ACLS

[liojet]

good morning

I'm flying F14 during night and during approach using autopilot I just realized glideslope is always below the real path

means I always hit carrier instead of grab wires

I thought it would have been fixed during the last patch

any news about this issue ?

best regards

[QuiGon]

Hmm, it worked fine for me when I tried it the last time about a month ago.

[Lykurgus]

22 hours ago, liojet said:

good morning

I'm flying F14 during night and during approach using autopilot I just realized glideslope is always below the real path

means I always hit carrier instead of grab wires

I thought it would have been fixed during the last patch

any news about this issue ?

best regards

As long as it was configured correctly it did tend to have you come in a little low. With all the changes recently to the Tomcat and the burble it could be the cause. In addition the glide slope on the SC is for the Hornet and not the Tomcat so that's an issue as well. 

 

What you should be doing anyways is decoupling from acls at a 1/4 mile minimum and flying the needles the rest of the way. This is how it was done in real life as well since the system had some problems and lack of confidence in it on final. 

[Baz000]

It says in the A model Natops that mode 1 and 1A  ACLS (full AP to trap/full AP to minimums and manual to trap) was prohibited from being used pending completion of the system for the Tomcat, as the system was in development.

Also, make sure your APC is set according to the OAT

So mode 2 (manual flying the needles down till ball acquired) was the maximum amount of pilot assistance available in the early Tomcat days.

[Baz000]

33 minutes ago, Lykurgus said:

As long as it was configured correctly it did tend to have you come in a little low. With all the changes recently to the Tomcat and the burble it could be the cause. In addition the glide slope on the SC is for the Hornet and not the Tomcat so that's an issue as well. 

 

What you should be doing anyways is decoupling from acls at a 1/4 mile minimum and flying the needles the rest of the way. This is how it was done in real life as well since the system had some problems and lack of confidence in it on final. 

Minimums in the A Natops I have says 200 ft agl and 1/2 mile visibility, if I remember right, the ball call should be asked by paddles at 3/4 mile... Also it does state paddles and CATC both have the ability to call waveoff and about a mile out paddles grabs control.

So, you need minimum visibility to the meatball of a half mile... You don't have that? It says to waveoff(and possibly divert)... It also says you need a minimum altitude of 200 ft agl... So if by 200ft in your decent flying the needles you don't see the meatball it also says to waveoff.

Just to clarify, the meatball is the yellow/red light that moves up and down in relation to your position on the glide slope... Not the row of green lights running horizontally (known as datum lights), this is a very important distinction to make!

The reason this is important to understand fully is that if you can't see the meatball light, generally 2 possibilities exist... You are either far too low or too high, in this case instead of saying ball your pilot would say CLARA (which is short for clarify I think) 

Another important point to make, the ship is not on the ocean surface... It is elevated some 60ft or so higher if the deck is stable and not pitching and heaving. 200ft AGL minimum is not a tremendous margin of error because you really only have about 140 ft actually to not crash into the boat!

140 ft to arrest your sink rate and climb to waveoff can go by so quickly. Don't chance it and take the waveoff to go around for another stab at it!

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Baz000

[Top Jockey]

After dealing with the only difficulty I had using the ACLS :

- when selecting ACL at the AWL modes for HUD and VDI (right panel), sometimes the needles remained stuck...

 

I've finally found the error in my procedures :

- ACL needles don't work without the DATALINK activated.

 

Another of the many Tomcat technicalities that I find interesting, as didn't have the slightest idea - I always thought having TACAN and ICLS correct channels / freqs selected was enough... it seems not.

 

[Q3ark]

Saw people we’re having problems with auto carrier landings, this video from RedKite might help. 
 

 

[Sacarino111]

On 11/23/2021 at 5:24 PM, Q3ark said:

this video from RedKite might help

"SIR" Red Kite, you meant?

Saludos.

Saca111