The Tomcat Legacy; 35+ years from Fleet Air Defender to Recce to Precision Strike

[Catmando]

Negative. All you "need" is one wire.
[...]
We went through more than one line period with only 2 or 3 wires (total, not the specific wires) ... arresting gear engines break --- so get used to it and remember --- you're still just as good (or bad, depending on the pilot ) with one, two, three, or four wires ... if you just do one thing:

FLY THE BALL !!! It never changes ....

A4s: Only you could so thoroughly thread-jack a "Last Tomcat" thread. I will try to reset and reprogram this thread's course later. But for now, just this:

Spoken like a true LSO…and so true. But don't whine to me about a shortage of "wires". My boat, the Midway, only had three. And during maintenance, often had only two wires . . . not to mention a short deck. (I understand the Reagan is the only other carrier to have only 3 wires.) As you say, fly the ball; grab a wire… even if it's only one wire available. That's why we all are Navy/Marine pilots. We are taught and can perform under duress.) :icon_smok

While your picture's ball is better positioned than mine, and picture quality better, here is what I often looked at in an F-4 at 140kts + and with 3 or less wires (not to mention a 13 degree angle deck instead of the normal 10 degrees, and a figure-8 pitching deck, even in smooth seas . . . . not that I'm complaining any

 

[A4sForever]

Damn, was it cleaning day in the hangar bay?

Seriously, ferrying jets over to SE Asia?

*sniff* I was born about 30 years too late.

I guess you could say we were "ferrying jets" to SEA .... that's another way to look at it.

And every day was cleaning day in the hangar deck ... ooooops ... big mess ... better get started.

 

[Brett327]

^^ I was gonna say, that's Baker-san, not Fuji-san.

Brett

 

[A4sForever]

A4s: Only you could so thoroughly thread-jack a "Last Tomcat" thread. I will try to reset and reprogram this thread's course later.

Shoot ... and just when you thought it was safe to come out of the woods ... I do it again. Sorry ....

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD !!! .....

 

[A4sForever]

..... here is what I often looked at in an F-4 at 140kts + and with 3 or less wires (not to mention a 13 degree angle deck instead of the normal 10 degrees, and a figure-8 pitching deck, even in smooth seas . . . . not that I'm complaining any

Midway was notorious for her "deck movement" while trying to get aboard. If I remember, every time I saw her she seemed to have a semi-permanent 2-5 degree port list ... ???

 

[Catmando]

a

But you like flight deck "diversity", you say ... ??? Check it out, diversity -- CVA-63 -- 1972 style. Tried to get a Hummer in there --- no room without removing the Hummer's roof.

A view of the corral .....

Not pretty. Not to the "Ship's Handler" . . . nor to me. With the exception of the exquisitely beautiful "centerpiece", aka the Fox-Four-Fighter, it looks to me like a lot of stray cats :kitty_125 (but no Toms) & dogs :dog_125:, inappropriately shoved together.

In fact, it almost looks like a 2nd week, "Indoc" attempt at a respectable close order formation drill in P'cola. Certainly enough to make a Marine DI yell and scream, if not cry.

Now if you want to see class; to see real military bearing on the flight deck; to make a Marine DI proud; to see a proud fighter community not infiltrated by outsiders and interlopers who might otherwise disrupt the beautiful symmetry of an on-deck fighter formation, (or worse, ding our fragile 'aluminumb' skin ) then look no further and observe this symmetry and poetry on the flight deck of the "Big E", circa the latter '70's.:

 

[Catmando]

Midway was notorious for her "deck movement" while trying to get aboard. If I remember, every time I saw her she seemed to have a semi-permanent 2-5 degree port list ... ???

You remember well.

I am told when she came out of her overhaul in the late 60's, with her new, huge angled deck superimposed on a WWII hull to accommodate McNamara's anticipated F-111….. during sea trials, she went into a hard starboard turn, and never recovered from a horrendous port list. The huge overhang – a 13-degree angle deck (rather than the normal 10) on an old, small hull caused her to be extremely top-heavy and list to port. They took her back into the yards, and poured thousands of pounds of concrete ballast into her bilge to make her sail upright.

It worked, but it made her very squirrelly on the helm, and uniquely difficult among all post WWII carriers to come aboard as you indicate - her stern did a figure-8, even in smooth seas. (and a little list remained, always, as you suggest.)

Although a few landed aboard her, she never was a home to the F-14. But without the Tomcat, she – the Midway – still has had an extraordinary long and successful history. Moreover, she is now available as a top tourist attraction, and monument to the many officers and men who sailed aboard her and her contemporaries. She was, and remains a proud ship of many missions, and uncommon successes, as did her crew for so many years.

Everyone should check her out.


http://cv41.org/
http://www.midway.org/site/pp.asp?c=coIMKTMCF&b=81432

 

[Harrier Dude]

I went to to see it last weekend. Nice.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

Duh... that was my impression of you going "make the ball call."

I don't remember any WSOs missing a ball call at the boat (and what the hell is "400 down"??) I do remember our single-seat genius marshalling on the wrong side of the boat.

Now THAT would've been a ball call worth hearing

 

[nittany03]

Rumor heard from the TRACOM stud by me today: "Yeah, they're not even sending people to the Prowler RAG anymore, blah, blah, blah." Seriously, people!

Brett

Umm . . . riiiiiiigggghhht. Supposedly, the reason why it's cold is because there is a DRAFT in here . . . (hint, hint)

 

[TurnandBurn55]

You mean Navy a/c can turn another direction? Or was he 180 out?

Yes. Marshalled in such a position that flying the CV-1 would have led him to shoot an approach to the pointy end of the boat.

Or perhaps, as Cartman might say, God put single-seaters on Earth soley for my amusement

 

[TurnandBurn55]

Are we sure this is the last Tomcat trap?

5 bucks to the person who can post another "last Tomcat" article in the next 2 weeks.

a) Asked and answered, your honor. The Tomcat will have another "last something" soon, and this will not be some "new development" any more than this thing is. The Tomcat was scheduled to go through a "last deployment", a "last combat mission", a "last trap", and a "last flight". Not one thing has significantly changed from that, other than the fact that some people have chosen not to understand that those are different events, all succeeding each other.

b) Yes, it is possible that another Tomcat might trap. At the field. As an emergency. A full 5% of my traps have been such

 

[HeyJoe]

There is a dependant's cruise scheduled for mid August so Tomcats will be involved and likely trap as part of the airshow for those aboard.

 

[HighDimension]

I found this video today, It has probably been posted but are any of our F-14 guys involved in this video?

 

[1rotorhead]

Negative. All you "need" is one wire.

There's no more pressure on you with one, two, or three wires than a batter with 2 strikes on him. The batter's still just as good a hitter as he was when he came out of the on-deck circle and stepped up to the plate with the count N0 balls, N0 strikes.

I absolutely defer to A-4's about landing on the boat, but have to disagree about the strikes thing. Ask a hitter what count he prefers, and he'll definitely no strikes. 2 balls, 0 strikes is a hitters count. That's when you come out of your shoes swinging.