F-14 Pilot Recounts His Scariest Carrier Landing Ever

[@michaelhuling9040]

I was in the World Famous VF-2 Bounty Hunters Avionics shop on this cruise with Lt. Page & Lt. Jordan! I helped rig that barricade that night! Both Mr. Page & Lt. Jordan did an exemplary job getting our jet back on deck under extremely difficult circumstances! Low fuel, at night, pitching deck, and high stress! Bravo Zulu to both of them! It was my honor serving with you guys!!!

[@theegg-viator4707]

🫡🫡

[@mandyfox9376]

👍

[@rickjordan8029]

I remember you Michael! Maintainers like you made VF-2 the world’s greatest rock ‘n band! Hope you are well.

[@michaelhuling9040]

@@rickjordan8029 I’m doing better than most, but not as good as some! I’m just trying to get into that some category! 🤣 One of the things I remember about you was your sense of humor and the way you carried yourself! You were as cool as the other side of the pillow! And one hell of a RIO!!! Hope you and yours are doing well!

[@GintaPPE1000]

Did you guys get any flak for rigging that barricade backwards at first?

[@cletenorris3558]

Mooch….Clete Norris here. F-15 Weapons School grad and IP. Was the one Air Force exchange instructor at TOPGUN 91-93. Please give my best to Pager…it was an awesome experience. A great group of Naval Aviators who took care of the Air Force dude…I will never forget being dual qualed in the A-4 E/F/M and the F-16N.

[@dominickmorales130]

LT. Page was mad cool…I remember him telling us in the ready room that landing a plane on a carrier was like falling face down and landing your tongue on a stamp…I was an AE in VF2 and I helped rig that barricade…super scary..:our plane was destroyed but I remember it was low fuel problem…windy. Love this post…shout out to Lt. Page you where always cool with us.

[@mikepidel8428]

Question, why didnt they try the hook when landing, in addition with the net? Or was the hook used

[@davidsmith8997]

Ward's face at 29:00 onwards tells you all you need to know how bad this could have been! Really glad that it ended well thanks to some superb airmanship. All that practice paid off!

[@warshipsdd-2142]

My thoughts exactly. Good job, great story, well done to Ward for bring it to us.

[@KutWrite]

I noticed that, too... and I'm sure he's heard - and edited - that story before. Even Pager's midshipman training added to his "basket" of tricks in dealing with that situation.

[@lajulasse4332]

Exactly what I about to say. Ward’s face says it all as he listens.

[@mikebridges20]

Mooch, I'm firmly convinced that, between your career experiences and the people you know, you'll NEVER run out of compelling stories to tell us!

[@WardCarroll]

That’s the plan, Mike! 😉

[@flparkermdpc]

Great plan. When did that hatch? How do you time that to run out of fuel and stories at the same time?

[@philwilhelm2564]

Mr. Carroll, I'm 76, a grounded low time, commercial/instrument pilot who's greatest achievement has been my last job of giving rides in a PT-17 Stearman. I've been lucky to have people from all walks of life in the front seat, military, civilian, young, old, even a governor or senator or two, here and there. But viewing your videos, especially this one, I feel like I'm a very small Jack who has found his way up the beanstalk only to find myself surrounded by giants. There are times where I feel I'm breaking the law by getting to see what life is like closer to the top of the "pyramid". Thank you for your service and for giving a guy like me a glimpse into what I will never see.

[@Riverplacedad1]

Impressive story and great demonstration of teamwork by a pilot and his RIO. As an Attack Pilot, Id have to say most of us think most F14 stories are overly embellished but if anything Page is pretty humble.

[@Ryanboy2020]

Ward, I hope you realize how important your channel is for recording these stories for future audiences forever memorializing these important historical events that would otherwise never be told or only be learned of through books or personal accounts of the story. Its critical for not only Naval Aviation history but for military history in general. Keep up the great work.

[@m1t2a1]

About 54 years ago this month I remember hearing someone saying a fuel call "30 seconds" but they were only landing on the moon.

[@neuropilot7310]

That guy was a Naval Aviator, wasn't he? :)

[@hoghogwild]

@@neuropilot7310 yes he was, Naval Aviator 1950.

[@m1t2a1]

@@neuropilot7310 He was. Is that why he ran out of gas while practicing in the LLRV?

[@dmacpher]

@@m1t2a1it was a loss of helium pressure that fed the Hydrogen Peroxide into the thrusters. The instrumentation did not adequately provide warning of the failure.

[@m1t2a1]

@@dmacpher Do you have data for that? One way or the other, they were about out of gas. Because Navy?

[@tedstriker754]

That Rich OD guy, was his call sign Rat? I knew a guy with the same name, flew out of Oceana in F-14s in the 80s. He also told me he flew some of the scenes in the Final Countdown movie.

[@TJ-wo1xt]

What a great episode, so glad I found your channel.

[@WardCarroll]

Great to have you here!

[@wkotheimer9334]

…thought this was going to be the Squirt and Dungheap barricade on CV-67 in the Adriatic when we were in VF-32…1987 I think. You may recall that was a fairly exciting night too. R/ “Hangar” 😊

[@Calif5150]

Great Episode!! Very cool Sir, spent some time w my Brothers in HI🇺🇸SF

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Ward you have a good friend there. He is very likeable and makes me want trust him. You guys are fortunate to be friends.

[@motomedic72]

I would've liked to have watched the whole incident reel/tape. Being ground crew in the USAF I observed several cable traps while at Luke AFB, AZ and that was all the buzz. Never witness to land barricade. It is difficult to imagine the mental effort necessary to bring an aircraft back aboard a carrier on a nice night. Throw in lightning, a pooched LOX system, and pitching decks...the Navy should pay hazardous duty incentives for that kind of performance which is also something money can't buy.

