vLSO Beta release

[Paddles]

Ok, here's the results of my quick investigation of external lights. The aircraft tested are: the Acceleration/Sludge  F18, the FSXBA F18, the F14 and T45 (both Dino's)

Lights	F18	F18BA	F14	T45
Strobe	+	+	+	+
Landing	+	+	+	+
Taxi	-	+	+	+
Beacon	+	+	-	+
Nav	+	+	+	+
Logo	-	-	+	+
Wing	-	-	+	+
Recognition	+	+	-	-

As you can see, there's no uniformity in using the lights and various modelers use them differently.
For example, both F18s use strobe lights as formation lights, whereas both Dino's aircraft use logo lights for this purpose. Both F18s use nav and recognition lights simultaneously (bound to one cockpit switch). The FSXBA F18 toggles both landing and taxi lights when you toggle its landing light switch...

That being said I'll have to check ALL these 8 lights' state to make sure the pilot turned his lights off after a successful night trap.

Now to LSO comments. I guess that (S.LUIC) means "a little settle on lineup in close", not "slow on line up in close", which is something different 

[SpazSinbad]

OK I follow the 'settle' (S) rather than 'slow' (SLO). I did not check. The 'settle' on 'lineup in close' makes sense in that if a little power is not added (then taken off again and etc.) during the lineup then the aircraft will settle - power is required to allow for the loss of lift due wing waggle on lineup. I'll guess the parentheses are around the entire shorthand (example) including e.g. but whatever. 

[Paddles]

Spaz,
...I noticed when my friend sent me his LSO score, looks like LSO short hand is different then currently implemented in vLSO. Looks like the LSO's grade includes deviations with the approach position all in one blurb, so (HIC), not (H)IC.

Paddles, is it possible to update this shorthand? Not sure if it is even possible.

I remember we were discussing this back in 2011...
One of the reasons of this current implementation of shorthand is perhaps an excessive verbosity of LSO comments. Something like this H_LUL_(SLO)IM is still possible, that's why IM portion is moved out of () blurb... I'm not happy with this either and I'd like to add more 'brains' to the program, so it would produce more reasonable (NEP)IM or (NEPIM)

[Paddles]

http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/deptStory.asp?dep=3&id=75777 

[GOONIE]

Now to LSO comments. I guess that (S.LUIC) means "a little settle on lineup in close", not "slow on line up in close", which is something different  

Paddles,
Roger that on the lights, thanks for checking. I guess you could just check the Nav and Strobe lights (consistent across all aircraft) as a start, better then nothing. I understand the aircraft might still have other lights on, but those are two main ones to check.

Also, my bad on the S.LUIC. That makes more sense, but leads to another question; vLSO calls a lot of "don't settle" on my approaches, but I have never seen a settle note in the debrief shorthand. Is that correct?

GOONIE

[Paddles]

...vLSO calls a lot of "don't settle" on my approaches, but I have never seen a settle note in the debrief shorthand. Is that correct?

Correct.
Bear in mind its a beta. A lot to improve and change... 

[GOONIE]

Roger that Paddles, it is already a fantastic program even if it is only beta. Thanks again for all you do for the flight sim community. 

GOONIE

[SpazSinbad]

The most recent NFO training PDF has LSO Radio calls - their meaning/response which may be helpful.

FROM: http://www.cnatra.navy.mil/pubs/folder5/NFO_SNFO/P-816.PDF

[pyroperson87]

Spaz how the HELL do you manage to find all this stuff?!  That doc is a freakin gold mine of information! Really enjoyed reading about the holding patterns and entry to the CV pattern during Case 1.  I never knew any of how that was done until now.  Pretty cool!

[SpazSinbad]

'pyro' I'm glad you enjoy the info. Over the last decade (yes that is correct) on and off I have been researching 'how to deck land' yesterday, today and tomorrow - ever since I was able to access the internet reliably (now via broadband which makes things very easy compared to slow dialup speeds). WhY? Because I'm interested and because I have been working over this same time to make a PDF (available online along with a separate 'how deck land' which is also in the A4G PDF) about the history of the RAN FAA A4G Skyhawk. My searching / interest takes me all kinds of places - including here because ever since MsFlightSim has been available I have looked for some decent NavAv aircraft/carriers. At last FSX Accel made these available along with the excellent free aircraft from Dino Cattaneo such as the Goshawks T-45C - which is like an A4G - easy to fly, single engine etc. with no fancy doodads. An A4G was all manual as they say - nothing fancy but really good at carrier approaches with just the age old simple technique of 'meatball - line up - and airspeed (Opt AoA)'. 

Always the material online has been free to download. Some people respond by sending me or pointing to new / better information which is then included and so the PDFs are updated every now and then. Currently I'm working on recasting the A4G/How to deck land PDF by deleting all the non NavAv material (including those AirForce Skyhawk users mostly). This will take some time. However the 'how to deck land' notes may be updated soon when I get around to it. 

I had the T-45C material in the PDF ever since it started because it quite adequately explains the basics very well. However keep in mind the A4G/RAN FAA Fixed Wing PDF necessarily had to concentrate on the Skyhawk so a lot of 'extra' NavAv material was not included. Hence a separate 'NavAv' PDF (which includes a lot of A4G/Skyhawk material because now you know why). 

SkyDrive from Microsoft was renamed 'OneDrive' the other day so I guess I should change my sig - below. Go there or GoogleDrive.

[GOONIE]

just found this gem. LSO School 

[GOONIE]

Paddles,

How does vLSO decide whether to issue an informative, advisory, and imperative call? Just curious after reading the Spaz's recent post on LSO calls.

GOONIE

[SpazSinbad]

'Goonie' thanks. That NAN story is an example of what is in the 'how to deck land' or the 'A4G/RAN FAA Fixed Wing' PDFs. There is a ton more stuff about LSOs and how to deck land over the years and future years in these PDFs ('how to deck land basic material the same in both). There are several 'how to deck land' PDFs - larger/smaller - for download convenience. I could put a huge list of URLs to some of the material found online that is in the PDFs however since a decade has passed for some of it (including the NAN story) some of the links do not work now and the material is no longer available online. For example the old 'LSO Reference Manual' is not online but is for sale. 'Sludge' used to have it on his old website for download (the 1999 Rev.B version) however it is not there now. That's the internet. It seems the US Military has taken a lot of material offline these days for 'security' reasons (whatever they may be) including sadly the APPROACH Magazine website. Perhaps this site is available to US users but it has not been available in my part of the world now for some time - along with other formerly available USN sites/PDFs/material including stuff from VX-23 such as their excellent newsletters and what have youse.  

[SpazSinbad]

In the olden tymes Microsoft was flogging ESP - an adjunct, more expensive - for FSX but it went nowhere as I recall. A demo video was made and here is the carrier landing demo with AI LSO:

[upilote]

Hello Paddles, thanks for your great work.

Two small questions on beta 0.800 :
1/ LIG
I thought LIG is only for CASE I recoveries but I was able to get ones on CASEII/III traps. Intended ?
By the way, does vLSO take the WOD/APPR SPEED in consideration for the LIG ?
For exemple, optimum WOD being 25kt (aircraft depending?), could a tolerance be applied when current WOD is much higher ?

2/ Manual Ball Call
Is there a angle limitation for vLSO to detect the Manual Ball trigger ?
I mean, could one call the ball as soon as "at 45" or should the plane be in a narrower aspect angle ?