Below is one of those painted ‘decks’, the objects in the green circle are the Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (height increased from 4 feet to 6 feet for Datum lights), better known as the Ball, and an LSO platform
The green line is the center line of the FCLP carrier deck. As you can see, ‘most’ of the landings occur in the same place, and the run out is rather short. This is because they land and immediately go to max power and yank the bird back in the air (assuming nothing fell off)…
This is what the “Ball” looks like…
The cut lights are used for no comms clearance for landing, and the LSO uses them for power applications if they are not talking to the pilot (the longer the green, the more power they want to see…
The line of green lights in the middle are the datum lights, which is what the pilot is seeing and ‘hopefully’ the orange ‘ball’ in the center stays right at the datum level. The red lights are wave off (mandatory) lights also controlled by the LSO if they think the pilot is about to make a serious error in judgement…
This is an actual system installed on a carrier, it is fully stabilized and allows a stable point of reference regardless of ship movement. It is ‘focused’ 2500 feet behind the carrier as the stability point.
So anyhoo… I was standing with a Brit pilot who is over for the evaluation, and he was telling me the Air Force pilot had just left because he couldn’t stand to watch…
Now you’ve got to remember, the Air Force penalizes pilots if they bruise the tires on landing. The Navy, well if the tires and wheels LAST 10 landings they’re happy…
It was a nice break, and I’ll have to say, the JSF IS the sound (and a loud one) of FREEDOM 🙂
Enjoy your weekend folks!
A retired Air Force pilot of my acquaintance was commenting on carrier landings (not that he ever tried one). “How hard can it be”, he opined, “They let Marines do it”
So says a man who ground looped a Cessna 172.
Yeah, carrier landings have always been a controlled crash!
We get quite a few F/A-18’s out of the Long Beach airport these days, and it’s really fun to watch them go ROARING out of here.
Saw one this morning doing a bank-and-yank right off the deck on his way out, and about 30 seconds later one of his buddies did the same thing chasing after him!
Not for all the tea in China!
There are few things in the airplane world harder than flying helicopters.
Carrier landings are one of ’em.
Balls in a bushel basket…
Night/wx carrier landings MUST be about the hardest thing you can do with a flying machine.
While in VN I traded an Air Force jock a ride in an AH1-G for a ride in his OV-10 Bronco, a “Joint-use” airplane, (both the Navy and Air Force bought ’em). You had to do carrier landings with the thing, even on land. The guy actually apologized to me before landing, worried I’d think he was abusing the bird.
And yes, it IS a controlled crash.
Thank-You for sharing this with us.
I remember watching USMC F-18s do that at Kadena. We all felt really sorry for their maintenance guys, but it sure was great entertainment!
Weather’s getting warmer, almost time to hit MCBQ range.
WSF- Marines DO get trained too, and if they can’t do it, they don’t get their wings! I’ve known of TWO AF pilots that actually made it through a cross deck with the Navy and successfully did carrier landings…
drjim- Yep… 🙂
DB- LOL, why not? It’s ‘fun’ as long as you survive it!
GB- Night blue water ops, the pilots earn their flight pay, especially in bad WX
Fuzzy- You’re welcome
MSGT- The maintainers just handle it…LOL And yep, almost time to get down in the mud and shoot LONG range!!!
I’m glad I’m not twistin’ a wrench down in the hangar bay. 😀
Skul
Good stuff. I’m and old B-52 maint. guy and KC135 simulator operator. This carrier flying is light years ahead. woody
Back when I flew at lot on American Airlines, I’d swear they hired all their pilots from the Navy. Braniff, on the other hand, hired theirs from the Air Force.
BTW, AF F4s had a tail-hook too.
Skul- You gotta admit there were some ‘good’ times though… 🙂
Woody- Just different…
Crucis- Yep American and United… Navy pilots. Re that AF F-4 tailhook, it wouldn’t even come CLOSE to stopping one on a carrier… LOL
I don’t see how the pilots land. It simply boggles the mind the practice and precision it must take to master it.
Elm- Carrier landings ‘are’ a bit of work… and yeah, not everybody can do it either!
This was my responcibility during Flight OPS, when I was standing DCWS (Damage Control Watch Supervisor)watch. I was to insure that there was no grater than a 1 1/2 Degree list Port or Starboard.
I did this by watching a bubble gagage at center line in DCC (Damage Control Central), and cordanating with List Control Watch (a guy standing next to 250 gpm water pumps). Hes job was to pump water from a port or starboard (as needed) list control tanks. Each list control tank was between 90,000 & a 160,000 gallons.
there are 6 tanks on each side.
Some times this waasn’t enough and you would have to contact the bridge Oficer of the Deck to request them move deck equipment ( like the crach crane) or unlaunched aircraft.
You need to keep as level a landing deck as possable to not cause to much stress at land/crash on one rear landing gear over the other.
Just some FYI,
Josh
Cool! Love to get your impressions of the F-35.
Josh- Good point! I never got down to DCC, so I didn’t know y’all did that (although I did know ‘something’ was being done).
JR- LOUD! That’s the impression…LOL and fairly maneuverable.