What do you make of this? Plane bounce?

[Kuben]

This is an quote from "Aces Against Japan" by Eric Hammel where Lieutenant Joe Robbins, USN talks about shooting down a Zeke:

"...as in a deflection shot, I had to aim at the point at which the Zeke would be when the bullets got there.
After I fired the short burst, the Zeke hit the water, bounced back up, and kept going.  But I knew I had hit it.  The pilot hadn't bounced to throw off my aim; there is no way he could have seen me fire.
I pulled my nose up and fired again.  He hit the water again, but he bounced back up.  My guns were boresighted to converge between 700 and 750 feet.  The Zeke was 1,000 feet ahead, so my cannon rounds were opening up again when they hit him.  Only a couple of bullets could hit him each time I fired.
I fired again and, again, the Zeke hit the water and bounced back up.  But, the fourth time, it went down to stay.  The last Zeke had been the fourth aircraft I had shot at that day, but only the third I claimed. "

I read this and still can not conceive how this is even remotely possible.  In case I didn't mention it Joe Robbins was flying the F4U-1C.

What do you guys think?

Kuben

[popeye]

Net lag.  

[Zippatuh]

Originally posted by popeye
Net lag.  

LOL

[whels]

Originally posted by Kuben
This is an quote from "Aces Against Japan" by Eric Hammel where Lieutenant Joe Robbins, USN talks about shooting down a Zeke:

"...as in a deflection shot, I had to aim at the point at which the Zeke would be when the bullets got there.
After I fired the short burst, the Zeke hit the water, bounced back up, and kept going.  But I knew I had hit it.  The pilot hadn't bounced to throw off my aim; there is no way he could have seen me fire.
I pulled my nose up and fired again.  He hit the water again, but he bounced back up.  My guns were boresighted to converge between 700 and 750 feet.  The Zeke was 1,000 feet ahead, so my cannon rounds were opening up again when they hit him.  Only a couple of bullets could hit him each time I fired.
I fired again and, again, the Zeke hit the water and bounced back up.  But, the fourth time, it went down to stay.  The last Zeke had been the fourth aircraft I had shot at that day, but only the third I claimed. "

I read this and still can not conceive how this is even remotely possible.  In case I didn't mention it Joe Robbins was flying the F4U-1C.

What do you guys think?

Kuben

obiviously he is using the old 10 baud modem cheat
plug  unplug  plug  unplug

whels

[Wilbus]

LOL!

1000 feet is a good range to shoot at, not too far.

If the Zeke did hit the water and some how bounced back up, its engine would most likely be dead, or if not dead, the prop would definatly be.

[Tac]

the first example of aerial waterskiing.

[AKcurly]

Water has approximately the same compressibility coefficient as concrete.  If his tail struck the water first, it would rotate his nose into the water and he would died instantly; if nose struck the water, same result; if his belly struck the water first, yeah, he could have "bounced" but his prop would be dinged.

BTW, good book - excellent read.

curly

[AKSWulfe]

It could of just been an illusion. They were probably real low on the water, and some of his rounds fell below or near the Zero and caused it to look like it hit the water when it might of just nosed down real quick and pulled back up at real low altitudes.

Anyone's guess though, since there's no footage that I know of.
-SW

[Pei]

Originally posted by Kuben
In case I didn't mention it Joe Robbins was flying the F4U-1C.

What do you guys think?

chog dweeb!

[Mickey1992]

He says the plane "hit the water, then bounced back up".  Maybe he meant that it just went low to around sea level?  Like if I tell a countryman to "hit the deck" to avoid an enemy.  He doesn't really strike the ground, he just flies as low as possible.

OT - My Dad tells stories about how AA gunners in the Navy would not actually aim at sea-level attackers.  They would fire rounds into the sea in front of the aircraft and the water that came up in front of the aircraft would bring it down when it flew through it.

[MrLars]

I've read of several instances of jets bouncing off the land in the Korean conflict. Don't have any sources to quote now but it was facinating reading them.

[Dux]

Could it have been that version of the Zeke that had floats?

[qts]

It was quite common for allied pilots to cut the grass when attacking enemy airfields.

[Wlfgng]

I guess I could strech my imagination and see a jet bounce but a prop would definately be trouble.

Water is a beyatch at speed.

My guess is he did the maneuver described earlier, where he quickly change pitch and it appeard to bounce.

[eskimo2]

Originally posted by AKSWulfe
It could of just been an illusion. They were probably real low on the water, and some of his rounds fell below or near the Zero and caused it to look like it hit the water when it might of just nosed down real quick and pulled back up at real low altitudes.

Anyone's guess though, since there's no footage that I know of.
-SW

This is what I thought as well.

When the hogs guns were fired, the nose may have lifted a bit from the recoil, making it apear as if the Zero went down then up, during the burst.  
The bullet splashes understandably could look like a "bounce" on water.

eskimo