Hands to Flying Stations Scimitars and Sea Vixens
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maybe he is in this one??? 849 d flight Hms Eagle and maybe this one???24/06/1966XL493E-073Gannet AEW3849 NASSuffered starboard engine failure at 400ft while on approach to HMS Eagle while operating off Singapore. The pilot was unable to increase speed or height on the port engine and ditched next to the ship. Both crew were rescued
Last edited by david parry; 10th Oct 2010 at 18:32.
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The pilot was unable to increase speed or height on the port engine and ditched next to the ship. Both crew were rescued
Does anyone remember the pilot? 
It was John that recounted this story himself at the time - almost the last time I remember seeing him - and I remember he said he was out on the wing really quickly. When he got there though, his backseater was already on the other wing, complaining that he was wearing a new pair of shoes!
He also said he was doubly lucky to survive unscathed. The Gannet had a tendency to pitchpole if ditched, because of the radome. He said the only other pilot to survive ditching a Gannet at all, suffered serious spinal injuries because of the pressure of water entering the cockpit. Does that ring any bells?
Roger.
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Landroger.... Johnnie Eacott has Two photos of the Gannet 073, which is the call sign of your lost A/C.. I usually borrow
photos from his collection, with his permission. But i dont like to push my luck, to much him being a RN Officer Ha! Ha! Gannet
photos from his collection, with his permission. But i dont like to push my luck, to much him being a RN Officer Ha! Ha! Gannet
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quote: XL493E-073Gannet AEW3849 NAS Suffered starboard engine failure
Forgive a crab's ignorance, but how does a contra-rotating engine have a port & starboard position in the aircraft?
Forgive a crab's ignorance, but how does a contra-rotating engine have a port & starboard position in the aircraft?
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Crabs
You can also have a port engine failure as well ; the Double Mamba (or "Twin Mamba"). The Double Mamba was basically two Mambas mounted side-by-side and coupled through a common gearbox to contra-rotating propellers. Power was transmitted from each engine by a torsion shaft which was engaged through a series of sun, planet, epicyclic and spur gears to give correct propellershaft rotation and an acceptable reduction ratio
You can also have a port engine failure as well ; the Double Mamba (or "Twin Mamba"). The Double Mamba was basically two Mambas mounted side-by-side and coupled through a common gearbox to contra-rotating propellers. Power was transmitted from each engine by a torsion shaft which was engaged through a series of sun, planet, epicyclic and spur gears to give correct propellershaft rotation and an acceptable reduction ratio
Not so much 'crabs' as 'youngsters these days'...
!
All air-minded youngsters knew what a Double Mamba was back in the 1950's!
Interesting account of a double engine failure Gannet here: http://www.aeroclocks.com/images/pic...20OCT%2007.pdf
!All air-minded youngsters knew what a Double Mamba was back in the 1950's!
Interesting account of a double engine failure Gannet here: http://www.aeroclocks.com/images/pic...20OCT%2007.pdf
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BEagle
All air-minded youngsters knew what a Double Mamba was back in the 1950's!
Interesting account of a double engine failure Gannet here: http://www.aeroclocks.com/images/pic...20OCT%2007.pdf
Interesting account of a double engine failure Gannet here: http://www.aeroclocks.com/images/pic...20OCT%2007.pdf
Thanks for that link BEagle, most interesting. Rather disturbing that the 'expectation was' that at least one fatality was 'normal' and that two of three hit part of the aeroplane on baling out. 
Roger.
John Sillett?
I can't be certain that is was the same man, but there was Lt Sillett QFI/IRE at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in the late sixties/early seventies. Just checked my old RAF log book, and he did my Jet Provost IRT on 6 April 1970.
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I can not be certain, but didn't Keith Jones achieve the only successful night ditching of an AEW3 Gannet? A staggering piece of skill/luck by all accounts!!! Please correct my ageing memory if I am wrong.
Suspicion breeds confidence
I seem to remember that the Gannet had a specialised cockpit safety system in the event of ditching. This also prevented it flying higher than 14,000 ft or thereabouts.. Details maybe wrong, but I know I heard this from someone in the know sometime last century. Maybe someone knows more.
Chief Bottle Washer
I can not be certain, but didn't Keith Jones achieve the only successful night ditching of an AEW3 Gannet? A staggering piece of skill/luck by all accounts!!! Please correct my ageing memory if I am wrong.
I don't think this was the only night ditching. I remember a Gannet floating past me in a deathly 'ush to volplane lightly into the water following a bolter off Hermes near Guam in 1968 (?). They all got out. Something about pulling the levers back into ground idle, I was told. Of course, that was an involuntary ditching rather than a deliberate one.
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Quote from the "Aviation History and Nostalgia" forum, "Scimitar Crash nr Ben Vorlich." As the last post for that was in May I thought (rightly or wrongly) I would include it here as it is a similar thread.
"Speechless Two"...
My good mate "Bush" Skrodski had a pitch up and locked controls on finals to Ark and ejected okay only to repeat the experience 19 days later when his wingman reported he was on fire. A few weeks later Bush was the last to land on Ark in a stream of Scimitars. As he folded his wings and taxied into Fly One, the parking area forward on the starboard side, the Officer of the Watch put on rather too much port wheel to get back on heading and Bush skidded on the fuel the other Scimitars had vented onto the deck and he went over the side of the ship, fortunately with the nosewheel getting caught in a walkway and stopping a complete disaster.
"Speechless Two"...
