Unusual landings on aircraft carriers

[87015]

Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or such
rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the late
1980's.

Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with a
C-130 on a USN carrier.

But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?

T.

[tscottme]

87015 > wrote in message
om...
> Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or
such
> rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in
the
> magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in
the late
> 1980's.
>
> Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials
with a
> C-130 on a USN carrier.
>
> But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone
know?
>
> T.

I think there has been a test U-2 takeoff or two.

--
Scott
--------
Saudi Arabia is the enemy, let's stop pretending otherwise.

[Pierre-Henri Baras]

"tscottme" > a écrit dans le message de news:
...
>
>
> 87015 > wrote in message
> om...
> > Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or
> such
> > rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in
> the
> > magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in
> the late
> > 1980's.
> >
> > Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials
> with a
> > C-130 on a USN carrier.
> >
> > But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone
> know?
> >
> > T.
>
> I think there has been a test U-2 takeoff or two.
>


Yeah, from the Ranger in the late 60s, when the US wanted to keep an eye on
French nuclear tests in the Pacific. The only way was to launch them from
the carrier, have them fly their circuit, and have them land on a friendly
base somewhere.
--
_________________________________________
Pierre-Henri BARAS

Co-webmaster de French Fleet Air Arm
http://www.ffaa.net
Encyclopédie de l'Aviation sur le web
http://www.aviation-fr.info

[Frank May]

ISTR reading in "Flying" magazine or something similar a long time ago
about a small Cessna or Piper making an emergency landing on a carrier
once. I also think I read where a Beech Twin Bonanza did likewise many
years ago. Didn't the "Tora, Tora, Tora" movie Jap. replicas not only
launch from the Yorktown, but land on it as well?

[Keith Willshaw]

"Anonymous" > wrote in message
...
>
> 87015 wrote in message ...
> >Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or
such
> >rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
> >magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the
late
> >1980's.
>
> It was during the Falklands War, I believe
>

No it was shortly afterwards IRC

> Royal Navy Sea Harriers took off from British ships that were disguised as
> cargo vessels. Naturally they landed back on 'em as well...
>

No sir, a number of Harriers were deployed south on the
Atlantic Conveyor but did not land back on once they
had deployed.

>
> Were there not trials of a delta-winged F16 (possibly F16XL) on carriers ?
>

The F-16XL had a double delta wing but I dont recall any carrier trials

> Or was this the product of an odd dream I had one night long ago...
>

Keith

[Keith Willshaw]

"Frank May" > wrote in message
...
> ISTR reading in "Flying" magazine or something similar a long time ago
> about a small Cessna or Piper making an emergency landing on a carrier
> once. I also think I read where a Beech Twin Bonanza did likewise many
> years ago. Didn't the "Tora, Tora, Tora" movie Jap. replicas not only
> launch from the Yorktown, but land on it as well?
>

Probably the most remarkable case involved the RAF Hurricanes
of 46 squadron and Gladiators of 263 Squadron landed aboard
HMS Glorious off Norway in April 1940

The aircraft had no arrestor gear and none of the pilots had ever
landed on a carrier before and they were landing at night !

Nonetheless with sandbags strapped to the fuselage to slow them
down and a party of matelots tasked to grab the tailplane to stop
em going over the edge of the flight deck they all got down.

Tragically though the ship was sunk next day by Scharnhorst
& Gneisenau and most of the pilots were killed.

Keith

[Ralph Savelsberg]

Alex Walton wrote:


>>In addition to what I wrote before: Indeed at one time during the
>>Falklands war a Sea Harrier, that was unable to find its carrier made an
>>emergency landing aboard a Spanish container ship and if I'm not
>>mistaken ended up travelling with the ship to Brazil.
>>
>
> I've not heared of such an incident during the Falklands War but Sea
> Harrier FRS.1 number ZA176 landed on a Spanish freighter on 07 June
> 1983 when it ran low on fuel following a navigation system failure.
> The freighter owners tried to claim slavage of the plane but it was
> eventually returned.
>
>
> Alex Walton
> ----
> Royal Navy & Fleet Air Arm pages:
> http://www.btinternet.com/~a.c.walton/navy/navy.html
> ----
>
You're right. You're referring to the same incident, but indeed it took place after the Falklands war. My mistake.


