Roger Ball, good and not-so-good questions about the world of "Paddles"

[Recovering LSO]

I'll answer the first one and let you repost the other's to another thread (perhaps "1,001 questions about...").

First tour pilots (JO's) are squadron pilots. Being an LSO is a collateral for them. A typical first tour JO pilot/LSO could be the squadron schedule writer, or NATOPS officer, or a maintenance division officer. If he's in a single seat squadron then he probably has about half a dozen other collaterals as well. If he earns the requisite quals during his first tour, and desires to do so, he can go to the training command or FRS to wave students. This would be his first shore tour. If while during this tour he earns the requisite qual he is eligible for a CAG paddles job. Not everyone who earns the quals gets one of these jobs. If he gets hired to be a CAG LSO, then this will become his primary duty while underway. He is now one of two (in one case, three) dudes on the boat who is responsible for the safe and expeditious recovery of every fixed wing aircraft. He works operationally for the captain of the ship though his boss is still CAG. He is also responsible for the training of all the younger (first tour) LSOs that work for him as well as the training of any struggling pilots. Hope that helps.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Trust me, it's been addressed in the open and through proper channels. They're young, they're learning - enough said.

Brett

Were the complaints based on procedural shortcomings or disagreements over how passes were called and graded? Were the problems with your squadron LSOs or the CAG LSOs? Knowing your current squadron's 1310 makeup, I suspect its the later? Not a dig at those guys personally - but they're very young and don't have a lot of time around the boat. I know your current CAG paddles very well, waved a blue water cert with him, and would be surprised to hear that anyone had issues with him personally or procedurally.

 

[Lazergazer]

I'll answer the first one and let you repost the other's to another thread (perhaps "1,001 questions about...").

First tour pilots (JO's) are squadron pilots. Being an LSO is a collateral for them. A typical first tour JO pilot/LSO could be the squadron schedule writer, or NATOPS officer, or a maintenance division officer. If he's in a single seat squadron then he probably has about half a dozen other collaterals as well. If he earns the requisite quals during his first tour, and desires to do so, he can go to the training command or FRS to wave students. This would be his first shore tour. If while during this tour he earns the requisite qual he is eligible for a CAG paddles job. Not everyone who earns the quals gets one of these jobs. If he gets hired to be a CAG LSO, then this will become his primary duty while underway. He is now one of two (in one case, three) dudes on the boat who is responsible for the safe and expeditious recovery of every fixed wing aircraft. He works operationally for the captain of the ship though his boss is still CAG. He is also responsible for the training of all the younger (first tour) LSOs that work for him as well as the training of any struggling pilots. Hope that helps.

Thanks, 129Paddles, it helped a lot.

So first tour guys are the squadron LSOs? They wave their own platforms only? Is there a difference between CAG LSO and Air Wing LSO? Are they both LSOs on their 2nd sea tours? I assume not all squadron LSOs go on to be LSOs on their 2nd sea tours.

 

[Brett327]

Were the complaints based on procedural shortcomings or disagreements over how passes were called and graded? Were the problems with your squadron LSOs or the CAG LSOs? Knowing your current squadron's 1310 makeup, I suspect its the later? Not a dig at those guys personally - but they're very young and don't have a lot of time around the boat. I know your current CAG paddles very well, waved a blue water cert with him, and would be surprised to hear that anyone had issues with him personally or procedurally.

Nothing to do with grades and not personal. We can take it to PM if you want to talk specifics.

Brett

 

[Catmando]

Throughout my aviation career - military and airline - I have had too many external individuals trying to climb into my cockpit, and try to fly my airplane. Unless the situation is exigent or safety related, it has always been unwelcome and wrong, if not downright offensive!

As Pilot in Command and the one who signs for the aircraft and flight, it is I who will be the one who decides what I will personally transmit, and what I delegate to my partner to transmit.

If I want to call the ball personally, fine; if I want to delegate it to my RIO, fine.

Ain't no body's business but mine. Do not try to undercut my authority. Stay out of my wheelhouse! It was, and should be my decision as Pilot in Command, not somebody who wants to interfere with that authority for variously personal or unsubstantiated opinions.

I always wisely followed LSO commands on approach, IAW CV NATOPS and SOP. But I will be damned if an LSO climbs into my cockpit and tries to tell this Pilot in Command how to run my internal cockpit and crew coordination preferences.

Fortunately, this has become a moot point, as I understand it. But it should be a "teaching" experience for many.

