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."