General Category > Unofficial F/A-18 Acceleration Pack board

Questions on catapult officer

<< < (7/11) > >>

micro:
Burner you do your homework dont you. However, the dogbone has been phased out of current carrier ops. Whats used now is called a Repeatable Realease Holdback Bar. The best way to describe it without seeing it is a cork being pulled out of a wine bottle. The cork is the holdback bar and the bottle is the scissor link on the nose gear. The math geniuses figured out how much forward force (thrust) each aircraft can produce, then they made it so the "cork" only comes out of the bottle when more force is created (the catapult pulling the jet). This way nothing breaks, and more importantly..... no FOD.

SpazSinbad:
Burner & Microbrewst: This was all news to me also, apparently there are two versions of this 'new' catapult system. See PDF zipped here made from a USN LSO briefing PPT (76Mbs). You can see why there are many pages on one page in zipped PDF to give a sense of what is happening (at under the 1Mb file size limit here). Unfortunately the link to the original PPT file is not available. I'll keep looking. [Pages became scrambled making this sub 1Mb PDF so bear with me - you'll figure it out.]

burner12:

--- Quote from: microbrewst on December 17, 2009, 11:27:45 pm ---Burner you do your homework dont you. However, the dogbone has been phased out of current carrier ops. Whats used now is called a Repeatable Realease Holdback Bar. The best way to describe it without seeing it is a cork being pulled out of a wine bottle. The cork is the holdback bar and the bottle is the scissor link on the nose gear. The math geniuses figured out how much forward force (thrust) each aircraft can produce, then they made it so the "cork" only comes out of the bottle when more force is created (the catapult pulling the jet). This way nothing breaks, and more importantly..... no FOD.

--- End quote ---

Yeah here is info on it along w/ a diagram, but it's still the same priciple. 1/2 stays w/ the aircraft the other on the holdback


http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4101099.pdf

micro:
Actually, the whole thing stays intact and nothing goes along with the aircraft. The point of it was to prevent anything from breaking. It's all based on pressurized release.

SpazSinbad:
From another NATOPS: NAVAIR 00-80T-120 'CV Flight/Hangar Deck NATOPS Manual' June 2005

"4.3.3 Determination of Gross Weights
It is essential that the Catapult Officer know the correct gross weight of every aircraft being launched. In order to
minimize any chance of error, the gross weight shall be computed by squadron line personnel/pilot, and shall be
checked by the Catapult Officer against information available on the status board in Flight Deck Control.
4.3.3.1 Weight Chits
1. No later than 45 minutes prior to a launch, each squadron shall furnish the Catapult Officer with a weight chit
listing the computed weight of each aircraft scheduled.
2. Weight chits shall be locally prepared and shall contain the following information:
a. Squadron
b. Date
c. Launch event number or time of scheduled launch
d. Aircraft side number
e. Basic weight
f. Fuel weight
g. Ordnance/external store weight
h. Gross weight
i. Signature of person filling out chit
j. Flap setting for E-2/C-2
k. CRT/MRT for F-14/F/A-18"
&
4.4.2 Confirming Aircraft Gross Weight
As each aircraft approaches the catapult, the Weight Board Operator shall show the pilot/NFO the computed gross
weight of the aircraft. The pilot/NFO shall verify and confirm the gross weight by giving a thumbs-up signal (day)
or a circular motion with a flashlight (night). A thumbs-down or negative signal shall not be used to indicate
disagreement with the weight. If the pilot/NFO does not agree with the gross weight, he shall signal as follows:
1. Day
a. To raise gross weight, hold hand flat with palm up and move in a vertical direction, emphasizing the upward
motion.
b. To lower gross weight, hold hand flat with palm down and move in a horizontal direction.
2. Night
a. To raise gross weight, move flashlight in a vertical direction, emphasizing the upward motion.
b. To lower gross weight, move flashlight in a horizontal direction.
Note
The weight board shall be changed in 500- or 1,000-pound increments in
accordance with applicable launch bulletins.
3. When more than two corrective steps are required on the weight board or any difficulty is experienced in
confirming the gross weight, the aircraft shall not be launched until positive determination can be made by the
Air Officer and confirmed by the pilot and Catapult Officer.
4. Once the weight of the aircraft is confirmed by the pilot/NFO, the Weight Board Operator shall show the weight
board to the Catapult Officer, Centerdeck Operator, and Deckedge Operator (JBD Operator for ICCS).
a. The Centerdeck Operator, Deckedge Operator, or JBD Operator shall in turn relay this weight to the Console
Operator/CCP Operator and Recorder.
b. The Console Operator/CCP Operator shall use this weight in confirming the Catapult Officer’s desired CSV
setting using applicable launch charts.
5. The Weight Board Operator shall display the weight board to the Catapult Officer until he receives a positive
acknowledgement that the weight has been noted.
Note
One weight board is required per catapult. Once the aircraft weight is
confirmed, the weight board operator shall not change the weight displayed
until the aircraft is off the catapult.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page