[@Nigel2Zoom]

I am completely enthralled by these type of first person Pilot telling of their emergency adventures and could listen for hours! Being a veteran of Naval Carrier aviation, as an enlisted Squadron member, I have unfortunately seen firsthand the outcome of a barricade event gone wrong. Listening to Tom Page relate how he prepared for his barricade arrestment, makes the danger almost palpable, especially his fuel state upon getting aboard. A great outcome to a very tense situation.

[@LindaKetcham-b7y]

Held my breath through the barricade story, I hope Page was officially recognized for outstanding airmanship and professionalism through this ordeal. As a pilot, i know distractions can be fatal, yet he was able to block that out and perform at the highest level in saving both him and his crew plus a very expensive fighter. Kudos to all, well, except for the barricade crew.

[@GreenCrim]

I'll give kudos to the QA chief who saw the barricade was rigged upside down. Things would have been very ugly if that was missed.

[@Hover.Tension]

Yep, so did I……… unbelievably brilliant stuff…..

[@kevinfreeman3098]

Don't take a position of authority unless you're directing nap time... Worthless as tits on a boar.

[@KutWrite]

Maybe a better prevention would be a design in which there IS no "upside-down."

[@BMF6889]

I was a Marine Corps infantry officer for 21 years with 3 years in combat. My first job out of college was as a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam. Hard year and mentally and physically exhausting. I lost a lot of good Marines killed and wounded. We operated in the jungle, mountains, elephant grass, rice paddies, and coastal pines. Each area had a completely different set of challenges of command and control. In the jungle, mountains, and elephant grass it might be like all of your instruments and comms in the F-14 were out but you were still in the fight and you didn't know where you were. Why? Because the only means of navigation i had was a military compass and an out of date 1:50,000 French map. In the jungles and elephant grass, I had no visual references and so I had very little idea where I was. In the mountains, I at least had a guess at which peak I might be on. Rice paddy navigation wasn't too bad because I usually had distant mountain peaks from which I could do a resection but it was only good to 1-3 Kilometers of where I actually was. Not knowing exactually where I was made calling in artillery and close air support challenging. Therefore, I always asked for a smoke round for artillery to see where it would detonate and then adjust off of that. With close air support, I had to ask for a dry run to ensure the pilot knew where the target was because I wasn't sure. Some new platoon commanders got flustered and would tell the pilot, "You are at my 12 O'clock" and of course the pilot had no idea where the platoon commander was. The platoon commander should have told the pilot something like, "I'm at your 9 O'clock". The other problem was that the enemy often were monitoring our radio transmissions and I told a pilot I'm popping yellow smoke then the enemy would pop yellow smoke as well. That was solved when we finally got encrypted radios. I was once a private pilot with commercial and instrument ratings. I also took basic, intermediate, and advanced aerobatics. I was also a glider pilot and I flew a number of different aircraft types including a Pitts Special, a Laker amphibious, a Beaver, complexed single engine, and I took a mountain flying course in Alaska which was heart pumping. In addition to flying, I also learned to sail around the Hawaiian island, I was a sky diver, a SUBA wreck diver and under water photographer, a motorcycle touring enthusiasts, camper, hiker, x-country skier, white water canoeist, and rock climber without equipment. I tried to live life to its fullest, but it cost me my first marriage, which I regret. I'm 77 now. My advice to all young people is to live life to its fullest whether it's adventures or raising a family (which would have been more difficult for me than losing my life). God bless everyone who had children and raised them to be outstanding citizens.

[@karlbrundage7472]

Salute to a life well-lived. Bravo-Zulu, and may you have fair winds and following seas.........................

[@theegg-viator4707]

You did good! 👍🏻👍🏻🫡

[@licensinghelp9489]

I thought the Marines embedded an attack aviator with rifle units so that the airborne guy got information that was meaningful to him. I got that from reading Zero Dark Thirty, by Samuel Brantley. If you read it, which I recommend, I'd appreciate your take on his account. Pitts Specials and Beavers are cool. I had one-and-a-half aerobatic lessons in a Bellanca Citabria. The first one was the half lesson (really less than half). It was high summer in Fort Worth, and on climb-out I asked the instructor lady if there were a way to cool the cockpit a little. She said there was a little vent down by my left knee that I could adjust, but it wouldn't do much. I tried it anyway, though I didn't recognize what she was referring to. So I shut off the fuel, and she got to do a real-life dead stick landing into a farmer's field and we both got a helicopter ride back to the airfield. After I went home the helo pilot talked to the instructor and they figured out what had happened. I had left my sunglasses at the flying school office and called in to ask if they had found them. As soon as I identified myself, everyone started laughing. They still let me take another lesson.

[@ChiIeboy]

That could have been Chapter 1 of your autobiography .

[@bearowen5480]

Semper Fi, BMF! you and I, judging by your stated age, must've been contemporaries in commissioning dates. I was in TBS Class 1-69, Alpha Company in 1968. My first choice of ground MOS was infantry, but I wanted to aviate, so received orders to flight school instead. If I hadn't physically qualled for aviation, the story about your infantry tour in Vietnam could have been mine! I salute you, Brother! Typically Aviators get all the glory, but in the Marines, we never forgot that our brothers on the ground. We never forgot that our number one priority was always to support the grunts on the ground. You are the ones who have always written the most bloody but glorious history of the USMC.

[@licensinghelp9489]

It's 1973 in the Seventh Fleet. An F-4 bolters, and his starboard main wheel comes off and sails into the South China Sea. So they board everyone else and put up the barricade. Being the A/N-SPS10 maintenance tech, I was real familiar with the island, so I went out on vultures' row to watch. I got a still photo with my Pentax, but I'll bet I can't find it now.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

I read an account about an English Electric Lighting was liw on fuel in rough weather. They finally got onto the tanker and took on board more fuel than the aircraft could actually carry. They were that low that as the were flying and burning fuel they would have actually run out.

