Pilot's Account : F-18 Hornet Emergency Night Recovery

CaptainEd · Post by **CaptainEd** » 29 Mar 2005, 19:02

http://www.main.org/mowwaustin/Oyster.htm

Pilot's Account : F-18 Hornet Emergency Night Recovery . . By Barricade

Been around before, but still an interesting read second time around ..............Ed
Here's a personal story of an F-18 Hornet's recent recovery by barricade . . at night . . on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

[ Note : the barricade is a 20 foot high net that stretches across the carrier's deck to 'catch' airplanes during extreme emergencies.]

" Oyster, here. This note is to share with you the exciting night I had the other month. It has nothing to do with me wanting to talk about me. But it has everything to do with sharing what will no doubt become a better story as the years go by. So....

There I was .. ' manned up' a hot seat for the 2030 night launch about 500 miles north of Hawaii. I was taxied off toward the carrier's island where I did a 180 degree turn to get spotted to be the first one off Catapult # 1. They lowered my launch bar and started the launch cycle. All systems were ' go' on the runup. And after waiting the requisite 5 seconds to make sure my flight controls are good to go, I turned on my lights. As is my habit I shifted my eyes to the catwalk and watched the deck edge dude and as he started his routine of looking left, then right. I put my head back against the head rest.

The Hornet cat shot is pretty impressive. As the cat fires, I stage the afterburners and I am along for the ride. Just prior to the end of the stroke .. there's a huge flash . . and a simultaneous . . B-O-O-M ! And my night world is in turmoil.

My little pink body is doing 145 knots or so and is 100 feet above the black Pacific. And there it stays -- except for the airspeed, which decreases to 140 knots. Some where in here I raised my gear. And the throttles aren't going any farther forward despite my Schwarzze-negerian efforts to make them do so.

From out of the ether I hear a voice say one word: "JETTISON ! " Rogered that ! And a nano second later my two drops and single MER [about 4,500 pounds in all ] are Black Pacific bound. The airplane leapt up a bit but not enough. I'm now about a mile in front ........

B744skipper · Post by **B744skipper** » 29 Mar 2005, 21:33

Interesting story, thanks for sharing.

CaptainEd · Post by **CaptainEd** » 29 Mar 2005, 21:51

Sounds authentic. I flew Banshees in a night fighter squadron, VF-152,
1955-57, off the old WASP, 7 month WESTPAC cruise,.

HAIRY! Never enough fuel, but great experience, real confidence builder.

Ed

HorsePower · Post by **HorsePower** » 29 Mar 2005, 22:01

Good job he does!

Seb.

Advisor · Post by **Advisor** » 30 Mar 2005, 20:57

fftopic:

So LM plans to give F18's to India, would be a good deal, would it

CaptainEd · Post by **CaptainEd** » 30 Mar 2005, 21:10

Advisor, nice quote. Here's the source:
http://www.butterflight.com/gale/theauthor.html

http://www.avweb.com/newspics/188141_ca ... _angel.jpg