 

[bruinmedic]

Is it required for CAG Paddles or the CAG to be qualified in more than one type of aircraft in the air wing? And if they are qualified in more than one type, do they maintain currency for all types through out the cruise?

 

[Recovering LSO]

It is not required, but most maintain a qual in two. It is encouraged for all LSOs to cross train in another platform, however due to budget constraints that rarely happens. On cruise, CAG LSOs usually fly two platforms - but that really depends on the make up of the squadrons in the airwing and the make up of the other pilots on the CAG staff.

 

[Recovering LSO]

HELP. Looking to get my hands on a set of WWII/Korean War era paddles - not some old guys, but the actual paddles that they used to "wave" the airplanes. I suspect IF I were able to find any its gonna cost my first born. Ebay and amazon have been scoured. Any other ideas or contacts?

Need (notice this is a need and not a want) these to hang behind the bar in my "man room".

 

[BigIron]

Goes back to older boats, specifically Kitty, that are no longer in service. Kittyhawk did not have some important interlocks that Nimitz class boats possess. These interlocks make early fires physically impossible (theoretically). Early in Kitty's tenure many pilots were sent off the pointy end before they were ready/expecting the shot. As a real time ORM measure they decided collectively that when given the "take tension" signal from Top Side Petty Officer that they would go to mil power. See, this most recent change isn't really a change at all. You were always supposed to wait for green lights (mil power), amber lights (combat/burner), and/or the run up signal from the shooter. The signal from the TSPO is just the indication that the catapult is in tension and tells the 18 year old kid to check that the launch bar is properly seated. Again though, guys on Kittyhawk began going to full power at the signal from the TSPO, this eventually permeated the whole fleet and just became "the way". When Kitty went away a reexamination of catapult procedures was initiated and it was decided that "the way" was putting the 18 year old kid at undue risk. The change was really just a way of getting back to the way it was always intended to work.

Any shooters here, please correct any inaccuracies or misspeaks, but I think this is fairly accurate.

FWIW, and to clarify, the order of hookup signals topside is the following:

Shooter initiates the hook up by telling the greenshirt (TSPO) at the shuttle to hook it up. The greenshirt verifies the holdback is seated in the buffer hooks and then points forward. The Aircraft Director (yellowshirt) who taxi'd the bird to the catapult will signal the pilot to throttle up based on the greenshirt pointing forward. At the same time, the other greenshirt in the catwalk presses a tension button and the shuttle strokes forward about a foot and traps the a/c launch bar into the shuttle. The TSPO checks the hook and runs out. The yellowshirt then passes control to the shooter once the greenshirt is clear. I've attached a clip of the whole evolution. I'm not sure how the Kitty was launching early.

 

[Recovering LSO]

FWIW, and to clarify, the order of hookup signals topside is the following:

I'm not sure how the Kitty was launching early.

Thanks for clarifying the answer for me Big Iron. The Kitty explanation is what the LSO school is putting out to their IFGT, AFGT and Air Boss courses. I'm pretty sure they had Force ALRE input for the brief.? At any rate, thanks for adding some first hand (shooter-eese) knowledge.

MIDNJAC, if you use your CAC to log onto the LSO School webiste you'll be able to download a pretty good brief that explains it all further, with pictures.

 

[MIDNJAC]

\MIDNJAC, if you use your CAC to log onto the LSO School webiste you'll be able to download a pretty good brief that explains it all further, with pictures.

Will do, thanks! I actually used to have a membership on their forum but I think they blocked me out a while back for inactivity or something....

 

[NightVisionPen]

I have a question for the LSOs. Who wants to be the first LSO to try out the Night Vision Pen for night waiving duties? Built in light and lanyard loop to tie it to your float coat. During August you can order a Night Vision Pen for a 30 day evaluation without paying anything.

 

[Paddles]

LSOs use pencils.

 

[Recovering LSO]

I have a question for the LSOs. Who wants to be the first LSO to try out the Night Vision Pen for night waiving duties? Built in light and lanyard loop to tie it to your float coat. During August you can order a Night Vision Pen for a 30 day evaluation without paying anything.

See PM.

 

[NightVisionPen]

Mostly, but not always. I used the Palm Pilot program for almost an entire deployment - hated that thing and I hope it has died. Of course someone probably has an app out now for the iPod Touch or iPhone. I know that I would have used a pen if it meant I didn't have to dork around with rigging a flashlight on my float coat, holding a small flashlight in my mouth or holding it with the same hand that was holding the book.