So last night was... interesting.
It started out really well. What my IP from the first flight would have called "WAY too wide", my IP last night was calling a little tight. Being able to back off a foot or so was WONDERFUL. I felt like I could still see the lead, I was still in control of my jet, but I wasn't having to remind myself to breathe. It's amazing what one extra foot of spacing will do. Everything was standard and uneventful, right up until we came in for the section approach.
I was sidled up as I should be, lead had his boards out to slow us below 200kts (gear speed). "Profane, gear down flaps half, now, now, now". On the third 'now' I reached down, (never taking my eyes off of lead) to lower my gear, set my flaps to half, and bring my speedbrakes in (Boards come in when configuring on an instrument approach until "up and on glideslope"). As I see his gear begin to come down, I notice something uncomfortable. He's moving aft on my canopy. And not slowly! "F*** what did I do wrong?!" I'm thinking as I go PAINFULLY acute. As I'm looking 90 degrees down my shoulder, I go throttle idle, speed brakes back out. Slowly his aft movement stops. At this point, he's in parade position off of me! I'm still in formation mode, so the only thing going through my mind is getting back in position, and he's SLOWLY walking back forward. And I mean SLOWLY. It's here that I begin to start thinking through how I could possibly have gooned that away THAT badly. Did I not get the flap handle all the way to the half position? As I return to my place off of lead, I look into the cockpit, and in an instant go from prepared Student Naval Aviator to neanderthal. I key the ICS to my IP. I SHOULD say something like 'Sir, it appears the gear hasn't come down with the handle down and locked.' Instead all I manage is "NO GEAR LIGHT!" "Huh?" I get from the back cockpit. Now, my brain does the following acrobatics: If the gear isn't coming down, maybe the handle just isn't 'down enough', so I start HAMMERING it with the base of my fist, like Fred Flintstone in a jet... "Handle down no lights". About this time lead, who has seen me go CRAZY acute, but sees me back in position, wants to make his 'Six down and locked call', but he hasn't heard from me. "Profane 12, say your gear state". All I manage is "It's not working!" Not waiting for an explanation, he terminates the approach, calls the tower for Delta Easy (Orbiting over the field out of everyone's way to troubleshoot) and passes us the lead.
Now that I'm no longer trying to fly formation AND figure out my jet, my brain starts to return. My IP takes the controls, while I bust out the PCL (Pocket checklist) for "Gear Unsafe, Failure to Extend". Step one: Ensure the handle is down. I hit it pretty hard, MANY times. It's as down as it gets. Step two: Lights test. I flick the switch, and all of the lights for our gear illuminate. The bulbs aren't just burned out. Step three: Cycle the gear. Handle comes up, we feel a slight thunk, but not enough of one to indicate any substantial movement. Our wheels warning light comes on, as expected due to our slow speed and low power setting. We wait a few seconds and lower the gear handle again. Another slight thunk, but not NEARLY enough of one, and the lights don't come on. "You're still clean" calls 11. Okay, something is definitely broken. Time to get someone else on the line. We dial up Strike in the aux radio.
"Break break, Strike, Hawk 268"
"268, go ahead for strike."
"My wingman 211 is delta easy, gear unsafe fail to extend."
"Uh... yeah... okay... yeah... uh... let me get the book out."
He then reads off the procedures to us. We confirm we've already completed the first few. Step four: Emergency gear handle rotate and pull. The door light comes on first. That's a good sign... the seconds start ticking by. It's taking a LONG time, but we get a light for the left main. Then a few more seconds and the right main lights. Okay, two for three. The seconds are still grinding away. Then the nose wheel lights. "Thank god" I hear from the IP in the back.
"Strike, 211 is three down and locked."
"Roger, be advised with an emergency extend, nosewheel steering is unavailable" (THAT'S some great British engineering...)
"Roger, strike, we'll take the short field arrestment."
As my IP starts to set us up for a 5 mile straight in, I lock my harness to prepare for the trap. As we're trucking downwind, I realized I wasn't sure if 11 was still with us. I unlocked the harness and looked around, seeing him off our right wing, doing another visual inspection of our gear (As best he can in the dark). "Back me up on the scan" says my IP "Make sure I don't get slow". "Sir, would it be better if I take this from the front?" I asked, KNOWING he was going to say no. IPs ALWAYS insist on flying the emergency themselves, but I couldn't help myself. I HAD to try to get the trap. To my surprise, he comes back with "Sure! You've got the controls!" "I've got the controls" "You've got the controls. 5 mile straight in, and hopefully paddles gets out there in time to give you a talk down."
We drive to 6 miles south of the threshold before turning around. As we turn around, we hit our first wicket of 1,000ft, on speed, 5 miles on extended centerline.
"211, paddles, check flaps to half, clear for the short field arrestment, 35L"
"211, cleared 35L."
"211, I'll be talking you down 50 ft ahead of the gear. On touchdown, MRT, boards in, and rotate. If you hear 'Trap', you can go idle. No braking, flaps half"
"roger"
I set my velocity vector just short of the arresting gear indicator (A big yellow dot) and use throttle to stay on speed. Twice I got slightly low on glideslope, but that's not bad for a single-wire field arrestment. Better slightly low than slightly high. (The opposite of an approach to the boat). I can see the firetrucks lining the runway. 600 feet. 500 feet. 400 feet. The LAW goes off. I can see the landing light illuminating the runway. The wheels touch. MRT, boards in, "TRAP TRAP TRAP".
Now, those of you paying attention remember I unlocked my harness to look around. I didn't relock it. My head rockets forward, just missing the data entry panel under the hud. My arms go flying forward, as do my legs, leading to accidentally applying a little right brake, leading us off centerline. But we come to a stop, without any issue. The fire trucks come out, chock our wheels, check the jet over, and we shut down to be towed in. Looks like I got my first trap a month early!
Whoops... the firefighter is standing on centerline.
Just after shutting the engine down and securing everything.
