Immediate takeoff

[RideTheWind]

0 to 150 knots in 1 second, slick.

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/fa18/video/f18tailmov.htm

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/fa18/video/catotsmov.htm

What an awsome job to have.
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/fa18/video/f18lkbkmov.htm

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/fa18/fa18media.htm

 

[Steve]

Noticed that the pilot keeps his right hand on the canopy handle. Is the left hand on the controll stick or the throttle?

 

[Axel]

Throttle, but there is a rigid finger grip mounted fw of the throttle. Palm holding throttle up, fingers holding grip. Prevents acceleration from drawing the throttle and/or hand back.

 

[urflyingme?!]

I've read that the catapault officer(or whatever they're called) won't launch you unless he can see that you don't have your hand on the stick. Not sure why though....

 

[mattpilot]

I've read that the catapault officer(or whatever they're called) won't launch you unless he can see that you don't have your hand on the stick. Not sure why though....

the catapult is mounted to the nosewheel of the aircraft. If you have your hand on the control stick and you push it back (which will most likely happen during the catapult start), you will create some lift and raise the nosewheel out of the catapult. I'm sure you can see the problem with that.

 

[rumpletumbler]

Sometimes its fun when told to hold short by the tower and a G-IV or something similar is on short final to yell "Emergency Takeoff" into the mic and shove the throtte forward skidding onto the runway and cackling like a madman as the aforementioned a/c blasts you with their wake turbulence. If they don't go around then you get real emergency practice. Always have the student do it and then squawk 7500 as they are taking the active. If no one complains....then you remain on standby as you progress thourgh the temperance" phase and calculate everyones reaction.

 

[VNugget]

The Hornet's FBW system trims to 1G with the stick centered, and if there is a pitch input on the stick then the aircraft reacts accordingly. Well if there is a (inadvertant) pitch input on the stick (in the middle of the catapult shot) but the aircraft cannot pitch (since it's buckled down to the catapult) it will "recalibrate" (for lack of a better term) itself and assume that the new stick position is now supposed to command 1G... so when the plane leaves the catapult it might either pitch down and take a plunge, or pitch up and well.. take a plunge... with the new settings. So the pilots don't touch the stick during the shot so as to avoid any inadvertant input.

I forgot where I read that and I might not have it exact, but it goes something like that.

 

[flyifrvfr]

I think the F/A-18 is the only carrier based fighter that gets a hands-off cat shot. The F-14 is hands-on as are the others.

 

[Jim]

There are some F/A-18 drivers on the board that can talk about this better than me but...

VNugget has it right. The F/A-18 is very sensative to over-rotation/PIO during cat shots. The pilot is required to have his hand off the stick and allow the aircraft computer fly the plane throughout the catshot and until a specific AOA is obtained (usually immediately after clear of the deck). I believe there were a few planes lost during testing and intial fleet introduction due to this tendency.

I was the Officer of the Deck on the TR once during carrier quals for the F/A-18 RAG. There was a former A-7 driver going to a Hornet squadron as the XO. In the A-7, the pilot basically buried the stick into his gut for the cat shot. On his very first F/A-18 cat shot, this XO-to-be had his hand on the canopy as the cat stoke began but almost immediately grabbed the stick as he had done for 700 or so A-7 cats. The F/A-18 made a wobbly climb almost striaght up, managed to complete a loop and came like a spear straight down for the carrier's deck. The carrier CO and I simultaneously yelled for right 30 degrees rudder and flank speed. We managed to turn the carrier enough that the plane missed the port side by about 75 feet and slammed into the water abeam the the island. The XO-to-be punched out at the top of the loop and confessed all. He went on to finish F/A-18 transition and eventually commanded a squadron. Many F/A-18 drivers think he should have been booted, but the Navy said that after 700 some A-7 cats, they understood it was a hard habit to break.

 

[Jim]

the catapult is mounted to the nosewheel of the aircraft. If you have your hand on the control stick and you push it back (which will most likely happen during the catapult start), you will create some lift and raise the nosewheel out of the catapult. I'm sure you can see the problem with that.

The nose gear has a fitting that is connected to the catapult by a shear pin (layman's term - I forgot the actual name). It is not possible to raise the nose wheel out of the catapult shuttle. At the end of the cat stroke when the shuttle stops, the plane continues and breaks the pin.

 

[Quillpig]

The carrier CO and I simultaneously yelled for right 30 degrees rudder and flank speed. We managed to turn the carrier enough that the plane missed the port side by about 75 feet and slammed into the water abeam the the island.

Based on the relative maneuverability of an aircraft carrier versus an F18, you probably could have yelled for left 30 degrees rudder and full reverse and the plane would have missed the port side by about 75 feet.

 

[Weasil]

nice videos! Thanks for the link

 

[Whirlwind]

Based on the relative maneuverability of an aircraft carrier versus an F18, you probably could have yelled for left 30 degrees rudder and full reverse and the plane would have missed the port side by about 75 feet.

Perhaps, but from videos and pictures that I've seen, aircraft carriers are more maneuverable than you give them credit for.

The most impressive video I've ever seen was a carrier with an empty deck doing a high speed hard turn. The deck was probably banked 20 degrees over, which is probably why it was empty during the test.

 

[Jim]

Based on the relative maneuverability of an aircraft carrier versus an F18, you probably could have yelled for left 30 degrees rudder and full reverse and the plane would have missed the port side by about 75 feet.

NO, because the extra "prop wash" from the ships propellers when they intially speed up significantly increases the flow of water across the rudders and therefore their effectiveness of the rudders (and rate of turn). What I did fail to mention was that once the ship started turning, the rudders were shifted (reversed to left 30 degrees) to swing the stern the opposite way (but the Captain now had the Conn. When he gave the orders simulatenously with me, he assumed it by default and gave all manuevering orders from that point on.) This effectively shifted the ship sideways in the water allowing the plane to miss.

Full reverse with an aircraft carrier going forward at 20 knots would slow it down and make it less manueverable. The "prop wash" would be going away from the rudders, making less flow accross them and significantly decreaing its turning ability.

 

[Jim]

Perhaps, but from videos and pictures that I've seen, aircraft carriers are more maneuverable than you give them credit for.

The most impressive video I've ever seen was a carrier with an empty deck doing a high speed hard turn. The deck was probably banked 20 degrees over, which is probably why it was empty during the test.

Exactly. You have to be careful when aircraft are not chained down. During those periods, we limited the heel to 3 degrees to keep them from slidding around. Even when they were tied down, we kept it limited unless we were doing drills or had an emergency.

During the Hornet incident, we did have some minor damage to two aircraft from their slidding around and bumping wingtips. Luckily the deck is mostly empty during carrier quals as they trap and cat as quick as possible and the air wing is not onboard.

 

[EagleRJ]

I've also seen the video of the carrier making the hard turn. I believe they only do that during the proving runs after the carrier is launched and fitted out. They make a number of extreme maneuvers to make sure the carrier can take it.

Like Jim said, you wouldn't want to do that with planes in the hangar deck or on the flight deck.

 

[Whirlwind]

I've also seen the video of the carrier making the hard turn. I believe they only do that during the proving runs after the carrier is launched and fitted out. They make a number of extreme maneuvers to make sure the carrier can take it.

Like Jim said, you wouldn't want to do that with planes in the hangar deck or on the flight deck.

If you did, the airplanes on the flight deck would not remain there.