Any landing you walk away from is a good landing...

[shed driver]

L/T Marshall /Sub/LT Maddox 892 sqn HMS Victorious 8th Feb 61 both walked away unharmed. The pilot couldn't transfer fuel from the starboard tank. He made an emergency landing but the starboard oleo collapsed on landing with the drop tank releasing and bursting into flames. The observers PEC got snagged up on the Os hatch while abandoning A/C you can see the pilot waiting for him to escape!

Taken from the days when we had a navy.







SD

[zollburgers]

Das ist nicht gut.

[Flintstone]

Late on the roundout again Simpkins?

[DieselGriff]

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

[fluffnik]

DieselGriff said:

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

Singed!

[shed driver]

DieselGriff said:

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

A scimitar?



Difficult to tell from this angle though..

Brakes failed; pilot got out under water; was picked up safely.
Scimitar 803 squadron HMS VICTORIOUS 61 Pilot L/t Mc Intyre and 3 Whirlwinds 825 sqd

SD.

[Simpo Two]

DieselGriff said:

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

Supermarine Attacker?

[CobolMan]

Simpo Two said:

DieselGriff said:

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

Supermarine Attacker?

Nope, Shed Driver is correct, it's definitely a Scimitar - there's a good pic on this page http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5737696&... which shows the same layout of the louvres above the intakes.

[eharding]

Flintstone said:

Late on the roundout again Simpkins?

I thought the salient point about fast jet carrier operations was that you didn't flare or roundout, just maintained the approach angle as directed by the meatball/mirror-system until you met the deck, expected the engineering of the gear to deal with the impact, select full dry power and if the hook caught a wire you'd be stopping, if it didn't you'd be off the end and trying again before you could say 'oomph' - not that I've ever tried to do so.

I have to admit there were times landing the Pitts in places, and crosswinds, that I'd rather have not have done that I would console myself on final that at least the patch of tarmac I was aiming at wasn't a lot shorter and surrounded by a fifty foot drop into the North Atlantic.

There is an ex-Scimitar-mate Pitts driver on the Waltham instructor staff who might recognise some of the carnage above - although I think it might have been slightly before his time - but he'll probably know the crew....I'll see if he can add any details.

[Eric Mc]

Simpo Two said:

DieselGriff said:

What's the aircraft in the foreground of the third photo?

Supermarine Attacker?

The Attacker was gone from service by the late 1950s. It was very much an interim type and was based on the wing planform of the Supermarine Spiteful/Seafang. It was also unusual for a jet in having a tailwheel. They were pretty unpopular with those who flew them.

[DamienB]

The Sea Vixen in the pics was XJ583 - never flew again, too badly damaged by both fire and the salt water used by the fire fighting bods. It was repaired with a replacement wing but only ever got used as a ground instructional airframe and was scrapped by 1971.

I talked to a guy who witnessed this accident and he said the photos actually look worse than it was in reality - it was land, gear collapse, FIRE FIRE FIRE, pause, BANG from the observers hatch, pause, BANG from the pilot's canopy, pilot jumped out and ran, turned to look back while observer was struggling with his personal services connector (the quick release shoe was apparently anything but quick) and the pilot was just about to go and help him when he got free and jumped off and ran too. You can see the stretched connector cord in the second pic. Neither 'walked away'!! Fire crew had the fire out in a couple of minutes (supposedly of the opinion that the crew could have stayed put and got out in a more leisurely fashion afterwards but faced with a wall of fire you can't blame them for getting out immediately!).

Edited by DamienB on Sunday 16th January 14:35

[Eric Mc]

What to do if you are surrounded by flames - ask Scott Crossfield (if he was still alive)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpEPZ6ZZIs

[Flintstone]

eharding said:

Flintstone said:

Late on the roundout again Simpkins?

I thought the salient point about fast jet carrier operations was that you didn't flare or roundout, just maintained the approach angle as directed by the meatball/mirror-system until you met the deck, expected the engineering of the gear to deal with the impact, select full dry power and if the hook caught a wire you'd be stopping, if it didn't you'd be off the end and trying again before you could say 'oomph' - not that I've ever tried to do so.

I have to admit there were times landing the Pitts in places, and crosswinds, that I'd rather have not have done that I would console myself on final that at least the patch of tarmac I was aiming at wasn't a lot shorter and surrounded by a fifty foot drop into the North Atlantic.

There is an ex-Scimitar-mate Pitts driver on the Waltham instructor staff who might recognise some of the carnage above - although I think it might have been slightly before his time - but he'll probably know the crew....I'll see if he can add any details.

It was a j......






Never mind

[bob1179]

Great pictures, good to hear everybody was OK.

I'll have to talk to my dad about them as he was serving on the Victorious around this time, he has loads of great pictures he took when serving on her.