[@johnslaughter5475]

My heart did a triple beat when you showed the picture of Ranger. How we develop such a love for our ships is beyond me, but it's true. I was aboard Ranger for 2 years and have regretted for over 50 years not staying aboard for my full first enlistment. I loved sea duty. Shore was terrible and I left the Navy at the completion of my 4th year as a second class Data Processing Technician.

[@xprettylightsx]

God Bless you and your family . Thank you for your service to this country.

[@xprettylightsx]

Did you ever have any time spent/run ins with Naval Special Warfare?

[@johnslaughter5475]

@@xprettylightsx Nope.

[@rettras]

Awesome interview with Pager. BZ, USNA '82!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks for watching, Roomie!

[@blairsimpkins3505]

It is humbling to know even fighter pilots can get vertigo sometimes. As as GA pilot who owned a Beech Bonanza for 15 years I got "The Leans" a few times. The first time real bad was on a night flight over Eastern Colorado in a twin Beech doing IFR training so pitch black I could not tell the sky from ground and I said "I'm having vertigo" so the instructor took control. The second time was in my Bonanza when I decide to do a 60 degree 360 to the left then a 60 degree 360 to the right then level out. That is a 2 G turn back to back and when I leveled out the world was spinning. Thankfully I was able to punch the autopilot button.

[@wompa70]

Every crew member who went through those barricade drills took that knowledge to follow on assignments. There’s really nothing like first hand, real life experience to solidify things you hope only needs done in training.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Wow dude to get stashed at weapons school right after commissioning before flight school and getting to fly with them and sit in on briefs and debriefs and learn the culture...what a huge win! And a huge advantage!

[@gregring895]

I was the approach controller on the Nimitz when we lost the A3 attempted barricade. Tragic. The navigator on that jet was always in air ops doing squadron rep and just hanging out. I think we had a 1 or two day stand down...then back to business. I can still hear the LSO screaming cut cut cut!!!

[@michaelchristensen5421]

I had a pilot land an A-6E one day at NAS Alameda, CA (SF Bay area) in the early 90's. I was helping the PC's and was pinning the pilots seat for them. I looked down for some steange reason at the fuel gauge, it read 650 pounds. I yelled down to the pilot who just did his post flight walk around, that he was pretty lucky that he had me as an AE doing all the fuel quantity settings. He asked me why. I said because I make sure that the gauges are reading dead on no matter where they are when indicating the fuel load. He looked at me with a puzzled look. I said the 650 pounds of fuel. He said I land that low all the time. I said the main fuel tank is allowed a 1,000 pound error. You could have ran out of fuel 350 pounds ago and had to eject if you couldn't glided it to the runway. The A-6 has a low wing loading so it glides excellent with no ordnance installed. He then said thanks for keeping me safe. We didn't have to many errogant pilots and B/N's in my A-6 squadron which made working and talking to them really easy. I still talk with several of them to this day.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Daaamn dude. Some serious systems knowledge gaps on his part! Do sqdns not mandate normal/minimum landing fuels in the Navy? Pilots just fly down to where they're comfortable?

[@michaelchristensen5421]

@MattH-wg7ou This was in the early 90's, way before the serious drawdown. Half of our pilots were reservists, so it wasn't like they flew the A-6 every day like they were their big commercial airliner or cargo plane. I seen some scary pilots get take off in the plane back then in the early 90's. Lots of them only flew with us once and were kicked out of the squadron. Had one pilot just sitting there, everyone was like why isn't he starting the motor. He had external power and the huffer was attached for bleed air. He calls for a mech trouble shooter. No idea why one wasn't out there for the launch, so me being an electrician I go up to ask him what is wrong. He said it has been eight years since he has flown an A-6 and cannot remember how to start the plane. I was thinking to myself WTF, we let these guys fly the plane just because they flew the plane before and passed a NATOPS exam. So I show him how to start the plane, I start #1, then start #2. Tell the PC to pull the huffed and ask the pilot to ask the BN if he is ready to swap over to aircraft power yet. He says yes, so I tell the PC to pull power as well. While they are doing that, I went through the emergency air start procedures with him in case one flamed out on him in flight. Needless to say, he never flew with us again. Another reservist pilot, first time with us, accidentally landed at Oakland International Airport instead of NAS Alameda. The runways are off by 10 or 20 degrees from each other, so when you are flying a visual the angle looks right but the surroundings are totally different. He didn't realize he landed at the wrong airport until he pulled off the active onto the taxi way. He then had to verbally file a flight plan to fly the 6 or 7 miles further northwest that he should have flown. Don't ask me what the hell the BN was doing the whole time he did this landing at a wrong airport. He should have seen it was wrong considering it was his starboard side that had the best visual clue that something was wrong. He never flew with us again. We weeded out a bunch of people, but we also got an excellent bunch of pilots. Both active and reserve, from both the Navy and the Marines. We got alot of senior Marine pilots and BN's from when the Marines transitioned from the A-6 to the F/A-18D. The Marines didn't want alot of senior aircrew so they told them they didn't need them anymore. They could either go home or join the Navy. Well guess what, most joined the Navy. They were excellent terrain low level pilots. Some of our best. What did they hate? Going to the ship for CQ's. We averaged going to a carrier every 9 months for CQ's. We didn't deploy though because of one of our missions. FTRG, Fleet Tactical Readiness Group. VA-304 and VA-205 had the only A-6E aircraft modified to do electronic warfare. Think of the old EA-6A, but in the A-6E airframe and no vertical stab antenna. We carried alot of electronic pods that other A-6's didn't and couldn't carry. Basically our plane simulated being a Russian Bear, Badger, or Bison bomber and flew that aircraft profile. We simulated launching supersonic cruise missiles at our own ships to train them for deployment. We would have F-14's or F/A-18's tucked in really close so it only looked like one radar signature. When told to, the 14 or 18 would dive downward and fly supersonic at our ships flying a simulated launched cruise missile. Our ships had to electronically defeat them by simulating launching a missile to destroy it, use defensive counter-measures, or last resort the CIWS. Every ship when they first started training with us were digitally sunk. We sank and entire carrier battle group (except the one submarine which never surfaced) one day. Needless to say we didn't have some happy Admirals and Captains running around for a few days. It was a very fun mission to do. In 1994, the Air Force was scheduled to take over the mission from the Navy and use their Leer Jets to do the missions. Well the Air Force didn't want to use their Leer Jets to do these missions. They were debating on funding us to do the missions still. It was all in limbo as nobody knew what was exactly going to happen except that the Air Force was going to pay for it and move us from NAS Alameda, CA to March AFB, CA. We didn't know if they were going to change the Navy on the side of the plane to US Air Force. We also didn't know how our working uniforms were going to work. Were we going to wear Air Force Cammies but have the name tag say US Navy like an inter service exchange person would do. Just wear your normal dress uniform. It was a huge mess, as our CAG and our squadron were decommissioning. We were the only squadron in the CAG still with planes and still flying because of the Air Force funding question. Mid July finally hit and the answer came out, we were decommissioning. Within 24 days we inspected and transferred or 12 aircraft. Some went to other squadrons, some went to the boneyard. By the end of July we had our orders. By the 8th of September I left California to transfer to NAS South Weymouth, MA to VP-92. In typical Navy fashion. Most of the people on the west coast moved to the east coast even if you wanted to stay west coast. The squadrons on the east coast in the other CAG that were decommissioning along with our CAG, well most of them went West coast even if they wanted to stay east coast. The Navy never has, and never will care about its people and their wants and needs unless you have an EFM (Exceptional Family Member, a family member with a developmental problem). So glad I retired in 2010, because I couldn't put up with the crap that has happened since then.

