Howto:Carrier Landing: Difference between revisions

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The basic source of truth and detailed procedures is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Systems_Command Naval Air Systems Command] 01-F14AAP-1 "NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL F-14B AIRCRAFT", which is a nearly 1000 pages pdf manual available on the internet.
The basic source of truth and detailed procedures is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Systems_Command Naval Air Systems Command] 01-F14AAP-1 "NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL F-14B AIRCRAFT", which is a nearly 1000 pages pdf manual available on the internet.


Additionally I found the following resources / videos very informative, even though they mostly relate to the [https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ DCS] [https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/planes/hornet/ F/A-18C Hornet].
Additionally I found the following resources / videos very informative, even though they mostly relate to the [https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/ DCS] [https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/products/planes/hornet/ F/A-18C Hornet]:
* [http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/21790/f-a-18-pilot-gives-incredibly-detailed-instructions-on-how-to-actually-land-on-a-carrier?bx_sender_conversion_id=4467544] - F/A-18 Pilot Gives Virtual Flyers Highly Detailed Explanation Of How To Land On A Carrier
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJ1Y57qtjI] - YouTube video "DCS F/A-18C Basic Carrier Operations tutorial"
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm-M3VUy-_I] - YouTube video "DCS World - F/A-18 - Case I Carrier Recovery Tutorial"
 
There are three main differences between landing the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat F-14 Tomcat] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet Fhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet/A-18 Hornet] on an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_carrier aircraft carrier]:
* The Tomcat is flown with an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_attack angle of attack] (AoA) of ca. 15°, which is nearly double that of the Hornet.
* The allowable gross aircraft weight at landing of the Tomcat is much larger than the Hornet
* You do not retract the speed brake after having extended it during the level [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_fighter_maneuvers#Break Break] in the Tomcat, you do when flying the Hornet.


[[Category:Howto|Carrier]]
[[Category:Howto|Carrier]]

Revision as of 19:41, 15 August 2018

Landing a Military Jet on a Carrier Tutorial by Example: The Mighty F-14B

The content of this page is meant to guide virtual pilots of military jets on how to land safely and consistently on an Aircraft_carrier. The content of this guide is to a large extent specific to the mighty Grumman_F-14_Tomcat in FlightGear. However many tips and techniques can be used for piloting other 4th generation naval fighters (especially NATO / American like the McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet).

It is Difficult

Landing a jet fighter on a moving carrier again and again is simply difficult and requires many (dozens) of hours of virtual training. Real naval pilots have hundreds of landings on airports and hundreds of hours of training on the aircraft type plus significant simulator training before they are allowed to make an attempt on the real thing.

When you get the hang of it (and you will) and enjoy flying according to procedures, you will find your training time very rewarding. If it gets too easy, just chose bad weather or night and you will get challenged further.

Disclaimer and Credits

  • The author is only a hobby virtual pilot.
  • Not everything written here is according to real life.
  • Keyboard shortcuts and pictures are based on the FlightGear F-14B as of summer 2018.

The basic source of truth and detailed procedures is the Naval Air Systems Command 01-F14AAP-1 "NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL NAVY MODEL F-14B AIRCRAFT", which is a nearly 1000 pages pdf manual available on the internet.

Additionally I found the following resources / videos very informative, even though they mostly relate to the DCS F/A-18C Hornet:

  • [1] - F/A-18 Pilot Gives Virtual Flyers Highly Detailed Explanation Of How To Land On A Carrier
  • [2] - YouTube video "DCS F/A-18C Basic Carrier Operations tutorial"
  • [3] - YouTube video "DCS World - F/A-18 - Case I Carrier Recovery Tutorial"

There are three main differences between landing the F-14 Tomcat and the Fhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F/A-18_Hornet/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier:

  • The Tomcat is flown with an angle of attack (AoA) of ca. 15°, which is nearly double that of the Hornet.
  • The allowable gross aircraft weight at landing of the Tomcat is much larger than the Hornet
  • You do not retract the speed brake after having extended it during the level Break in the Tomcat, you do when flying the Hornet.