{"id":4952,"date":"2021-08-31T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=4952"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:08:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:08:23","slug":"98-flight-ops-aircraft-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/98-flight-ops-aircraft-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"#98\u2014Flight Ops: Aircraft Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Who said, \u201cDon’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”?<\/em><\/li>
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cAll right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal\u2019s a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I LOVE the Corps!\u201d?<\/em><\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
    End of the spring And here she comes back<\/em>
    Hi, hi, hi, hi there<\/em>
    Them summer days Those summer days<\/em>
    That’s when I had Most of my fun, back<\/em>
    Hi, hi, hi, hi there<\/em>
    Them summer days Those summer days<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #98 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 3, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>1<\/span> Download<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    USS Kitty Hawk<\/em>, CV-63; August 1975\u2014
    On the flight deck
    Westpac ’75: somewhere in the South China Sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Late morning\u2026 we\u2019ve already launched two cycles of aircraft<\/a> and recovered the first. Over the flight deck 5MC, the Air Boss announces, \u201cStandby to recover aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yellow shirt aircraft directors, Tractor drivers, Blue shirts, and squadron Plane Captains have already moved aircraft out of the recovery area and into their designed parking spots, ready for the next launch cycle as soon as we\u2019ve recovered these\u201418, I think\u2014aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"F-4
    F-4 Phantom Recovery aboard USS John F. Kennedy<\/em>, CV-67 (1968)
    Photo credit: PH2 Cottrill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s not a cloud in the sky and the sun is directly overhead. It\u2019s hot as hell on the flight deck. Who am I kidding\u2026 we\u2019re in the middle of the ocean in summer, not that far from the equator. Yeah, it\u2019s hot, but at least there\u2019s a nice ocean breeze coming down the flight deck. Suck it up, buttercup!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What\u2019d we say in Florida during the summer? \u201cIf you don\u2019t like the weather, wait five minutes\u2026 it\u2019ll change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2018Bout the same here. Between the two cycles of flight ops, the ship\u2019s captain has managed to find at least one or two rainstorms along the way and boy, do they feel good. Especially when I can peel off my red Crash jersey and get drenched. Of course, I can only do that between launch and recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And I’m not the only one on the flight deck who does this. Only about ten to fifteen minutes. But it is so worth it. Helps to cool things down a bit. Next time, maybe I\u2019ll bring a bar of soap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alright, enough daydreaming. Let\u2019s get this show on the road. We\u2019ve got incoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I look aft, toward the fantail of the ship, barely making out the first set of aircraft heading our way. I can\u2019t really tell which type of aircraft from this distance, they’re still about a mile or so out. But most likely, they\u2019re the F-4 Phantoms<\/a><\/strong>, since they usually burn their fuel quicker than the others. Sure, there\u2019s a KA-6 Intruder<\/strong> fitted as a tanker flying around for refueling purposes, but that\u2019s to be used only<\/em> in emergency conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s only a few seconds before I\u2014actually, almost all<\/em> of us on the flight deck\u2014squint as we look up and watch four Phantoms pass over in formation, just to the starboard side of the ship. They\u2019re cruising at about 250 to 300 knots, making good time. I can easily see that all four have their tail hooks down; that\u2019s good\u2014no touch & goes this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Count\u2026 one, two, three, four\u2026 and the first one breaks to the left to enter the traffic pattern\u2014he\u2019s about 800 feet up. I know these little tidbits of detail, \u2018cause I\u2019ve been watching it for the past several months, every<\/em> day we\u2019re at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Count\u2026 one, two, three, four\u2026 and the next aircraft breaks to the left, following the first one. The traffic pattern is like an oval racing track, with the downwind leg at 600 feet above water, 180 degrees opposite to the \u201cBase Recovery Course,\u201d on which the ship is steaming. The traffic pattern varies, depending on several factors, but is usually about a mile wide and about four miles long along the port side of the carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I wonder what it\u2019s like for the F-4 pilot & RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) pulling about three- to four-Gs as they bank hard left at 70 to 90 degrees, decelerate, and drop to about 600 feet. What\u2019s going through their minds? I know they train all the time<\/em>\u2014just like we do. But landing on an aircraft carrier? Well… that takes guts. Especially when you have to land at a 15-degree angle on a ship moving about 15-20 knots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve heard pilots compare landing an aircraft on a flight deck to sex: \u201cIt\u2019s like having sex during a car crash. It feels wonderful, it\u2019s violent, and when it\u2019s over, it\u2019s over pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or\u2026 \u201cIt\u2019s the best sex you\u2019ll ever have with your