Welcome aboard the USS Eisenhower. I have been temporarily stationed on-board the Ike to help you adjust to the specific details of carrier ops in this task force. I will discuss a few discrepancies between your training and our procedures and cover a few tips your instructors may have left out.

For this tutorial, I am assuming you know how to fly your jet to any point in space and can maintain any speed or altitude parameters as commanded. You also should know how to read your HUD symbology, including your ILS. Landing in the F-22 during training is recommended because it is nimble, has special ILS gear, and can quickly get you out of trouble, but most of this discussion can be broadly applied to any aircraft. Differences for other aircraft are given where appropriate.

This presentation is driven by two major errors in our avionics software: one error in our flight control software, and two procedural mistakes in the USNF manual you received in flight training school. These are detailed below.

1.1 Avionics Errors

1.1.1 Navigation Waypoint Misalignment

As has been previously identified our navigational software does not correct for the Eisenhower's motion during the time span of your mission. Thus the Ike will be up to several miles away from her waypoint when you return from your sortie. Workarounds include locking the Ike up on your radar and/or using other ships in the fleet as reference points. The contractor (EA, Communications Division) will be notified.

1.1.2 Flight Path Indicator (FPI) Error

The Flight Path Indicator is a HUD symbol that is supposed to display your aircraft's velocity vector in relation to your pitch ladder. It should therefore be displayed above 0 degrees (the horizon) when your aircraft is ascending, on 0 when your aircraft is in level flight, and below 0 when your aircraft is descending. For example, if the FPI is at +3 degrees, you are climbing along a 3 degree slope.

All USNF aircraft HUD instrumentation fail to display the FPI properly when flying at low speeds with flaps in the down (deployed) position. In this configuration, the FPI may remain above 0 degrees even when the aircraft is rapidly descending. This instrumentation error has been the primary cause of several aircraft losses in recent months. This instrumentation anomaly is fully documented in the Appendix. The contractor (EA, Avionics Division) will be notified.

With flaps in the down (extended) position, all USNF aircraft flight control software severely disrupts fine throttle control of sink rate near landing speeds. With flaps in the up (stored) position, throttle changes produce fine, stable changes in sink rate. The contractor (EA, Aircraft Systems Division) will be notified.

1.3.1. The first major error to be encountered by the pilot during landing is that the typical approach speeds (where the HCP and FPI begin to separate) are grossly overstated. AOA effects described in the manual as occurring in the 150-180 kt range actually occur down at the 120-140kt range.

1.3.2. The second misrepresentation in the USNF manual discusses the Optical Landing System (meatball). In USNF, the Ike does *not* have a working meatball and it is doubtful it will be repaired before we get underway. Disregard any discussions of it at this time.

1.4. Landing Procedure Stages

There are three stages to landing on any type of runway: entering the pattern, configuring your aircraft for landing, and shooting your approach. If something goes wrong you may also have to wave off and try again via the Missed Approach pattern.

Entering the pattern involves approaching the Eisenhower from the marshall point some 10+ miles astern. As wing leader, you will always make your approach first, leaving your wingman at the marshall point to land after you.

Configuring your aircraft involves blowing down the gear and hook. You also need to slow yourself down to approach speed (AOA) and reset your HUD to Navigation mode.

The last stage of landing involves "shooting your approach." This is when you begin your final descent to the deck following the Instrument Landing System(ILS) beam.

Should you fail to catch the arresting wires, the Missed Approach Pattern will take you back around to the ILS beam to try again. 

2.0. Approach Pattern

The approach pattern starts at the marshall area about 10 miles astern the Eisenhower and proceeds all the way to the flight deck. Seen from above the carrier group:

Set your Nav gear to the "Return to Group" waypoint (or the second to last waypoint). This will guide you to the marshalling area. As noted above, there may be considerable error in its relative position to the carrier if you have been out on a long mission. However, it is still a good starting point for the landing pattern. Although you are instructed to descend to 4k ft. when heading to this waypoint, maintain an optimal combat altitude or endurance altitude and cruise speed until you get within 10 miles or so of the waypoint. It may help to lock up the Eisenhower on your radar for night/bad weather approaches on your way in. When you are in the vicinity of the group descend to 4k ft and slow to 300 kts. When you are within 1 mile of this waypoint, turn to the carrier waypoint and configure your aircraft to land.