Regards,
Ralph Savelsberg

[Alan Dicey]

Ralph Savelsberg wrote:
>
> Several RAF Harrier GR3s were used in the
> conflict, flying from HMS Hermes and/or HMS invincible. I think they
> were transported to the South Atlantic on an actual transport ship
> (probably a Royal Fleet Auxilary) and were flown to the carrier(s) from
> the decks of the transport in a one way trip. I really strongly doubt
> the RN disguising some of its ships as cargo vessels.
>

The merchant vessel "Atlantic Conveyor,a container ship, was used to
transport eight Sea Harriers and six GR.3's from Ascension Island to the
Falklands, adding to the six Navy Wessex and five RAF Chinook
helicopters she had on board from Devonport. She had been converted at
Devonport to have an aircraft and helicopter support role, complete with
flight deck, fuelling and maintenance facilities. The Harriers were
stowed on the deck wrapped in specially-made protective sheeting, all
except one Sea Harrier that was spotted on the flight deck ready for
action as defensive measure.

The page below

http://freespace.virgin.net/gordon.smith4/F33weekfive.htm

has a picture showing "Atlantic Conveyor" practising Sea Harrier
landings before sailing south.

On reaching the Falklands, the Harriers were all flown off to Hermes and
Invincible, but only one Chinook was got away before Atlantic Conveyor
was sunk.

[John]

Pierre-Henri Baras wrote:

> >
> > I think there has been a test U-2 takeoff or two.
> >
>
> Yeah, from the Ranger in the late 60s, when the US wanted to keep an eye on
> French nuclear tests in the Pacific. The only way was to launch them from
> the carrier, have them fly their circuit, and have them land on a friendly
> base somewhere.
> --
> _________________________________________
> Pierre-Henri BARAS

I think if you check, it was more that a test, they flew operational from
several
carriers, and they took off AND landed back on said carriers.
they were fitted with a add-on tailhook, took off without need of the cat
and landed without anything special being done...
U-2 wingtips can fold on the outer tips, and can even fit on the elevators
to be taken to the hanger deck...
carriers used were Kitty hawk, Ranger, & America

one place to check is Jay Miller's book on the U-2 Pages 33-35
ISBN-0-942548-04-3 Softcover edition
ISBN-0-942548-05-1 Hardcover

[Peter Twydell]

In article >, 87015
> writes
>Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or such
>rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
>magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the late
>1980's.
>
>Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with a
>C-130 on a USN carrier.
>
>But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?
>
>T.

ISTR pictures of an Auster landing on or taking off from an RN carrier.

Weren't there trials with a B-N Islander at some stage?
--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

[Keith Willshaw]

"Peter Twydell" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, 87015
> > writes
> >Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or
such
> >rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
> >magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the
late
> >1980's.
> >
> >Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with
a
> >C-130 on a USN carrier.
> >
> >But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?
> >
> >T.
>
> ISTR pictures of an Auster landing on or taking off from an RN carrier.
>
> Weren't there trials with a B-N Islander at some stage?
> --

Then there are the trials that involved vampires with no undercarriage
and a rubber flight deck, kinky but true :)

Keith

[Ken Fowler]

(87015) wrote in message >...
> Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or such
> rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
> magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the late
> 1980's.
>
> Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with a
> C-130 on a USN carrier.
>
> But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?
>
> T.

During the Korean War/Police Action, "one L-17 flew from Navy escort
carrier USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) as an observer of amphibious
operations, and without arresting gear." (
http://www.aerofiles.com/_ryan.html )

And Rod Taylor and a Navion starred in the 1972 made-for-tv movie
"Family Flight" which ended with the family's teen-age son landing the
family Navion on an aircraft carrier. Don't know who the actual pilot
or ship was. ( http://us.imdb.com/Title?0068568 )

[tscottme]

Frank May > wrote in message
...
> ISTR reading in "Flying" magazine or something similar a long time ago
> about a small Cessna or Piper making an emergency landing on a carrier
> once. I also think I read where a Beech Twin Bonanza did likewise many
> years ago. Didn't the "Tora, Tora, Tora" movie Jap. replicas not only
> launch from the Yorktown, but land on it as well?
>

I read something like a "Cessna makes emergency landing on carrier"
story in either Flying or the AOPA Pilot, recently. The story was very
interesting until the last paragraph which was something like "and then
I awoke and thought about what might have been."

