Navy Chief
Senior Member
:USA-flag:I was an Ensign in the Fleet, not that common. When I went into the Navy, I had a Commercial Pilots License, Multi-Engine Rating. Had to un-learn all that stuff and learn their way. But, I did it.
Got to the fleet, and 5 of us joined VA-46 in one fell swoop. The CO, Cdr. Ted Bronson, had a rep for being a real hard ass, and he lived up to it. I had yet to learn the "don't talk on the radio unless you are on fire" thing. One night, I was a member of a flight of four. Took off, called "airborne", flew to the rendezvous altitude and DME. No one else there. Thought I'd miss a radio comm, so called "Chief 305, radio check". Nothing. Did this several times. Then, in a really low voice, I heard Ted say, "We hear you; we'll be there."
The F-14 had some computerized throttle system. Once, on the deck on a day evolution, an F-14 was taxiing to the waist cat, and it went to full military power. Pilot locked the brakes, like that is gonna to do anything. Just before it went over the side, they both ejected. Pilot went in the sea. The RIO landed on an A-6, on the deck. One of the fins of the practice bombs perforated his helmet, stopping just short of his skull.
I landed one night, actually really early in the morning. Black as pitch outside. Too wired to go to my bunk, so me and a couple of other guys were watching the landings. On a clear night, you could see planes in a long line, one minute apart. An F-14 came in, caught a wire, and either spit it out or broke it (very rare), and it was too slow to take off again, and too fast to stop. Both ejected. The plane went over the edge. Immediately, the deck hands threw their flashlights, with colored wands on them, to marke the spot. Their must have been 30 flashlights bobbing in the sea. Helo had to go to each one and see if it was the aircrew, or just a flashlight. Pilot was ok. RIO drank half the ocean but was saved.
Whenever you take a cat shot, you do a "clearing turn" so if you punch out, the boat won't run over you. An F-8 did a sh*t hot clearing turn, but did not come out of it, and the pilot ejected horizontally. He made it ok. We had a Russian tailing us, watching. (We were in the Med.) The Russian immediately went for the pilot. One of our small boys cut the ******* off go give the helo time to pick him up. Black Shoe Navy done good that day.
Fred
Got to the fleet, and 5 of us joined VA-46 in one fell swoop. The CO, Cdr. Ted Bronson, had a rep for being a real hard ass, and he lived up to it. I had yet to learn the "don't talk on the radio unless you are on fire" thing. One night, I was a member of a flight of four. Took off, called "airborne", flew to the rendezvous altitude and DME. No one else there. Thought I'd miss a radio comm, so called "Chief 305, radio check". Nothing. Did this several times. Then, in a really low voice, I heard Ted say, "We hear you; we'll be there."
The F-14 had some computerized throttle system. Once, on the deck on a day evolution, an F-14 was taxiing to the waist cat, and it went to full military power. Pilot locked the brakes, like that is gonna to do anything. Just before it went over the side, they both ejected. Pilot went in the sea. The RIO landed on an A-6, on the deck. One of the fins of the practice bombs perforated his helmet, stopping just short of his skull.
I landed one night, actually really early in the morning. Black as pitch outside. Too wired to go to my bunk, so me and a couple of other guys were watching the landings. On a clear night, you could see planes in a long line, one minute apart. An F-14 came in, caught a wire, and either spit it out or broke it (very rare), and it was too slow to take off again, and too fast to stop. Both ejected. The plane went over the edge. Immediately, the deck hands threw their flashlights, with colored wands on them, to marke the spot. Their must have been 30 flashlights bobbing in the sea. Helo had to go to each one and see if it was the aircrew, or just a flashlight. Pilot was ok. RIO drank half the ocean but was saved.
Whenever you take a cat shot, you do a "clearing turn" so if you punch out, the boat won't run over you. An F-8 did a sh*t hot clearing turn, but did not come out of it, and the pilot ejected horizontally. He made it ok. We had a Russian tailing us, watching. (We were in the Med.) The Russian immediately went for the pilot. One of our small boys cut the ******* off go give the helo time to pick him up. Black Shoe Navy done good that day.
Fred