[@michaelchristensen5421]

@MattH-wg7ou When I went to P-3's and C-130's, they definitely had a minimum landing fuel weight. Depending on where you were flying determined if it had to be increased or not. P-3's didn't like landing with below 18-20k of fuel. Seems like alot of fuel, but that is only 4.5-5k per engine.

[@mrmongo656]

The third squadron was VMFA-212. The UDP started in 1977 with six month rotations, -235 being the first and followed on by-212. I remember the day -232 arrived, a group of six jets, with the CO trapping midfield; I was working point that day on the arresting gear crew. Those were some good days back in the 70's, with a very dynamic op tempo year round that was never boring.

[@toivotorvinen]

Great outcome. Thank you both for your service. USN 1966-70.

[@maakboomah434]

Absolutely amazing account, especially the tanking in WX piece. The lowest totalizer reading I've seen was during a RIMPAC sometime in the mid 90's, primarily due to a little impromptu Tomcat refueling. We were already RTB after covering a couple of cycles with our big wing tanker equipped with the "iron maiden". We were just about to exit the area when my AC looked out the window & stated "Hey, there's an F-14 out there!" He gave us the visual signal requesting fuel, so the AC said it's clear & a million, we've got a little give, head on back and drop the boom. Got him in for a smooth plug, honestly don't remember how much he took but guessing 2 or 3k. Clean disconnect and he & the RIO some big thumbs up before detaching from our ad hoc orbit. On final into Hickam all our mains were flashing and we just had enough onboard for a good landing CG. Won't say how much was in the tanks, to protect the "innocent" of course, LOL. Zero radio calls during that AR, wondered what was going down. Found out later, not sure if it's true, he may have missed the marshal time and one would owe big if they needed the S-3 tanker launched. Again, not sure if that's fact. Definitely a memorable RIMPAC for us as well.

[@BMF6889]

