I was just sitting in the easy chair pondering as I sometimes do. I've seen the videos of the extreme back country stol planes landing in 100'. Then I wondered if a general aviation plane has ever landed on an aircraft carrier. An emergency fuel situation maybe. An aircraft carrier can do 25knts. At sea there is usually at least a 15knt breeze but most likely more like 20-25knts. So if the carrier would turn into the wind as they do when landing planes you could have a perfect 48-56mph headwind. I imagine there are some pilots here that could land a plane like a helicopter in a breeze like that. Well this guy did it in what looks like a Cessna 150.
http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display.php?irn=16007419&QueryPage=%2FDtlQuery.php

Anyone know of any other carrier landings like this?

On 29 April 1975, the day before the fall of Saigon, South Vietnamese Air Force Major Bung-Ly loaded his wife and five children into a two-seat Cessna O-1 Bird Dog and took off from Con Son Island. After evading enemy ground fire Major Bung-Ly headed out to sea and spotted the aircraft carrier USS Midway. With only an hour of fuel remaining, he dropped a note[4] asking that the "runway" [sic] be cleared so that he could land.[5] Knowing there was no room for this to happen, Rear Admiral Lawrence Chambers ordered that $10 million (US currency) worth of UH-1 Huey helicopters be pushed overboard into the South China Sea. The Bird Dog that Major Bung-Ly landed is now on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.[6]

American television personality/actor Ed McMahon was a Marine Corps aviator and piloted one in Korea, flying more than 80 combat missions during 1953.

The Dash-One (official Operating Manual) for the O-1E issued to USAF pilots in 1970 had the following statement: "rear seat rated for one pilot/observer or two Vietnamese."

Actually, a carrier deck is pretty long. I doubt it'd be much of a trick to land an L-19 on a CV deck without wind over the deck. Remember, Doolittle's crew TOOK OFF from an old carrier deck, and the first ones off had only half the deck. And, they were in loaded bombers.

MTV

I'd be more impressed with a plane that takes off and lands in less than 100' with little to no wind.

There was a story that was reported in the news about 30 years ago, (I read about it in the Missoulian newspaper at the time, but can't find it on google now) about a retired carrier that had been stripped out in San Diego and was being towed to Seattle to be broken up for scrap metal. As it was being towed away from San Diego a Cessna 172 flew out, circled it a couple of times, shot 2 touch-and-goes on the deck. Then landed, taxied back, and took off. The tugboat crew did not get any photos at the time, or write down the tail no. of the plane.

Dale Moul wrote:There was a story that was reported in the news about 30 years ago, (I read about it in the Missoulian newspaper at the time, but can't find it on google now) about a retired carrier that had been stripped out in San Diego and was being towed to Seattle to be broken up for scrap metal. As it was being towed away from San Diego a Cessna 172 flew out, circled it a couple of times, shot 2 touch-and-goes on the deck. Then landed, taxied back, and took off. The tugboat crew did not get any photos at the time, or write down the tail no. of the plane.

That's the kind of irresponsible behavior that hurts all of us as pilots.

Seriously, that would have been very hard to pass up, and I'm glad the 172 pilot seized the moment. Even better the tug crew didn't have cell phone vid camera's back then, now it would be posted on youtube before the tug docked!

Nosedragger wrote:...With only an hour of fuel remaining, he dropped a note[4] asking that the "runway" [sic] be cleared so that he could land.[5] Knowing there was no room for this to happen, Rear Admiral Lawrence Chambers ordered that $10 million (US currency) worth of UH-1 Huey helicopters be pushed overboard into the South China Sea.

If that's true, it's a damn shame they couldn't have simply launched those ships for 15 mins while the plane landed.

courierguy wrote: I'm glad the 172 pilot seized the moment.

Me too. I wonder where that guy is now. I wonder if he had a passenger to corroborate the story. That's a tall tale to tell in a bar room. I bet that pilot was in the know on a carrier being tugged and planned his mission. Then again maybe he just saw the ship and said carpe diem.

Ridge Runner wrote:I'd be more impressed with a plane that takes off and lands in less than 100' with little to no wind.

http://www.zenithair.com/stolch701/index1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieseler_Fi_156
http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/b.htm#birdmantl

If you have the money, buy #2 (comical bald ranting Italian dictator sold separately)
If you have a little money and some time, build #1 (divorce lawyer sold separately)
If you want to live through it, do not build #3 (funeral arrangements sold separately)

Or give Tadpole a call and his first commission!

EZFlap wrote:

Ridge Runner wrote:I'd be more impressed with a plane that takes off and lands in less than 100' with little to no wind.

http://www.zenithair.com/stolch701/index1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fieseler_Fi_156
http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/b.htm#birdmantl

If you have the money, buy #2 (comical bald ranting Italian dictator sold separately)
If you have a little money and some time, build #1 (divorce lawyer sold separately)
If you want to live through it, do not build #3 (funeral arrangements sold separately)

Still not impressed.

The mothball fleet is anchored near by in Suisun Bay just NE of San Francisco. There is a carrier anchored there. I've flown many approaches to it and it would be landable. Except that they've cut up the mast and portions of the island and strewn them all over the deck. I guess they heard I was coming.

And about 5,000 of my closest friends who fly in the area.

Now the Doolittle raid taking off the USS Hornet was impressive! God bless that generation.

I bet those bombers needed every bit of headwind the carrier could produce by running into the opposing wind...and from a deck that's heaving up and down in the ocean swell too. Definitely impressive!

Ridge Runner wrote:I'd be more impressed with a plane that takes off and lands in less than 100' with little to no wind.

They make 'em. I think they're called helicopters!!!

Gump

GumpAir wrote:

Ridge Runner wrote:I'd be more impressed with a plane that takes off and lands in less than 100' with little to no wind.

They make 'em. I think they're called helicopters!!!

Gump

Helicopters don't fly the earth repels them - they beat the air into submission ."Though shall not loose the rotor rpm else the earth shall rise up and smithity thee " Don't run out of time ,money and left pedal all at the same time or your going to end up in a bunch of sheet metal and spare parts. Gary A. has a Great L-19 fully restored at WHP , He calls it his "Baby Huey " after his tours in RVN .

Another Ultimate STOL is L-13 ugly would a complement -300 hp of lift with folding wings and tail to take home with you . Big enough to carry the basketball team and there pool table into and from micro LZ's

NASA STOL Aircraft Concept:

You hear them talk about how they would go full beta prior to touchdown, but they don't mention that as one of the mods. I think it was a mod though as I believe C-130s can't go beta until weight on wheels. I'm not sure though since I have no time in 130s. This is legit video as I saw it when I was at LSO school. The main problem is the wingspan. The carrier doesn't have enough room to keep all its normal compliment of aircraft below on the hangar so many aircraft are kept up top. You wouldn't have clearance for the wings of a C-130 if there were aircraft up top.