Military Photo of the Day: Landing in Half a Plane
Half a HELLCAT was better than none.
In a remarkable demonstration of combined skill and luck, a Navy pilot climbs out of his Grumman HELLCAT after landing with ‘half a plane’ on March 6, 1945. Weakened by Japanese anti-aircraft fire during a strike at Luzon in the Philippines, the sturdy plane held together until the airman wobbled the cripple in for a landing aboard his carrier.