Cowboy1968
Charter Member
and man do i mean an appreciation.
This morning I tried something. Just recently i have figured out the fine points of landing a McDonnell F2H Banshee aboard a Midway and Essex class carriers.
The Banshee is mean to land on these huge postage stamps. You have to make a relatively high speed approach on landing. you have to keep your airspeed up around 130 knots or you start to loose lateral control. She is a bit nose heavy. Here is the key problem you have to stop her before you hit he barricade or go up front into the parked traffic (this is real life of course). So, once your nose wheel is about to cross that deck line on the stern you have to deploy your air brakes and cut your throttle to nothing. between the two actions you quickly drop from 130 knots to around 100 knots.
Simply put it is a hell of a ride coming in on a Banshee.
The point here is that you have over 100 feet wide of landing deck to come down on.
this morning I took this one step further. I climbed into a Canadian F2H-4 and headed off to the HMCS Magnificent. well come my surprise. That 75ft wide flight deck and some 200 feet shorter distance to the end of the deck is frighting. The landing process is the same, but you have to be more precise to where you line the bird up.
Landing a Banshee on an Essex class carrier is difficult, but putting her down on the Magnificent is just unforgiving. Any mistake and you pay for it.
Those Canadian pilots really had skill. I believe I will keep my assignment to the USS Essex.
This morning I tried something. Just recently i have figured out the fine points of landing a McDonnell F2H Banshee aboard a Midway and Essex class carriers.
The Banshee is mean to land on these huge postage stamps. You have to make a relatively high speed approach on landing. you have to keep your airspeed up around 130 knots or you start to loose lateral control. She is a bit nose heavy. Here is the key problem you have to stop her before you hit he barricade or go up front into the parked traffic (this is real life of course). So, once your nose wheel is about to cross that deck line on the stern you have to deploy your air brakes and cut your throttle to nothing. between the two actions you quickly drop from 130 knots to around 100 knots.
Simply put it is a hell of a ride coming in on a Banshee.
The point here is that you have over 100 feet wide of landing deck to come down on.
this morning I took this one step further. I climbed into a Canadian F2H-4 and headed off to the HMCS Magnificent. well come my surprise. That 75ft wide flight deck and some 200 feet shorter distance to the end of the deck is frighting. The landing process is the same, but you have to be more precise to where you line the bird up.
Landing a Banshee on an Essex class carrier is difficult, but putting her down on the Magnificent is just unforgiving. Any mistake and you pay for it.
Those Canadian pilots really had skill. I believe I will keep my assignment to the USS Essex.