--
Scott
--------
Saudi Arabia is the enemy, let's stop pretending otherwise.

[Frank May]

The O-1 reminded me. Don't OV-10s operate off of carriers some? I
suppose too, you could consider the P-51D trials unusual.

[David Anderer]

On 11 Jul 2003 14:31:17 -0700, (Ken Fowler)
wrote:

>And Rod Taylor and a Navion starred in the 1972 made-for-tv movie
>"Family Flight" which ended with the family's teen-age son landing the
>family Navion on an aircraft carrier. Don't know who the actual pilot
>or ship was. ( http://us.imdb.com/Title?0068568 )

IIRC - and it has been 30 years - at the end they made a couple of low
passes at the carrier, but finally splashed along side.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
(Frank May) wrote:

> The O-1 reminded me. Don't OV-10s operate off of carriers some? I
> suppose too, you could consider the P-51D trials unusual.
>

During the Korean War, a friend of mine flew some staff officers to a
carrier in an L-17 (military version of the Navion) to help plan the
Inchon invasion. Apparently, there were several Navions involved and it
happened more than once. They had no arresting gear, but probably didn't
need it, either.

--
To get random signatures put text files into a folder called "Random Signatures" into your Preferences folder.

[Cub Driver]

Then there were the three? Piper Cubs that took off from an aircraft
carrier in the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch. As I
recall, they took heavy fire from the other ships in the fleet, who
evidently took them for the French air force.

Cubs eventually got their own carriers in the form of a wooden flight
deck on an LST.

They could also take off from a wire strung from davits alongside a
landing craft. The L-4 with pilot in place was propped on the deck,
then hoisted to the wire with the engine running. If it quit on him,
the pilot had to climb out, stand on the angle between the landing
gear strut and the wheel, and prop it himself.

The Cub was dragged back to the uttermost end of the wire, the pildot
went to full throttle, the restraint was released, and it rolled along
the wire to the bow of the LST, which of course was making the best of
its speed into the wind. When it was released from the Brodie Device
(as it was called for its inventor) the Cub often enough dipped about
to wave-top level before getting lift enough to continue on its trip,
which of course was one-way.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at http://www.danford.net/index.htm
Vietnam | Flying Tigers | Pacific War | Brewster Buffalo | Piper Cub

[John Carrier]

> What about the April 4, 1963 dead-stick landing of an F-8 Crusader flown
by Stu
> Harrison?

But not to an arrested landing I dare say.

R / John

[Frank May]

Didn't realize the OV-10 was retired now.

[Les Matheson]

An the aircraft is located in Pensacola FL, at the National Museum of Naval
Aviation.

--
Les
F-4 C(WW),E,D,G(WW)/AC-130A/MC-130E EWO, ret

"Larry Doering" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Frank May > wrote:
> >ISTR reading in "Flying" magazine or something similar a long time ago
> >about a small Cessna or Piper making an emergency landing on a carrier
> >once.
>
> A Cessna O-1A (L-19) landed on USS Midway on April 30, 1975, shortly
> before the fall of Saigon. It was flown by a Vietnamese Army major,
> who was evacuating himself and his family - he somehow crammed his
> wife and five children on board. The O-1/L-19 has two tandem seats,
> and is not exactly roomy.
>
>
> ljd


---
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[Gareth Mottram]

Keith Willshaw wrote:
> "Peter Twydell" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>In article >, 87015
> writes
>>
>>>Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or
>>
> such
>
>>>rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
>>>magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the
>>
> late
>
>>>1980's.
>>>
>>>Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with
>>
> a
>
>>>C-130 on a USN carrier.
>>>
>>>But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?
>>>
>>>T.
>>
>>ISTR pictures of an Auster landing on or taking off from an RN carrier.
>>
>>Weren't there trials with a B-N Islander at some stage?
>>--
>
>
> Then there are the trials that involved vampires with no undercarriage
> and a rubber flight deck, kinky but true :)
>
> Keith
>
>
Seem to recall that it was these experiments that lead to the angled deck.

g

[s.p.i.]

