Some 'well-known' material from LSO NATOPS manuals is included with new 'engineering' as well as a 'pilot how to guide' for carrier landings included in this sometimes baffling (engineering stuff) PDF:
OUTER-LOOP CONTROL FACTORS FOR CARRIER AIRCRAFT Robert K. Heffley - 1 December 1990
http://robertheffleyengineering.com/docs/CV_environ/RHE_NAV_90_TR_1.pdf (0.9Mb)
"STABILITY AND CONTROL, AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE, FLYING QUALITIES, CARRIER AIRCRAFT, GLIDESLOPE
CONTROL, PILOT-IN-THE-LOOP, MANUAL CONTROL"
&
"Outer-loop control factors are those qualities that affect the pilot's ability to regulate manually glideslope,
angle of attack, and lineup during the final approach. This report concentrates on the first two, glideslope
and angle of attack. The objective is to identify the crucial attributes that ensure effective outer-loop
control, then to examine how well existing design requirements address such attributes. A combination of
flying qualities and performance requirements applies to this area, including MIL-F-8785C, MIL-STD-
1797A, and the Navy's approach-speed criteria. First, the report reviews the topic in terms of historical
background, discusses the technical approach, and previews the analytical tools to be applied. Second, it
gives the status of outer-loop control, including a description of the carrier landing task, existing aircraft
characteristics, and some data describing in-flight simulated carrier approaches. A description follows
that contains math model components of the task, the aircraft, and the pilot. The main section of the report
presents a series of analyses that are useful in pinpointing crucial outer-loop control features. The final
section gives conclusions and recommendations for implementing results. The technical approach applies linear-systems analysis methods to low-order dynamics, mainly first- and second-order. The time domain
is used to portray most results. The assumption of pitch-attitude constraints simplifies analysis by
partitioning away higher-order dynamics of the flight control system and aircraft pitching-moment
equations. This permits full appreciation of the role of aircraft lift, drag, and control or engine lag
influences on outer-loop dynamics. Based on a system view of the pilot-vehicle-task combination, the
relevant outer-loop control factors include: (i) Steady-state flightpath authority, (ii) short-term flightpath
response, (iii) cue availability, (iv) safety margins, (v) commensurate amounts of pitch and thrust control,
(vi) control quickness, (vii) established technique, and (viii) quality or shape of response. Current design
requirements do not address effectively short-term flightpath response, control quickness, established
technique, and quality of response. Analysis of the Navy popup maneuver shows it to be mainly
dependent upon the margin from stall. One device for examining multiple aspects of outer-loop control is
the “last significant glideslope correction.” It is an analytically-generated spatial envelope that bounds the
maximum amplitude of a glideslope correction as a function of range from the ship. The method explores
various outer-loop control factors and underlines the importance of short-term response and control
quickness for glideslope control. Based on the analytical results, it is necessary to expand and better
quantify currently-used design requirements to include those factors crucial to the carrier landing task. A
combination of manned simulation and in-flight verification can do this best."
