Heheh. My first ever deck landings were aboard HMS Eagle on a farewell tour of these parts back on 10 Aug 1971. Being a sprog I was not allowed to stop and start so only carried out 4 rollers (no hook down). My first impression upon seeing my first carrier from the air 'frickin' small' eh. A few weeks later I saw MELBOURNE from that vantage to adjust my 'frickin' small'. My thoughts on EAGLE deck were 'this is rough' I guess a combo of rolling over the wires and the general depressions in the deck. In A4G I was working harder than a one armed paper hangar that day.
Back in mid 1966 I had embarked in MELBOURNE (as a cadet middie) to watch a one and only Sea Venom arrest in Jervis Bay, however bad weather curtailed further ops. I thoughts to meself 'this is easy' - 'the deck is huge'. Yeah right.
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