Now, I don’t know if CNN or anyone has picked up on this yet, with the big election news in Iraq and everything, but the other day a VFA-102 Super Hornet went into the drink during Carrier Qualifications.[:0] The pilots are both OK. However, about 10 people were seriously injured. The cable that the “Rhino” caught snapped. You airdales know that when this happens usually there is a fatality. Luckily, no one died but quite a few people had to be medivaced off. The Kitty was just off the coast of Japan. A Seahawk was also seriously damaged by the flying wire and will have to be craned off. I don’t have any info yet on modex or anything like that.
I heard about this happening to a ‘C’ no too long ago…not sure if I was just getting the news late or if in fact it ‘just happened’. But I do know that they are supposed to change out the cables after a certain number of traps.Good to hear that none perished…I have never seen it happen myself but I have read in non-fiction books that a carrier arresting cable snapping under stress, CUTS through anything in its path…be it a human,A/C or whatever…
The basic laws of physics are irrefutable. If you put a huge amount of strain on a steel cable and then it breaks while still under strain, the ends are going to move sideways with tremendous speed and energy. ANYTHING that is in the way is in deep, deep trouble. I am glad to hear that there were no fatalities. There usually is when this happens. I guess that is why the Navy claims that a carrier deck undergoing flight ops is the most dangerous place in the world. Darwin [alien]
I’ve also heard that a carrier deck is the worlds most dangerous parking lot…and the guys and gals who play there get paid peanuts compared to far less dangerous jobs…THAT sucks. Their professionalism and dedication to duty is nothing short of awe inspiring.
It’s been said that there’s seldom a carrier cruise that doesn’t involve a fatality.
I thought a “Rhino” was an F4?
Just curious about that. . .
The most dangerous job in the navy would have to be the flight deck during ops, maybe that is why mostly enlisted folks work there?
Don
I don’t know about the F4 being called the Rhino. I think that might be an Air Force nickname. There are very few Officers that actually work on the Flight Deck and the pilots are encourged to spend as little time on the Roof as possible.
Glad there was no loss of life
The term Rhino came late in the Phantom’s career. As everyone knows, there were countless nicknames for that airplane. “Rhino,” if I’m not mistaken, was applied to the F-4 when the C and D models came into ANG and Reserve service, and the antenna/seeker housing (is that what was in there? It wasn’t that dark glass on the the round end, so maybe not) under the radome was a natural for giving it that nickname.
It always really messed up the looks of the plane for me (like that’s really a consideration to anyone but a modeler), though I have a long and faithful love affair with the C’s and D’s because they gave me my first experiences with fast jets, so I’ve modeled a bunch of them. A number of the D models have “clean” radomes on them, but I don’t know if any of those made it into the Guard and Reserve after their Vietnam service.
TOM
The one thing that I never have got bored with no matter how often I’ve seen it been a part of it (COD or helo passenger only!) is flight ops. It is just plain fascinating. I’ve watched from the navigation bridge, the signal bridge, the flag bridge, and the fantail for hours on end. We used to go up to the secondary conning station ( the navigation bridge at the very end of the flight deck above the anchor windlass spaces) and open the portholes during flight ops, stick our heads out and let the jets blast our faces as they left the bow cats. Just the heat would hit you but it was exhilarating. The Phantoms and Vigilantes were the best.