RustyBattleship

Browsing the web for some technical information, I ran across this article. Thought it might interest you guys:

First and only pilot to land on the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier, The Wings of Gold, Summer 2002 by Mikronis, Edgar

E-mail Print Link In the fall of 1942 I was in VF-41 flying F4Fs from USS Ranger (CV-4) off the Bermuda coast, practicing for what later became the invasion of Africa. We had completed our strafing runs on the beaches of Bermuda and returned to the ship. I was the last in my four-plane division to land.

When the LSO gave the "cut," I complied and set the Wildcat down on the deck. Unfortunately, on contact with the arresting gear, my tail hook broke loose and rolled off into the sea. My fighter continued forward and was restrained by the barrier. The F4F went up on its nose and still moving I found myself looking down at an airplane which had just been lowered to the hangar deck via the forward elevator. This violated the rule prohibiting elevator use during a recovery.

My plane was flipping inverted into the large hole on the flight deck where the elevator had been. I thought I would crash upside down on the hangar deck and be crushed on impact. I ran my arms down into the rudder pedals, forming my body into a ball, limiting my exposure outside the cockpit ball insofar as possible.

Instead of dropping onto the hangar deck, however, the wingspan of my Wildcat, now inverted, was just wide enough to have about a foot of each wing tip resting on the flight deck. I was now upside down in the F4F, hanging by my safety belt. The aircraft was gently rocking up and down over the open elevator hole.

Plane handlers removed the aircraft that had been on the elevator. The flight deck officer, several plane handlers and the flight surgeon assembled to resolve the predicament. At first it was thought I'd fallen out of the cockpit because I was still trying to stay in a ball and was hard to see.

Finally, the elevator was raised slowly until it was close enough to my Wildcat that a couple of sailors could pat me on my back. I was told to release my seat belt which I did. I was then lifted out of the cockpit. I stood up on the elevator, not a scratch on me.

In sick bay the flight surgeon checked me out and served me a slug of Old Forester in a paper cup. At dinner in the wardroom that evening, with all officers present, I was summoned to the Captain's table. I was recognized by my CO and XO. I was described as the first pilot in the history of the Navy to land on the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier. In honor of my accomplishment I was presented a large medal fabricated by the metalsmiths from a Prince Albert tobacco can.

Copyright Association of Naval Aviation Summer 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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texasjohn

wow!!

Parihaka

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Gun Grape

Grandpa Pettibone would be proud

dave lukins

Was his landing marked up or down by the XO

Bob Jones

Not exactly a landing then, technically more of a crash I would say, but anyone you walk away from I guess

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Dreadnought

Has anyone read about the recent RAF pilot who landed a fairly new aircraft without its landing gear down?

Basically he destroyed the underbelly of the plane but walked away without a scratch.

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dave lukins

Apparently he had switched off the 3 green warning lights to warn him that the wheels were not down. His monthly Mess Bill will be rather high

RustyBattleship

Well, the ship's Captain and XO called it (humorously I suspect) a landing on the hangar deck because the elevator can be either Flight deck or Hangar deck.

And whatever a Captain of an Aircraft Carrier says, that's what it is.

Jimmy

Well, a crash is just an emphatic landing.

wabpilot

A good landing is one you can walk away from, a great landing is one where you can reuse the aircraft.

Bob Jones

I recall some years ago, a Harrier pilot in the RAF took off from one of our through deck cruisers? then got lost, and could`nt find the mother ship so in desperation, and lack of fuel, he landed his Harrier jump jet on the only floating item he could find, a local fishing boat, much to the suprise of Manuel, excellent piece of flymanship, but I bet he had some explaining to do

Bob Jones

Sorry just a tad confused over the definition of, Landing v Crashing, if I am ever in a plane, I know the one I would rather have?