Catapult Strop

[NARSES2]

Well my dictionary has this

Leather belt for sharpening. Late Middle English (in the sense 'thong', also as a nautical term): probably a West Germanic adoption of Latin stroppus 'thong'.

I can remember barbers in my youth sharpening razors on a strop and I think in Scotland something similar was used in schools as a punishment, indeed friends as kids received a few whacks across the palm by there granddad's and fathers with one  Both perpetuator and recipient could be considered stroppy before and after the event 

[Librarian]

Found this on YouTube...can't hear anything as something's gone south with my computer but superb for showing FAA 1960's catapult sequences/operations and equipment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsE9oCdSEEI

[PR19_Kit]

Found this on YouTube...can't hear anything as something's gone south with my computer but superb for showing FAA 1960's catapult sequences/operations and equipment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsE9oCdSEEI

Briilliant stuff there, when you get the sound working it's a typically British commentary, a VERY refined voice telling you what's happening. 

[maxmwill]

That was pretty nifty, if a bit sterile. I'm not complaining, but my experience was as a plane captain(a lofty sounding title for a glorified deck ape, or, more accurately, line puke), and about the only time the flight deck was that quiet was during most of the cruise from Pearl Harbor to San Diego when we hosted the Tiger Team(which was what they called the dependents who were allowed on board at Pearl for the short voyage to Diego. One of the kids, a chief's son, I believe, a little sh*t of a kid who was running all over the hangar deck, blowing into every pitot tube he could reach, came upon one that was getting the pitot tube heater checked, and when he put his mouth around it, the heater was turned on, this being the deicer, 'cause ice on the pitot is not a good thing to have, and the tube turned cherry red, and his mouth was burned a bit, and as dad finally caught up to him, dad didn't have to correct him for that transgression, burnt mouth being a better teacher).

Anyway, Flight Quarters was a lot more chaotic than that, although I think that most of that was staged for the film.

I was in VA195, and the line shack was right under where the Blue Knights, an A6 squadron parked their birds. And, when Flight Quarters was announced, the Blur Knight pilots were already manning their birds, and the plane captains were starting the engines, and the way the jet blast was situated, every so often, one of our plane captains was blown over the side, sometimes catching the net that is draped along the side for that purpose, but more likely that the pc is going swimming. And when you have a full chain bag on your back(a heavy canvas bag that holds a couple tie down chains), it weighing around 70 pounds or so, if you go into the drink(many feet below the flight deck), by the time you can struggle the bag off your back(remember, you are also fully clothed, and have a Mae West on, along with a tool vest, tool belt, and the flight deck helmet with mouse ears), you're down around 30 in the water, and that Mae West may or may not get you to the surface. And then there are the sharks that like to follow and swim around the carrier................

[PR19_Kit]

Anyway, Flight Quarters was a lot more chaotic than that, although I think that most of that was staged for the film.

It certainly was, it's a typical Brit film of the time, sponsored by the MoD to aid recruitment etc. There are similar films of 'Life in the RAF' and 'Life in the Army' etc.

[maxmwill]

I know.

One film they made us watch at the squadron was Dr FOD, and I was the only one there who knew that that was Lightning(the rest of the guys couldn't believe that it was a real airplane), and I liked looking at that more than looking at Miss Wayward Bod, although the other guys liked her.

Another safety film, this one USN, was The Man From LOx, and everyone watching that one wanted to have that Safety Officer in our squadron.

I always wondered why they never commissioned a safety movie detailing the dangers of not looking where one is going on a hot flight deck, and an intake gets too close(such as an A7. Have a few memories I'd like to get rid of concerning that).

I do know that the Forrestal fire is shown a lot to boots when they are taking firefighting classes. shown back in the 70s and is still shown.

[rickshaw]

Anyway, Flight Quarters was a lot more chaotic than that, although I think that most of that was staged for the film.

It certainly was, it's a typical Brit film of the time, sponsored by the MoD to aid recruitment etc. There are similar films of 'Life in the RAF' and 'Life in the Army' etc.

Instructional films also tend to be rather "staged" to demonstrate the point being explained.  Makes it easier for the students to see what is going on.

Good film, very British, very 1950s/early 1960s.