When You Hit The Big Deck

[Skeeterman]

Some might say, " landing on this deck was a breeze". That is until you had to deal with 20' swells, and a pitching deck.

When you catapulted off at 0600, and returned three hours later to find the weather had changed so the carrier deck was pitching and rolling to the point, the LSO offered you a 20% chance you might catch a wire, any wire was acceptable..

You modern days pilots, with your 1080' deck and over 10 acres of landing zone, you have 300' past the ramp to get a wire. We had 30' from the ramp and seven wires, and no man's land if you missed all wires, for up forwards was a deck full of aircraft you had to avoid. Chances were, you would take out a few before going over the bow.

 

[scoober78]

"When the ships were made of wood and the men were made of iron..."

Is that the Lex?

 

[Tom]

After a career flying off a ship like that, does it make everything else seem like a piece of cake (besides dealing with women)?

 

[nittany03]

I would imagine the 40,000 ton carriers pitched even more than the 90,000 ton ones, to boot. Half as much mass to get thrown around.

 

[A4sForever]

....When you catapulted off at 0600, and returned three hours later .........

Which jet aircraft and which ship did you fly 3 hour cycles in ???

Thanks ...

 

[wrk]

Looks like if you timed it right that the pitching deck would help you out, like those british carriers with the ski jump thing at the end of 'em.

 

[Goober]

Cat officers will actually try to time it when you're launching in heavy seas. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Just nice to have the extra safety cushion.

 

[thull]

Looks like if you timed it right that the pitching deck would help you out, like those british carriers with the ski jump thing at the end of 'em.

and if you timed it wrong it would make things worse, like that guy that got attacked and mauled by his pet tiger.

 

[skidz]

There was a video linked on here a while ago of an S-3 taking off in hard seas from a pitching deck, they timed it wrong. Yet the ole radials powering the S-3 enabled it to keep flying despite all the water it hit, but all of you already know that. Does anyone have a link to that vid?

 

[A4sForever]

There was a video linked on here a while ago of an S-3 taking off in hard seas from a pitching deck, they timed it wrong. Yet the ole radials powering the S-3 enabled it to keep flying despite all the water it hit, but all of you already know that. Does anyone have a link to that vid?

S-2 Tracker, yes ???

 

[Harrier Dude]

I've met the pilot of that S-2. Pretty cool story. He flys/flew for Continental.

 

[A4sForever]

S-2 Cheatin' Death on the TICO

Maybe the C-1 ... don't know, don't care ... just glad it wasn't ME. Initial night CQ on the TICO was bad enough ...

*edit* and to give credit where it's due ... this was posted @ a year ago by ... drum roll ... mules83

 

[Lawman]

S-2 Cheatin' Death on the TICO

Maybe the C-1 ... don't know, don't care ... just glad it wasn't ME. Initial night CQ on the TICO was bad enough ...

*edit* and to give credit where it's due ... this was posted @ a year ago by ... drum roll ... mules83

Well... thats one way to wash a plane.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Well... thats one way to wash a plane.

According to the pilot, the plane was nearly ruined from the sea water and corrosion. The crew actually started to egress when they realized that they were flying again. The Boss told them to "Secure your dumps", but that was in fact sea water pouring out of the fuselage. All the AW stuff inside had to be replaced. Pretty wild.

 

[JIMMY]

wow, they always just show the first half of that clip on the military ch. I would have never guessed that they actually flew out of that.