Paddles Passes

How many on this newsgroup ever made paddles passes to aircraft carrier
landings? How many to straight decks and how many to angled decks? On which
carriers did you make them? How many in this newsgroup even know what
paddles passes were? Let us hear from all you really old, formerly bold
pilots!

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. But there are no old bold
pilots!"

WDA

end

I'm writing this for my Dad, who is not Internet-literate - and at age 89
cares not to be:

CDR Robert F. Kanze:

Roughly 350 straight-deck passes before and during WWII mostly on RANGER
(CV-4), LEXINGTON (CV-2), and ENTERPRISE (CV-6). Post-WWII while LSO on
MINDORO (CVE-120). (Dad not only shot but also waved straight-deck passes -
to a small deck.) Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Exact number of
straight-deck traps indeterminate since his original logbook went down with
the old LEX during the Coral Sea battle, while flying with VF-2.

About 200 angle-deck passes, mostly on TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) and RANGER
(CVA-61).

Although not "tailhook" recoveries, he experienced numerous floatplane
"sled" recoveries to the pre-war USS TENNESSEE (BB-43) while a non-rated
aircrewman.

Along with the above, catapult shots on steam, hydraulic and gunpowder cats,
the last while aboard TENNESSEE. Dad says the "hardest" shots were the
gunpowder ones, which would "throw your teeth back against your neckbones."
g

But there are no old bold pilots!"

Dad may be the exception here. He still drives a 5-litre Mustang - albeit
with wheelchair plates.

Owl sends.
--
Mike Kanze

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign
here."

- Anonymous cop, to woman driver.



"W. D. Allen Sr." wrote in message
...
How many on this newsgroup ever made paddles passes to aircraft carrier
landings? How many to straight decks and how many to angled decks? On
which carriers did you make them? How many in this newsgroup even know
what paddles passes were? Let us hear from all you really old, formerly
bold pilots!

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. But there are no old
bold pilots!"

WDA

end

If there were a way to salute a man on line. Consider me right now saluting
your father.

--Woody

On 10/5/04 6:58 PM, in article , "Mike
Kanze" wrote:

I'm writing this for my Dad, who is not Internet-literate - and at age 89
cares not to be:

CDR Robert F. Kanze:

Roughly 350 straight-deck passes before and during WWII mostly on RANGER
(CV-4), LEXINGTON (CV-2), and ENTERPRISE (CV-6). Post-WWII while LSO on
MINDORO (CVE-120). (Dad not only shot but also waved straight-deck passes -
to a small deck.) Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Exact number of
straight-deck traps indeterminate since his original logbook went down with
the old LEX during the Coral Sea battle, while flying with VF-2.

About 200 angle-deck passes, mostly on TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) and RANGER
(CVA-61).

Although not "tailhook" recoveries, he experienced numerous floatplane
"sled" recoveries to the pre-war USS TENNESSEE (BB-43) while a non-rated
aircrewman.

Along with the above, catapult shots on steam, hydraulic and gunpowder cats,
the last while aboard TENNESSEE. Dad says the "hardest" shots were the
gunpowder ones, which would "throw your teeth back against your neckbones."
g

But there are no old bold pilots!"

Dad may be the exception here. He still drives a 5-litre Mustang - albeit
with wheelchair plates.

Owl sends.

How many on this newsgroup ever made paddles passes to aircraft carrier
landings? How many to straight decks and how many to angled decks? On which
carriers did you make them? How many in this newsgroup even know what
paddles passes were?

I'm a bit reluctant to respond because my experience is microscopic
compared to that of Cdr. Kanze, But to answer your question, no one
got a pair of gold wings circa 1950 without qualifying aboard a
carrier. A straight deck carrier with a a guy waving paddles at us.

When I was at that stage, two carrier cruised the Gulf of Mexico off
Pensacola, USS Cabot and USS Wright. CVLs--light carriers.

Let us hear from all you really old, formerly bold pilots!

Well, we're really old, but never bold. Though you may find it hard
to believe, carrier qualification was not especially difficult. The
reason is the excellent training we received.

We flew about eight "field carrier" flights, making about six or eight
passes per flght, before going out to the boat. So we had shot about
50 or 60 "carrier" landings before going out to the boat.

We had about 200 hours by then. That may seem like a small amount,
but every hour counted. We had learned precision maneuvers,
aerobatics, gunnery, ACM, formation, night flying, to rigorous
standards.

For example, we had to fly the "Charlie Pattern," a complicated
series of turns, climbs, descents, under the hood, and stay within 20
feet of altitude during level flight, three degrees of heading, and
three seconds of arrival at destination altitudes. You may find that
hard to believe, and I couldn't possibly come even close to that
today, but that's the kind of discipline we had to maintain. Of
course, we were flying every day, and practice makes perfect.

