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landing on an aircraft carrier

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It has certainly become safer as the equipment we fly improves, however there are still plenty of situations out there to raise your pucker factor.

The SPN-41, or "Bullseye" as we know it, is very similar to a civilian ILS and is flown in the same mannor. Although one would think that an ILS is very precise (and it is for most situations) on the carrier there is also an even more precise approach utilizing the SPN-42, or "Needles". It does indeed allow the pilot to couple the aircraft to the system (if you fly an F-18) and automatically land the aircraft. Other aircraft are not able to couple to the system based on limitations in the auto-pilots of those aircraft.

I just hit my 600th trap 4 days ago and I have yet to do a coupled landing. There is no way I'm going to let some system do my work for me. As a former LSO I have witnessed some coupled passes that you can not see any deviations in the aircrafts glide slope. I have also seen the system try to fly a guy into the round down. Just the other night I saw a Super Hornet manage to "save" a coupled pass. He "clicked out" when the system tried to fly him into the island. He ended up landing about 15' right of centerline and just about took out 3 aircraft and pilots parked along the foul line. Scary!
 
rhinodriver said:
Just the other night I saw a Super Hornet manage to "save" a coupled pass. He "clicked out" when the system tried to fly him into the island. He ended up landing about 15' right of centerline and just about took out 3 aircraft and pilots parked along the foul line. Scary!

Did he need a crow bar to get the seat cushion out of his ass after that one? Yikes...
 
some pretty good video...couldn't open the F14 missed.

The BEST one I have EVER seen, is an Intruder going missed off the angled deck...

guess the pilot thought he caught the wire, then realized he didn't, and added power 'just a bit too late'.

The A6 disappeared from the camera shot as it sunk below the deck, then you see the two guys eject...

then a moment later the A6 emergers and flys away...

that really is priceless.

Anyone have a link?
 
RS6 said:
then a moment later the A6 emergers and flys away...

that really is priceless.

Saw a Tomcat that did the same thing. Tailhook snapped, they went trickling off the end, both ejected and the plane flies away in full blower. You can't however MMQB a desicion they had to make in about a second and a half. I'd rather eject and have the plane fly away, than stay with it and get run over by the ship/drown/die/you get the point.
 
SIG600 said:
I'd rather eject and have the plane fly away, than stay with it and get run over by the ship/drown/die/you get the point.

Heck ya! give it back to the tax payer. That would be my motto.
 

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