GREAT Korean Article: "Bush Makes Hairy Landing on Aircraft Carrier for End of War Speech"

Dong-A Ilbo Newspaper (Seoul) In English ^ | 4 May 2003 | Jung-An Kim, Reporter in D.C.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Title: "Bush Makes Hairy Landing on Aircraft Carrier for End of War Speech"

MAY 04, 2003 22:08

by Jung-Ahn Kim of DONG-A ILBO DAILY, Seoul, Korea (credo@donga.com)

U.S. President George W. Bush landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Wearing a pilot’s uniform, Bush showed two thumbs up like a pilot returning from a mission which he had successfully completed. Seeing their president`s hand gesture, the solders cheered with glee. President Bush then, during a speech to the sailors, announced the official end of the Iraq war.

A Republican political specialist defined President Bush`s announcement, which was aired on May 2, as "one of the greatest moments during his presidency."

The New York Times, which had maintained a critical view of the Bush administration and its war on Iraq, acknowledged the tremendous publicity effect the event had for the president. The paper commented that no president would have ever dreamed of giving the speech Mr. Bush gave on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier.

To successfully create a historical event, U.S. officials racked their brains and decided on the best situation in which the president would give his speech.

The biggest problem was whether President Bush, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of the anti-submarine bomber fighter S-3B Viking, could safely land on the deck of the carrier. The Viking, in a very close call, attached to the fourth and last tether cable on the flight deck. If the plane had missed, the Viking would have had to return to the air for another landing attempt. Or, it could have dropped into the ocean. Watching the risky landing, the White House Secret Service and Navy officials were clinging to the edges of their seats.

White House officials had another reason to worry. Although President Bush boasted about his air force background in the Texas National Guard, his aides were not completely assured of its success.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, when asked on Thursday by reporters how they could tell if the plane was being flown by the President, said that if the flight came straight down, it would probably be flown by a Navy pilot; otherwise, the decision would be left up to their imagination. Fleischer`s joke caused a bit of concern on the part of White House staff over the president`s flying ability.

The White House spokesman and his team devised an elaborate plan in order not to repeat President Bush senior’s failure in reelections despite his victory in the first Gulf War. Each and every public move on the part of President Bush junior has been calculated and directed by the team. According to Reuters, the landing was also a drama that was borne out of fine calculation.

In line with the old adage, "like father, like son," President Bush senior parachuted out of a plane in 1999 to celebrate his 75th birthday.

[AmericanInTokyo]

South Korean students engage in anti-North Korea/anti-Kim Jong Il guerilla street theater protest in Seoul.

(gearing up for the next probable "Axis of Evil" fight)

[Jeff Head]

PRESIDENT BUSH ON DECK

[MEG33]

I think we are making headway with countries in the region that this is not just a US problem..much as NKorea wants it to be.(Powell on the morning talk shows)He says they probably have two nukes and will have more by summer.They will receive no aid unless they agree to get rid of nuclear weapons.

[AmericanInTokyo]

These images have had quite an impact around the world. Especially in Northeast Asia at this critical time. I can confirm that......

[green team 1999]

good posting,thanks.
the students look like future freepers

[thinking]

The Commander of Navy One, was the pilot that landed the A/C, and his skill level was such, that he picked the fourth trap....

[MEG33]

Top Gun In Person! I loved every minute of it and watched the homecoming of the Lincoln the next day.The dems were not pleased with our President's great footage..he he

[jdege]

the solders cheered with glee.

Odd. I'd not have expected to find many soldiers on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

030501-N-6020P-017 Pacific Ocean (May 1, 2003) -- President George W. Bush successfully traps aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in a S-3B Viking assigned to the Blue Wolves of Sea Control Squadron Three Five (VS-35) designated "NAVY 1". President Bush is the first sitting President to trap aboard an aircraft carrier at sea. The President is conducting a visit aboard ship to meet with the Sailors and will address the Nation as Lincoln prepares to return from a 10-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Gabriel Piper. (RELEASED)

030501-N-6817C-087 Pacific Ocean (May 1, 2003) -- President George W. Bush poses with Sailors for a photo on the flight deck after a successful trap aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in an S-3B Viking assigned to the Blue Wolves of Sea Control Squadron Three Five (VS-35) designated "NAVY 1". President Bush is the first sitting President to trap aboard an aircraft carrier at sea. The President is conducting a visit aboard ship to meet with the Sailors and will address the Nation as Lincoln prepares to return from a 10-month deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Tyler J. Clements. (RELEASED)

[MEG33]

Now a Korean can have a bit of leeway!Go Navy!

[nicmarlo]

Enjoyed reading this; thanks for posting it, AIT! : )

[visualops]

Great post! Thanks!

[fight_truth_decay]

attached to the fourth and last tether cable on the flight deck

...the fourth is the first tether a pilot comes to ..the NYTimes made the blunder in reporting...the others just copied the story.

The ENTIRE headline is bogus!Bush Makes Hairy Landing on Aircraft Carrier for End of War Speech

[Marauder]

That's correct; the pilot stated upon his return to the mainland that whereas W had taken the controls and flown the Viking for a while, he returned control of the plane to the pilot for landing.

[jdege]

Reasonable.

While every carrier pilot has to make his first carrier landing, it's not usual to do it with POTUS on board.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

...the fourth is the first tether a pilot comes to ..the NYTimes made the blunder in reporting...the others just copied the story.

Incorrect. The four arresting wires are numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 from aft to fore. The number four wire is the last wire the plane can catch, not the first. Spend some time on a CVN and learn something so you won't repeat your own blunder.

