F111 Belly Landing

Great vid and story. Two things. One, I didn't know the 111 was carrier-configured (tail hook) and two, I've always wondered why emergency landings seem to be done on a hard surface. Wouldn't grass/dirt be more forgiving and also not initiate a fire like concrete does?
 
aeromed202 said:
I've always wondered why emergency landings seem to be done on a hard surface. Wouldn't grass/dirt be more forgiving and also not initiate a fire like concrete does?
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wouldnt they then run the risk of just stopping dead in the softer earth? or the wing digging in and spinning the whole plane around, you also have the added risk of rocks etc being kicked up. Least on hard surface your more likely to slide along and know your not going to have rocks etc thrown all over the place.
 
Nice little doco , i put my more to listen just to compare my Hangered F111 fleet ... nice to see in cockpit approach's:cool:<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><input jscode="leoInternalChangeDone()" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
 
I could be wrong, but don't think the 111 was carrier configured, but rather, it had a tail hook for field arrestments perhaps? NC
 
Trying that landing on a grass field would be a major mess. The soft, uneven ground would make the plane bounce up in the air, then dig in bits and parts. Plus, unless the ship digs in a flips over, the hard surface scrubs off energy better than wet grass... Rgr on Air Force planes and tail hooks. Surprised that they even tried that. I suppose the hook ripping the field arresting cable out of the runway might have taken a few joules of energy away, but at what price? It caused the ship to slam into the runway harder. Oh well, that's why I'm not a pilot!

- Paul
 
Agreed on that point about the hook. I think USAF practice is to deploy the hook for an arrested engagement, but the barrier is at the far end of the approach runway, not the near end as it was in this film. If they had wheels rolling down the runway would have allowed a lot of the aircraft's kinetic energy to bleed off before taking the cable. That's why I agree it almost didn't make any sense for them to attempt an arrested landing with no wheels. That landing looked like it made both these guys candidates for spinal compression fractures. You can bet the search for emergency procedures that was outlined by the Sq Ldr was a lot faster, louder and more profane than he made it out to be! Last point - how does one of those enormous main gear wheel and tire assemblies just fall off the airplane? Don't know how soon after this incident the film was made, however, it would have been worth taking a quick look at the pilot and YOT's hands, looking for skinned knuckles.
 
SSI01 said:
.....but the barrier is at the far end of the approach runway, not the near end as it was in this film. If they had wheels rolling down the runway would have allowed a lot of the aircraft's kinetic energy to bleed off before taking the cable. That's why I agree it almost didn't make any sense for them to attempt an arrested landing with no wheels.
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1) I fly into many DoD airfields, and runways that are equipped with arrestor cables always have a cable at each end. They are usally 1000 ft from each end, and we have to be carefull to touchdown past the first cable, and stop before the last cable. They're supported by rubber donuts which keep the cable 6-8 inches off the ground, and they make a hellava jolt if you hit one.

2) The idea behind this F-111 snagging the cable was to insure a controlled stop. This did two things...decreased the risk of fire by minimizing the metal on concrete skidding, and stabilized the aircraft during the skid so as to minimize the chance of going sideways and possibly flipping over.


These guys did a good job.
 
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