CAT & TRAP

[S]

So, for everyone out there who likes to do the whole carrier thing, what are your tips and tricks for nailing the alignment for the cats, and tips/tricks for getting that perfect trap every time?

 

I personally like to use the 1 & 2 cats where it's pretty easy to line up the weapon elevators just aft of the canopy bow before pressing 'U' to lock up.

 

On the landings (and I'm still pretty bad at getting my AoA and approach speed just right) I try to put the flight vector just beyond the arrestor cables to catch them on landing. I use VR so everything's a little blurry and I can't see the meatball, but that works for me 99% of the time!

 

 

Cheers!

[Kenan]

Planning and Theory is a great thing but in the end, it always comes down to practice...and practice..and...guessed it yet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice. :D

[raelias]

Just make sure to trim the aircraft on speed, make it a long final if you have to but dont do it wrong, dont overcorrect, if it looks bad go around and make another long final until you are good on it, then keep making shorter and shorter finals until you can start your base turn abeam to the ship

[Greyhound11]

Tip for cat alignment: your nose gear is a few feet behind you as the pilot, so while taxing perpendicular to the track, it will look like you overshoot it a few feet before you begin your turn, and then NWS HI into it. If you try to steer into it as if the nose gear was right below where your viewpoint is, you'll always miss it.

[David OC]

So, for everyone out there who likes to do the whole carrier thing, what are your tips and tricks for nailing the alignment for the cats, and tips/tricks for getting that perfect trap every time?

 

I personally like to use the 1 & 2 cats where it's pretty easy to line up the weapon elevators just aft of the canopy bow before pressing 'U' to lock up.

 

On the landings (and I'm still pretty bad at getting my AoA and approach speed just right) I try to put the flight vector just beyond the arrestor cables to catch them on landing. I use VR so everything's a little blurry and I can't see the meatball, but that works for me 99% of the time!

 

Cheers!

 

If you cannot see the meatball you could be to long in the groove, as I can see it quite well with a PD of 1.5. Make sure to turn in on the downwind when "abeam the stern" of the carrier. This only all works if the wind over deck is 25 to 30 kts, this can be a combination of wind and ship power. 20kts carrier plus 10 kts wind etc. The reason to also have this speed correct is because once you start the turn you can feel that it's to soon when it's not. The carrier is moving away from you and the wind is pushing you further away downwind too on the crosswind 90 deg, so hopefully when you roll out into the groove it's only around 18 seconds before landing. In other words think of the abeam turn in, as one continuous spiral down to the deck. 600ft downwind 500ft at 90 deg 300ft at the start of the groove.

 

The practice bit is the picture when at the 90, should I back off the 30 degree bank a little? Bring it back to 25 degrees for a bit then return to 30 so you hit the groove correctly at the same time controlling your descent rate to hit the groove at the correct height.:)

 

This is flown as close as possible, it's still only a guide tho, if you miss one fix the next position, that's the whole point of practicing this pattern and the navy practice this is when landing at airfields to keep the skills up for the boat.

 

Watch all Lex's video's too more than once;)

 

 

Also the VFA-113 STINGERS have some good info about this.

 

Here is the little invisible box in the sky your trying to enter for the start down the groove.

 

 

Also when practicing, leave the hook up and do a few touch and go's around the boat.

Edited September 7, 2018 by David OC