(87015) wrote in message >...
> Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or such
> rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
> magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the late
> 1980's.
>
> Of course I do know (and have seen the photos) of the 1960's trials with a
> C-130 on a USN carrier.
>
> But has it happened at all apart from these two incidents? Anyone know?
>
> T.

As part of an ABC Monday Night Movie production a Cessna 172(152?)
landed aboard the Ranger in 1969.

[vincent p. norris]

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 03:19:25 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
> wrote:

>During the Korean War, a friend of mine flew some staff officers to a
>carrier in an L-17 (military version of the Navion) to help plan the
>Inchon invasion. Apparently, there were several Navions involved and it
>happened more than once. They had no arresting gear, but probably didn't
>need it, either.

Was ysour friend a Naval Aviator? If not, did he get some training in
carrier landings?

vince norris

[vincent p. norris]

On 11 Jul 2003 22:59:25 GMT, (Ditch) wrote:

>What about the April 4, 1963 dead-stick landing of an F-8 Crusader flown by Stu
>Harrison?

Could you tell us more about that?

vince norris

[Walt BJ]

Back when the Navy was looking for an advanced jet trainer I remember
seeing a picture of an F104B on a carrier. Did this really happen or
was it a PR photo montage? Having flown 104s the idea of operating
ONto a carrier gives me pause.
Off, with a hefty cat shot, no problem.
Walt BJ

[vincent p. norris]

>> Was ysour friend a Naval Aviator? If not, did he get some training in
>> carrier landings?
>>
>> vince norris
>
>Nope -- he was an Army enlisted man (CA NG), activated to Korea. They
>needed recon pilots and asked for people who knew how to fly. He had
>extensive experience -- even owned a P-40 for awhile back then.
>
>It was really no big trick to land a Navion on a carrier steaming into
>the wind.

Although I have no Navion time I do have a few carrier landings, so I
would accept that; but I'm surprised the military would risk
passengers of any importance on such a flight.

vince norris

[TBBlakeley]

I have a photo of a Fokker F-28 on very short approach to a carrier...I know
there was a study on the use of the F-28 but I have yet to see one actually on
the carrier.

Ted

[TBBlakeley]

Of course there was the use of U-2's off of a carrier.

[Ron]

I think a version of the Bae-145/Avro Rj was proposed for a COD aircraft for
the UK


Ron
Tucson AZ
C-421 air ambulance

[David McArthur]

"Anonymous" > wrote in message >...
> 87015 wrote in message ...
> >Many years back I recall a Sea Harrier landing on a container ship or such
> >rather than ditch in the sea. There was a two page spread about it in the
> >magazine "Air Pictorial" a few weeks after the incident. This was in the late
> >1980's.


Landed on a container ship called the Lago Lacare(sp.) which promptly
claimed salvage rights on the harrier - cost the MOD a fortune to get
the aircraft back!

David

[John]

TBBlakeley wrote:

> Of course there was the use of U-2's off of a carrier.

Yep, extended the loiter time over the test area. pilots MUCH give
out sooner then the aircraft.
French test area was MILEs from a useable base...carrier is an useable
option....

[Richard Caldwell]

Walt BJ wrote in message
>...
>Back when the Navy was looking for an advanced jet trainer I remember
>seeing a picture of an F104B on a carrier. Did this really happen or
>was it a PR photo montage? Having flown 104s the idea of operating
>ONto a carrier gives me pause.
>Off, with a hefty cat shot, no problem.
>Walt BJ

By far the most impressive video of a carrier landing that I've ever seen
was the
C-130 Hercules landing on the USS Forrestall. I think it was in 1962, but
I'm not
certain of the year. I used to have the video, but I musta lost it in one
of the many
PC upgrades I've gone through since then. I'm sure it's still available
on-line somewhere,
and I'm sure one of the readers of this NG can tell us where.

The story that came with the video stated that the Herc did multiple
landings and
take-offs, all without catapult or arresting gear, but I've never seen any
video
of a take-off.

