----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Hi Paul,
I spent my 20+ years in the Air Force so I didn't get much sea duty.
(Just one scarey as hell trip
across the Atlantic on a Navy troop ship which encountered 'Hurricane
Hazel' 3 days out of New York
Harbor. That was enough sea duty for me!)
Anyway, this is one fascinating tale! Luckily I'm an avid JAG watcher
on TV so I understood about
half of the lingo in this story.
Do you know this guy Carpenter? If not, how did you get hold of this
story? Ayway, thanks a
million for sending it along to us. Even though it has nothing to do with
Ercoupes, I'm glad to sent it
to us. Can you imagine having only 360 pounds of gas in your coupe and
wondering if you could make that
last mile and a quarter?
Bob Saville
PS.....Any chance we'll see you at Salem this Sunday? (I don't think
they allow 'flash-booms' there.)
"Paul M. Anton" wrote:
> ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following
any advice in this forum.]----
>
> From: Carpenter, Reggie P. CDR (CVW17)
> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002
>
> Subject: Pilot's account of a recent Hornet barricade* recovery in the
> Pacific
>
> * a barricade is a huge net that is 20 ft high and stretches across the
> carrier in the landing area to 'catch' airplanes that must land in
> extreme cases such as this.
>
> how rare? in my 3 yrs as CO of IKE, I watched 36,000
> landings - none into the barricade!
>
> Greetings Slacker Landlubbers!
>
> this is to share with you the exciting night I had on the 23rd. It has
> nothing to do with me wanting to talk about me and it has everything to
> dowith sharing what will no doubt become a better story as the years go
> by.
>
> So...There I was. Manned up a hot seat for the 2030 launch about 500
miles
> north of Hawaii. (insert visions of "The Shore Bird" and many mai tais
here).
> My bird was parked just forward of the nav pole and eventually I was
taxied
> off toward the island where I did a 180 to get spotted to be the first
one
> offcat 1 (insert foreboding music here).
>
> There's another Hornet from our sister squadron parked ass over the
track
> in about a quarter of the way down the cat. Eventually he gets a move
on,
> they lower my launch bar and start the launch cycle. All systems are go
on
> the runup and after waiting the requisite 5 seconds or so to make sure
my
> flight controls are good to go (You know, there's a lot to be said for
good old
> cables and pulleys), I turn on my lights. As is my habit I shift my eyes
to the
> catwalk and watch the deck edge dude and as he starts his routine of
looking
> left, then right, I put my head back in the rest. I hate to say this but
the Hornet
> cat shot is pretty impressive, equivalent I would say to a gassed up
KA-6. As the
> cat fires, I stage the afterburners and am along for the ride. Just
prior to the
> end of the stroke, there's a huge flash and a simultaneous boom! And my
> world is in turmoil. My little pink body is doing 145 knots or so and is
100
> feet above the Black Pacific. And there it stays -- except for the
airspeed,
> which decreases to 140 knots. Somewhere in here I raised my gear
> which is interesting since it is not a Hornet "off the cat" boldface. It
> is however, if I recall correctly, an Intruder boldface. Oops! The
throttles
> aren't going any farther forward despite my Schwarzzenegerian efforts to
> make them do so.
>
> From out of the ether I hear a voice say one word: "Jettison." Roger
> that! A nanosecond later my two drops and single MER, about 4,500
pounds in
> all, are Black Pacific bound. The airplane leapt up a bit but not
enough. I'm
> now about a mile in front of the boat at 160 feet and fluctuating from
135
> to140 knots. The next comment that comes out of the ether is another
> one-worder: "Eject!" I'm still flying so I respond, "Not yet, I've still
got it."
>
> Our procedures call for us to intercept on speed which is 8.1 alpha and
I'm
> fluctuating from about 8 1/2 to 11 or so. Finally, at 4 miles ahead of
> the boat, I take a peek at my engine instruments and notice my left
engine
> doesn't match the right. (Funny how quick glimpses at instruments get
> burned into your brain.) The left rpm is at 48% even though I'm still
> doing the Ah-Nold thing. I bring it back out of afterburner to mil.
About now
> I get another "Eject!" call. "Nope, still flying." Cag was watching and
the
> further I got from the boat, the lower I looked.
>
> At 5 1/2 miles I asked tower to please get the helo headed my way as I
> truly thought I was going to be shelling out. At some point I thought it
would
> probably be a good idea to start dumping some gas. As my hand reached
> down for the dump switch I actually remembered that we have a NATOPS
> prohibition regarding dumping while in burner. After a second or two I
decided,
> "fuck that" and turned them on. (Major "Big Wave" Dave Leppelmeier
joined on
> me at one point and told me later that I had a 60 foot roman candle
going.)
> At 7 miles I eventually started a (very slight) climb. A little
breathing room.
