CArrier Landings

[jimi08]

yeah....too bad it's an F-16.

[SpazSinbad]

USN carrier jets need an AoA indexer - does the Aerosoft F-16 mentioned have that?

[mangold]

USN carrier jets need an AoA indexer - does the Aerosoft F-16 mentioned have that?

Affirm, full operational indexer - interacting properly with AoA bracket
she even has an animated hook however no launch bar.

[SpazSinbad]

OK then sounds good. Does the AoA indexer remain steady in the F-16 rather than cycle on and off as is the case with the FSX Accelerator Hornet and Goshawk freeware (very nice) with the hook up? Having to have the hook down in both these cases to get a steady indexer is a pain for FCLP. Having a 'hook bypass' switch for 'hook up steady AoA indexer' would be nice. BTW the T-45C v.1.20 Goshawk by Dino Cattaneo is excellent.

[SUBS17]

IMO best F-16 sim is Falcon 4 and the most detailed avionics is the open Falcon mod for Falcon 4. BTW the hook on the F-16 and F-15 is not for CarrierOps it is instead for emergency landings on airfields.

[mangold]

IMO best F-16 sim is Falcon 4 and the most detailed avionics is the open Falcon mod for Falcon 4. BTW the hook on the F-16 and F-15 is not for CarrierOps it is instead for emergency landings on airfields.

Correct , F-16 hook only for emergency landings on airfields.
No doubt, Falcon4 f-16 is superb. Flaw is, she does not work with FSX or fs9.

@ SpazSinbad
The aerosoft f16 indexer shows steady green as long you fly center AoA bracket. When drifting off center the AoA V-bars start to indicate accordingly. There is no indexer on/off cycling. I checked that with hook up.  I Check hook down next

[SpazSinbad]

mangold, thanks then that F-16 looks very useful for practice and something different. I might add that having the AoA indexer cycle ON & OFF for the Accelerator Hornet and Freeware Goshawk is silly (for a sim) even though it may be real world accurate. We know that not everything is modelled in a sim real world accurate so why this? Still and all the above mentioned aircraft are excellent deck landers with the hook down. 

[mangold]

mangold, thanks then that F-16 looks very useful for practice and something different. I might add that having the AoA indexer cycle ON & OFF for the Accelerator Hornet and Freeware Goshawk is silly (for a sim) even though it may be real world accurate. We know that not everything is modelled in a sim real world accurate so why this? Still and all the above mentioned aircraft are excellent deck landers with the hook down. 

Ok, not every thing can be modelled in FSX (aerosoft f-16 indexer flashing during approach with hook deployed is not modelled)
No doubt carrier landings with Accelerator F-18 is a challenging practice.
Something different is an intercept (even in solid IMC thank Sim
The picture of aerosoft F-16 HUD in AirToAir mode should be selfexplanatory. Never saw that in any other FSX software. Perhaps sometime VRS FSX F-18???

[SpazSinbad]

mangold, thanks for screenshot - the F-16 looks impressive.

Not sure if we are saying the same thing here though. I find the 'flashing on/off' AoA indexer in 'Hornet Accelerator with hook up' a stupid choice for the sim. To be fair this is what happens in real world EXCEPT when a 'hook bypass switch' (or whatever it might be called) is made so that with the HOOK UP for FCLP for example the AoA indexer will NOT flash on/off. This 'flashing' is a warning otherwise during carrier landings that the hook is UP - when it ordinarily should be DOWN.

However I would guess most Hornet Accelerator pilots would like to practice landings with the AoA indexer NOT flashing ashore with the HOOK UP. I have to do this with 'the HOOK DOWN ashore' which I guess is no big deal.

I stress that the AoA indexer lights should NOT flash to be usable. Of course the combination of indexer lights will change. However when these lights are 'flashing' the indexer is basically unusable. 

[SUBS17]

Well the question is does the real F/A-18 AoA flash? If it does then it is doing what it should be doing.

[SpazSinbad]

Fair assertion. However how about adding a "hook bypass switch" or similar so that the AoA indexer will not flash when the hook is up for FCLP? Mindlessly sticking to a reality in a sim is silly IMHO when there are not other 'reality switches' to make up 'sim reality' as we see here.

