DmitriKozlowsky Posted April 3 Posted April 3 Can anyone shed light why Navy dies not use short version of fixed wing landing pattern for helicopter deck landing? I get why port side approach is for LHA, due size of deck. On CVN no such constraint. There is plenty of room to land helicopter in landing area, and have rotors clear the spotted aircraft. Then taxi to good area for shutdown. Also it would be nice for supercarrier deck crew to not ignore landed helicopters. Nicer still, have carrier LSO direct which spot to land helicopter on CVN deck.
Nealius Posted April 3 Posted April 3 (edited) Helo landing spots are on the port side of CVNs as well. I believe there's one somewhere between cats 1 and 2, but most are on the port side along the angled deck. They're shaped somewhat like a T with a number. IIRC LSO does not direct helos, the airboss does. They pass astern, fly up the port side to their assigned parking spot, match speed with the moving carrier, then slide over and land so that the horizontal part of the T marking is passing under the pilot's butt. It's been a while since I read and tried the procedure but it more-or-less flows like that. Edited April 3 by Nealius 2
Jackjack171 Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago On 4/3/2025 at 3:51 AM, DmitriKozlowsky said: Can anyone shed light why Navy dies not use short version of fixed wing landing pattern for helicopter deck landing? I get why port side approach is for LHA, due size of deck. On CVN no such constraint. There is plenty of room to land helicopter in landing area, and have rotors clear the spotted aircraft. Then taxi to good area for shutdown. Also it would be nice for supercarrier deck crew to not ignore landed helicopters. Nicer still, have carrier LSO direct which spot to land helicopter on CVN deck. Just to piggyback @Nealius the aft Spot 7 on elevator 3 could be used but takes a bit of coordination. What DCS needs is an active/functional LSE (Landing signal enlisted). The only time I've seen Helo's use the angle is after the last aircraft has trapped for the night (final, final). 2 DO it or Don't, but don't cry about it. Real men don't cry!
Recommended Posts