You need to check how well the Nav system placed you into the pattern at this time. Look for the two Fast Combat Supply ships that trail the IKE at 3-5 miles. As you can see in the previous figure, the ILS beam passes just inside of the right-hand vessel. As you are approaching the carrier and configuring your aircraft for landing, make sure you pass just inside this supply ship at about 2 miles left abeam her and near 1800 ft altitude. This should line you up well to catch the ILS. Should your ILS fail, the ship is better than nothing to help you get you lined up (it worked well enough in WWII). The captain of the supply ship doesn't mind you lining up over her as long as you stay above 1000 feet. Buzzing the supply ship will cost you a case of her favorite Scotch. Respect her wishes, flyboys. She'll be the one haulin' your ass out of the drink should you ever have to eject during approach.

Note: The F-22 HUD displays the actual ILS beam as a dotted funnel rising up from the deck.

2.1. Bad Weather (Nighttime) Procedural Alert!

Since the Air Traffic Controllers on the Ike fail to radio her heading during low visibility approaches and your briefing map tends to be a bit vague as well it is advised that you lock up the carrier on your radar. You can then use the HUD's target box as a reference point during landing. The Combat HUD mode or the target display window will also give you correct range (unlike your Nav Waypoint as mentioned in 1.1.1). Since you don't know her heading exactly, it will be difficult to lineup 10 degrees to the left of her heading. Do the best you can while this is hashed out with the Captain and the chief ATC.

3.0. Landing Configuration

You need to complete configuring your aircraft for landing before getting within 3 miles of the carrier (near the supply ships). Perform a circle if you get closer before completing these steps.

3.1. Reduce throttle to 15%, extend brakes and deploy gear AND HOOK. DO NOT LOWER (DEPLOY) FLAPS AT ANY TIME.

3.2. Descend to 1800 feet and level out while...

3.3. continuing to slow until the Flight Path Indicator (FPI) separates from the HUD center point (HCP). This will occur in all aircraft (except F-104) at about 140-150kts (not 180kts as indicated in USNF manual). Now quickly perform steps 3.4 and 3.5.

3.4. Pull back on your stick and raise the HCP to +4 degrees. The HCP must be kept above 0 while landing to assure that your mainmounts absorb the impact and not your nosegear. +4 degrees should give you a safe speed at least 10 kts. above stall.

3.5. Your FPI should not stay with the HCP and should fall to near 0. Advance the *throttle* to raise the FPI or reduce the *throttle* to lower the FPI according to the following conditions: Raise the FPI above 0 by a few degrees if you are below 1800 feet. Lower the FPI below 0 by a few degrees if you are above 1800 feet. Hold the FPI at 0 to hold 1800 feet.

You are to affect speed by pulling back on the stick and raising the HCP to slow or push on the stick and lower the HCP to accelerate. You are to climb or descend by moving the FPI up and down with your throttle from here on in.

Holding the HCP near +4 degrees will result in an airspeed of about 130 kts (10 kts above stall speed). Although you can fly slower, this is a good margin.

The throttle amount necessary to hold the FPI at 0 degrees is aircraft and weight dependent.

Congratulations! You are now landing your aircraft instead of merely flying it into the deck. (Maybe your maintenance chief will stop chewing on my ass now.)

4.0 Shooting Your Approach. (Riding ILS Beam)

Even Beavis and Butthead can accomplish everything up to this point. Now what separates you from them (and the pilots of the Air Force) is that you have fly your jet in the above condition down through a six-foot-tall keyhole at the back end of a moving carrier. The ILS beam is your guide through this keyhole. Your reward is warm food and a soft bed. Failure means another time around with knots in your stomach and a RIO with an itchy finger on the ejection handle. Failure can also mean a permanent end to your career as a living person. This is why you get paid the big bucks and get all the hot dates, folks, so listen up.

