Great aerial/aviation rescues?

[APG85]

The Jimmie Doolittle episode during WWII where he & crew ditched a B-17 in the Pacific and survived a lengthy ordeal in rubber rafts before rescue would get my nod as one of the more dramatic.

I thought that was Eddie Rickenbacker...?

[quemerford]

This thread seems to be going in a predictable manner: is aviation history restricted to WWII and later?

[LysanderUK]

From Korea, there's the case of the attempted rescue of Jessie Brown for which Thomas Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor. Brown was the first Afro-American US Navy fighter pilot, and the story has therefore been printed before, but it's still worth mentioning. Here's a couple of links to info on the web, although you'll want to dig deeper for reliable details.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_L._Brown

http://acepilots.com/korea_hudner.html

[CoastieJohn]

When I was a kid, I read several books on the subject.
One involved the USAF in the late 40s.
IIRC, a C-47 force landed on the Greenland icecap. A SB-17 went to rescue them but got stuck. They tried WACO CG-4s (little known fact: some were kept as post-war rescue craft). They too had issues.
In the end, a RATO-equipped SC-47 flew everyone off...by the time the number of people needing rescue about doubled because of the number of would-be rescuers.

I've always wondered if the B-17 is still out there.

If anyone can find more info on this, I'd appreciate it.

Since I originally posted this, I found a newsreel of the event.
I'm shocked I remembered it so clearly...

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/arcti ... -us-airmen

Someone sent me a photocopied Jan 1949 Life Magazine article on this rescue. Has some pics of the snow caves and other things. My source got it from a person involved in the rescue.

[JohnB]

This thread seems to be going in a predictable manner: is aviation history restricted to WWII and later?

Heavens no, feel free to add your suggestions.

For example; the hunt in Alaska/Siberia for Carl Eielson and his mechanic who went missing in 1930 while flying furs in their Hamilton metalplane.
They were found after 76 days of extensive flying in harsh conditions in primitive (by today's standards) aircraft.

Even better known is the crash or the airship Italia in the arctic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship_Italia
I didn't mention it before because I'm confident he already knows of it.


But for Mr. Wilkinson's needs, since he's writing a article he'll need photos and documentation, something not always available the further you go back in history.

Last edited by JohnB on Mon Feb 16, 2015 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[sandiego89]

I always liked the Medal of Honor rescue in the Sea Sprite

http://www.hc7seadevils.org/Into%20The%20Night.pdf

If you want recent, the US Coast Guard rescue of the Bow Mariner and the HMS Bounty were good and have video/pictures

[Jerry O'Neill]

Lt. Green landing his P-51 behind enemy line to rescue Lt. McKinnon, and then flew back to Debden togther in the Mustang.

[Chris Brame]

Does the rescue of all aboard the Stratocruiser that ditched in the Pacific in 1956 count, or was that more of a maritime event?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

I do want to concentrate on events in which aircraft were involved in the rescue rather than simply the cause for the rescue, and all of the ideas presented so far have been excellent. Thanks to all for your expertise and suggestions. Certainly I will try to avoid the appearance that aviation history "begins with World War II," and I also want to find a good selection of civilian rescues--things like those many incredible rescues involving USCG swimmers and extreme high-altitude save by Nepali helos in the Himalayas.

[PJ01]

The Jimmie Doolittle episode during WWII where he & crew ditched a B-17 in the Pacific and survived a lengthy ordeal in rubber rafts before rescue would get my nod as one of the more dramatic.

I thought that was Eddie Rickenbacker...?

Rickenbacker was one of the more famous but here is one for Twining, an easy error in relation to Doolittle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of8AD912_vM

[PJ01]

here are innumerable missions which come to mind:
Korea, Najarian, Albatross night river p/u in NK. DSC
WWII, Pacific theater, navy pby pilot making multiple recoveries under fire until the plane was overloaded, MoH.
Vietnam, UH~1 medevacs {always heroic} while under fire, multiple trips, MoH
Prinsendam
USCG Albatross landing, gets overloaded and then can only taxi.....and does.
Abatross recovery of DC~4 passengers after airliner is shot down off Hainan. No medals.
These are some of many as are the others mentioned about guys landing and picking up fellow pilots after they fell from their planes.

[Rick65]

I remember scarey footage of the helicopter rescues in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race where a large storm hit the fleet with consequent loss of life and loss and abandonment of yachts.

[p51]

12 May, 1968: LTC Joe Jackson landed his C-123 on the cratered runway at Kham Duc. Three members of a Combat Control Team had been trapped on the airfield, which was overrun by enemy troops. Jackson landed under enemy fire to rescue the surrounded men. This is the only known circumstance where an action which later merited a Medal of Honor was captured on film:

[CoastieJohn]

I do want to concentrate on events in which aircraft were involved in the rescue rather than simply the cause for the rescue, and all of the ideas presented so far have been excellent. Thanks to all for your expertise and suggestions. Certainly I will try to avoid the appearance that aviation history "begins with World War II," and I also want to find a good selection of civilian rescues--things like those many incredible rescues involving USCG swimmers and extreme high-altitude save by Nepali helos in the Himalayas.

Just for historical context....the current USCG Rescue Swimmer program started in the mid-1980's. There was an experimental program (SARWET) in the early/mid 70's started by two young enlisted guys who came up with the idea but didn't get much support from HQ to fully develop. This is where the later CG rescue swimmer idea came from. Prior to this, if anyone was incapacitated in the water and needed rescuing, the copilot or one of the guys in the back of the helo were the ones who were going to get wet.

http://www.uscg.mil/history/weboralhist ... istory.asp

Also.....the Air Force's PJ's do some good rescues out in the middle of the oceans. In my experience, we've dumped them out of our C-130's halfway to Bermuda and they were then on their own until they could get located and recovered.

For high altitude rescues, there is an Air National Guard unit out of the Portland area that does the high altitude rescues on Mt Hood. There may even be a Youtube showing one of their H-60's taking a tumble down the snowy mountainside when something didn't go right.

Here ya go.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO9o02QIJFg

[DH82EH]

I think one of the most remarkable rescue efforts ever is that by Captain Bob Pardo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardo%27s_Push

He didn't want his wingman to have to bail out over hostile territory, so he used the windscreen of his F-4 to push the tail hook of his wingmans plane

It worked!! for 88 miles! Bl00dy brilliant!

Everybody bailed out over friendly terrain. Way too cool.

Andy

Just noticed that Cvairwerks mentioned this on the last post of page 1 of this thread. It's amazing what happens when you read!