Latest edition of the USN LSO Newsletter has a page about FCLP (attached) from:
http://www.hrana.org/documents/PaddlesMonthlyMay2012.pdf (1.2Mb)
Back to the Basics: The Pattern"As a young student naval aviator in VT-22 flying FCLP’s for the first time, a wise LSO once told me that 80% of a good pass can be attributed to flying a disciplined pattern and getting to a good start. After that the monkey skills of “meatball, lineup, angle of attack” that are developed in FCLP’s take over for the remaining 20% of the pass. After years of flying behind the ship and waving students, I think there is still a lot of truth to that. Whether you believe those percentages or you have some of your own, we all agree as LSO’s that a good start generally leads to a good pass. Whether it’s “on and on” at ¾ mile at night or stabilized on glide slope and centerline and on speed rolling into the groove during the day.
Any Training qualified LSO in the FRS or CNATRA will tell you that you don’t really appreciate the intricacies of the day Case 1 pattern until you have to teach it on a regular basis. Whether a pilot is learning to land on the ship for the first time or learning a new aircraft, you can’t assume they know everything there is to know about the pattern and it’s our job as LSO’s to teach them. Numbers in the crosswind turn, downwind gouge for getting to a good abeam, a good instrument turn off the 180, numbers in the approach turn, etc. are all critical to getting to that good start window that we all expect.
From my experience in the fleet, the basics of the Case 1 pattern are sometimes glossed over by LSO’s because of the experience level in the squadron or the need to teach other advanced topics like Airwing SOP to nuggets. However, it’s never too late to review the pattern with your squadron or airwing to ensure your pilots stay predictable behind the ship and to keep bad habits from adversely affecting performance. I think the best time to do this is during workups when you are briefing FCLP’s to your ready rooms. Instead of just telling a joke and briefing course rules to and from the outlying field, FCLP briefs are a great opportunity to reinforce the basics. I guarantee that you will learn a thing or two about the pattern that you may have forgotten since your days in the training command or FRS and you will be a better LSO and pilot for it.
As always, job security is high for Wing qualified LSO’s in Meridian and Kingsville. If you like flying 2-3 times a day and waiving (sic)
then the Training Command is calling your name. Keep ‘em safe and off the ramp.
LCDR Jim “Notso” Breitenfeld CNATRA LSO (8 years and counting)"