> CATCC chimes in with a downwind heading and I'm like: "Ooh. Good idea,"
> and throw down my hook. Eventually I get headed downwind at 900 feet and
> ask for a rep. While waiting, I shut down the left engine. In short
order I
> hear Scott "Fuzz" McClure's voice. I tell him the following: "OK Fuzz,
my gear's
> up, my left motor's off and I'm only able to stay level with min burner.
> Every time I pull it back to mil I start about a hundred feet per
> minute down." I just continue trucking downwind trying to stay level and
keep
> dumping. I think I must have been in burner for about fifteen minutes.
> At ten miles or so I'm down to 5000 pounds of gas and start a turn back
toward
> the ship. I don't intend to land but don't want to get too far away. Of
> course as soon I as I start in an angle of bank I start dropping like a
> stone so I end up doing a 5 mile circle around the ship. Fuzz is reading
> me the single engine rate of climb numbers from the PCL based on
> temperature, etc. It doesn't take us long to figure out that things
aren't
> adding up. One of the things I learned in the RAG was that the Hornet
> is a perfectly good single engine aircraft. It flies great on one motor.
> So why the fuck do need blower to stay level!?
>
> By this time I'm talking to Fuzz (CATCC), Deputy CAG (turning on the
flight deck)
> and CAG who's on the bridge with the Captain. We decide that the thing
to do is
> climb to three thousand feet and dirty up to see if I'm going to have
any excess
> power and so be able to shoot an approach. I get headed downwind, go
full
> burner on my remaining motor and eventually make it to 2000 feet before
> leveling out below a scattered layer of puffies. There's a half a moon
above
> which was really, really cool. Start a turn back toward the ship and
when I get
> pointed in the right direction I throw the gear down and pull the
throttle out of AB.
>
> Remember that flash/boom! that started this little tale? Repeat it here.
> Holy fuck! I jam it back into AB and after three or four huge compressor
> stalls and accompanying decel the right motor comes back. I'm thinking
> my blood pressure was probably up there about now and for the first time
I
> notice that my mouth feels like a San Joaquin summer. (That would be hot
> and fucking dusty for those of you who haven't come to visit.)
>
> This next part is great. You know those stories about guys who
> deadstick crippled airplanes away from orphanages and puppy stores
> and stuff and get all this great media attention? Well, at this point
I'm
> looking at the picket ship at my left 11 at about two miles and I say on
> departure freq to no one in particular, "You need to have the picket
ship
> hang a left right now. I think I'm gonna be outta here in a second." I
said
> it very calmly but with meaning. The LSO's said that the picket
immediately
> started pitching out of the fight. Ha! I scored major points with the
> heavies afterwards for this.
>
> Anyway, it's funny how your mind works in these situations. OK, so I'm
> dirty and I get it back level and pass a couple miles up the starboard
side of
> the ship. I'm still in min blower and my state is now about 2500 pounds.
> Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about running out of gas. I muster up the
nads to
> pull it out of blower again and sure enough...flash, BOOM! You gotta be
> shitting me. I'm thinking that I'm gonna end up punching and tell Fuzz
> at this point "Dude, I really don't want to do this again." Don't think
> everyone else got it but he said he chuckled. I leave it in mil and it
seems to
> settle out.
>
> Eventually I discover that even the tiniest throttle movements cause the
> flash/boom thing to happen so I'm trying to be as smooth as I can. I'm
> downwind a couple miles when CAG comes up and says, "Oyster, we're going
> to rig the barricade." Remember, CAG's up on the bridge watching me fly
> around doing blower donuts in the sky and he's thinking I'm gonna run
outta
> JP-5 too. By now I've told everyone who's listening that there a better
than
> average chance that I'm going to be ejecting. (The helo bubbas, god
bless 'em,
> have been following me around this entire time.)
> I continue downwind and again, sounding more calm than I probably was,
> call paddles. "Paddles, you up." "Go ahead" replies LT "Max" Stout, one
of
> our CAG LSO's. "Max, I probably know most of it but you wanna shoot me
the
> barricade brief?" (Insert long pause here.) After the fact, Max told me
> they went from expecting me to eject to me asking for the barricade
brief in
> about a minute and he was hyperventilating. He was awesome on the radio
> though, just the kind of voice you'd want to hear in this situation.)
> He gives me the brief and at nine miles I say, "If I turn now will it
> be up when I get there? I don't want to have to go around again." "It's
going
> up now Oyster, go ahead and turn." "Turning in, say final bearing."
"Zero
> six three," replies the voice in CATCC. (Another number I remember -- go
> figure) OK, we're on a four degree glideslope and I'm at 800 feet or so.
I
> intercept glideslope at about a mile and three quarters and pull power.
> Flash/boom. Add power out of fear. Going high. Pull power. Flash/boom.
