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Fly-On Question

S

SemperApollo

Registered User
I've seen a lot of old pictures of aircraft being lifted onto a carrier via crane at the docks. Now I'm guessing they just fly them all on after the ship has left port. When did they change methods?
 
SemperApollo said:
I've seen a lot of old pictures of aircraft being lifted onto a carrier via crane at the docks. Now I'm guessing they just fly them all on after the ship has left port. When did they change methods?
Click to expand...

I can't speak authoritatively as to the historical methods, but I seriously doubt that that was the normal procedure used to embark aircraft. It still happens these days, but they're usually craned off the ship if they're not able to fly off with the rest of the airwing before the ship comes into port for the last time on cruise.

Brett
 
Usually the only time that loaded planes via crane are: 1) They were shipping aircraft over to the front, so they used a carriers as a transporter. (During Korea they did this alot with the aircraft they broke out of storage from WWII.)
2) The plane is broken.
 
This happens a lot during Hurrevacs, too. If the aircraft can't get airborne and escape a big storm, they throw it on a ship and have it leave w/ the ship until the storm passes. It's crazy to see a fuselage go whizing by you in the other lane while you're driving around on base.
 
You mean whizzing by at 5 mph, right....

I always am a big fan of the fly-off FCF vibe run...
 
For those familiar with NS Norfolk, the road CV Towway isn't just named that for grins, it was originally used as a taxi/towway so aircraft could taxi from Chambers to the carriers to be loaded on.
 
This is the way is "used" to be, if anyone cares ..... :)

We'd generally FLY to Alameda or North Island a few days prior to heading for WestPac. Party hard at Mex-Pac or in SFO .... and then ..... many of the aircraft would get towed over to the ship and craned aboard --- and some would stay on the beach for the fly-aboard.

I generally lost out on the fly-aboard as I had to wave --- probably the ONLY "bad" deal as an LSO, if there had to be one. Not always had to wave ... just usually.

Touch this: The World's Worst Fly-Aboard

The fly-aboard was generally a scaled-down effort --- reserved for a few heavies who wanted the traps, a few beautiful people/CO's shadows/pets who's sh!t never seemed to smell, or the occasional miscreant who needed a couple of day traps. Not to get "current", mind you --- just those miscreants who "needed" the traps, according to the LSO ( me :)). BUT .... really weak sisters were not amongst the ones who would fly aboard. After all ... what in the hell would we do with 'em if they couldn't get aboard ??? Go back to port and walk 'em aboard ... ??? I don't think so .... :)

The transient lines at the NAS's would launch the fly-aboards as all squadron personnel were aboard once we singled up all lines and cast off ....

Fly-off's at the end of cruise were generally anything and everything that could fly ... everybody join up in a big formation .... drive home for a couple of hours .... and do the squadron fly-in/fly-over at NAS Home Base .... great PR stuff. The sick birds and hangar queens were off-loaded when the ship hit port and were either fixed and flown home solo in shame or dragged over to rework for a major bowel resection.
 
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