The USS Midway arrived on Yankee Station on or around the last week of March 1965. As part of Operation Rolling Thunder, Midway had just completed approximately 45 days of airops. On May 11th I heard the 1MC announcement to ready the flight deck for an emergency landing. After a few more announcements signaling the successful recovery of an aircraft I went up to the flight deck and took the color photo (Fig. 1) you see below. For almost 55 years the slide was in my possession without the full story behind it and almost forgotten.

Late last year I contacted Dave Batson, a fellow VF-21 squadron mate and F4 pilot. I sent him the picture and asked if he knew any of the story behind it. As luck would have it Dave knew the name of the pilot. A little research found him: retired Admiral Raymond (Paul) Ilg. After a brief phone call, a copy of the same picture was sent to him and we started corresponding to complete the story. This picture was also sent to Mark Aldridge of the Tailhook Association. They had been keeping the black and white photo of the same incident (Fig. 2) on file without any information on the surrounding circumstances.

Lt. Raymond (Paul) Ilg was flying an A4-C Skyhawk bound for Cubi Point, the Philippines. Air Wing 2, USS Midway, was at the end of a Yankee Station line period. The date was Tuesday, May 11, 1965. The complete story follows in his words:

“VA-22 (Fighting Redcocks) had 12 aircraft airborne and joining over the carrier. I was number 11 joined waiting for number 12 before the flight headed for Cubi Point. Number 12 joined “hot” and ran into the underside of my aircraft sticking his vertical fin into my main fuel tank. The pilot in number 12 was forced to eject and was subsequently picked up by a plane guard helo.

“My fuel state was near maximum when I joined the formation but I could see the fuel gauge dropping rapidly and I was streaming a great deal of fuel. Two of the 12 A4-Cs were tanker configured. Lt. Bill Newman (1) was flying one of the tankers and we joined as soon as possible. My fuel gauge indicated 200 p [pounds] of fuel as I plugged into the tanker and did not increase as I was accepting fuel.

“At 2.5 miles out from Midway Lt. Newman dropped me off on the ball and I was all elbows getting gear and flaps down and maintaining the ball as I slowed to approach speed. Midway Memories - Stories of the Men from the USS Midway Veterans Association “The aircraft burst into flames on arrestment due to the streaming fuel, the engine flamed out and the fire stopped. Obviously I was relegated to riding the ship into port.”

Author’s Note: Recapping the fuel issue: Admiral Ilg stated his fuel level was at 200 pounds and never went above that as he was accepting fuel. His fuel level never changed as he flew back to the Midway. Obviously Paul was burning fuel as fast as he was receiving it. He also stated his engine flamed out just as he landed and the fire stopped. The significance of his fuel level cannot be overstated. Obviously he was out of fuel when he landed. Separation at the stated 2.5 miles was just enough to get him back aboard. Separation any further from Midway could have been disastrous, especially if he would have run out of fuel close to the ship without time to safely eject. Closer separation might not have given him time to get the feel of the plane with the extra drag from the stabilizer embedded in the underside of his plane. Additionally, having excess fuel at landing could have increased the potential for a very dangerous fire. As witnessed by (then) Lt. Clint Johnson of VA-25, sparks were flying from the embedded stabilizer as it made contact with the flight deck. That is what caused the fire that could have been an explosion. Everything worked. For some, restating the fuel issue is stating the obvious, but I felt it was worth making the point.

For his actions that led to saving himself and his plane, Lt. Raymond Ilg was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Just over three weeks later he was shot down while on an armed reconnaissance mission and was rescued 47 hours later. He went on to have a very distinguished career in the Navy, retiring as a 3 Star Admiral in 1991.