There are three conditions you have to meet to land safely: proper AOA, proper descent rate on the glideslope, and proper lineup with the runway centerline. I know the above discussion on landing configuration was lengthy but it served to mostly solve your AOA goal before you have to tackle these other two. This "decoupling" of the problem should help you enormously.

The ILS will appear as you pass the supply ships. It's vertical bar (Localizer Deviation, LD) and horizontal bar (Glideslope Deviation, GD) are used to solve for runway lineup and descent angle, respectively. Again we will further decouple these two challenges by focusing on your runway lineup first. Remember to keep your HCP near +4 degrees and keep your FPI at 0 to hold at 1800 feet.

Note: In the F-22, the ILS also appears as a dotted funnel rising up from the deck.

When the ILS appears immediately check if your LD is centered. If it is not, turn by as much as 45 degrees away from the carrier in whatever direction is necessary to center the LD bar quickly. Ignore the LSO's requests to climb "higher" (the GD will be pegged at its upper limit) and maintain 1800 feet.

Try to get the LD centered before you reach 3 miles from the carrier. At 3 miles you will have to start working the glideslope, so solve the lineup problem before this if you can! Once you have the LD centered turn back to the carrier (you can bank up to 45 degrees safely). To keep the LD centered, you will often need to steer just right of the carrier since she is drifting from your left to your right at about 5 knots (roughly 30 knots x sin 10 degrees). About 1-2 ship-widths is good when you are 3-4 miles out. This lead distance should decrease as you get closer. If you approached the carrier from 2 miles inside the righthand supply ship you will be close to having the LD centered.

Note: For training mission 1, the carrier is not moving. You do not need to aim right of the deck. Placing your FPI right on the wires will keep you on the ILS beam.

Once the glideslope bar (GD) begins to fall, you need to start descending with it. Reduce throttle (and extend brakes briefly if you wish) to lower your FPI to -6 degrees. Throttle up slightly to keep the FPI from falling any further.

If you are below the glideslope (bar above center) raise the FPI above -6 by at most a few degrees. If you are above the glideslope (bar below center) lower the FPI below -6 by a few degrees. These adjustments are made with slight changes of the throttle of course. Use the control stick to hold the HCP at +4 degrees at all times. Never let the FPI descend below -10 degrees or you will sink too fast to recover.

Alternatively, if you can see the carrier, keep the FPI level with the front of the carrier to stay on the glide slope, move it above the carrier to climb to the glideslope, or move it below the carrier to descend to the glideslope.

Tip: Keep the FPI "alert." That is, never make large throttle changes and send the FPI off running. It has a tendency to get going in one direction and not want to come back when you need it. This will cause you to bobble above and below the glideslope as you try to get the FPI to come back to -6 on time.

Make small changes in the throttle to move the FPI in small increments to where you need it. When you get it where you want, move the throttle in the other direction slightly to prepare the FPI to move back again when you need it. You should move your throttle enough to see the FPI head back just a smidgen to show you its ready to go. This is what I mean by keeping it "alert." As the GD drifts back to center, your FPI should be easily moved back to -6 degrees.

Keep the HCP up using your stick. Keep the LD centered by banking right or left as necessary (remember to lead Ike slightly to her right). Stay on the glideslope by throttling up or down as necessary.

As you get nearer the deck, steal some glances at the runway to help line yourself up right or left. Place the FPI between the second and third wires as you cross the round down.

Tip: If your framerate drops too much as you near the deck, try flying your landings with the "Cockpit Graphics" option turned off. This more than doubles your framerate and allows you to see more as well.

Once your wheels hit, advance your throttle up to 100% (or AFT) to help reach takeoff speed should your hook fail to catch a wire (its fault, not yours of course). If you are jerked to a stop, throttle back to zero and wait for your hook light to go out. Taxi off the runway and end the mission via the menu selection (Ctl-Q).

It is better to throttle up and fly over the deck and back out to sea if you aren't lined up well than to try to salvage a bad approach and splash on the deck. It is also better to be too high (fly past the wires and take off again)than it is to be too low (hit big Ike's steel ass).