I was stationed at Marine Air Station Kaneohe from 1975-78 as a Marine company commander, the battalion S-4 (logistics officer) and as the 1st Marine Brigade G-4 Operations Officer. The 1st Marine Brigade was the only base in the Marine Corps where the ground and air units were stationed together and so we probably had the closest relationships between the ground and air in the entire Marine Corps. But the commanding general didn't think it was close enough and so he mandated a program where F-4 pilots would become infantry company commanders for two weeks and selected infantry company commanders would fly the back seat of the F-4 (the RIO) for two weeks. But for company commanders, of which I was on selected, there were pre-flight training we had to go through such as the pressure chamber, the ejection seat, and how to handle a water landing with a parachute, so we only got one back seat ride. But the pilot who took over my company had two complete weeks of leading my company. My F-4 ride was to deliver live bombs on a target on a bombing range simulating antiaircraft fire. The first thing I noticed was that the flight gear was pretty heavy but not has heavy as infantry combat gear. The second thing i notices was that while taxing the cockpit was like an oven on high. I was soaking wet in sweat before we even took off. The third thing I noticed was that taking off was like having a rocket strapped to the F-4. because there didn't seem to be any AC in the cockpit. I felt like a roasted chicken. Once we reached altitude, it was much more comfortable. When we began to approach Kahoolawe island (the bombing range back then), the pilot dropped down to a few hundred feet above the sea which gave the impression that we were going much faster than reality. Then he pulled up vertically and rotated 180 degrees so that he could acquire the target and then he rolled 90 degrees to avoid negative g's and then another 90 degrees to roll in on the target. So far so good for me. But then he began Jinking to avoid simulated antiaircraft fire which had my head bouncing off both sides of the canopy and then a hard g pull up while still jinking and that's when I got sick and vomited in my vomit bag. When we taxied into the squadron space on the tarmac, the entire squadron personnel were there to welcome us back but more importantly to see if my pilot, call sign "Puke" had been able to make me puke, which he did. As I held up my vomit bag, everyone erupted into cheer. Puke had accomplished his mission that had nothing to do with hitting the target. I knew it was that the squadron wanted Puke to make me puke. Mission successful. But what about the pilot that took command of my company for two weeks? I suspect that my company, like Puke, wanted him to see what it was really like to command an infantry company. He told me that he never wanted that experience again. I suspect, like Puke, my company wanted to make it a challenge for him. Mission accomplish. I used to taunt pilots about their flight pay all year where we only got combat pay when in combat. After that ride, I never again joked with pilots. They earn every cent of their flight pay. What it boiled down to was that the pilot didn't want anything to do with commanding the infantry and I had a much better respect for pilots and RIO's. The only difference was that I still wanted to be a military pilot but I had bad eyes and I wasn't good at math. However, I did get my private pilot's license and commercial and instrument ratings. My dad was a B-17 pilot in WW II and was shot down on July 26, 1943. Five of his crew were killed and five of the bailed out. All five were captured and spent the rest of the war as POWs. In my later life, I did pay for rides on B-17's only to try to experience what my father experienced in visuals, sounds, and just how cramped the B-17 was. My dad died on active duty in 1971 at age 51 when he was the commander of the Clark AFB in the Philippines from a heart attack. But before he died, I was a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam and had an opportunity to catch a medivac flight to Manila. I took a bus to Clark AFB and when I walked into his office, his secretary asked why I wanted to see him. I was in Marine Corps uniform and was just a first lieutenant. I told the secretary that I only had a few hours before I had to return to Vietnam and I was his son. I don't think I could describe the emotional responses. I spent a night with my mom and dad and then had to return to Vietnam. What made it more emotional is that my brother was a company commander in Vietnam and had been severely wounded and I didn't yet know it. My brother spent a year in the hospital but then finished his Marine career as a Colonel with over 30 years of service. He had every ticket punched to be a general except for not being on senior general's team to get promoted. In my opinion every promotion from LtCol and above is totally political. What your record is doesn't matter. It only matters if you are on a team and have a sponsor. That is when I lost faith in the Marine Corps because I saw and experienced for real when I was the Project Officer to automate the offer assignment system for the Marine Corps. That was a more that three year effort and it was successful. But it wasn't completely fair and completely unbiased. In fact it didn't address Colonels or generals. So it was just the officer assignment system for LtCol and below and even then career monitors could override the automated recommendations. And each time they overrode the recommendations, I had to make a new computer run to account for the differences in the recommendations. To be honest I hated that job because I always felt that the career monitors and the senior commanders always had a better understanding of their combat needs that computers could never have. My project was successful but not for the good of the Marine Corps in my opinion.

[@ronlang3435]

Great Story. I was Air Ops Officer on Ike in May1983. We were transiting to Med for cruise. We had a Black Shoe Admiral onboard RADM Ming Chang. Weather was horrible night ops with massive rain and high seas and no divert since we were well west of the Azores. I went to the staff Air OPs and tried to talk him out of flying but was refused, Admiral wanted us to fly. Our Captain Ed Clexton, a great skipper, although very unhappy conceded to flying. Night blue water ops with a relatively inexperienced air wing is problematic at best. Not only do you have the pressure of no divert but with a pitching deck you have difficulty moving and parking aircraft, which all adds up to a very slow recovery and of course low fuel airplanes airborne that you have to get back aboard. I sensed that we would have a problem so I alerted both the A6 and A7 squadrons to man their spare tankers and had the Handler park them near the Cats for a quick launch if necessary. What I expected happened and after getting everyone else aboard, we wound up with two F14's and a A3 Whale in the bolter penalty box. I launched every tanker that we had and plugged everyone multiple times. The deck was pitching and everyone boltered multiple times, all three pilots were LtJG's working their butts off trying to get aboard. The recovery went on for ever, so much so that our recovery helo piloted by the squadron CO Cdr Jim Drager was almost out of fuel with about 30 minutes of fuel left. He asked me to land him to hot pump and I denied him. I knew if I did that I would lose the F14's and the Whale due to fuel starvation. He never complained but told me that he wanted to put his helo in the water with the engines running. I told him that was his decision and that we would try to get a boat in the water after we completed the recovery. Every 5 minutes he would call me and give me his fuel status. His actions were a true act of courage, we all knew with the sea states that if he put it in the water he and his crew would probably drown before we could get to them. If I remember NATOPS night barricade for the F14 was 1.8 thousand pounds of fuel. At that point i had recovered all the tankers, was trying to refuel them and get them aloft again but the F14's were at that point about 1.5 for fuel. The Captain called me a few times and asked what was my plan, I told him that I planned to land them, he said but Ron we are below barricade fuel. I said to him if we barricade one we will lose the other two and unless you order me we are not going to barricade them. The CAG, Cdr Don McCrory was sitting next to me and I said CAG do you want me to do something differently and to his credit he said no Ron continue what you are doing. The next time around we trapped one of the F14's, that left a F14 and the Whale. I got on the radiio and told the young pilot that this was his last look and to pay very close attention to the LSO. The CAG LSO was waving and I called him and said talk to the kid, calm him down, which he did a great job doing. Natops says that you should give the aircraft a five mile straight in and this poor pilot had less than a 2 mile straight in, but we trapped the F14 with about 500 lbs of fuel. The deck was a cluttered mess and we could barely get the F14 across the foul line so we could trap the Whale. Next we luckily trapped the Whale and while he was still in the wire the Helo landed behind him with his #2 engine spooling down. I was sure that the Helo skipper was going to hate me but he immediately came into Air OPs and hugged me. The Captain told me to tell the Admiral that the recovery was complete. I went to the Flag spaces and they were all watching a movie. I went to sit down next to the Admiral to tell him what happened and he put his hand up to silence me so I would not disturb the movie. I was a little taken back but realized why we should always have aviators as carrier Admirals.

