Pictures of Cold War aircraft.

[GTX]

 

[Donivanp]

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The USAF in the late 1950's through the early 1980's. Some like the Scorpion wouldn't make it that late but much in here would in active, guard or reserve fleet.

 

[Donivanp]

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Quick reaction launch rail, or submarine patrol?

 

[SaparotRob]

"Ooooh. Look at all the pretty fishies!"

 

[Donivanp]

Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes!

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

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A good story there:

Forty years ago today, a young Royal Navy sublieutenant with only 75% of his training completed performed an aeronautical feat that saved his aircraft, nearly caused an international incident and cost him his pilot's job, at least for a while.

This is the story behind these photographs.

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On 6 June 1983, Sublieutenant Ian Watson took off from HMS Illustrious with Sea Harrier FRS.1 ZA176 on a NATO exercise under radio silence and with radar off.

At dusk, disoriented, unable to locate the aircraft carrier to return, with radio technical problems, 120 miles southwest of Porto and with only 7 minutes of fuel left, he located the Spanish container ship Alraigo.

93 metres long and 13.5 metres wide seemed good enough for him to attempt a landing and try to save himself and the plane.

After a couple of turns on the ship, the landing manoeuvre began. The ship's captain ordered the engines to stop and Sublieutenant Watson managed to land the Sea Harrier, avoiding collision with the crane and the bridge, on containers and the ship's deck.

There was British pressure for the Alraigo to divert to Lisbon or Gibraltar, but with the aircraft secured on deck, the captain decided to stubbornly continue on to its original destination, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (yes, the same place where Horatio Nelson lost his right arm in 1797), where it would arrive on 9 June.

The owners and crew of the Alragio opposed the return of the aircraft until they were compensated for its salvage according to Spanish law (⅔ of the value of what was salvaged) but, as it was a state asset, there was no room for this, although the crew and owner were compensated by the MoD with a total of some 570,000 pounds to be divided between all of them at the end

On 15 June, the ZA176 left Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the tanker British Tay for Portland, UK, after being unloaded by unemployed workers recruited to do so, as the dockers at the port refused to do so in solidarity with the ship's crew claim for a higher compensation.

Today, ZA176 can be seen at the Newark Air Museum, Nottinghamshire, England in FA.2 configuration.

The Alraigo was scrapped at the Turkish Aliaga shipyard as Golden Fox.

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Second Lieutenant Ian Watson recovered its wings and flew it again until retiring in 1996 with almost 3,000 flying hours.

This wasn't the first FAA plane that ended in Santa Cruz de Tenerife after a sea rescue. But is a history for another day and another thread.

 

[Donivanp]

I seem to recall some of this story.

 

[GreenKnight121]

Did you know that the engine of the Hound Dog Missile the J52 (along with the A-6 and A-4) was the basis for the JT8D engine that went on to power among other planes the 727, 737, & DC-9 airliners?

And the Saab Viggen.

 

[Ovod]

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USS Suribachi - September 1992

 

[GTX]

Hang in there...

 

[DBII]

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USS Suribachi - September 1992

Who let the 2Lt land?

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Not a good position to be in.

 

[Donivanp]

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USS Suribachi - September 1992

Luca Brasi is about to have company

 

[GTX]

 

[Donivanp]

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How do you do that VooDoo so well

 

[GTX]

 

[Snautzer01]

Luca Brasi is about to have company

Godfather.

 

[Donivanp]

Godfather.

You watched it, you watched it!