Long tine readers of Neptunus Lex probably remember a commenter, Spazsinbad, who apparently was a former Royal Australian Navy A-4G pilot. He always had interesting bits to add to the conversation. Let’s take a look at one of his compatriots having a rough day.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcgjvln1SB0]
The A-4, in US Navy usage, operated handily from the supercarriers. And it was even quite at home on the modernized Essex class. But the Royal Australian Navy’s only carrier, HMAS Melbourne, was tiny! And there was simply no margin for error.
A tip of the hat to:
Swim Call: SBLT Evans Cold Catapult RAN VF-889 A-4G HMAS Melbourne 08 Nov 1973 https://t.co/8AnwLnbDcX @Australian_Navy
— Old Brown Shoe Navy (@classicNavalAir) December 5, 2014
One lucky pilot
You’ll like this if you haven’t seen it. 23MAY79, cdp parted as 888 came aboard. Pilot LCDR Finan was a USN exchange pilot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WdnpHcQn3Y
When I was a kid, I visited the HMAS Melbourne when she was in Sydney. Seemed like a real big ship to me at the time. =)
If you remember Mr Ralston, from OHHS, he told us a story where he launched with an overloaded F4u Corsair in Korea and, with no lift, just dropped into the water. This guy in the video has an incredible story, though.
HMAS Melbourne rammed his aircraft, ran over it, and the pilot got out when the plane was 70 feet deep. He surfaced hundred of yards astern of the carrier, and was rescued.
That is a lot of skill/luck to use up in one launch cycle.
Yeah. He better not bother with Vegas.
Truly fortunate. Most plane drivers in that situation were killed. Yeah, like Brad says, forget Vegas. His luck is all used up.