On 10/1/04 5:39 PM, in article , "Dr Doom" Dr
wrote:


Not to second guess the driver, but if I had just
touched down on the deck, and on centerline, but not
able to stop - with a soft marsh at the end of the
strip..... I'd have just gone along for the ride &
NOT bailed out .... had this happen once on an old
Lear 35, (lost hydraulics) - but on centerline - the
option to bail obviously was missing, but it wasn't
"that" dangerous since we knew it was just a grassy
field at the end of the runway we'd over run into &
not a building or rising terrain.


I didn't catch the runway conditions. If the pavement was wet, the Hornet
sometimes doesn't handle that well. It doesn't typically exhibit signs of
trouble until it gets slower, then directional control gets lost, and bad
things happen.

Anyone know why the pilot chose to bail out ? (as
opposed to just jettisoning the canopy once they
had ditched into the marsh/water).


When the jet gets sideways, it has a tendency to flip over. Folks don't
typically like to stick around in the cockpit to see what that's like.

What's the official vs. unwritten understanding among
the community regarding the "macho factor" of when to
bail out of a jet vs. staying in the jet ?


There's no official "macho factor." I have no idea what you're talking
about. Most pilots say: "Know when to go. Then GO."

SNIP
What factors would make a Hornet driver, already on the
deck, on centerline, knowing a soft marsh was up ahead at
the end of the runway, decide to pull that handle ? (vs.
just riding it out, and open , or jettison the canopy
once stopped).


Just answered that. The Hornet tends not to be a good "four wheeler."

--Woody