I was a VS-31 A/C flying AFs and S-2s.

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
CAG Hal was running Ike's airwing during the 1980 "Good deal cruise" (93
days
underway, 4 day break, 155 days underway). As CAGs like to do, the
Captain
flew everything on the boat, including a VA-65 A-6 that I am sure he
wishes he
didn't...

On deck (I was a VS-31 Plane Captain), we looked aft whenever we heard
someone
on final - one day, I glanced up and an A-6 was just coming aboard. It
was way
off line to the right, to the point I ducked out of the way when he
decided to
wave off. BAP BAP BAP then a roar as the CAG went down the deck a few
feet
above it. Looking back down the deck, toward that weird BAP sound, I saw
that
he had knocked the nose cones off at least a couple Tomcats packed behind
the
island! One nosecone was on the deck, maybe more, and at least a couple
others
had been nicked.

The VF squadrons politely swept up the mess and reassembled their abused
F-14s
(damage was minor on them), but the nosecones were
accidentally/deliberated
swapped - for the rest of the cruise, the paintjobs on our Dawgs and
Ghostriders seemed to never match their noses again.

Sure glad the only thing hurt that day was CAG's pride!

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR Aircrew

"Got anything on your radar, SENSO?"
"Nothing but my forehead, sir."