Richard Caldwell

[John]

Richard Caldwell wrote:

>
> By far the most impressive video of a carrier landing that I've ever seen
> was the C-130 Hercules landing on the USS Forrestall. I think it was in
> 1962, but
> I'm not certain of the year. I used to have the video, but I musta lost it
> in one
> of the many PC upgrades I've gone through since then. I'm sure it's still
> available
> on-line somewhere,
> and I'm sure one of the readers of this NG can tell us where.
>
> The story that came with the video stated that the Herc did multiple
> landings and take-offs, all without catapult or arresting gear, but I've
> never seen any
> video of a take-off.
>
> Richard Caldwell

Takeoff video
http://www.AirAndSpaceMagazine.com/ASM/Web/Site/QT/HercOff.html

Landing Video
http://www.AirAndSpaceMagazine.com/ASM/Web/Site/QT/HercOn.html


and just for the heck of it,
the "Flight under the Eiffel Tower!"
http://www.AirAndSpaceMagazine.com/ASM/Web/Site/QT/Eiffel.html

[Matt Wiser]

Has anyone mentioned this: in 1964, after the French set up their Murora Atoll
nuclear test site and set off the first bomb there, a U-2 was loaded onto
USS Ranger(CV-61) and the ship sailed to within range of the island. The
U-2 took off from the carrier, made an overflight of the island,taking pictures
of the installation before returning to the ship and making a trap. Source
is By Any Means Necessary, by William Burrows.





Posted via www.My-Newsgroups.com - web to news gateway for usenet access!

[Billy Beck]

"John Carrier" > wrote:

>> What about the April 4, 1963 dead-stick landing of an F-8 Crusader flown
>> by Stu Harrison?

>But not to an arrested landing I dare say.

Admiral Gillcrist was in the air with him that day, and he says
that Harrison caught a #1 wire. It's in ch. 22 of his memoir, "Feet
Wet".


Billy

http://www.two--four.net/weblog.php

[Billy Beck]

vincent p. norris > wrote:

>On 11 Jul 2003 22:59:25 GMT, (Ditch) wrote:
>
>>What about the April 4, 1963 dead-stick landing of an F-8 Crusader flown by Stu
>>Harrison?
>
>Could you tell us more about that?

VF-62 was operating the F-8E while all & sundry were discovering
that the pump into the fuel feed tank would sometimes inexplicably
*reverse* and start pumping fuel back out to the other eight fuel
tanks in the airplane. Harrison and Gillcrist had launched from
Shangri La on "a routine air intercept training mission" and were
thirty miles out when things started going backwards in the fueling
system.

Making their way back, Gillcrist requested an emergency pull
forward and soon had a ready deck. They entered the cone at 175 knots
with idle power, and Gillcrist thinking they were never going to drain
45 knots before Harrison hit the deck. "He's going to rip the tail
right off the airplane." Passing 500 feet, he was about to suggest
that Harrison pull up and get in shape to eject, when Harrison's jet
abruptly dropped below and behind.

He looked back and saw Harrison's jet sitting on the deck and
could not understand how the guy had possibly reeled it all in: he'd
gone from the top of the cone and thirty knots fast, to the one wire.

The standing order was to keep the engine running on any F-8E
that had been recovered with the feed tank goof, so that technicians
could take a look at the thing in action and try to sort it out.
Well, the flight deck director was signalling the taxi forward, but
Harrison's airplane just sat there (while Gillcrist was going around).
The VF-62 CO had geared up and run out on the deck to personally
supervise investigation of the feed tank goof, and was circling two
fingers to Harrison to keep it running. What happened was that
Harrison flipped 'em both the bird and climbed out of the jet right
there where it sat.

The CO promptly went nuts, of course, and told Harrison that he
was in hack for the rest of the cruise.

That's when Harrison told him, "Goddamn it, Skipper, the reason
why I didn't keep the engine running was because the son of a bitch
quit while I was in the groove!"

He'd come over the ramp with one hand gingerly adding
back-pressure on the stick and the other hand on the ejection
handle... which was cool because there was no point in paying
attention to the throttle.

He must've done it all just exactly right.


That's how Gillcrist describes it in his book.


Billy

http://www.two--four.net/weblog.php