uses the term “deliberately”. Was that what you meant?
FReeRegards,
FMOKM
As you can see from the spotting diagram, there is no way he could have wet started or hot started into the face of any pilot behind him, because his tailpipe was out over the sea. I spent many hours in exactly that launch spotting configuration, all clustered near the ramp.
In the article, the writer says he did it with deliberate and malicious intent. I may not have been clear, but in case you are interested, there are only four (and ONLY four) possible ways you can get a "wet start":
1 - Equipment malfunction such as the spark igniter being down and not starting the fuel air mixture, or the huffer not spinning the engine fast enough.
2 - Fuel contamination rendering it non-combustible
3 - Improper technique: Person in the cockpit fails to push the throttle outbound at the correct RPM to activate the igniter due to ignorance, poor technique or distraction.
4 - Deliberate action: the person in the cockpit fails to push the throttle outbound. This is certainly something that John McCain COULD have done.
I will tell you, from my four years working around jet aircraft and years of that on the flight deck in many roles, I never, ever, ever saw any kind of tomfoolery or horseplay from anyone in a cockpit on a carrier. Never. Ever. Those people are all business, and for good reason. There are many lessons written in blood. It is far too dangerous to screw around. Believe me when I tell you, his last name might have been, Halsey, Nimitz, or Mahan and he wouldn't have done it. It is ridiculous to even think of it.
People don't do it, because people get killed, and one of those people getting killed could potentially be you, but only if you are lucky. If you did something like that, you would be a pariah, and you would likely be grounded.
What people do ashore is quite different, and do I think it is possible a pilot might do an intentional hot start on the line, or a mechanic doing one to clown around at the high power test stand where nobody might be around? Sure...it is possible. Unlikely, but possible. This isn't like some pilot flying by the tower fast and slow, or flying under a bridge or something, they do that because they think nobody will see them in the case of powerlines or a bridge) but on the flight deck of a carrier at combat, that would cause you to lose your wings. Of that I have no doubt.
If there are any Freepers reading this thread who have carrier experience, they might chime in, but even in the case of the craziness, stupidity, or high-spritedness that might surround wartime operations, I have zero doubt someone would do this as a prank, even if their tailpipe WAS pointed out over the ocean.