Carrier Planes

[ONE_HELLCAT]

Something was just on my mind about them. I once read something from a Hellcat pilot about what it was like finding their plane on the flight deck in the early morning. But then I've heard that they would just jump into a plane that wasn't always theirs. So what was standard procedure for a carrier pilot to get to his plane? Also, from which side did the pilots get into their planes? Right or left?

[Catch22]

Well, for one, it depended entirely on the service branch and what country the pilots belonged to. VMF-241 (Blacksheep) pilots, during the Boyington days at least, did not have their own airplane, it was just whatever was closest.

Also, for getting into the planes, it would have depended on the plane. The F4U you got in on the right, whereas the Hellcat you could get in on both sides. There are a lot of different variables.

[machine shop tom]

Didn't each plane have a crewchief that answered to or was responsible for a particular plane and pilot?

tom

[FLYBOYJ]

In the Navy it was known as a plane captain.