[green team 1999]

do the best pilots catch second and third wire?

[rabidralph]

Odd. I'd not have expected to find many soldiers on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Sadly, lots of journalists and the general public make this mistake. The Navy has Sailors and airmen. The Army has soldiers. The Marine Corps has Marines and the Air Force has airmen. There is no such thing as airwomen or midshipwomen. When in doubt, you can refer to them as troops.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Desired wire is #3.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

[MEG33]

Oh Boy...not for the faint of heart...

[dvwjr]

No, you are wrong. The below poster has the correct info:

16 posted on 05/04/2003 1:07 PM EDT by SMEDLEYBUTLER

The number four wire IS the last wire before a bolter.

Get your facts straight and stop inventing them. There is nothing worse than "knowing" you are absolutely "right" when you are absolutely WRONG.

dvwjr

[Diddle E. Squat]

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!"

[gcruse]

I understand lens foreshortening that makes the deck look shorter than it is, but that still looks...whoa!

[ewing]

Excellent pic!

[El Sordo]

Well, that doesn't look like much room at all.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

You can see the reciprocal love and respect. If this were a Klintoon clone in the picture, those troops would look like a Whoraldo (wish Fox would dump him) staged photo-op. All would have frozen uncomfortable expressions, and phony as hell.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Imagine doing it at night.

[MEG33]

NOooo

[green team 1999]

post #20 picture looks scary,not too much space for a mistake

[RightWhale]

the fourth is the first tether a pilot comes to

Thanks for the clarification.

It's like DEFCON 5 being the lowest readiness and DEFCON 1 being maximum force readiness. Backwards.

[Exit148]

One of my son was ready to land on the Nimitz, one time, with out his flaps. (It was found that a $12 bolt had broken) Anyway, he came down ---going very fast--- and caught the second wire. He was angry with himself for not catching the 3rd wire!

BTW - he and his roommate were consistant 'flyers of the week' in catching the 3rd wire. (his mother says, proudly)

[MEG33]

How is it that I get a cannot find,etc..not the first time this has happened.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The clarification you were given is wrong. #4 wire is the last wire, not the first.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I dunno, I restarted my computer and the link still works.

[gorush]

"To successfully create a historical event, U.S. officials racked their brains and decided on the best situation in which the president would give his speech."

When brains are racked, are they connected parallel or in series?

[RightWhale]

#4 wire is the last wire

Okay, now we have that it is the first cable or the last. I don't know, but this issue needs to be resolved. Also, is it considered bad form to snag the first or the last cable?

[MEG33]

The first kinda smarts I hear.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

It's already been resolved on every arresting gear equipped carrier in the Navy. The 4 wire is the last wire. If you miss the 4 wire you bolter; takeoff, continue flying, reenter the pattern and try to land again. If you miss the 1 wire you have three more wires that the hook may catch. The desired wire sequence is as follows: 3, 2, 4, 1. Catching the 1 wire is bad form and dangerous. Do it enough and you will lose your wings. The 1 wire is used so infrequently that it will be removed on all carriers beginning with CVN-76, USS Ronald Reagan.

[fight_truth_decay]

I am taking it from the story FOXNews did right after it was reported by the NYTimes and FOX Then the FOX anchor was corrected when they went to the reporter on the carrier. They corrected with the fourth being actually the first. It was also not the 'end of the war speech', as the Democrats were hoping for such an announcement and are now complaining the President will carry the war on thru the election. Sorry, that was the report, then comments were made the NyTimes got it wrong. I will verify from a sailor on the Lincoln and repost. I have no problem with you dispute of my post and I respect your reply.

f_t_d

[piasa]

I go by the old adage that any landing is a good landing. This is definitely the way to look at it when the airfield is a floating postage stamp.

[fight_truth_decay]

You do seem like you hold the most reason, Smed. 3-2-4-1. The news was all confused on the sequence. Its tailhook caught the fourth, last cable available to halt the plane.

If it had not caught this wire, pilot John Lussier would have had to rev up power and fly away to circle around for another try.SkyNews. SkyNews does some excellent reporting. FOXNEWS is letting me down!! And not something that is that difficult for a reporter to verify..we went full circle on this. ;(

f_t_d

[Farnham]

"If this were a Klintoon clone in the picture, those troops would look like a Whoraldo (wish Fox would dump him) staged photo-op. All would have frozen uncomfortable expressions, and phony as hell."

Wouldn't have happened. My son was supply officer on Harry S. Truman when Clinton came for commissioning. Said secret service ordered all sailors NOT to approach the president and stay in designated areas while he was aboard. He never spoke to anyone except the captain, XO and visiting admirals.

[USNBandit]

I have seen you trying to set people straight for the past few days. You of course are correct. For the rest of you here is the scoop. The one wire is the first wire, the four wire is the last. Normally the ship will set the Fresnel Lens (that yellow light on the left side of the landing area) to target the three wire. The lens is calibrated for each pass based on the type of aircraft and what that particular model's hook to eye distance is. That way everone is trying to land on the 3. Catching the four wire is not that bad, his grade will be based on how far he was out of parameters and how good his corrections were. You can get a Cut pass (unsafe) and still hit any of the wires. With the POTUS on board he is going to get the best grade the LSO's can give out, OK underlined.

P.S. Nice picture, thanks for the flashbacks.

[Remole]

Man, that is gone great photo. Where did you find/ make it?

[Paleo Conservative]