AV-8B no gear landing on USS Bataan

Not really much I can say here, as the video pretty much says it all...



I can't imagine how much that stool cost them.

And more about it here...

theaviationist.com...

Very Kewl stuff !

I'm surprised he had to "touch down" blind as it were.

Cell phones have cameras, time to install a look down camera beneath the cock pit?

Bravo, amazing landing buddy.

a reply to: intrptr

I'm surprised he had to "touch down" blind as it were.

You would think they would have a way to see below, but I guess that wasn't big on their minds when designing this plane.

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h
a reply to: intrptr

I'm surprised he had to "touch down" blind as it were.

You would think they would have a way to see below, but I guess that wasn't big on their minds when designing this plane.

There's a lighting system on the deck that the pilot looks out at to land in circumstances like that. He couldn't see the stool from the cockpit.

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h
a reply to: intrptr

I'm surprised he had to "touch down" blind as it were.

You would think they would have a way to see below, but I guess that wasn't big on their minds when designing this plane.

These pilots are insanely precise, as you can see in this video. At one point he mentions the lights on the flight deck and how the pilots utilize them to land in the same spot, every time. My very good friend is an Apache helicopter crew chief and while that position is nowhere near piloting the AV-8B, the amount of precision and repeatability that is drilled into these guys is (in my opinion) unmatched.

It's similar to how we develop the skill to drive our cars in a straight line without crossing the painted lines on the road, all without being able to actually see the lines. Except these pilots do it it multimillion dollar machines, at extremely high speeds, and sometimes with highly explosive things bolted to their underside

The pilot should get a bonus worth half the value of the plane!

a reply to: boomer135

There's a lighting system on the deck that the pilot looks out at to land in circumstances like that. He couldn't see the stool from the cockpit.

Even with the lighting system it must have been a nerve racking few until he finally got down on deck. Quick question for you...

How heavy would that Harrier be at the nose, because it doesn't seem to me that a stool would be strong enough to handle the weight, but I guess it was.

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h
a reply to: intrptr



You would think they would have a way to see below, but I guess that wasn't big on their minds when designing this plane.

Out of camera range there is a Yellow Shirt directing the pilot. I only directed helos, but, I had the training for Harriers as well.

a reply to: ChaosComplex

These pilots are insanely precise, as you can see in this video.

It is amazing what those pilots do, and to hear him talk about how bad he was shaking just made me respect what they do even more.

a reply to: JIMC5499

Out of camera range there is a Yellow Shirt directing the pilot. I only directed helos, but, I had the training for Harriers as well.

From what he said nobody was on the flight deck when he finally landed, but either way that is something no pilots want to have to do I imagine.

I guess that is what makes the pilots in the armed forces the top of the pile when it comes to training.

Have you ever seen something like this happen before?

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

The "stool" is specifically built for the Harrier and for instances like this, which leads me to believe this isn't the first time it has happened.
The rig is also attached to the deck to prevent it from tipping over when hit by the jet blast or an of center strike by the nose.

a reply to: Sammamishman

The "stool" is specifically built for the Harrier and for instances like this, which leads me to believe this isn't the first time it has happened.
The rig is also attached to the deck to prevent it from tipping over when hit by the jet blast or an of center strike by the nose.

I was wondering about the stool, because you can't just throw anything out there and hope it works.

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h


I can't imagine how much that stool cost them.

Probably enough to make you want to get into the stool business, lol. I heard some horror stories when I was in the Air Force about mechanics and techs leaving a nut or a bolt in the wrong place, or forgetting some minor thing, and that thing bringing down an aircraft or causing a malfunction. I suppose this is why they stress "attention to detail" so much. That is why pefection is stressed starting in basic training. I do not know the cause of the malfunction in this instance, and I suppose things worked out okay for everyone...The stool might have been a bit upset though.

a reply to: ChaosComplex

You forgot to add whilst being shot at.

Hey, thats pretty neat! I was a part of the supply shop for 2nd Bn, 2nd Marines in 2006 when we were on the 26th MEU, and I sailed on the Bataan. Kinda cool to see this vid. We had HMM-264 attached at the time. I always enjoyed going up top to wear some of the flags were kept (I have no idea what that spot was actually called, but if I remember right it was above and behind the bridge..) and watching the various goings on around the deck.

Some of the best pilots in the Marine Corps are Harrier pilots, probably some of the best in any military. First time I've ever heard there was a stool for that sort of thing though, cool.

Stool?

Uhrm, no.

Try cradle or gantry.

Stool is something you don't want to land in.

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

Most of the weight is aft of the nose. The forward fuselage is relatively light compared to the aft portion where the engine and heavier systems are.

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h

I can't imagine how much that stool cost them.

No expert but that stool thingie I bet cost about the same as a business class car with all the optional extras, and if it only got used the once and thrown overboard straight after, well it paid for it's self a couple of thousand times over!

Without that thing best case scenario is some pretty expensive damage, worst case aircraft is lost over the side and hopefully the pilot can punch out, and pilots cost a lot to replace too.