E-2 Carrier Landing

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/19/2020 at 11:35 • Filed to: wingspan, Planelopnik

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Putting an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! down on a carrier is a lot of work. Watch the pilot’s hands as he saws away on the yoke.

DISCUSSION (21)

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 11:40

This got me thinking which is harder to land on a deck. An F/A-18 or an E-2 with its slower approach speed.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 11:48

Now, do this at night, in erratic winds, with precipitation.

And, yeah, the range of control motions always amazes me. This is a fuckuvalotta work to plant wheels-on-deck without dying.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/19/2020 at 11:54

Check this out:

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/cl-415-oppo-1833639054

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 11:54

This is an awesome view. You gotta wonder what the service life is for those control systems, all that movement in a short period of time, day-in-day-out, along with close proximity to the sea water nonetheless.

ttyymmnn > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/19/2020 at 11:54

I am absolutely not a pilot, but I would suspect that a larger, slower aircraft, being more susceptible to crosswinds, would be more of a handful.

ttyymmnn > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120
05/19/2020 at 11:56

Well, they are very well maintained, and sea water corrosion is, I’m sure, high on their list of priorities.

Future next gen S2000 owner > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 11:59

Any word on if those fuzzy dice were military issued?

ttyymmnn > Future next gen S2000 owner
05/19/2020 at 12:00

I’m guessing not, but they’re awesome.

Derpwagon > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 12:13

just remember, full throttle till you hit the cable, because if you miss, you ain’t getting back in the air...

ttyymmnn > Derpwagon
05/19/2020 at 12:19

Also full forward stick when he hit. Takeoffs can be interesting, too.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 12:20

I would guess there isn’t a lot of control authority at those speeds, either that or it has 70's lincoln steering gear.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 12:38

Possibly, but the carrier turns into the wind when launch/landing ops are going on so the xwind should be minimal I’d think.

ttyymmnn > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/19/2020 at 12:39

True. Seas do look a little choppy, though.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 13:09

Daaaaaaaang!

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 13:09

That’s called earning your pay!

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
05/19/2020 at 13:11

Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

Really no other option, though,

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 13:12

Yeah, you’re definitely pot committed at that point.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
05/19/2020 at 13:12

I would imagine that anybody who was really good at flying that old bird would relish the challenge. I can imagine a certain satisfaction each time you land and say, “Damn. I just did that .”

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
05/19/2020 at 13:14

Here’s a slightly better quality video.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
05/19/2020 at 13:16

From the YouTube comments:

I’m sitting with my Dad, Lt. Commander USN Ret., Guy Wilcox, asking him to tell me the details about flying through the wave. From his words here they are: On February 18, 1971, I was the training pilot aircraft commander sitting in the right seat. Sitting in the left seat was Lt. JG Patak . We were doing carrier qualifications for Jr. Officers off of the USS Ticonderoga. Patak started the takeoff roll on a free-deck launch. As the aircraft approached the #1 elevator the bow of the deck began a rapid descent due to a trough. When I saw the deck drop rapidly, I immediately took control of the aircraft and called for Patak to raise the landing gear. After leaving the deck we were in ground effect (when you get close to the ground the air coming off the wings gets trapped and you get a cushion of air) and that’s what kept us out of the water. The tailhook of the aircraft was dragging in the water and we slowly gained altitude. Both Patak and I were extremely wet. The ship asked if we wanted to recover or bingo for North Island and I opted to bingo for North Island to properly care for the aircraft. — so there you have it, the rest of the story

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/19/2020 at 13:21

Wow. That’s incredible!