Sooooooooooooooooooooo .... either you guys don't know the limits ........ or Mode 1 can't handle a significant pitchin' /rollin'/heavin' deck .... ???
Then .... thank God for small favors ..... and LSO's ....
Disclaimer: I might be way off.
I don't think LSO NATOPS has deck motion limits for Mode I approaches. Since it is run off of info derived from the SPN-46 (ACLS) radars you can expect similar deviations from a coupled hornet as from a proficient pilot flying accurate "Needles" (provided the auto pilot system is keeping up). The SPN-46 has pretty good stabilization modes but I think that is all controlled from the tower. The LSO can control the stabilization modes of the IFLOLS but that is not related at all to Mode I approaches (except that it could cause the pilot to uncouple if he sees large deviations on the lense). I think the problem will be that "Needles" info goes away the last few seconds before touchdown. In a mode I approach the aircraft does a "fly what you got" during this time. So if there are large deck motions this could lead to an unsafe situation. And again, even if there was "Needles" info all the way to touchdown there would definitely be situations where either the stabilization wasn't keeping up or the a/c couldn't make timely corrections.
Because of all this it should be left up to the controlling LSO during a pass to tell the pilot to uncouple and to the CVW LSO to tell all pilots "no mode I's" (based on their experience of what the Mode I is capable of and how much deck motion they have). Even on calm days/nights I've seen Mode I bolters and 1 wires, it's definitely not perfect.
For more on pitching deck do a search on "Bug" Roach or check out lsoschool.org.
Check disclaimer at top.