5.0 Missed Approach Pattern.

If you miss the wires or get waved off, DO NOT PULL BACK ON THE STICK TO CLIMB! Advance your throttle to raise your FPI back above 0 to climb. When your FPI nears the HCP you can then pull back on the stick to climb further. Keep your gear down, do 100% or AFT throttle to get back up to around 200 kts. It is now safe to bank left 180 degrees (to exactly reverse of your landing heading). If you didn't notice your landing heading then look out to the left at the carrier and turn to so you are heading exactly opposite its course. Fly until you are back near the replenishment ships while ascending to 1500 ft. and slowing to 150 kts. Get the FPI and HCP to "split apart" as before by slowing a few knots.

Once you are back near the supply ships turn left towards the ship currently on your left (right side of the carrier group). Head directly for its side. When you think you are about 2 miles from the ship's beam, turn left again towards the carrier. You can also steal looks out the left at the carrier to watch when you get near the centerline of the runway (slightly to the right of directly astern the carrier). Just make sure you don't fly into the drink.

After you turn towards the carrier, you should pick up the ILS bars very soon. The fast combat supply ship may not appreciate you flying right at them as a reference point, but its not their asses on the line here, is it? Fly the ILS in as before.

6.0 What's Important and What's Not?

Information overload has returned many an aviator to the sea. You simply cannot pay attention to every instrument at your disposal while you are approaching a steel flight deck at over 100 knots at a few hundred feet. A large sink rate can put you below sea level in less than a minute. Here are some guidelines to help you manage your attention.

6.1 THINGS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHILE "IN THE SLOT"

6.1.1. Altitude. (Mostly when below the glideslope.) Don't fly into the water by staying focused on the ILS.

6.1.2. Nose (HCP) *above* the horizon and at near +4 degrees.

6.1.3. FPI near -6 but always above -10 degrees.

6.1.4. LSO calls.

6.1.5. ILS (of course): somewhere centered. Don't have to be exact.

6.1.6. Runway lineup (last few seconds).

6.2 THINGS NOT NEEDING ATTENTION WHILE "IN THE SLOT"

6.2.1. Airspeed. (Having the HCP in the right places takes care of this. Airspeed may differ by as much as 10 kts from time to time.)

6.2.2. Vertical Velocity. Only used by non-flying officers to bitch about your "hard" landing. If you are somewhere on glideslope when you cross the carrier's round down, your velocity will be within bounds.

7.0 Landing Difficulty by Aircraft Type

F-22 EASIEST (obviously). ILS visible on HUD. Excellent low throttle response for very fine sink rate control. Excellent TW ratio.

F/A-18 EASY. High thrust-to-weight ratio means quick response time to throttle changes. Easy to reverse high sink rates.

F-14 MODERATE. High lift capability when wings extended means good control. Slow response to throttle increases however.

A-7 MODERATE. Low T/W means slower reply to control inputs. Limited visibility through canopy structure.

Su-33 MODERATE. Slow response to control inputs.

F-104 DIFFICULT. Small "safe speed zone" and extremely high stall speed means high approach speeds and extreme susceptibility to loss of control. This author stalls it over the deck to land under max speed. Designed to USAF specs ;-).

8.0 Advanced Syllabus

Attempt these when you (and your RIO) feel comfortable.

8.1 Tight Missed Approach pattern

Attempt to shorten your flight back to the ILS entry point by turning back into the pattern only 1 to 2 miles back from the carrier (about halfway back to the supply ships). This will reduce fuel consumption and time aloft which may mean the difference between getting home or running out of fuel or experiencing a systems failure. You should do this at a lower altitude as well (1000 ft. or less) since you will be intercepting the ILS closer and lower to the ship.

8.2 Flared Landing

This technique requires a good understanding of the aircraft flight characteristics and good timing. As you reach the round down, pull the HCP up to +5 or +6 degrees. Couple this with throttle changes to keep the FPI still for those last few seconds and between wires 2 and 3. You may hear the stall horn if you raise the HCP too much. Worry about initiating this too early (especially in bad weather), losing speed, then altitude, and crashing into the fantail.

