[Milsurplus] Flat top flight deck

[Michael Tauson]

On Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 6:09 PM, Hue Miller <kargo_cult at msn.com> wrote:

> Interesting goings-on; i'd have been up there too, gawking.

Oh, Hue, you have no idea!

1964-'65, USS HORNET, CVS-12 ... any chance I got I watched flight
ops.  It was chaos but a well rehearsed and choreographed chaos in
probably the most dangerous place in the world to work.  OSHA would
have a fit about the working conditions but OSHA doesn't have anything
to say about it.  Getting the planes off and back on the deck safely
does.

Even when things go wrong - an S2F's wing folding coming off the cat
... an A-4 missing the wires and winding up in the ocean because the
engine burped too ... a man falling into the prop of an idling AD -
even then, it is a thing of beauty.

I know Robert Downs has seen it as well - different time, different
ship, different aircraft - and I suspect (read as: hope!) he'll back
what I'm saying.

Thank you for bringing up those wonderful memories.

Best regqards,

Michael, WH7HG