Need help with VFR Landings

[Vespula]

Hi, i am currently practicing VFR break landings in the F-18. I am following the rule that during the break, the G's should be 1% of airspeed (3.5 G's for 350 knots). It always makes me end up around 0.8nm from the airport, which causes me to always overshoot the runway on the final turn. Is there a better way to do the break?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Vespula

[dmatsch]

define "overshoot".   Are you making a full 180' turn after the break, then attempting to land?

Sounds like you're not observing the downwind leg of the final.  After the 1%G turn to reciprocal heading, fly 2-5 NM downwind, past the runway, THEN turn on final.  

Approach patterns are all in the airport data card on your kneeboard.

[Cepheus76]

I usually line up the horizon line on the HUD just inside of the outermost "bird slicer" antenna on the nose. As the aircraft slows down and can't maintain altitude at that bank angle any more, I ease of the bank. This puts me normally between 1.2 and 1.4 nm abeam the carrier/ runway. Turning base with an bank angle of around 30 degrees when passing the runway end should get you on the centreline. 

[TimRobertsen]

1%G usually doesn't work out.

Check this one out.

The brake is slow and steady, which makes it easy to follow along on the indication on the instruments.

 

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to mention that this puts you at about 1.5-1.6nm off the centerline. I'm not sure it that is standard for shore-landings, I think I got that from Growler Jams. Check out his youtube channel, he has got many in-cockpit videos of shore and carrier landings.

If you want 1.2nm off centerline, just check out some of my carrier landings videos:) Hope this helps:)

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by TimRobertsen

[Foka]

1% rule didn't work for me. Think of it as a general guideline, not strict rule. Test, try different parameters, learn to observe surroundings outside the cockpit - it's VISUAL not INSTRUMENTAL landing.
And remember that everything will change with wind. Airfield is not a carrier, you won't always have close to perfect wind.

[CBStu]

95% of my landings are on the carrier but the 1% didn't work for me either. My initial 180 deg turn is at 30deg bank. As I run the downwind leg the tacan readout gives me distance from the boat or landing strip. My final 180deg turn will be at a bank angle correlated w/ the tacan distance. 1.6 might = a 25deg bank. 1.2 might = 30 and 1.0 might = 32 bank. I also agree w/ dmatsch, run the down wind a little long so, if you don't come out of the 180 lined up, you have a bit of distance to correct it.

[Aquorys]

Not an F/A-18 guy, but VFR I just eyeball the distances. I fly runway heading, about 1500 ft above, do a 180 degrees turn (don't make that one too tight) then fly straight ahead until my wingtip roughly lines up with the end of runway, then execute the second 180 degrees turn with the nose pointed down about 3 degrees. You probably get a feeling for it after a while, and you remember what it looks like when everything is right.

[Viral-51st-Vfw]

I'd recommend watching jabbers case 1 (or similar) at around the 10 min mark.

In particular your initial break turn pull to 1% speed to g, do what ever angle of bank(aob) required but keep the meatball/fpm on the line. That should get you close to be able to dirty up, and progress to on speed aoa as you roll out. Pay particular attention when he mentions your horizontal distance from the tacan heading line (the runway heading for field)...I believe this can be referred to as cross track error. Someone please confirm that detail.

Then once you're on speed and at the approx cte distance, you final turn off downwind should get you close with 27 degree aob.

The only difference on the final turn for carrier (at the round down abeam) is for field I try to turn when the threshold is between 7 and 8 o'clock vs carrier 8 to 9 (or as jobbers mentions 9 o'clock minus 5 degrees). This is from the field should be stationary.

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[SickSidewinder9]

I just taper off the Gs faster after the initial 1% pull.  The initial pull and speed brake really bleed off the speed anyway.

Oh yeah, op,.are you using the speed brake?  That would make your pull taper more quickly too, even if you stayed bang on 1%.