So when we got to the boat, we were honed to a fine edge. And we had
another advantage: the boat was steaming into the wind, so the
relative speed at which we approached the ramp was noticably less than
we had got used to, shooting field carrier approaches. It was
something like a slow motion movie.

The proof is in the pudding: When the big day arrived, a formation of
six of us flew out to the boat. All six of us got six cuts on six
passes. No wave-offs. Perfect score.

A credit not to us, but to our training.

But it was the most fun I ever had on one day in my life. (Don't tell
my wife I said that.)

Now, I should add, we did that on a nice sunny day, with calm seas; we
did not do it at night, or in minimal viz, or with 30-foot waves. Nor
did we do it in a shot-up bent-wing bird with oil all over the
windshield and an engine cutting out, as many others had to do just a
few years earlier.

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. But there are no old bold
pilots!"

There were large signs proclaiming that everywhere we went during
flight training. They convinced me, and I'm still here.

vince norris

"Mike Kanze" wrote in message
...
I'm writing this for my Dad, who is not Internet-literate - and at age 89
cares not to be:

CDR Robert F. Kanze:

Roughly 350 straight-deck passes before and during WWII mostly on RANGER
(CV-4), LEXINGTON (CV-2), and ENTERPRISE (CV-6). Post-WWII while LSO on
MINDORO (CVE-120). (Dad not only shot but also waved straight-deck
passes -
to a small deck.) Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Exact number
of
straight-deck traps indeterminate since his original logbook went down
with
the old LEX during the Coral Sea battle, while flying with VF-2.

About 200 angle-deck passes, mostly on TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) and RANGER
(CVA-61).

Although not "tailhook" recoveries, he experienced numerous floatplane
"sled" recoveries to the pre-war USS TENNESSEE (BB-43) while a non-rated
aircrewman.

Along with the above, catapult shots on steam, hydraulic and gunpowder
cats,
the last while aboard TENNESSEE. Dad says the "hardest" shots were the
gunpowder ones, which would "throw your teeth back against your
neckbones."
g

But there are no old bold pilots!"

Dad may be the exception here. He still drives a 5-litre Mustang - albeit
with wheelchair plates.

I would love to see/have scans of any prewar photos, esp the floatplane ops.

Vincent said- Though you may find it hard
to believe, carrier qualification was not especially difficult. The
reason is the excellent training we received. BRBR

???
I did FCLPs for 30 days in the T-2 and TA-4, CQed on the Lex and Kitty Hawk.I
did think the training and the LSOs were outstanding, and I did think CQ was
especially difficult.
Flying aroind the ship for the next 18 years and I always thought it was a BIg
challenge, never a piece of cake, in the day time. Night was a whole 'nother
story.
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye Phlyer

John,

Sorry to say that Dad only has a very few such photos, showing only static
situations and no hoists, launches, recoveries, etc. At the time, Dad was
serving a 4-year hitch as a non-rated man and - short of money for a camera
of his own - was dependent upon buddies for photos, etc. Most of the photos
he saved reflect the off-duty interests of he and of his shipmates.

You will do better to search publicly-available sources for such photos.

--
Mike Kanze

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign
here."

- Anonymous cop, to woman driver.



"John Keeney" wrote in message
...

"Mike Kanze" wrote in message
...
I'm writing this for my Dad, who is not Internet-literate - and at age 89
cares not to be:

CDR Robert F. Kanze:

Roughly 350 straight-deck passes before and during WWII mostly on RANGER
(CV-4), LEXINGTON (CV-2), and ENTERPRISE (CV-6). Post-WWII while LSO on
MINDORO (CVE-120). (Dad not only shot but also waved straight-deck
passes -
to a small deck.) Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Exact number
of
straight-deck traps indeterminate since his original logbook went down
with
the old LEX during the Coral Sea battle, while flying with VF-2.

About 200 angle-deck passes, mostly on TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) and RANGER
(CVA-61).

Although not "tailhook" recoveries, he experienced numerous floatplane
"sled" recoveries to the pre-war USS TENNESSEE (BB-43) while a non-rated
aircrewman.

Along with the above, catapult shots on steam, hydraulic and gunpowder
cats,
the last while aboard TENNESSEE. Dad says the "hardest" shots were the
gunpowder ones, which would "throw your teeth back against your
neckbones."
g

But there are no old bold pilots!"

Dad may be the exception here. He still drives a 5-litre Mustang -
albeit
with wheelchair plates.

I would love to see/have scans of any prewar photos, esp the floatplane
ops.

