Mosquito Doing a Deck Landing in 1944!

[GregP]

Hadn't seen a Mosquito deck landing before that was done during the war.

Thought it might be interesting.

 

[GrauGeist]

That was Eric Bown in the driver's seat, wasn't it?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

That was Eric Bown in the driver's seat, wasn't it?

I believe it was - the mediocre test pilot who became famous because he was able to speak German!

 

[EwenS]

On the 10 Oct 1944 a group of 618 squadron pilots put in some deck landings on HMS Implacable with one of the Mosquito Highball conversions, before the whole squadron shipped out to Australia at the end of the month as deck cargo on the escort carriers Fencer & Striker.

warships, submarines, uboats, passenger liners, sailing ships, fishing vessels, cargo ships, merchant ships, ship database

Website with searchable ship database about warships, passenger liners, merchant ships, photo galleries, technical details, stories, news and much more.

www.maritimequest.com

(Ignore the caption. The ORB confirmed 10/10/44).

 

[Wurger]

 

[pbehn]

Note the "bat man" at the bottom left of the screen, he had to stand in the path of the plane then scoot as it touched down.

 

[special ed]

That was Eric Bown in the driver's seat, wasn't it?

If the video is watched carefully, one can see the the acft is towed by a cable into the barrier, with an empty cockpit.

 

[EwenS]

Only the first approx 30 secs (the initial landing sequence) relates to Eric Brown's first Mosquito landing on Indefatigable in March 1944. Serial no LR359.

The next take off sequence was taken post war. It is of a Mosquito TR.33, complete with ASH radar in the nose, taking off from HMS Illustrious. Note the Type C roundels on the upper wing, and the after gun turrets sitting proud of the flight deck level. Illustrious served as the RN trials and training carrier from Aug 1946.

The crash sequence at the end relates to a programme of postwar trials into tests of new flight deck crash barriers. These were needed because, with the arrival twin engined aircraft like Mosquito, Hornet and Sturgeon and jets like the Sea Vampire, the pilots had much less protection on entry to a crash barrier (no big engine out front to be buried in the wire cables of the barrier). These trials began ashore at RAE Farnborough and then continued at sea, firstly with aircraft being towed into the barriers as shown innthe video. By 1949 live tests with Sea Hornets were undertaken. The carrier involved is a light fleet carrier, possibly Triumph.

 

[muskeg13]

Understated British humor: 1:14 " By all appearances, wooden constructed aeroplanes would just seem to be unsuited for this treatment." as the Mosquito quickly disassembles itself during the crash barrier test.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

And the clip is wrong about saying that "this was the first two engine machine to land on an aircraft carrier."

 

[GreenKnight121]

Ahhh... the Potez 565, modified with an arresting hook for use on the aircraft carrier Béarn, onto which it made an arrested landing, and took off again in March 1936.

That beats my candidate:

The XJO-3 (one of 3 Lockheed Model 12 Electra Juniors modified with tricycle landing gear) was delivered to the USN on 15 October 1938. It was an experimental aircraft intended to test the feasibility of using (1) twin-engined aircraft and (2) aircraft with a tricycle landing gear on an aircraft carrier. On 30 August 1939, the XJO-3 made eleven landings and takeoffs from the USS Lexington (CV-2) off the coast of California demonstrating the basic adaptability of this type of aircraft to carrier operations.

 

[fannum]

The cable towed crash test was wise ... remember that not only was the Mosquito wooden, but the props were as well, and in a barrier, there would be an abundance of high velocity splinters.

 

[pinehilljoe]

Night fighter Mosquitos flying off Enterprise as part of her late War Night Flying Wing may have been good to combat the Kamikaze.

 

[SaparotRob]

It would definitely shake up the other side. "Whatinheckizzat?"