clothes on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah\u2026 I\u2019ve known a few Navy aviators over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And while I\u2019m at it\u2014just to nudge<\/em> my two Air Force veteran friends\u2014the fundamental difference between landing Navy aircraft and Air Force aircraft is that in the Navy, landings are a controlled crash; in the Air Force, pilots land like a floating butterfly with sore feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Before you ask\u2026 no, I didn\u2019t just make that up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"CSO-2<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    This is also how you can tell if your commercial airline pilot is ex-Navy or ex-Air Force. The Air Force pilot brings the airliner in nice and easy. The Navy pilot brings it down quick and hard\u2014\u201cwe\u2019re here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like always, my flight deck \u201cstation\u201d during recovery is next to the Crash tractor, parked & idling alongside the \u201cfoul line<\/a>.\u201d There are four of us from Crash hanging out here, plus the Air Bos\u2019n<\/strong>\u2014Bos\u2019n Tyrone Robuck<\/a>. For me, this is the place<\/em> to be during recovery. We\u2019re nearby in case\u2026 you know\u2026 the unthinkable happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That hasn\u2019t happened on this cruise\u2026 yet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Phantom is on final approach. He\u2019s getting guidance from the LSO (Landing Safety Officer<\/strong>) as well as the \u201cmeatball\u201d\u2014an aircraft landing light system positioned on the port side of the ship. Between the LSO and the meatball, the pilot should have everything he needs to make a safe landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I look toward the bow and see a fairly constant horizon. Good\u2014the ship is not in rough weather with a pitching deck. Those are not fun, especially at night\u2026 with hard, pounding rain\u2026 and an approaching aircraft where you can\u2019t see their landing lights until they\u2019re right over the fantail. And\u2026 it happens to be an E-2 Hawkeye<\/strong> with a wingspan that clears the recovery area by only about 20 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Glenn<\/a>
    ABHAA Glenn Law, ABHAN Gary Borne
    NAS Agana, Guam (1974)
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For you civilians, Kitty Hawk<\/em> had 4 aircraft arresting gear wires stretched across the landing area. #1 was closest to the fantail\u2014not a good trap because that means you\u2019re too low coming in and risk a ramp strike, as they call it. #4 was the farthest from the fantail\u2014also, not a good trap because that means this is your last chance before either bolting (missing the landing altogether) or paying a personal visit to Davy Jones<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This\u2019ll be a walk in the park for this <\/em>approaching Phantom. I turn to Gary Borne<\/strong>, a fellow Crash third class petty officer. We also served together at my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam<\/strong>.<\/a> \u201cFive bucks says he grabs #3 wire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Number three wire was the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Gary looks at me, glances at the approaching aircraft, turns to look at the bow to see if there\u2019s a pitching deck\u2014all the same calculations I did\u2014and states with his eastern seaboard cocky smile, \u201cYou\u2019re on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"F-4<\/a>
    F-4 Phantom (VF-114 “Aardvarks”) Recovery
    USS Kitty Hawk<\/em>, CV-63 (1975)
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    We do this all the time. Nobody knows how much the other owes, but it\u2019s a cat & mouse game we\u2019ve played on the flight deck time and time again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In smooth sea conditions like this, the landing aircraft just seems to float in. But I know in the back of my mind he\u2019s traveling about 150 knots when he catches the #2 wire. The hydraulics of the arresting gear wire smoothly slow the Phantom down to a complete stop in three seconds in less than three hundred feet. I can see both pilot and RIO strain forward against their seat straps because of the sudden deceleration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I look forward and my good friend, Jimmy Smith<\/strong>, the Fly 3 Yellow shirt Director in the \u201cCrotch<\/a>,\u201d runs out to greet the recovered aircraft, both arms up over his head, opening and closing his hands signaling the pilot to cut back on the throttle and release the brakes\u2014he\u2019s onboard and he’s safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through another series of hand signals, Smitty \u201ctells\u201d the pilot to raise his tail hook, taxi forward, fold his wings, and turn toward starboard to get out of the recovery area. He looks over and passes the pilot over to another Yellow Shirt director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why hurry this recovery operation, you dare ask?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Because the next aircraft is right behind him, 30-45 seconds away from his own recovery. Then the next one, the next one and so on, until we recover all 18 aircraft we\u2019d launched an hour and a half ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It’s 1975 and I\u2019m only <\/em>twenty years old. And you know what\u2019s so great about all this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We get to do it again and again and again: 16-18 hours of flight operations all day, every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    God, I love the Navy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until we meet again,
    Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Previous Posts Mentioned in this Blog:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n