Everyone still needs to keep checking their six for "dad"!

Hat's off!

WDA

end

"Mike Kanze" wrote in message
...
I'm writing this for my Dad, who is not Internet-literate - and at age 89
cares not to be:

CDR Robert F. Kanze:

Roughly 350 straight-deck passes before and during WWII mostly on RANGER
(CV-4), LEXINGTON (CV-2), and ENTERPRISE (CV-6). Post-WWII while LSO on
MINDORO (CVE-120). (Dad not only shot but also waved straight-deck
passes - to a small deck.) Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33). Exact
number of straight-deck traps indeterminate since his original logbook
went down with the old LEX during the Coral Sea battle, while flying with
VF-2.

About 200 angle-deck passes, mostly on TICONDEROGA (CVA-14) and RANGER
(CVA-61).

Although not "tailhook" recoveries, he experienced numerous floatplane
"sled" recoveries to the pre-war USS TENNESSEE (BB-43) while a non-rated
aircrewman.

Along with the above, catapult shots on steam, hydraulic and gunpowder
cats, the last while aboard TENNESSEE. Dad says the "hardest" shots were
the gunpowder ones, which would "throw your teeth back against your
neckbones." g

But there are no old bold pilots!"

Dad may be the exception here. He still drives a 5-litre Mustang - albeit
with wheelchair plates.

Owl sends.
--
Mike Kanze

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't.
Sign here."

- Anonymous cop, to woman driver.



"W. D. Allen Sr." wrote in message
...
How many on this newsgroup ever made paddles passes to aircraft carrier
landings? How many to straight decks and how many to angled decks? On
which carriers did you make them? How many in this newsgroup even know
what paddles passes were? Let us hear from all you really old, formerly
bold pilots!

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots. But there are no old
bold pilots!"

WDA

end

Two of us in GMGRU-1 were trained to make paddles passes in our new shiny
FJ-3 Furies. We had received the new FJ-3 Furies when our unit, GMGRU-1,
moved to Barbers Point just before two of us were to deploy with VF-24 on
the Shangri La. The two of us were called out to the ship but were told to
make mirror approaches. So we first cruise nuggets did as we were commanded!

I had made a total of four passes on a mirror at Crow's Landing over a year
previous. My sidekick had never even seen a mirror landing system. We both
got aboard. But the carrier's CO was really ****ed when he learned we had
never mirror qualified. Duane and I spent many, many hours cranking around
the circuit at NAS Atsugi after the ship arrived in Japan.

WDA

end



"Pechs1" wrote in message
...
Vincent said- Though you may find it hard
to believe, carrier qualification was not especially difficult. The
reason is the excellent training we received. BRBR

???
I did FCLPs for 30 days in the T-2 and TA-4, CQed on the Lex and Kitty
Hawk.I
did think the training and the LSOs were outstanding, and I did think CQ
was
especially difficult.
Flying aroind the ship for the next 18 years and I always thought it was a
BIg
challenge, never a piece of cake, in the day time. Night was a whole
'nother
story.
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye
Phlyer

Dano,

My dad was aircrew on Kearsarge at that time.

Which outfit?

Dad was OINC of VC-3's DET FOX on the MIGHTY KAY's 1952 - 53 cruise.

*****

Somewhat-related rap on early night / all-wx attack operations:

During Korea, the Navy realized that effective prosecution of the war
required a specialized night / all-wx capability for each carrier air group.
This need was driven by North Korea's use of the night and the Korean
Peninsula's notoriously foul wx as cover for the movement of troops and
supplies.

The Navy met this need in a stopgap fashion through dets of 4 to 5
Chance-Vought F4U-5Ns (and later -5NLs) with pilots specially trained for
this role. The -5N had a very primitive radar and instrument capability,
and was also a carrier-proven platform by that time. VC-3 and (I think)
VC-4 were tasked with developing the doctrine and tactics required, and
taking these to the fleet in dets to each deploying air group. This
development work was similar to that performed by VC-3 for night / all-wx
fighter work using the Douglas F3D-2 (F-10B, "Drut"). The in-theater F3Ds
however were land-based and flown by the Marines (VMF(N)-513) during Korea.

The lessons of Korea concerning night / all-wx attack capability led
directly to the development of the Grumman A2F-1 (A-6A). In our family this
led to several father-son discussions of how well (or poorly) the A-6
program built upon the lessons learned by the VC-3 Night Hecklers during
Korea.

--
Mike Kanze

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign
here."

- Anonymous cop, to woman driver.



"dano" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Mike Kanze" wrote:

Korean War traps on KEARSARGE (CVA-33).

My dad was aircrew on Kearsarge at that time.