Korean War USN carrier based jets question

[SCEtoAUX]

Saw an old Korean War movie where they were launching what looked like F9F Panthers from an aircraft carrier. The stars playing the Naval Aviators had the aircraft canopies open, goggles up on their helmets, and their oxygen masks hanging to one side during the catapult launch and while forming up, I guess to better show their purty faces.

To me that does not seem very likely during actual carrier launches and is more in line with the usual movie making BS you see a lot.

Did they ever launch jets in that configuration - canopies open with bare faced aviators?

[hercru9]

Launched with mask and goggles on. Canopy open. Quote "In the early days of jet carrier operations, before reliable zero-zero ejection seats, jet pilots continued the WWII practice of landing on carriers with their canopy opened." Unquote from US Navy History.

Cheers,
Don B

[gillman]

Sounds like you were watching "The Bridges at Toko-Ri." Another one that's much harder to track down is "Men of the Fighting Lady."

[SCEtoAUX]

Yes, I believe it was Men of the Fighting Lady. The movie shows the actor getting in the cockpit where of course the canopy would be open. The aircraft is then shown aproaching the catapult launch area with the canopy open (with a real Naval Aviator in the cockpit fer shur), but the launch is shown from behind and it is difficult to see if the canopy is open during the shot. I did not watch the entire film so do not know if there was some side shots of a launch showing the position of the canopy.

I found one grainy video of actual carrier operations filmed during the war but it is not very clear and does not show a side view of a launch.

I guess it does make sense to leave the canopy open before there were reliable ejection systems.

[Yeti]

SCEtoAUX,

Interesting question. It seems that they did indeed takeoff and land in the F9F with the canopy open!

[Don Boose]

Always something new to learn. And great images.

Don

[PICARDIE]

Originally Posted by hercru9

Launched with mask and goggles on. Canopy open. Quote "In the early days of jet carrier operations, before reliable zero-zero ejection seats, jet pilots continued the WWII practice of landing on carriers with their canopy opened." Unquote from US Navy History.

Cheers,
Don B

Make sense, definitely.

[herky]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

Always something new to learn. And great images.

Don

think its the USS Boxer by her number

[luke strawwalker]

Originally Posted by hercru9

Launched with mask and goggles on. Canopy open. Quote "In the early days of jet carrier operations, before reliable zero-zero ejection seats, jet pilots continued the WWII practice of landing on carriers with their canopy opened." Unquote from US Navy History.

Cheers,
Don B

That makes sense...those early jets were low on power and thrust and not particularly reliable... if you flamed out and ended up in the drink, you wanted to be able to make a hasty exit from the aircraft before it sank with you in it...

With canopies on rails, it was certainly feasible, so good reasons for doing so. When jets started having canopies on rear hinges, well, it was no longer possible, but by then ejection seats were much better anyway.

Later! OL J R

[Don Boose]

"those early jets were low on power and thrust and not particularly reliable"

I understand that, because it took time for a jet to spool up to full power, the procedure on landing was to push the throttle forward to full power just before engaging the hook, so if you missed the hook and had to bolter, the airplane would have enough power to get back into the air. The airframes (and the wires and hooks) must have been of exceptional strength.

Don