Aircraft Carrier Landing

When the pilot begins his U-turn approach past the carrier at a sharp angle, I feel dizzy and nauseous.  How does one even begin to get skilled in doing this?  The carrier looks as big as an alley way; plus it's moving!  (The only thing more terrifying are the night landings)  zipper  This is one of my favorite YouTube thrills.  Hold on:



When he is banking, with the water to his side like that.... I just couldn't do that, I would slide right into the sea.  Amazing!


My father was career Navy and used to test the catapults and arresting gear on the carriers and at Lakehurst. It's an amazing operation!!


Lunacy. 


Love the way he looks over his left shoulder a few times, like he’s checking for a car in his blind spot.  


we paid a lot of money for him to learn.


Knew someone learning to pilot a small aircraft and he had to keep practicing touch-and-goes to get used to landing and taking off. This was a bit nerve-wracking at first, and it was at an airfield on land. How does one get the practice necessary to land on an aircraft carrier? Must be overwhelming the first time you try it!


I'm pretty sure that a certain number of touch and goes have to be practiced regularly to keep up one's licesnse. I used to ride them with my then father-in-law.  blianderson, I cannot imagine!  I know my mother's partner flew during WWII and was terrified of both the landing and the carriers.


(drift)

My uncle helped develop the clutch/cable mechanism for launching and stopping planes on carriers & had a patent for part of it.  https://patents.google.com/patent/US3350039

This is the same uncle at whose house my sister, when she was little, would hold her toy(s) behind her back and say "Don't let Uncle Willie take it apart!"  Love our engineers.

(end drift)


gerryl said:

I'm pretty sure that a certain number of touch and goes have to be practiced regularly to keep up one's licesnse. 

That is correct. 

I hold an Australian pilot's licence, which I gained about 30 years ago. I must admit, though, that I haven't flown for some time  LOL   


cody said:

Knew someone learning to pilot a small aircraft and he had to keep practicing touch-and-goes to get used to landing and taking off. This was a bit nerve-wracking at first, and it was at an airfield on land. How does one get the practice necessary to land on an aircraft carrier? Must be overwhelming the first time you try it!

The pilots first practice taking off and landing, and then doing touch-and-goes on a specially-marked runway, which is painted to resemble the deck of an aircraft carrier. 

They'll be practising, and perfecting their short-field technique, until it becomes second nature.

The other point is that the pilots are being trained in aircraft that have dual controls, so their instructor can (a) demonstrate what to do and, (b) take control if need be.  This goes on until the pilot is sufficiently proficient to do the take-off, and fly the approach and landing ... at which point, they're (usually) signed off to fly without the instructor on board.


Klinker said:

When he is banking, with the water to his side like that.... I just couldn't do that, I would slide right into the sea.  Amazing!

No you wouldn't!  Your training would ensure that you added enough opposite rudder to counter the nose-down tendency, and continue to fly a balanced turn,



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