Well, folks, it appears the USS Harry S. Truman has developed a rather aquatic approach to flight operations. Not once, but twice in a week, a Super Hornet has decided that a swim in the Red Sea was a better option than a successful trap. One has to wonder, are they offering frequent flyer miles for these unplanned plunges?
Reports indicate the latest incident involved a failed arrestment, which, for those of you who aren’t fluent in nautical aviation lingo, means the aircraft didn’t quite catch the arresting wire. Think of it as a very high-stakes game of tag, where the consequences involve expensive hardware and a rather chilly swim. The two aviators aboard managed to eject, proving that at least someone on the flight deck was paying attention to the pre-flight briefings.
This all got me thinking. Perhaps the carrier is experiencing a temporary issue with its “wire-to-pilot communication” system, or maybe the arresting gear is having a collective off day. Whatever the cause, it’s certainly a reminder that carrier landings are, shall we say, a tad more challenging than your average touch-and-go at Oshkosh. And if you think about it, an F/A-18 is probably not designed to be a submarine, although one might argue it’s already mastered the art of going under budget, if you know what I mean.
To add more humor to this situation, I reached out to my sources. I managed to get a quote from the esteemed Dr. Reginald “Arresting Gear” Grimbly, PhD, an expert in naval aviation. According to him, “These incidents highlight the inherent challenges of operating in the unforgiving environment of the sea. It’s not like the aircraft carrier is a floating, rather a “sinking-if-things-go-wrong” runway.”
And because I’m so good at what I do, I managed to get also a quote from Captain I.M. Wright, a retired naval test pilot specializing in aircraft-carrier operations, and the inventor of the self-flipping aircraft. He mentioned in a phone call with me: “I always said that if it doesn’t work, it is going to be a submarine. I am happy the crew escaped with their lives”. You know the man, always humble.
Of course, the Navy is investigating, and I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it – or, in this case, the top of the bottom of the Red Sea. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to prevent these aquatic excursions in the future. Perhaps a giant fishing net? Or maybe just a really, really good arresting wire. Either way, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Truman – and maybe investing in a good snorkel.
