Well, That Was Colorful II

 From Scooter! Revised Edition:

 In February 1958, VA-83 had just begun a deployment aboard Essex, the first for the A4D-2, when one of the pilots made a landing hard enough to break off the right main landing gear wheel.

 Unfortunately, the hook missed all the wires so the pilot was committed to a bolter off the angled deck.

Regaining flying speed was not easy with a dragging main gear strut and a cocked nose wheel.

 

The pilot managed to retain directional control while the nose wheel recentered but the ability to accelerate was seriously compromised in the meantime.

 Flying speed was only regained after dipping well below the flight deck and nearly into the water.

In order to avoid a repeat of the close call on the bolter, the barricade was rigged to ensure recovery. Unfortunately, the right main landing gear strut unexpectedly snagged an arresting wire.

The result was an inelegant and nonstandard barricade engagement. The intention was for the nose of the A4D to go between the vertical straps, with them snagging on the wing leading edge.

 All's well that ends well, however. 

 

The incident resulted in the cross-deck pendants not being raised when there was a risk that something other than the tail hook would snag one in an emergency requiring the barricade.

 

 

F-86 Sabre by Duncan Curtis

 

Newly published by Crécy in England, to say it is comprehensive would be an understatement:

There are 384 8 1/2 x 11 inch pages, at least one picture (many in color) per page except a two-page Appendix of production serial numbers and a seven-page Index (very small font size.) Coffee-table print quality and heft (it weighs four pounds).

Duncan is my go-to subject-master expert on the Sabre. I can assure you that the content is based on primary sources or fact-checked material from secondary sources.  I am therefore certain that everyone reading his book will find much about the Sabre that he or she didn't know (or possibly believed that isn't true). As proof, there is material in the FJ Fury chapter that was new to me, and I consider myself to know a great deal about that subject.

You will not be disappointed unless you dilly-dally ordering it in the United States and miss receiving one in the first shipment from England to their US distributor, Casemate.