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Nat'l Geographic CVN-76
- Thread starter FastMover
- Start date
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
Was it to create more space by eliminating one barrier engine by the ability to use two of the arresting gear engines as a barrier engine?
USS Midway (CV-41) only had three wires. We often landed with two if a wire was stripped. Compared to the 4-wire carriers, our boarding rate was nearly identical.
On our ship, it was pretty much the norm!
Above posts are correct - arresting gear engines and the associated "piping" through which the purchase cables (the part that is below decks) take up a lot of room. (Approximately 1 ready room worth). There is also a slight reduction in manpower as each room requires a dude/dudette to man up at recovery stations and, of course, only 4 engines to do PMS on now instead of 5.
Cross Deck Pendants (CDPs) used to be good for 100 hits (minus extras for off center or heavy hits) but can be changed in about 2-3 minutes on a good ship. The purchase cables were good for a lot more (something like 750? anyone?) but changing them was a big pain. Think of lacing your shoe with a cable that weighs about 3 lbs/foot. Once they "lace" the engines, they have to pour the swage fittings at the end of the cable that the CDPs attach to. They take the end of the purchase cable, open up the steel strands, clean them with acid, and pour molten zinc (I think) into a socket that the end is seated in. That socket fits into the swage fitting which bolts to the CDP. A purchase cable change is about an 18 hour job, if the pours are done correctly. (Incidentally, when a wire breaks, the cause is usually a badly poured socket.)
Anyway, on RR, the purchase cables are good for more hits, therefore, they need less of them.
The IFLOLS can be adjusted (actually "rolled" but that is PHD level stuff) to target different HTDP (Hook Touch-Down points). Two problems: Move the THTDP aft decreases hook to ramp clearance. Move it forward and you take away available wires, which leads to more Bolters. It would also increase the glideslope. F-18C's used to pop maintenance codes for hard landings all the time, so we tried to not move the THTDP forward unless we had to. On a 4 wire ship, targeting on top of the 3 wire was usually as far fwd as we wanted to go.
Of course, you could always rig the MOVLAS, put the guy where you wanted him, and damn all that cursed technology!
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
All I can say is that it looked mighty nice on National Geographic HD...
EVERYTHING looks good in HD! I just got a new TV and only get one HD channel right now, its horrible. But since we're moving I'm not going to signup for a new service until we get settled at the next place.
^^ pretty much on target IRT the arresting gear PMS and manning. CDPs are good for 125 normal traps now. That stuff is tracked to a gnat's ass. Prifly guys ( Can LSO's adjust the lens on the platform?) can adjust the lens via a flat panel display.
For the uninitiated here, IFLOLS is the Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System pictured here:
MOVLAS is the Manually Operated Visual Landing Aid System. Really just a manual version of the IFLOLS operated by the LSO on the platform. Can be rigged in 3 different spots near the landing area.