I'd much rather be "down here", wishing I was "up there", than "up there", wishing I was "down here"....
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
Long time back I mixed it up with a diverse collection of US military pilots and of course there were a few tales shared. One had to do with night carrier ops with emphasis on pitching decks during overcast skies and launching.
Uh, no thanks. I would much prefer blacked out night extractions in mountains with the PZ defined by tracers.
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
BTDT! I’ve seen it like that in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and in the IO west of Perth. Daytime can get your attention; night with a pitching deck is where you earn your flight pay. A low ceiling puts the icing on the cake. Seeing the screws coming out of the water is a bit of a distraction too. I tell our Student Naval Aviators that night time around the boat separates the men from the boys. 😳
NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
How many takeoffs and landing can a carrier based aircrafts landing gear take before it has to be swapped out?
Life of the airframe - Tailhooks (or at least the Prowlers hook point) was good for 100 traps and swapped.
I'd pay good money to go out and get some more day traps and there is not enough money available for me to go back out on a no moon night with a pitching deck.
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
How many takeoffs and landing can a carrier based aircrafts landing gear take before it has to be swapped out?
I can't answer that question from memory with any certitude. All I can tell you is they are inspected at specific intervals and/or when an unusually hard landing occurs. But even all of that is no guarantee. On my 2001 War Cruise on JFK, we had a Tomcat's nose gear get ripped off on the catapult shot causing the aircraft to impact the water (not enough end speed, plus the nose was pitched down). Crew ejected, back seater made it but the pilot did not.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
Making the transition between up there and down here can be a bitch sometimes.
My best friend in high school joined the navy when we graduated. He did 2 tours of Nam on a carrier as a catapult maintenance specialist. He had a few stories to tell. He about broke my heart. In the late 60's, Honda had just come out with the 1st Gold Wing, the 750. He told me that he could get me one in Japan while on R&R for 1/2 price and bring it home on the carrier. I'd just have to pick it up in San Diego. I was a poor broke college student so I had to decline. I REALLY wanted one of those.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
In my 25 years in the USN I spent 3 of them on the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72. I am a plankowner of that ship. Carriers are interesting duty but as a non-aviation rate I only did the one. Spent the rest of my time on gators, unreppers and a destroyer.
You get out of life what you are willing to accept. If you ain't happy, do something about it!
How many takeoffs and landing can a carrier based aircrafts landing gear take before it has to be swapped out?
The wing spar has generally been the limiting factor because ultimately, the stress of the landing is imposed on it. Decades ago the A-6’s ran into a problem with the wing spars aging out. They went through a wing spar upgrade/strengthening program to get more service life until more Hornets could come on line.
Similarly, the F-4S’s we flew off the Midway got a reinforcing “strap” on the bottom of the wing. Unfortunately the added weight took away some of the fuel we could land with and remain within max landing weight. That meant at night if you boltered (missed the wires) you went right up to the tanker to get enough fuel for another shot at it.
Last edited by navlav8r; 08/28/20.
NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
I have made two landings in a blacked-out airplane to a totally blacked out airfield, no moon and under ground fire. That was "interesting" but I was only at 100 knots and the runway wasn't moving. I most heartily tip my flight cap to naval aviators.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
In my 25 years in the USN I spent 3 of them on the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72. I am a plankowner of that ship. Carriers are interesting duty but as a non-aviation rate I only did the one. Spent the rest of my time on gators, unreppers and a destroyer.
We were likely aboard at the same time. I did the shakedown cruise with VAQ-141 and CVW-8.
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
BTDT way too many times. Here are a couple of videos from fellow E-2 bubbas. It was an easy airplane to fly once airborne but was a bit challenging/cumbersome landing on the boat.
Amazes me how much they saw on the controls. That one guy, working the yoke and throttle, looks like his hands are pedaling a bike. Not criticizing, hell I have never ridden in a plane, just an observation.
Everyone focuses on the fighters, but is it actually harder or more dangerous in the lower performance aircraft?
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
About 40 years ago someone told me they lost about 2 planes per carrier in peacetime, hitting the fantail or something. I don't know if that was true or not. Does anyone know how many they lose now?
Don't blame me. I voted for Trump.
Democrats would burn this country to the ground, if they could rule over the ashes.
About 40 years ago someone told me they lost about 2 planes per carrier in peacetime, hitting the fantail or something. I don't know if that was true or not. Does anyone know how many they lose now?
It still happens but not as often as in the past; it’s always ugly.
NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
