Chapter 15

“The month of June flew by, pardon the pun, with the 213th setting the Marine record for hours flown in a single day. I think there’s a picture of the 213th and the hours they flew in one of my albums.”

“213th, The Hell Hawks, 272 hours flown by 21 Corsairs, June 21st, 1944,” Linda remarked on the note below the photo.

“Our squadron wasn’t quite as busy that day and did just under 200 hours for twenty aircraft. It was hot as hell working and living in a desert climate, so we mostly restricted our flying hours to early morning or late afternoon to early evening.”

“During our weeks of training, I rarely flew Helen, preferring to let her rest for her next battles against the Japanese.”

“It was strange how certain dates stayed with me. One particular bad day was July 31st. There were too many other bad days to count, but some I do recall. We were doing our normal formation flying along with strafing runs on the target range, while others were conducting flying test hops on planes that had been repaired and were being test flown to return to service.”

“Then shortly after noon, we heard Major Marshall’s voice yelling over the radio, ‘Pilot down! Plane down! All pilots report in!’”

“As each pilot reported their names and call sign, those of us on the ground looked east and saw the unmistakeable dark plume of smoke rising in the sky. Several of us used binoculars to look for a parachute but didn’t see one.”

“Then we heard a sad response, ‘Sir, it’s Ed Shaw.’”

“‘God damn it! Does anyone see a parachute?”

“‘No, Sir,’ several responded.”

“Major Marshall and those in the air flew over the crash scene as fire trucks and rescue personnel raced to the burning plane. Flying over low, the Major knew there was no chance of Ed’s survival.”

“‘Okay boys, return to base.’”

“The Major had the six of them form up in a V shape with him leading. Flying over the crash site heading towards the base, ‘Captain Finn, would you, please.’”

“‘My honor, Sir.’”

“A moment later he pulled back on the control stick of his Corsair, braking formation, banking high right, then trailing off as if heading for the heavens. As they flew over our heads, we could see the Missing Man Formation and properly salute Captain Shaw.”

Edward’s eyes blinked rapidly, trying to fight off tears of remembrance. David suggested they take another break.

“I remember Major Marshall stepping from his Corsair, pounding his fist against the trailing edge of the starboard wing, then throwing his head gear on the ground in rage, cracking the glass in his goggles.”

“‘God damn it! Ed survived three combat tours, shot down thirteen planes, and died in a damn training accident? It just isn’t fair!’”

“The Majors agreed to stand us down for the next two days as a preliminary investigation was conducted. It was later concluded that Ed Shaw’s plane suffered a structural defect that caused it to turn over on its back, which he was unable to control, leading to the crash.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Millington had left it up to me how to best train the pilots for life aboard a carrier. I remembered the field carrier landing practices I did during my flight training in Jacksonville that would simulate carrier landings and takeoffs without the danger of actually trying on a real one until later.”

“At the far end of a seldom used taxiway, I was able to have the silhouette of the deck of an aircraft carrier painted onto the asphalt. I used the measurements of my first carrier, the Lexington, as the size to use.”

“I received permission to borrow the Landing Signal Officer from a carrier that was in San Diego port, and the Marine engineers were able to install two portable arrestor gear barriers across the width of the taxiway. The cable boxes had to be deeply imbedded in the ground along with several ten-ton cement blocks to hold them in place against the pulling power of the landing planes.”

“‘Good morning, gentlemen. I’m Landing Signal Officer Lieutenant Greg Johnson, or the LSO, as we’re called, aboard the USS Hancock. I’m also a qualified pilot, so I know what you’ll be experiencing landing on a carrier. I’m here to possibly save your life. Being handed out to you are thirteen daytime hand signals I use to help you land safely on a carrier. Please study them and keep a copy with you for future reference.’”

“He went on to demonstrate each signal and what it meant.”

“‘For most of you, the tension of landing safely on your carrier will be more intense than some of the missions you will fly. You’ll learn the right way to land on a simulated deck and feel the full force of the arrestor wire stopping your plane. I hope we experience windy conditions because it is always windy on a carrier. The ship’s Captain will almost always have the carrier pointed into the wind for takeoffs and landings.’”

“‘I have a number of films for you to watch; some show pilots landing perfectly in calm and rough seas, the right way, and some whose miscalculations led to their deaths. I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is for you to land your plane on that small piece of ship. The old saying is so true, any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.’”

“Lieutenant Johnson showed us a series of landings done with a Wildcat, with the tail hook grabbing the cable and the plane able to taxi off. Several showed dive bombers and torpedo bombers making good and bad landings.”

“Next, he showed films of landings that weren’t successful. Pilots came in too low and, unable to do a wave-off, crashed in flames into the stern. Another hit the deck so hard that the landing gear broke off, and it skidded to a stop. One didn’t catch the arrester cable and bounced over the side. The plane hung over the edge, and the pilot was rescued. Others showed crash landings where some pilots survived and others didn’t.”

“‘Those first landings you saw done perfectly in the Wildcat are courtesy of your own Lieutenant Martin. We served on the Lexington and Yorktown together, and I never had to worry about his landings. There’s a reason you do a fly-by of your carrier before landing so the LSO and others can see that your wheels and tail hook are down.’”

“‘What do we do if our wheels aren’t down?’ One asked.”

“‘Just like you’d do on land, a wheels-up landing is safer than trying on one wheel. A belly landing is usually successful as long as you don’t skid to the side and over the edge. Just make sure you jettison your belly tank, or it’ll explode on impact. The prop is always destroyed. Your alternative is to ditch in the water and escape your plane. Your newer Corsairs have been modified to now land on carriers.’”