Spud Locker Approach

Harvey Burden

When I was in Flight Training, I remember seeing a particularly funny old movie of a near carrier deck crash - perhaps it was in Aviation Safety Officer Course. A pre-WWII bi-plane scout, I believe an SOC, was making a landing on a carrier, which I believe was the old Lexington. It was a beautiful clear day with what appeared to be calm seas. The A/C made a Roger pass until just aft of the carrier and then suddenly dropped from view, below the deck level. A few seconds later, it just as suddenly appeared right up at the round-down and touched down, pulling out Number 1 wire just a few feet. It then taxied out of the gear.

I thought it was a trick shot or perhaps a stunt. That was not the case.

Many years after that, my Dad, Harvey Paul Burden, USNA 1930, told me of an incident he had had that matched that one exactly. It seems he was the intrepid pilot flying that A/C. Dad said that they were operating off San Diego back in about 1937 or so, conducting searches for Amelia Ehrhart. He said he was Roger all the way around until just short of the ramp when the ship suddenly heaved up, or he lost altitude. He had no room to turn so he said he added full power and pulled back full on the stick. He literally climbed up to the deck, landing at the ramp and pulling out Number 1 wire about six feet. A classmate of his was Landing Signal Officer (LSO) and they just looked at each other, shrugged, and smiled as he taxied forward.

Dad said he pondered for years what caused that hairy landing. He told me not too long before his death that he had it figured. There was a very long period ground swell that day and Lexington was perpendicular to it. All during his approach, the stern was slowly descending. Since he was flying the deck and Paddles, his descent matched the deck. Just astern, the Lex started its bow down, stern up pitch. Dad's higher than standard descent rate and the upward motion of the ship's stern caused his spud locker approach and nearly cost me my father. Thank God for slow bi-planes with low wing loading and Dad's quick reactions. I have a picture on the wall in our home of him flying in one of those aircraft, taken by his wingman.