wings folded, oops

[toad]

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1329/wingfold12ur.th.jpg (http://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wingfold12ur.jpg)

An Air Force F-4e out of Keflavik. Landed sucessfully. I don't know a lot of detail, but I am told FWIW the F-4e (AF) did not have **** pit controls and it is done on the groud. Ground crews had this aircraft painted and the red pins were painted gray. The ground crew did not notice that the tips were not locked...

2 Navy f-4s who had this happen (for whatever reason) ditched, as a carrier landing in this state is not a good option.


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6938/f8wingsfolded14qw.th.jpg (http://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f8wingsfolded14qw.jpg)

F-8 (said to be marine) looks good on approach. Notice his tailhook is down. Even on land, many Navy/Marine/AF jets use the taihook on an arrested landing if there are problems.

In Vietnam F-4 Air Force phantoms used thier tailhooks to make arrested landing if it was raining....


From reading a few web links it appears that in the F-8 at least, this happened a bunch of times. French and US F-8's were reported to have taken off and landed with wings folded. Even with bomb loads...
In his book "mig master", Barett Tilman describes 12 Crusader wing fold incidents. !!

[IRONHORSE]

The F-8 Is On Final After Declaring An Emergency The Tail Hook Is Down Because He's Prepared To Make A Short Field Arrested Landing

[B25Hmitchell]

I bet they were really fast landings due to lack of lift. BTW, I love the Crusader. Just in case you were wondering if I did love it.

[toad]

I was in the service after the F-8 retired from US service, but while on the USS JFK we had two French F-8's trap from the Foche.

What was unusual is the Kennedy already had the upgraded cats to shoot Tomcats and we no longer had any aircraft that required 'bridles' to launch.

So out of the hold come some old F-8 bridles, with Chiefs who had not been on the flight deck in years. They had brand new mae wests and helmets etc... and stood out like a sore thumb. Well we were amused since these guys had not launched a bird in many years and they were hunched under the fuselage hooking up this harness that we thought was archaic.

But.... when this F-8 got on the cat and the shooter gave the signal to go to afterburner, there was a huge BOOM like a howitzer going off! Some guys ducked and jumped or moved behind the island because we thought he blew the engine.... But he took the cat shot and went off the pointy end ok!

So as this one chief passed after the launch we asked him what that was all about...and he looked at us kind of cocky and said "ain't you ever seen a single stage afterburner before?" Then he said "Rookies" and walked away.

I got a kick out of that...

maybe we need a F-8 thread

[jerka71_1]

maybe we need a F-8 thread

X2

I reckon we need a "Mean jet thread"..F-8s, Lightnings etc...

[B25Hmitchell]

Great post Toad, thanks for sharing that story.

Here's some pics I had on my drive

[B25Hmitchell]

more yet...

[toad]

I can't top those pics but I'll throw in a bit of trivia...

http://img328.imageshack.us/img328/3341/blazngun13oq.th.jpg (http://img328.imageshack.us/my.php?image=blazngun13oq.jpg)

F-8 is the first Navy A/C to Down a MiG in VN - CDR Hal Marr downed a Mig-17, the first enemy aircraft brought down by a Navy aircraft in this conflict; 12 June 1966.

First Jet To Take Off With Folded Wings [a Spad was apparently launched from a carrier at night during the Korean Conflict, recovered at a shorebase!] - 2 August 1960, Capodichino Airport, Naples, Italy. This has happened about 5 times; some landed with wings folded, some managed to extend them in flight - probably also a first.

It was the first plane to land on a nuclear carrier.

World's Altitude Record for Launching A Paper Airplane -Test vehicle placed in speed brake well, s.b. pumped shut before start. Boards opened at 50,125 feet indicated; 11 August 1966, F-8D BuNo 147069, between Eglin AFB & Cecil.

Cleanest Bomb Attack On Soviet Vessel - Med, about May 1967. 13 rolls toilet paper (unused) loaded into speed brake well (I liked that speed brake). Hard right off cat, gear up, opened boards over trawler maneuvering to force carrier to turn. No medal, but no hack either.

http://img309.imageshack.us/img309/7766/midwayf813bw.th.jpg (http://img309.imageshack.us/my.php?image=midwayf813bw.jpg)

http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/7425/f8fntrap17hs.th.jpg (http://img335.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f8fntrap17hs.jpg)

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/278/f8cat18aj.th.jpg (http://img329.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f8cat18aj.jpg)


I think I'm still gonna start another thread with that "mean jet" theme...
'cause there are some guys who think F-4 Phantoms were meaner yet??

...and they didn't even have guns when they showed up in Vietnam!

[IRONHORSE]

Working At Dallas With 2 F-8 Squadrons In The 70's We Had To Take 11 Of Them In Less Than 30 Minutes On Short Field Arrestments Due To Strong Cross Winds And F-8's Act Like Sail Boats At Low Speeds With Cross Winds.
Carrier Landing Were Nearer To Semi Controlled Crashes.

[Laworkerbee]

I was in the service after the F-8 retired from US service, but while on the USS JFK we had two French F-8's trap from the Foche.

What was unusual is the Kennedy already had the upgraded cats to shoot Tomcats and we no longer had any aircraft that required 'bridles' to launch.

So out of the hold come some old F-8 bridles, with Chiefs who had not been on the flight deck in years. They had brand new mae wests and helmets etc... and stood out like a sore thumb. Well we were amused since these guys had not launched a bird in many years and they were hunched under the fuselage hooking up this harness that we thought was archaic.

But.... when this F-8 got on the cat and the shooter gave the signal to go to afterburner, there was a huge BOOM like a howitzer going off! Some guys ducked and jumped or moved behind the island because we thought he blew the engine.... But he took the cat shot and went off the pointy end ok!

So as this one chief passed after the launch we asked him what that was all about...and he looked at us kind of cocky and said "ain't you ever seen a single stage afterburner before?" Then he said "Rookies" and walked away.

I got a kick out of that...

maybe we need a F-8 thread


Haha good story man, thanks!