Go Af Blue - My All Time Favorite

[Old plug]

On the new ones it is MIC.on the WW2 classes it was pretty darn hairy. We had a FJ loose power one time right off the fantail. He cartwheeled into 4 fully fueled jets sitting in back of the island on the number 3 elevator. We were in a coffee locker just in back of there and it had a open passageway about 6 ft long before you entered the door to the coffee locker. When that mess exploded. Flame shot in and filled the whole darn passage way for about a second. You would be surprised the thoughts that can go through your mind in a second when your in a little room with no other outlet. I think 4 were killed in that fire.

Had another instance where we were recovering in a rain storm and were all hunker down. Well this a A4D snapped his landing gear( happened a few times) and skidded up the deck and hit the planes parked on the bow. Burnt 13 or 14 up. But no loss if life. At the time I was talking on a deck phone and I heard fly 3 say something I cant say here. I looked up and that A4 was not more than 50 ft from me. I yelled and we all ran and the wing tip caught the long cord on the phone and ripped it right off my neck. I did not even know it was gone. There was a recording of it at one time. When the explosion happened you could see what looked like steam shot off of the backs of all of us. They said it was from the heat because we were soaking wet. I never felt it. I do not know how that pilot go out if there to this day. But even now over50 years later I still can close my eyes and see in detail that A4 coming with the pilot holding the canopy braces and looking at us. I have seen it all on a carrier from people hit by a prop, burnt in back of a blast deflector, thrown overboard by jet exhaust and lost, copter crashes and believe it or not even took a blimp in tow onetime that lost power.

[mic]

Old Plug, different generations, but sometime we need to sit down with some beers and swap some stories.

I've seen the famous one (sorry name escapes me) of the ship that caught fire when a rocket went off. I think McCain was on that deployment. You see it all the time on documentaries of 'nam.

[Old plug]

Mc cain was after my time. I am not intending this as political. It is just about Mc Cain the pilot. He had a penchant to play the hot shot as a pilot know I know. And have read a lot about about his accidents and his shoot down. I think better judgment would have avoided it all. Did you know that his father was General Westmoreland's boss. He was commander western Pacific better known as West Pac. That is why he was still flying after he flew into that cable in the Alps. I do not fault him for trying that it is a old tradition among pilots in the 6th fleet even though it was dangerous and illegal. They call it flying the wire. But he is the was only one I knew that ever hit it.

[mic]

A fighter pilot playing hot shot... that is like saying fish likes water.

[mic]

The USS Forrestal was it's name. I don't remember this being a flying thing... I remember it as hot munitions. However, my memory sucks.

[lee G.]

I remember it being a missile launch on the flightdeck striking McCains A4 Mic, but my memory ain,t so good either.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I remember it being a missile launch on the flightdeck striking McCains A4 Mic, but my memory ain,t so good either.

Yeah I believe you're right. A rocket or missile fired, and struck McCains plane, which was armed for launch, setting it on fire. I don't know if they ever found out why the armament fired, but it could have been carelessness or accidental static.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Here's one that not many have seen. I saw a few of these at Eglin AFB in Florida in '62. There was a big firepower demo for Kennedy planned, he never showed and more fighter bombers than I ever saw in one place just ran practice. Later that year there was a big uproar in the region. I don't know if that had anything to do with the show of power of not?

The ones there were ones with rocket pods on each wingtip holding 52 2.75's. The little known F-89.

[Old plug]

The only show of power we had was some countries establish international boundaries on the ocean way out. I have ben on excusions far inside those boundaries on more than one occasion. It was sort of get up in there faces thing. I been so close to a couple of those countries you could see features. They had a hick name for that old carrier i was on they called it the galloping ghost of any coast.

As far as Mc Cain and hot shot fighter pilots. He never flew a fighter. He flew a A4 that is a light dive bomber. After a few of the stunts he pulled most pilots would have been put on permanent non flight status. First plane he destroyed was a AD Skyhawk. He said the engine failed as he was making his approach. He also said he was looking at his flaps because he did hot feel they were were they should be. The investigative board however found water in the top of his engine cylinders. That means the engine was running when he hit the water. i will venture to say he was watching his flaps and flew right in.

[Wayne SW/MO]

It's hard to bad mouth a guy shot down on a combat mission, one of many, who then spends 4 years of imprisonment and torture. Republican or not his resume is honorable. I doubt that many could have with withstood the conditions he did. I don't think I could.