[@walterheinen5298]

Amen

[@BR-il9vl]

Hello CDR Lang, I remember you , I just checked on board IKE CATCC as a fresh out of C school ACA when you were Air OPS O. I believe you were there (84) during workups and a North Atlantic cruise. Your replacement was CDR Frank "Soupy" Sails. The Ops O was CAPT CAPT Gubbins. Good to reminisce with old shipmates....Hope all is well,

[@ronlang3435]

@@BR-il9vl Thank you shipmate! You can be proud that you were part of the finest back room that the Navy ever had. It was an amazing pleasure and experience for me to be part of that team. I also hope all is well with you and your loved ones.

[@tomferriso9507]

@@ronlang3435 ain't that the truth!

[@whisperedarcc6543]

The Ranger came into Fremantle (western australia) around July 1989. My dad and I (I was 15 at the time) got to go aboard (with thousands of other visitors). While aboard I excitedly chatted with a few of the Tomcat pilots. It is very interesting to hear that these events happened not too long before I had such a memorable day aboard such an awesome ship, and one of those Tomcat pilots could have been this fine gentleman. It was a great day out and I wore my souvenir CV-61 cap for many many years before it finally fell apart.

[@billythebosn]

The weather was so bad we couldn't make it back to the ship and I ended up sleeping in an army barracks in my dress blues! Had a great time in a great port with great people!

[@clayz1]

My only connection with the Ranger is the 24” model I kit built as a preteen. Revel models. Several Cutlasses, Vigilantes and I think Intruders, and Skyhawks, most the size of a quarter, populated the deck as removed from the sprue. Great kit. Wish it was on a shelf right now. A boy has no clue what it takes to do this flying, and here in 2023 as a burned out machinist, I still don’t. You guys really are the man. Thank you Ward for putting this out there.

[@nuvostef]

I love these “war story” episodes! One of the things I love most about both my 22 years of service and all these much less exciting post-retirement years, is hanging out with other vets swappin’ “there I was” stories. Thank both of you gentlemen for another great show, Commander. 🤙🏼😊

[@flparkermdpc]

I remember as a young physician in training, working hard, long, long, hours, and somebody complaining, "I can't wait til I can retire!" I distinctly recall thinking "That's going to happen when you least expect or desire." Not a fan of "retirement," Or that mentality. Thanks for the spice in my day, although some of the content makes me rue the day I decided against extending to become a flight surgeon when it was offered.That was 1970, and I knew enough to be very confused about the Vietnam War, and our leadership. I have friends of mine fortunate to have sons with USNA and West Point stuff, doing exceedingly well, but we have a terrible leadership void. I guess that's not new. Maybe they can fill it. Resourcefulness and courage are the most needed attributes. Always. And integrity, but be prepared for what that may require. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@nuvostef]

@@flparkermdpc Hey, Doc. Yep, retirement basically sucks, but a back injury I suffered in 1983 - which I didn’t treat lest I be boarded out - finally caught up with me in 2015, long after I retired from the USAF. I had no choice but to retire a second and final time, this one from DOE; I couldn’t do my job any more. I’d much rather be working, but I volunteer at the local VA hospital, so at least I’m not just sitting around watching my liver spots grow. Thanks for being there! 🤙🏼😊

[@VirusVanquisher]

I would rather watch old heroes retell their stories than watch anything coming out of Hollywood/MSM/Cesspools. Thank you for your service and your bravery.

[@ryanhannapel1830]

Hey the little thumbnails explaining the military jargon is a nice touch.

[@antoniog9814]

Actually, it's not that Mav can't get his nose gear down. He has no nose gear to get down after clipping that railing on departure, lol. Thank you for the outstanding video, Mooch! These first person accounts of extraordinary stories are excellent! Thank you again! And yes, please keep'em coming!

[@RocketToTheMoose]

Also it had no tail hook.

[@andreworlandini2574]

I was an ABE3 in the waist cats on the Ranger when this happened. West Pac 89 was my last deployment on the Ranger. For those that don't know or haven't experienced it, a live barricade is a very big deal and has the potential to end in disaster. Add night ops, and a storm, It just adds to the danger, when the order to rig the barricade comes across the 5MC everything on the flight deck stops and it becomes an all hands evolution. I found your channel about 2 years ago and have enjoyed many of your videos , they bring back many great memories of my service in the Navy, I am proud of my time in Naval Aviation.

[@SynapseDriven]

wow, that skywarrior going through the barricade like paper tissue was very sobering.

[@Richborg44]

I was a F-14 Plane Capt/ Engine shop in VF-51 from 85 to 89. We would train and train on rigging the barricade. We know whe had to be quick, you guys are counting on us. Glad it worked out ok for you.

[@johnnolen8338]

Mr. Page, thank you for sharing your story with us. We has beens and never was-es appreciate you very much. 💯

[@georgeb424]

You definitely brought back memories for me!! I was A-gang/EA01/Aircraft Elevator Machinist Mate on the flight deck the night the A-3 "missed" the barricade and went over the side. Bravo Zulu Pager and Rico!! And thank you Mooch for bringing this. It is always appreciated!!

[@danhaywood5696]

I remember both these guys, both these cruises and this incident. I remember the 201 bird shown in this, crashed in the desert during those years. Crew ejected successfully.

[@byronharano2391]

Sir! I was aboard USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 for the 1984 WestPac assigned to VA 145 Swordsmen, A6 Intruder squadron out of NAS Whidbey Island, WA. Both VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters were our F14 Tomcat fleet protection squadrons. Later in 1985-86 if my memory is correct. We transitioned as a CAG back to USS Ranger CV 61 carrier Battlegroup. I bet at some point in time I as an AD3 and you as a Commissioned Officer sky-jockey crossed paths somewhere aboard ship or in Hawai'i (my home State). Blessings to you both. Small world.

