Re: Fav CAG story (was Re: US Navy nose cone colours?)

Reminds me of a similar nose cone strike on a carrier deck.

It was during a WestPac 1958 deployment on the Bon Homme Richard. An A-3D
tapped off center far to the right. His right wingtip went through the nose
radomes of the other three A-3Ds parked aft of the island, leaving all four
A-3Ds not airworthy.

In one stroke the Bonnie Dick's nuclear strike capability had been reduced
by a third. That pilot was on the next COD back to CONUS.

WDA
CDR USN
VF-24, VA-192, VAH-4

end

"Gordon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> CAG Hal was running Ike's airwing during the 1980 "Good deal cruise" (93
days
> underway, 4 day break, 155 days underway).  As CAGs like to do, the
Captain
> flew everything on the boat, including a VA-65 A-6 that I am sure he
wishes he
> didn't...
>
> On deck (I was a VS-31 Plane Captain), we looked aft whenever we heard
someone
> on final - one day, I glanced up and an A-6 was just coming aboard.  It
was way
> off line to the right, to the point I ducked out of the way when he
decided to
> wave off.  BAP BAP BAP then a roar as the CAG went down the deck a few
feet
> above it.  Looking back down the deck, toward that weird BAP sound, I saw
that
> he had knocked the nose cones off at least a couple Tomcats packed behind
the
> island!  One nosecone was on the deck, maybe more, and at least a couple
others
> had been nicked.
>
> The VF squadrons politely swept up the mess and reassembled their abused
F-14s
> (damage was minor on them), but the nosecones were
accidentally/deliberated
> swapped - for the rest of the cruise, the paintjobs on our Dawgs and
> Ghostriders seemed to never match their noses again.
>
> Sure glad the only thing hurt that day was CAG's pride!
>
> v/r
> Gordon
> <====(A+C====>
>  USN SAR Aircrew
>
> "Got anything on your radar, SENSO?"
> "Nothing but my forehead, sir."