> Add power out of fear. Going higher. (Flashback to LSO school....All
right
> class, today's lecture will be on the single engine barricade approach.
> Remember, the one place you really, really don't want to be is high.
> Are there any questions? Yes,you can go play golf now.) The PLAT TV
> video is most excellent as each series of flash/booms shows up nicely
> along with the appropriate reflections on the water. "Flats" Jensen, our
> other CAG paddles is backing up and as I start to set up a higher than
> desired sink rate he hits the "Eat At Joe's" (waveoff) lights. Very
timely too.
> With visions of the A-3 dancing in my head I stroke AB and cross the
flight
> deck with my right hand on the stick and my left thinking about the
little yellow
> and black handle between my legs.
>
> No worries. I cleared that sucker by at least ten feet. By the way my
> state at the ball call was 1.1. As I slowly climb out I say, again to no
one
> in particular, "I can do this." Max and Flats heard this and told me
later
> it made them feel much better about my state of mind. I'm in blower
still
> and CAG says, "Turn downwind." Again, good idea. After I get turned
around
> he says, "Oyster, this is gonna be your last look so turn in again as
soon
> as you're comfortable." I flew the DAY pattern and I lose about 200 feet
in
> the turn and like a total dumbshit I look out as I get on centerline and
> that night thing about feeling high gets me and I descend further to 400
> feet. I got kinda pissed at myself then as I realized I would now be
> intercepting the four degree glideslope in the fucking middle. No shit
fellas,
> flash/boom every several seconds all the way down. Last look at my gas
was
> 600-and-some pounds at a mile and a half. "Where am I on the glideslope
Max" I ask
> and hear a calm "Roger Ball." I know I'm low because the ILS is waaay up
> there and I call "Clara." Can't remember what the response was but by
now the
> ball's shooting up from the depths. I start flying it and before I get a
chance to
> spot the deck I hear Cut, cut, cut!" I'm really glad I was a paddles for
so long
> because my mind said to me "Do what he says Oyster" and I pulled it back
to
> idle. The reason mention this is that I felt like I was a LONG FUCKING
WAYS
> OUT THERE, if you know what I mean. (My hook hit 11 Oyster paces from
the
> ramp, as I discovered during FOD walkdown today.) The rest is pretty
tame.
> I hit the deck, skipped the one, the two and snagged the three and
rolled
> into the barricade about a foot right of centerline.
>
> Once stopped, my vocal chords involuntarily yelled "Victory!" on button
> 2 (the 14 guys who were listening in marshal said it was pretty cool.
> After the fact I wish I had done the Austin Powers' "Yeah Baby!" thing.)
The
> lights came up and off to my right there must have been a ga-zillion
cranials.
> Paddles said that with me shut down you could hear a huge cheer across
> the flight deck. I open the canopy and start putting my shit in my
helmet
> bag and the first guy I see is our flight deck chief, huge guy named
Chief
> Richards, and he gives me the coolest look and then two thumbs up. I
> will remember it forever. Especially since I'm the Maintenance Officer.
> The first guy up the boarding ladder is CAG Paddles. I will tell you
what
> he said over beers someday. It was priceless and in my mind one for the
ages.
>
> I climb down and people are gathering around patting me on the back
> when one of the boat's crusty yellow-shirt chiefs interrupts and says,
> "Gentlemen, great job but fourteen of your good buddies are still up
there and we
> need to get them aboard." Again, priceless.
>
> So there you have it fellas. Here I sit with my little pink body in a
> ready room chair on the same tub I did my first cruise in 10 years and 7
> months ago. And I thought it was exciting back then.
>
> P.S. You're probably wondering what made my motors shit themselves and
> I almost forgot to tell you. Remember the scene with the foreboding
music?
> When they taxied that last Hornet - the one that was ass over the cat
> track they forgot to remove a section or two of the cat seal. The
board's not
> finished yet but it's a done deal. As the shuttle came back it removed
> the cat seal which went down both motors during the stroke. Again, good
> video for someday over beers. Left engine N1 basically quit even though
the
> motor is in pretty good shape. It was producing no thrust and during the
> waveoff one of the LSO's saw "about thirty feet" of black rubber hanging
off the
> left side of the airplane. The whole left side, including inside the
intake
> is basically black where the rubber was beating on it in the breeze. The
> right motor, the one that kept running, has 340 major hits to all
stages. The
> compressor section is trashed and best of all, it had two pieces of the
> cat seal, one about 2 feet and the other about 4 feet long, sticking out
of
> the first stage and into the intake. God Bless General Electric! By the
way,
> ECAMS data showed that I was fat -- had 380 pounds of gas when I shut
> down. Again, remember this number as in ten years it will surely be
FUMES
> MAN, FUMES I TELL YOU! Look forward to getting to stage five with you
all
> someday soon.
>
> Oyster, out.
>
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