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Power, wave off, abort, $#%$, Eject!
- Thread starter Pitchlock
- Start date
That's how I got aboard, spot the deck, suck and chuck!!!
So, total nugget question but how does the ball compensate for the movement of the deck?
That would be my understanding of the point of the LSO, since the deck is pitching, he just eyeballs the plane (using references A4's talked about) and the glideslope ensuring it's right, and the ball just helps the pilot keep constant on the glideslope from his end?
Please correct if that's a GCE. Thanks.
That would be my understanding of the point of the LSO, since the deck is pitching, he just eyeballs the plane (using references A4's talked about) and the glideslope ensuring it's right, and the ball just helps the pilot keep constant on the glideslope from his end?
Please correct if that's a GCE. Thanks.
The lense (where the lights are located) is mounted on a gyro stabilized platform. It will compensate for deck movement, up to a certain extent at least. That way you can concentrate of flying the ball even with a pitching deck. However, paddles is there to give you sugar calls or even talk you down with the rate of deck pitch is severe. You will hear calls like "the deck is up, you're on glideslope....the deck is down, you're slightly high....etc". For those up to date paddles, please add or correct as necessary as it has been a while since my waving days.
For my 2 North Atlantic cruises, deck movement was so extreme that lens couldn't handle it so MOVLAS was used daily. They even used the starboard MOVLAS every once in awhile to get everyone's attention. Good thin about MOVLAS was if you responded to what you saw, then it was an OK machine. If you didn't respond, you got extra special attention from LSOs during debrief or a waveoff on your pass.
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
MOVLAS & IFLOLS?
What are they compared to an "OLS"...
What are they compared to an "OLS"...
"There I was" night MOVLAS recovery story from an "acquaintance"...and former Squadron and Wing LSO (written when he was in VF-32 before his Hornet transition), but the article written for Approach was likely penance for...well, read it and remember lessons learned
Lights Out, Baby
by Lt. Jeff Hart
Most, if not all, carrier aviators have seen or heard a plane return with their external lights off, only to be told, "Check your lights," by the LSOs. Soon thereafter, their external lights illuminate. What if both the aircrew and the LSOs make a mistake and don't realize what's happening?
I was on my second COMPTUEX, flying the F-14B. We were scheduled for a night target-acquisition hop north of Puerto Rico, with my nugget RIO and a nugget pilot on our wing. We detached our wingman as we approached marshal, using the radio and flashing our external lights. We then took a healthy cut-away and descended to our marshal altitude. The only problem was the exterior-lights master switch was left in the off position. It was a bright night, and, because I had turned my mirrors face down at night, I didn't notice the lack of exterior lights.
At push time, we heard over the radio, "99, MOVLAS recovery, MOVLAS recovery."
That night, ICLS was down, and ACLS only was single-channel. As it turned out, the aircraft in front of and behind us got ACLS needles, but we didn't. With the help of a new HUD, laser line-up, and a good self-contained CCA, we were on glide slope and lined up a little left at three-quarters mile. We called the ball, and paddles rogered our call, telling us, "You're lined up a little right."
Not realizing they simply didn't see our aircraft, I figured the LSO just had called the wrong direction, so I made a lineup correction to the right. As we approached centerline, paddles called, "You're approaching centerline."
We kept it coming on centerline, a little high, until we got waved off at the in-close position (inside one-quarter nautical mile). I waved off, thinking someone must have fouled the landing area. As we climbed, we got a call from our Tomcat rep, asking if we had a problem with our exterior lights. I looked back at the jet and, in awe, saw the lights were off. I checked the exterior-lights master switch and realized it was off. I turned on the lights and told the rep the switch had been off, but all external lights now were on. The next pass was an uneventful night landing.
Looking back at the night's events, I knew there was only one main cause to the problem: switchology. I should have realized the exterior-lights master switch was off.
Making things even worse were three minor but, together, very important factors. First, the aircraft's on-speed approach light was burned out. The approach light comes on independent of the exterior-lights master switch and would have been on if it had not burned out. This factor, combined with no position lights, meant the aircraft did not have a single light source.
Second, without an ACLS lock-on, the LSOs had no idea how far out we were until we were told by CATCC, "102, call the ball," without a distance. If our aircraft had an ACLS lock-on, the aircraft's distance would have been available at two different places on the platform.
Last, this recovery was one of the air wing's first night MOVLAS recoveries since our cruise. As such, the team lead and CAG paddles, the two most senior LSOs on the platform, focused their attention on MOVLAS. When we called the ball, the controlling (CAG paddles) and backup LSOs confused the Tomcat pilot calling the ball with another Tomcat at two miles. They began showing the MOVLAS-glide slope information and made lineup calls based on the other Tomcat's position, not ours.
It's not difficult to surmise if we had been low and paddles had shown a high-ball based on the Tomcat behind us, we would have made a power-off correction and would have flown toward the water-scary when you think about it.
What prevented an unsafe approach were the LSOs on the platform who were not on a pickle. Our squadron LSO realized something was wrong, and, with the aircraft approaching the ship, he yelled, "Wave him off! Wave him off!" The controlling LSO quickly hit the waveoff lights, and, a few seconds later, a big, loud, unlit Tomcat flew over the flight deck at 20 feet. These guys have my utmost respect for what they did.
What did I take away from this? I'm going to question everything and double-check every item on a checklist-in the air and on the platform. I'll try to keep the big picture, especially when I'm focused on a single task. Our air wing, especially all of our LSOs, learned lessons that night we will not forget.
"He always had a word of encouragement in a debrief for the nugget..."
"...who got his tail waxed in the air."
http://www.tailhook.org/bug.htm
"...who got his tail waxed in the air."
http://www.tailhook.org/bug.htm
Jesus Christ, you're like a student. If you close your cake hole for five minutes, you might learn something!
Brett
You're going to fly IFLOLS from here on out (I don't know of any ship that doesn't use the IFLOLS). Actually easier to fly, IMO, than the old system. You will also fly MOVLAS, for LSO/airwing practice and just maybe when needed (pitch decks where the IFLOLS can't keep up, etc).
"Bug"
Concur...a veritable Demigod if there ever was one. He was truly larger than life. For a decent writeup on his legacy, see: http://www.tailhook.org/bug.htm
Concur...a veritable Demigod if there ever was one. He was truly larger than life. For a decent writeup on his legacy, see: http://www.tailhook.org/bug.htm