[@AA-xo9uw]

VF-1 and VF-2

[@byronharano2391]

@@AA-xo9uw Thank you. Typo corrected.

[@LordHolley]

I gonna say normally i'm not in for these long conversations, but this one, I couldn't stop listening, and i'm very glad at all worked out.

[@KennethStone]

Man, that was nerve wracking! BZ on the landing!

[@UncleWobby2024]

Great video....Ward.....I've seen the full black and white video many times of Pager's passes waiting on the barricade....in one of them he went inverted and buzzed the ship I think to get their attention....or at least that's what I was told. Have you seen that full video? Thanks for covering this crazy night.

[@dominickmorales130]

It didn’t fly again on that cruise we had to crane it off the ship but I assume it flew later on but not on that cruise…it was in the hanger bay and we would use it for parts and as a reminder…love Lt. Page…mad cool…great job…90secs😳

[@3DayFlagman]

I was on the Ranger from 86 to 90. I am sure we crossed paths in 1989 with VF-2 onboard. I worked Master-At-Arms and met most everyone onboard over the years. Great story about your career and thank you very much for your service!

[@davekisor1486]

On the Coral Sea, squadron berthing was on the 02, immediately aft of 3 wire. The E-2s, RF-8s and A-7s were nothing, but the F-4s were a bastard to sleep through. After insomnia for three weeks, I could sleep through anything but a crying baby.

[@robertperry6048]

I was an air traffic controller on the USS Ranger CV-61 back in 1983. We were working blue water ops in the Indian Ocean, and it was the last recovery of the night. The returning EA-6B had a good mode 2 approach and called the ball. The wind had picked up and the waves had grown in pitch and roll. He bolstered and had to go around. He ended up being unable to catch the wires and they launched the tanker S-3. Everyone else landed and the Prowler and tanker were the only ones airborne. You could hear the concern grow in his voice. He ended up making 9 approaches before finally catching the wire. There were no divert fields available, and the barricade was going to be used on his next pass. There was a massive cheer that went up as he taxied to his parking spot. He did a lot better the next day and night ops he was involved in.

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Intense episode!!! Wow, 90 seconds of fuel left!!! There were probably several times that You wished You never jettisoned that extra fuel that You had, especially after that A-6 had a faulty external fuel delivery system....

[@Tacticaldave1]

As you have said heretofore Commander, US Navy carrier-based pilots are the best in the world. Very cool gents!

[@montemcmurchy3659]

The camaraderie between fliers shines pure notwithstanding prior dedication academics along with the essential quotidian crucial in becoming credentialed. Bravo to you both.

[@ts1ezrdr]

Excellent interview, Ward! Pager and Rico tell this story together in "Tomcat Tales". It's a great watch. I highly recommend it to any and all Tomcat fans.

[@michaelsoldau7677]

Nice interview with Pager. Look forward to hearing about his time as a TOPGUN instructor since my son is at NFWS at the moment and graduates Aug. 24. He will then stay on as an instructor also.

[@buddystewart2020]

That was one wild story man, serious pucker factor.

[@AndrewGasser]

Mr. Carroll thank you for this. It’s so awesome to see a fellow Diamondback♦️♦️♦️ doing well.

[@rodh2168]

A most enthralling narrative. Very engaging person. I'd listen to his stories all day long. Thanks Ward.

[@kurtvond1798]

This incident was also documented in the movie "Tomcat Tales",. At one point his RIO very calmly states "900 pounds" when asked their fuel state. Always incredible to hear and see people remain so calm and work the problem

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

Tom Page, bad weather and a night. You are the man!

[@gregorysample7072]

Aging F-4 RIO and later Shooter. Great tale of what it was like out there in the dark as the operational box grows smaller and tighter. I miss Neptune’s Lex, I surmise you might as well. Grateful how you keep the experiences alive for all to grasp and begin to comprehend. Cheers and a Cubi special for your fine efforts. Keep it up. I make a proper slider whenever the dim but intense memories strike me. BZ

[@baileyward1]

I have nothing but admiration for all you guys. Cheers!

[@johnfindley4274]

Great! I'm doing a graphic novel and my protagonist flies his Tomcat into a barricade trap, this is a great help in research. Thanks, Mooch!

[@AnthonyRBlacker]

Oh you couldn't have asked for a better telling!

[@theraptorsnest5891]

Of all your guests, Pager has to have been one of the best. His ability to tell is story is top shelf. I could actually feel my own anxiety rising as he was flying closer and closer to the barricade. I can't wait for his stories of going to Top Gun!! Thanks Mooch!

[@TomM-c9u]

Great story about a not too common occurrence. Thank you.

[@tedhammond3631]

Small world! The stock photo of the TA-4F, BuNo 154641 you show to illustrate what Tom flew with the USMC H&MS Squadron in K-Bay got my attention. The MODEX of EX is that of H&MS-31, MAG-31, MCAS Beaufort, SC who I flew with for about 2 years in the late '70's. It also prompted me to look into my log book for those years to see if we had that BuNo at the time. As it turns out we didn't but we did have 154639 and 154640, amongst others, which I flew as a WTI aggressor and TACA/FACA pilot between F-4J/S tours with VMFA-312 and VMFA-451 from '76 through '80. Thanks for prompting great memories and for a great story of Tom's barrier engagement! Snake

[@collinnewberry]

This was a fun episode. -break- VMFA-232 was scratched from my deployment in 04’ because they were deemed “not deployment qualified” and replaced by VFA-137 and they were PISSED because they just finished a cruise 120 days earlier. We have a cruise patch with VMFA-232 crossed out and VFA-137 looking “penciled in” underneath. I felt for this guys and gals. (VFA-2 was on that cruise too as they had just transitioned to Super Hornets)

[@mervwhitney7229]

Good teamwork and a good result. Well done Tom. Thank you Ward.