8.3 Bad Weather (Fog) Approach

This will reveal how much you rely on "deck spotting" instead of your trusty ILS. Boltering here requires you to perform a smooth, uniform left hand turn back to a reciprocal heading, then perform a *slightly larger radius* left turn back into the approach pattern since you will have no supply ships visible to line up on. (Notice in the Missed Approach Figure that the radius of the turn at the back of the ship is larger than the turn at the front of the ship.)

8.4 Low Power Approach

Limit your throttle to 50% or lower and maintain speed by holding gear until 2-3 miles out. Bolters must be handled delicately. Engine failure is an eventuality in your profession so practicing this type of approach may save your life and the life of your RIO someday.

9.0 Marshall Procedures Addendum

FROM:

Cmdr. Rick "Snake" Stegemeier

Air Boss - USS Eisenhower - CVN 69

TO:

All Squadron Commanders

9.1 Introduction

It is vitally important that every pilot on the recovery fly as precise an approach as possible so that every sixty seconds someone pushes over from marshal at one end, and every sixty seconds someone slams into the arresting gear at the other.

If all goes correctly, the ship will spend a minimum amount of time steaming into the wind, and since the wind is hardly ever from the direction the ship needs to go, the captain hates to spend any more time launching and recovering aircraft than is absolutely necessary. Herein lies the major conflict between the ship's requirements and those of the air wing.

All too often in the air, a tendency arises on the part of some pilots to assume that the sky is theirs alone. This can be fatal in the landing pattern. In almost all missions, you will fly in two or three ship elements. You will probably keep these wingman on a short lease during the mission and manage their activities. This should continue during the recovery phase of your mission. Allowing your wingmen run loose while you attempt to land has caused many mid-air collisions when both of you show up at the ramp simultaneously. There is a saying in the squadron ready rooms:

"You have to go out, you don't have to come back."

9.2 Marshall Pushover Prioritization

Aircraft with low fuel states or moderate (but not severe) damage are to commence pushover from marshall before other aircraft. Severely damaged aircraft (that may foul the deck if they cannot control their approach and crash) are to land LAST. As flight leader of your element, it is up to you to determine the pushover order for your flight. If you are severely damaged or your wingman has taken damage or reported "bingo fuel" before you, you are to send your wingman down FIRST (order him to "Bug Out") and then follow him in exactly sixty seconds later.

Note: In USNF second, third (etc.) wingmen are not easily controlled and you may ignore them for now.

9.3 Approach Corridor Procedures

The approach corridor for the carrier begins at 10 miles astern and 2000 ft. It is here that you should begin your approach or send in your wingmen. If you send your wingmen in first, loiter in a circle and begin your approach exactly sixty seconds later, pacing your wingman by 2 miles. This will lead to a sixty second interval trap to trap.

At pushover time, turn to the carrier's bearing and approach the carrier at 260 kts, 2000 ft.

At five miles (according to your radar, not the nav point) decelerate to 170 kts, lower your gear and hook, and descend to 1800 ft. Intercept the ILS and land as described previously.

You should see your wingman performing similar steps exactly 2 miles and sixty seconds ahead of you (although they tend to drop their gear way too early and land slightly fast). At the 2 mile message (sixty seconds out), your wingman should be engaging the wires. At 1 mile (thirty seconds), he should be clear of the wires. Even if you can't see your wingman due to weather or time of day, precise adherence to your speed and timing checkpoints will ensure safe separation of all aircraft in the pattern.

After a successful trap, smile broadly! You have made the captain and air boss very happy with your precision flying. After taxiing across the "foul line", pivot your aircraft and target any other wingman who by now should be in the downwind leg preparing to land. Watch his approach and landing.

Cmdr. Rick "Snake" Stegemeier

End Marshall Procedures Addendum

Good luck and I'll see you in the pilot's lounge when you get back on board. I've asked the Doc to bring some "medicinal fluids" for your nerves!