My good mate "Bush" Skrodski had a pitch up and locked controls on finals to Ark and ejected okay only to repeat the experience 19 days later when his wingman reported he was on fire. A few weeks later Bush was the last to land on Ark in a stream of Scimitars. As he folded his wings and taxied into Fly One, the parking area forward on the starboard side, the Officer of the Watch put on rather too much port wheel to get back on heading and Bush skidded on the fuel the other Scimitars had vented onto the deck and he went over the side of the ship, fortunately with the nosewheel getting caught in a walkway and stopping a complete disaster.
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Again from "Speechless Two" in thread in my previous post;
"Scimitars certainly did have tanker capability. During the Beira blockade off Mozambique in 1966 all fixed-wing flying from the carriers involved (Ark Royal and Eagle) was carried out without land diversion availability. On 10 May a Scimitar tanker was used in earnest when an 890 Squadron Sea Vixen from Ark got into difficulties. I can't remember the exact detail of the events but one engine had failed and as a secondary result they had a substantial fuel leak some considerable distance from Ark.
A Scimitar tanker was scrambled but the Vixen was unable to take on fuel and the other engine then stopped as well. The Observer tried to eject at 6000ft but the ejection system failed. The pilot rolled the aircraft twice -without engines - to try and help the Observer bale out manually. Sadly this was unsuccessful and the pilot ejected so low above the water that the Scimitar pilot was convinced both crew had died as he hadn't seen the pilot eject. I seem to recall the ejection took place about 40 miles from Ark. I was first on scene but sadly there was only one survivor to winch up.
The Vixen pilot received the George Medal for his amazing efforts in rolling his unpowered Vixen twice to try and help his Observer to escape. That same evening we lost a Gannet - all 3 crew safe - when it broke off its nosewheel leg on landing, missed the arrester wires as a result, and went off the deck into the sea. Interesting times!"
I was fortunate enough to work frequently in Flyco, (Only in the background I might add), and remember the push to get the Scimitar tanker airborne. Regarding the Gannet, I was standing in my previously mentioned spot on the sponson below the rounddown. It was a very dark evening IIRC and the ship was pitching quite a bit. With no horizon visible watching the Gannets lights as it approached I seemed to be looking down more times than up,(Just to emphasize, he was steady, I was going up and down), and decided it was wiser to vacate. I moved to forward of the 4.5 turret on the starboard side and watched from there. I believe it made 2 or 3 attempts but whatever in the end there was a lot of expensive noises and over it went. As I was below deck level I didn't see it actually hit, and with the possibility of prop bits flying about it was safer not to anyway. The rescue helicopter was soon on the scene and as you know the crew were OK . I think one of them felt he was being ignored and set of a flare, no doubt to make sure they knew where he was.
"Scimitars certainly did have tanker capability. During the Beira blockade off Mozambique in 1966 all fixed-wing flying from the carriers involved (Ark Royal and Eagle) was carried out without land diversion availability. On 10 May a Scimitar tanker was used in earnest when an 890 Squadron Sea Vixen from Ark got into difficulties. I can't remember the exact detail of the events but one engine had failed and as a secondary result they had a substantial fuel leak some considerable distance from Ark.
A Scimitar tanker was scrambled but the Vixen was unable to take on fuel and the other engine then stopped as well. The Observer tried to eject at 6000ft but the ejection system failed. The pilot rolled the aircraft twice -without engines - to try and help the Observer bale out manually. Sadly this was unsuccessful and the pilot ejected so low above the water that the Scimitar pilot was convinced both crew had died as he hadn't seen the pilot eject. I seem to recall the ejection took place about 40 miles from Ark. I was first on scene but sadly there was only one survivor to winch up.
The Vixen pilot received the George Medal for his amazing efforts in rolling his unpowered Vixen twice to try and help his Observer to escape. That same evening we lost a Gannet - all 3 crew safe - when it broke off its nosewheel leg on landing, missed the arrester wires as a result, and went off the deck into the sea. Interesting times!"
I was fortunate enough to work frequently in Flyco, (Only in the background I might add), and remember the push to get the Scimitar tanker airborne. Regarding the Gannet, I was standing in my previously mentioned spot on the sponson below the rounddown. It was a very dark evening IIRC and the ship was pitching quite a bit. With no horizon visible watching the Gannets lights as it approached I seemed to be looking down more times than up,(Just to emphasize, he was steady, I was going up and down), and decided it was wiser to vacate. I moved to forward of the 4.5 turret on the starboard side and watched from there. I believe it made 2 or 3 attempts but whatever in the end there was a lot of expensive noises and over it went. As I was below deck level I didn't see it actually hit, and with the possibility of prop bits flying about it was safer not to anyway. The rescue helicopter was soon on the scene and as you know the crew were OK . I think one of them felt he was being ignored and set of a flare, no doubt to make sure they knew where he was.
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RNAS Lossiemouth
SKRODZKI, Zbigniew K, Lieutenant, died
SKRODZKI, Zbigniew K, Lieutenant, died
Saturday, 8 November 1969 He is buried in Lossiemouth cemetery, have visited his grave on many occasions. I was at Lossie at the time, of the accident. He died, from his injuries in hospital shortly after ejecting from a Hunter . I believe he is the only FAA pilot to eject 3 times from a jet ever!! RIP
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25/11/1968XL455H-262Gannet AEW3849 NASCrashed into the sea off forty miles east of Okinawa, Japan after launch from HMS Hermes when the port wing folded Also 22/11/1968XL451H-260Gannet AEW3849 NASDitched into the Pacific Ocean off Okinawa, Japan while operating off HMS Hermes
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