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F-18 carrier brake problems

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SpazSinbad:
Here is a line up correction illustration from a Goshawk 'gouge'. Imagine a Hornet lined up properly at lower part of diagram to the right of the carrier wake with ship going straight up the diagram but angled deck is not doing that. In the upper picture imagine if the 'hornet' did nothing it would be to the left of centreline because the ship is taking all of the angled deck away from the aircraft which is NOT flying straight up the picture. HTH.

SpazSinbad:
Another 'in close' carrier approach pic. This time the 'camera view' makes it look like the camera is lined up with the right hand edge of the landing area with ball slightly high (remember this is not the 'pilot eye' view).

Then there are two pics showing a Prowler initally badly lined up left with second pic being lined up OK. Maybe the two photos were not taken on the same approach. Looking at the first badly lined up left pic (depending on aircraft) it is likely the LSO would wave off this one. Perhaps the zoom lens of the camera makes the aircraft look closer to the carrier than it is in reality. So there may well be plenty of room to correct the line up in time.

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burner12:
You Spaz I should have thoguht of this earlier. Whenever I line up to the right the ship is moving to the right so it either puts me slightly off center or on center because I'm correcting for the movement while it's moving. So to start a final line up slightly on the right side of the approach pattern so the ship will make you line up with the center line, and don't line up with the centerline because that will cause you to go left. After trying thaat I'm getting better results. Am I correct about this?

SpazSinbad:
burner12: Your technique as I'm understanding it 'MAY' work in FSX but it will not work in real world. Perhaps it is better to try to line up accurately right from the beginning. (Yes, you understand about crossing the wake to achieve this.) However YOU are flying the aircraft. The CARRIER is not flying you.

Don't think of the carrier doing anything when you are actually doing your approaches. Everything you are doing is relative to MLA. Nothing else matters. The carrier could be stopped or steaming out of wind or have the wind coming in the exact opposite direction. Does not matter (as long as conditions are safe and usually the wind is down the angle for sure). You are flying the mirror relative to the angled deck of the carrier. If you concentrate on this aspect then you will not notice what the carrier is doing because it is irrelevant. Concentrate on flying the exact parameters without regard for other things (like letting the ship drift to where you want it to be as you arrest). Yes your technique as described would be another way to THINK about the problem; so that you FLY the aircraft according to the universal LSO/pilot recommendations I have tried to outline.

Of course there is much more to it than I can hope to post by typing here; and more to it than I can know, not having flown a Hornet. But the basics of carrier approaches in the jet era have been the same (with minor variations in technique) for actually flying any particular aircraft. These basic techniques work. Although they will seem odd when you have been used to landing only on a runway. This is the fun and challenge of carrier flying. It needs to be done as precisely as you can manage - all the way. One reason why the recent pics have been added is to get you to see the subtle differences that a pilot is looking for during his approach, to get back to the correct parameters. With practice you will get much better for sure. Practice is what it takes, and here is where the LSO becomes important in carrier flying because he (with experience) knows what the pilot is doing to then help him correct his technique errors; and of course to criticise every approach if that is what is needed. No one should have a problem with an LSO telling them what is not going right on their approaches.

Another thought about these line up or carrier approach issues is this: When the aircraft is further away from the mirror the aircraft corrections needed are much more gross (to achieve getting back on line up, OAoA & meatball in the middle). The cone of what is correct becomes smaller the closer the aircraft gets to the carrier/mirror. So what control corrections were needed with the same view way out - when a lot closer - will require more subtle control inputs to achieve the same result. Another reason to be on the correct parameters as soon as possible.

From memory a 'late lineup' correction was always problematic because in the short time available the pilot has to add a bit of power (because the wings are not level so lift is lost) while the nose usually drops at the same time. You get my drift? (Please don't drift into the ramp.) All the control changes being made require other control changes. Do what is required - trying to keep in mind to be more subtle if you are near the carrier.

Conversely being TOO SMOOTH (by drifting to the correct parameter) is a big no no. Yes you can be smooth and accurate. Try to achieve both. I probably will never achieve it but trying all the time to achieve the best approach.

Now there is a night/dusk time lapse pic showing how the approach glideslope corrections way out become more subtle in close.

burner12:
Spaz thanks for all your help.  ;)

So what you are saying is that in FSX you don't need to line up to the right a little to counteract the movement of the carrier.

Because when I lined up on centerline I always spin out. Is it you HAVE TO BE JUST DIRECTLY on CENTERLINE to trap smoothly or is it my flying ability or some option i have turned on and don't know about? ???

Spaz I was wondering could you record your approaches and send them to me so i can seee how you do it. If not can you give me detailed instructions on alt. airspd and line up on glideslope?

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