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How many of you have ejected?
- Thread starter narfmasta
- Start date
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Me. Carrier Quals on USS RANGER in September 1978. Flying a Tomcat (BuNo 160659) from VF-124 out of Miramar. It was Friday the 13th (of course) of September at 2345 at night. We were on CAT 2 for what was going to be our fourth cat/trap of the evening on our way to 10/6. Light on fuel; I seem to recall about 4500 pounds (70 mile BINGO to NKX). Military power shot. As soon as the cat fired, it's obvious to me (in the back seat) that we were no longer connected to the catapult. My sense was that we'd had the launch bar ripped out, becuase after the initial "jolt" of the cat firing, we were just starting a very graceful takeoff roll just as yuou would at the field. I said to the pilot "Okay, we're of the cat, can you stop? Can you stop?" In retrospect, had we pulled power to idle and stepped on the brakes, we'd have stopped very nicely. However, my pilot was doing "the right thing"...focused on the gauges (black as hell, no horizon) and didn't have the peripheral sensory/visual cues that I was afforded. His "seat of the pants" feel was that we were experiencing a "soft cat shot", so he staged the engines up into burner, which just made us "roll a little faster" towards he bow. As I could see the bow coming up and the airspeed not even off the peg yet, I said "Standby to eject." He responded "Wait a minute, I've got it...". I made the decision to see what happened to the nose after the nose gear left the deck; assumed the position; grabbed the lower handle and waited for the end of the deck. My last look at the airspeed indicator showed "alive...but only 80 knots". As soon as the nosewheels rolled of the deck, the nose pitched down and I pulled the handle. I had a pretty "text book" ejection; one half-swing after chute deployment, and into the water directly ahead of the ship. Looked over my left shoulder and saw RANGER-Boat steaming directly towards me...it looks exactly how you would imagine. I had enough time for about three big "sculls" to my rear to clear the bow, and the bow wave action kept me from ever contacting the sides. I was picked up quickly, and there's a somewhat longer story about the problems my pilot bud had getting all rolled up in his canopy by the wave action and being pulled down, but we'll save that or another day. Both picked up uninjured; got new flight gear and completed quals two later. We both missed "the big show", however...I've talked to numerous guys who were getting ready to go on Cat 1; guys on the flight deck, the LSOs on the platform, and guys up in "Vulture's Row" in the superstructure. Airplane disappeared under the bow. Two seats fire...that's us. Then..."like an Atlas Aegena rocket" in full zone 5, the airplane staggers bck into view and staarts to go pure vertical over the ship, essentially flying an uncommanded loop. Over the top and back down headed (in everyone's opinion) "straight back for the deck. LSO's hit the escape chute and some get all the way down to the hangar bay before they stop running. As the airplane is coming down the back side, it just rolls off slightly to the left and impacts the water off the port side. Sploosh! Mishap investigation reveals that the T-bar portion of the launch bar had a "flat spot" which could cause the shuttle to apparently engage it, but not have it gully seated in the jaws of the shuttle. When the cat fired, it just spit the bar after breaking us out of the holdback assembly. Airframes change fleet-wide fixed he problem.
no kidding... my jaw dropped too when I read that! Thanks for your contribution Renegade One!!!
flysupertomcat
Jim told me I can buy Gaydar online
I recall reading a similar story (may be the same one, I don't know). It was from another aircrew's point of view, as they were strapped in on the deck, they watched the Tomcat as it appeared to be coming straight back at them. He said it was like they were just sitting their waiting to die. Crazy aviation stories, I tell yah.
LFCFan
*Insert nerd wings here*
More like a padded net around the platform.
Just off the bottom of this picture:
Seen behind platform here:
Gets you ALL THE WAY from the flight deck (O-4 level) to the Gallery Deck (O-3 level), with convenient access to ladders to the hangar bay... Not sure what the land speed record is for the transit from the LSO platform to the HB might be, but some of that evening's "paddles" said they tried to set it. Nothing recorded for history...
. . . and in pulling the handle you very likely saved the lives of both of you. A reasonable person might observe that "that's what NFOs do". Just sayin'
Good write up R1. Sounds like a pretty hairy night sir. It's funny how many stories you hear about jets that keep flying after an ejection, be it off the bow, or behind the ramp. I am convinced that they have souls (that don't want to die early deaths), in some way shape or form. Like how when you man up that jet that is just a basket case from the first motor coming online, and you swear at it (maybe even bang the glare shield out of annoyance).......and then it just treats you to an unending litany of other annoyances throughout the flight or maybe even shits a motor or something and really gets back at you. Contrast that with the days you really need a jet to be up, and you are real gentle with it, baby it in the line.....you do all the same stuff you did in the other jet, but just without the anger.....and then it comes up and flies like a champ the rest of the day. There is something alive in these things, even if that sounds ridiculous....
<--- turns in man card
<--- turns in man card
