Now RADM Flatley (Ret) spoke with my NROTC class at The Citadel my senior year. I've never been more riveted by a speaker in my life. We watched a video of then LCDR Flatley making those landings/takeoffs while he narrated the whole thing.
He told us about that squat switch trick and how the a/c basically stopped in midair when reverse pitch was used in conjunction with the massive headwinds coming over the deck.
F-ing amazing. I met him again while I was stashed there between primary and advanced. He ribbed me about being an E-6 guy, but he was very helpful and gave me the name of a guy he knew in the community. All-around awesome man. A real example for us aspiring aviators.
The Flatley Family legacy in Naval Aviation began with his father, Jimmy Flatley who was a premier fighter tactician along with Thach. In fact, it was Jimmy Flatley who coined the more popular term for the Beam Defense Maneuver pioneered by Thach to allow the less nimble F4F-4 Wildcat to take on the aerobatic Zero fighter. Flatley named it the "Thach Weave".
Thach after baptism of fire and validation of the Beam Defense maneuver at Battle of Midway.
Both Thach and Flatley became legends in their own time and had significant impact on fighter design and tactics throughout WWII. Flatley's story is told very well in
Reaper Leader.
Flatley earned title of Reaper Leader when he founded and named the "Grim Reapers" in WWII charging them with the motto: "Mow 'em down!"
Flatley in a F6F Hellcat after moving from CO of Grim Reapers to CAG-5 aboard USS Yorktown
Both Flatley and Thach on to win their flags. Thach had four stars on his before retiring and Flatley had three. It was fitting that his son also win his wings of gold and not only fly fighters, but wear the Grim Reaper patch that had been adopted by VF-101. Later as a test pilot at Carrier Suitability branch of the Strike Test Directorate (now VX-23), he was selected to carrier qualify the C-130. At heart, he was a fighter pilot.
LCDR Flatley launched from USS Forrestal during epic C-130 carrier qualification
Note: His son "Seamus" also won his wings of gold and wore the Grim Reaper patch before taking command of the VF-154 Black Knights and taking them to OIF where they disembarked from USS Kitty Hawk to operate as part of a Special Operations Joint Task Force ashore.
When VF-101 was disestablished in 2005, the Grim Reaper flag was returned to the family where Seamus keeps a close eye on it. The Navy JSF FRS has requested to adopt the heritage of the Grim Reapers and I'm willing to bet there will be two Flatley Naval Aviators there to present it when that happens.