Stupid questions about Naval Aviation (Pt 2)

Other than SDO it'll be the first watch you're "qualified" for (here's the book, record the interval, don't suck - training complete) so it just rotates among the JO's who are not LSO's or standing SDO.

That makes sense, especially thinking about...

Thanks everyone, makes more sense now. I appreciate it.

Lest we forget, in port/anchorage, there was also Hanger Deck O, Flight Deck O, Shore Patrol O, and who can forget Boat O...(let's see...thats "Red Right Returning"...correct??) LOL!!

Wanted to make a lot of "A4s in the biplane" jokes, but it just wouldn't pan out. Nice pic...

Is CAG Paddles a full time job or do they still get to fly?

They still fly and usually get time in at least a couple platforms. We lost our Asst CAG LSO, "Bird" Crane during ODS in an F/A-18

I remember seeing C-12s and T-44s come in for the break and it made me wonder---do you P-3 guys fly the break? Or is it mainly downwind entries and straight-ins for y'all?

No, sadly, we don't fly the break any more. The last time I flew one was March or April of 2009 on deployment. Then big Navy said we were stressing the airframes too much and put the kibash on it.

Our S-3 transitions love to tell us we never really flew the break, but I digress.

Sad, it was always entertaining to watch you guys do it up at Whidbey whenever I was there.

Lucky this came up in this thread...

What is the break?

I believe it's when you pull into a hover adjacent to the landing spot, and slide over.

The simple answer is it's a faster way to get aircraft to land. What that means is instead of flying an approach at fairly low speeds (140 to, say, 200 kts) and landing, like an airliner (or P-3, now, sadly) the aircraft can come in at higher speed, 250 to 400 kts, and in formation.

Found this video on youtube. It might be kind of gay due to being a video game tutorial but it's actually a pretty good description of what it looks like. Speeds, etc. for the F/A-18 I can't vouch for, but you get the idea.

^ These nerds should be writing courseware for CNATRA. Better than most of the stuff I remember furiously clicking through.

I guess the Blues are the only ones talented enough to break to the right

Naahhh! While fairly rare, some Military airfields have a right-hand pattern; i.e. NAS Lemoore is a right break on 32R or 14R when the normal landing runways 32L/14L are in other use (FMLP, Inst. Approach etc.).
BzB

Never knew jet guys weren't ambi-turners.

One of those fields has a weather observer in NORFOLK, VA that is writing the forecast and the other field doesn't get paid unless pilots land there.

Yep, and even lovely NAS Meridian had a right break for either of the right runways, in the unusual event that they were recovering (or bouncing) aircraft there instead of the left.

Go to their website and forums... Awesome.

Do helos or jets get more flight hours?

We break right when FCLPs are in progress too. And flying into CRP for weekend ops and what-have-you, the right break is fairly common.

Having done primary in Corpus, I'd imagine that taking a -45 into their pattern is a cluster. Props to you

Recent post and article mentioned CVW-7 returning to Virginia from cruise. The article specifically mentioned the 4 VFAs returning with 44 aircraft and 56 aircrew. What does the rest of the squadron do without its planes and most of its officers?

pack shit and play X-box