I'll state my point again. Not being able to land the Hornet Accelerator without the hook down - without having the AoA indexer flashing - is a major problem for a Naval Aircraft IMHO.

[burner12]

You would have to give the URL for a Hornet launch showing the burner being lit sometime after catapulting. To my knowledge I have seen only catapults with the burner already lit before launch - not during.

you said you wanted a url to show a hornet lightin' the burners down the cat well here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlqHqwT0md8

One comm response to pilots from the LSO is beacon lock on, I've lways wondered does that mean I have you insight and what does CCB stand for?

[SpazSinbad]

FWIW IMHO what you see is a NON burner [OR not in full burner] catapult. We just see the flame cans in non (or part) burner at about the point of this screenshot as the round rear of the engine exhausts becomes visible to our viewpoint. The burner is not being lit during the launch - it has been lit since beginning at whatever level it is (or not lit). The burner can be lit at any time though but not in this catapult. To me it is a non issue anyway. There is flexibility about it with perhaps an emphasis on using the burner for safety reasons as the APPROACH article explains earlier. Maybe for CarQuals with a light fuel load for successive arrests and landings a burner catapult is overkill. Otherwise at ordinary launch weight the burner is useful or required. There are many variables about this issue it would appear.

GOOD STUFF HERE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_US_Navy_carrier_air_operations

ALL ABOUT JPALS here: http://acast.grc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/icns/2002/09/Session_D2-4_Wallace.pdf

PALS beacon?:
FROM CV NATOPS: "5.4.11.2 Aircraft in Company. An aircraft with navigation and/or communication equipment inoperative in the company of an escort aircraft with navigation and communication equipment in working order will be handled as a single aircraft in the recovery procedure.
The escort aircraft becomes the flight leader and will visually communicate with the distressed aircraft in accordance with standard aircraft NATOPS procedures.
The distressed aircraft will assume a position on the starboard wing of the lead aircraft. Transition to landing
configuration should be made clear of clouds either above or below the overcast as desired. The controller
shall be advised when this transition does/will occur.
When the lead aircraft has the OLS in sight, he will visually communicate a lead change and break off to the left.
The distressed aircraft will continue a visual approach to landing. The escort aircraft will parallel the final
bearing course and maintain a position so as to be easily acquired and be rejoined by the distressed aircraft in the event of a bolter or waveoff. Unless otherwise directed, the escort aircraft will repeat the above procedures until the distressed aircraft is recovered and then continue normal procedures for his own recovery.
WARNING
If the address of the escorted aircraft is inserted in the PALS, the escorted aircraft will receive needle information. However, the SPN-42/SPN-46 radar may be locked onto the lead aircraft. When the lead aircraft
breaks away on OLS acquisition, this may give the escorted aircraft an erroneous “fly down, fly right” presentation on the needles.
The displayed error may become progressively larger as both aircraft close on the ship regardless of the approach actually being flown by the escorted aircraft. In order to reduce the potential for this to occur the PALS final controller should instruct lead aircraft “beacon off,” wingman “beacon on” and then select “beacon lock only” on the SPN-42/SPN-46 console."
&
"11. PALS radar beacon-equipped aircraft parked or taxiing aft of the island shall have the beacon switch in off or standby position during recovery operations. Aircraft preparing for launch shall delay PALS beacon self-test until forward of the island or airborne."
ABOVE From CV NATOPS: http://www.skyhawk.org/specials/cv-natops-21oct99.pdf (1999)
See also:
LSO NATOPS manual: http://www.navyair.com/LSO_NATOPS_Manual.pdf (2001)
&
http://www.robertheffley.com/docs/CV_environ/00-80T-104--LSO%20NATOPS.pdf (1997)
&
http://www.vaw120.navy.mil/NATOPS/UE_Instructions/LSO%20NATOPS.pdf (2007)

CCB? Dunno. Configuration Control Board is one possibility. [If you can give a sentence or two for context of the use of CCB that may help to find the meaning of it online.]