[@donaldparlett7708]

Sign of a good pilot, able to shut out the distractions and fly the plane to the end. Well done!

[@livingadreamlife1428]

Excellent interview. The takeaway in training is to prepare as if everything doesn’t work as you expect. This deck crew was fortunate their lesson wasn’t written in blood.

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

Always impressed with cool heads under pressure. Terrific story!👍

[@michealbeethoven3868]

WHAT an interview! Cojones+brains+training. And a Porsche driver!

[@patrickpatrick9132]

The Tomcat was awesome. A lot of maintenance. I was an AMH3 on the F14A

[@MrJ177]

I love these interviews. Thank You Ward for bringing all these people to your channel so we can listen to their stories!

[@geemanbmw]

Not only is a Pager a great pilot he has great taste in automobiles 👍🏼

[@billgrabher444]

Thanks!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks for the support, Bill!

[@s.porter8646]

CDR MOOCH, THAT WAS TENSE....WOW

[@donkauke2372]

As a visitor commented…flight pay can’t cover the total possible problems that can occur in the flight environment. Carrier landing, at night, in a storm and with no fuel? Experience, courage and teamwork the only way it can happen. Thank you again Ward! I had three day film assignment as 314 qualified on the Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) with new F-4s in South China Sea, 1963. Amazing!

[@kenwilson3304]

I joined VF2 about 2 months After Tom did.

[@robtideman4611]

Fantastic story Ward and superbly told by Tom, one superbly cool individual!! Thanks also for taking the time to display the descriptions when you are both using acronyms. It helps those of us who are unfamiliar with the terminology follow what was happening. Great job.

[@dennythomas8887]

What Page said about the high noise levels while trying to sleep and eventually being able to just tune it out is not only spot on but also has a reciprocal effect. When you first get back off cruise it's way to quiet to sleep for the first few nights.

[@PedroPatsf]

WOW! What a story! Talk about coolness under pressure. Max respect.

[@ragingirishman6969]

That was a great episode hearing about the time you shared on your first cruise and his barricade. Please have "Pager" on again.

[@geoffcampbell7846]

A superb accountant of a life so many people never get to experience. Thanks to both for a fascinating discussion.

[@bwithgod6374]

Awesome story, of course we’re left always wanting more. Thank you both for your time and service.

[@kenhelmers2603]

Thanks Pager - good flying

[@Xgolfer11]

On 20 Mar 1976 in an USMC EA-6A I (ECMO) and pilot were returning for a routine night EMCON recovery on CV-41 (USS Midway) in the Philippine Sea that ended in a night barricade. After a bolter, and wave-off due to a single generator (only one taillight)) A-6 cutting into the pattern on downwind in front of us (LSO couldn’t see it so it trapped while we were on final.) We were waved off and took it around for a third pass. Tower called (breaking emcon) and asked fuel state. I responded with 2K lbs. Tower told us to tank. After rendezvous with airborne A-6 tanker and 3 attempts to plug on a sour package (low fuel light at this time approx. 1500 lbs), we were told to barricade. On final we were waved off due to barricade not ready, so we went around again. I’m in the right seat so I started thinking about ejection on final due to fuel starvation, so I ran my seat down to ensure my seat (not my head) broke the canopy upon ejection. The scenario didn’t look promising so cotton mouth ensued, and I couldn’t call the ball (plus you don’t call the ball anyway with emcon). We were under a 1k lbs and had I called the ball they likely would have waved us off and told us to get max altitude quickly for a safe ejection. (Lots of confusion with an emcon recovery). Anyway, we took the barricade catching a one wire and the barricade. I remember after coming to a stop the hose teams ready for a fire. That’s when I noticed my mouth had dried up. (I knew ejection on final aboard ship is high risk.) It was wild ride where everything went wrong except the last straw which worked. No swimming that night. Next morning, the fuel gauge read “600 lbs).

[@Elagentejefe]

I was crash crew in the Marines and all I can say about the upside-down barricade is....goddamned recovery! Get your shit together! Great story, this life aint for the faint of heart.

[@Navyrifleshooter]

Ranger Battle Group left San Diego end of Feb 1989. I was on the LAMPS Det on USS Paul F. Foster for that Deployment. My Profile Pic was taken ouring that cruise.

[@stevenhj3124]

We say in the Navy: "Well done." That's all I can say, well done.

[@andytrail6974]

Unfortunately I joined Rangers crew days after this incident. I was assigned to Ilarts which filmed his barricade landing. I did have a compilation tape of many types of crashes from around the navy from all Years, but sadly it has been lost. So we both shared a ride on board a truly great ship. Sorry she's gone.

[@caseyholland7860]

He'll of a story...love how calm page and paddles were on those comms

[@harleyxl2001]

I was in the NIMITZ CPO Mess watching the PLAT camera when that EA-3 crashed, that was horrifying.

[@jord9308]

Talk about the Varsity- kudos to this amazing gutsy pilot. I grew up third generation Navy and lived through the harrowing dangers that pilots and aircrew live everyday. So many lost in “normal” ops. The best of the best on the front line for our country.

[@The_Wicked_Wookie]

At night on the open seas is a different kind of dark

[@directech]

When someone smiles as they tell a story, it means so much more, thank you gentlemen.

[@alanclark639]

Amazing story Mr Page - any one part of it would be pretty good grandchildren fodder but you excelled yourself all on one mission! Had a great conversation for about an hour - with a Vietnam era guy & family next to the Phantom F4 we Brits have at Hendon. Spitfires might be alright for some but I prefer something with a bit more poke. Thanks to Ward for the introduction.

[@mpetry912]

wow. harrowing and what I was amazed at was how cool he stayed even as all the little things piled up. His mask, sour tanker, low fuel, 360s inbound, and he stayed very cool throughout. Good one Mooch and Pager