Posted on 10/09/2011 3:16:17 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Thanks for the informed explanation.
Is the LSO School newsletter as good as “Approach”? We used to fight for new issues of Approach when they showed up in the Ready Room.
The LSO School newsletter isn’t as thorough as Approach, but it is good. If you are on LinkedIn, you can look up the LSO School in the LinkedIn groups, and start a conversation with the LSO School OIC — good guy, senior LT. He would probably add you to their newsletter distro.
“We have a lot of Yacht Club members”
Yep: Worked the flight deck as a “trouble shooter”.
VF-96
USS Enterprise
Golf of Tonkin Yacht Club
1967 and 1968.
I just missed the big fire on the USS Enterprise in January of 1969. I was left behind at NAS Miramar as I was about to be discharged in early January.
iPing for later.
DH was an ATC on Constellation back in the day,
I’m sure he’ll want to see this.
Yep, contradictory writing ... did the editor even read it?
when the light turns green, looks left and right before proceeding?
Now that’s a necessity when driving in Houston.
The waveoff signal is completely the LSO responsibility. Pilots are not authorized to waveoff on there own once in the groove. Meatball, line-up, angle of attack all the way until you stop moving.
To the uninitiated these sailors may appear to be “bungling”, but as someone who has actually done their job I can assure you they were doing exactly what they should have been doing. One man was the wire checker and the other was the Topside Petty Officer, who is wearing a radio headset and is communication at all times.
Additionally, it is not unusual to have an aircraft continue an approach to a foul deck and wave it off at what appears to be the last moment.
This is just one dangerous aspect of a difficult job that thousands of guys just like them do on a daily basis. The flight deck is an inherently dangerous place, and not just anyone strolls across the landing area no matter what the media would have you believe.
ABECS (AW) USN, (Ret)
Navy family ping!
What does “foul deck” mean?
Excellent question!
When the flight deck is clear and ready in all respects to recover aircraft, the Air Boss activates a series of green lights that signals an open deck. If for any reason something interferes with a clear deck, the Air Officer activates a “Foul Deck” switch that not only changes the lights to red, but activates the “foul” marker on the flight deck surveillance camera system, which is where the video you are looking at comes from.
“Foul deck” means that aircraft cannot land, but they regularly continue their approach to in close, where the landing Signal Officer activates the “wave off” lights and sends the pilot around for another try. A foul deck can be caused by any number of reasons, from a routine wire check like this one, to an arresting gear engine with an incorrect weight setting, to another aircraft that needs to taxi through the landing area.
During combat operations, or just heavy air ops, it is not unusual for the deck to go from “foul” to “clear” with a plane in close, and it may be vital for that pilot not to miss that landing opportunity for any number of reasons. That’s one reason why what appears to be a close encounter is more of a normal controlled situation than it may appear.
Thank you!
He has this statement but in the first sentence calls the two sailors "bungling". If they were supposed to be there and the plane wasn't, then I would say the pilot is the bungler, not the sailors.
You and your brothers and sisters in arms are the finest people on God's green earth, and I mean that. Nobody makes 'em like America does, and that comes through in your expert, professional opinions and explanations of technical military matters.
I stand in complete awe of you all, and thank you for everything you've done for our great nation.
Thank You!
Hope you enjoyed the video. It’s a pretty unique tribute, I think.
**** “It is not uncommon at all to keep approaching a fouled deck, as it may clear in time.” ****
Every deck is fouled until the LSO says it isn’t
TT
When you are on approach, the deck is considered clear for approach purposes (even when fouled). Naval aviators don't take their own waveoff (without LSO direction) unless it is the last moment to do so and they identify a clearly fouled deck (aircraft not clear, running sailor, etc.).
Taking your own waveoff is highly unusual and someone is going to have to answer for making a major mistake.
The Air Boss is certainly declaring deck status for the LSOs, as they often can't see the entire landing area from the LSO platform, if aircraft are parked on the port side. Woe to the LSO who recovers an aircraft on a deck declared fouled by the Air Boss.
During normal recovery, it is standard to fly the ball, while the prior aircraft is clearing the landing area and the cable is being pulled back into battery (fouled deck). The LSO waves-off the aircraft if the deck isn't clear.
Two of colleagues ejected out of a fireball after an EA-6B, which was given a late waveoff by the LSOs, smacked the top of their S-3B. They survived, but the crew of the EA-6B didn't.
The deal with a sailor running across the landing area seems to happen at least once per deployment, no matter what you do.
Closest I got to being a member of the “Yacht Club” was with the Gator Navy, courtesy of 3rd Bn, 26th Marines. They would pull us out of the bush for a week or two so we could sweep, swab & wax our compartments before starting another operation ashore.
I was on the Paul Revere - LPA, the Iwo Jima - LPH, the Alamo - LSD or LPD, and the old Valley Forge which had been converted from CV to an LPH.
1968-69
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.