(QDurham) wrote:

Damnably impossible I'd say...the rules say 100 feet for 'pilot bombing' and
while this figure was likely (certainly) broken a _few_ times nobody actually
flew _knowingly_ with the prop tips
"3 to 5" feet above the water in a P2V. Trust me.

Sorry Gordo. Been there. Done that. Seaman's Eye bombing as well as mining
operations. Propwash in water. The Navy likes water. "Stay low and you can't
possibly fall very far."

We were "mining" Buckner Bay, Okinawa, once upon a time, leaving a propwash
wake in the water while the AF was up looking for us visually in F86s. Heard
one jet pilot say "I'm all the way down to 5 thousand feet. Wonder where they
are." Then another say something like "I'm down here in Australia. I'll go up
to Alaska and see if they are hiding behind a polar bear," or some such. Whish
whish zippy-zippy zoom-zoom!

We were at 5 feet. They never saw us. Hope we have better anti-mining
techniques now than we had then. Scary. If we could do that in barely 200+ kt
prop planes on a clear day with defense given time of arrival and looking for
us visually, what could the bad guys do on a dark and stormy night? Scary.

Quent (VP 29)


Ok Quent, all I can say is I'm damned glad that I wasn't with
you.

Just so that you won't think that I'm some pimply faced teen I
started my ASW career in 1954 in Lancasters for the RCAF on the
east coast (over the Atlantic of course), then on P2V-7 Neptunes
then on the Argus, about 9,000 hours logged in ASW + 4,000 logged
in Transport Command.

I've seen my share of low level, in the soup patrols. I've
returned to base with the tops of my thighs sore from smashing up
against the lap belt for many hours. I've never seen less than 30
feet on the rad-alt and I know well what that looks like.

I hope you'll allow me a small smile and a wink at your "3 to 5
feet".
--

-Gord.