Takeoff: Taxi to cat, engage launch bar and tension, cat crew dials-in takeoff weight of your bird for the cat to launch you, jet blast deflector up, go to zone 5 on the afterburners, and salute. BANG! Zero to 150 mph in two seconds flat. The guy driving has absolutely no control once the cat fires until he's airborne two seconds later. He takes it on faith the cat will work and he'll get up to flying speed. Otherwise he's in the ocean.
Landing: Returning birds are put in “marshal” (the order of landing). At three miles out (or so), the aviator calls “the ball” of the carrier's approach and landing system. The landing signal officer tells the pilot corrections for whether he's high or low or offset from the center-line. As soon as the wheels touch, the jet's throttles are rammed forward so that IF the tail hook doesn't engage one of the four arrester wires, the pilot has enough speed to do around and try again.
Night carrier landings are the scariest evolution a carrier aviator does and you really earn your flight pay when the ship goes “tactical” and the seas and weather have deteriorated to minimums. Night carrier landings produce more fright and tension than do combat missions (this was monitored and confirmed by Navy flight surgeons).
Now, imagine yourself landing a $40 million, 30-ton jet at 180 knots, in an area 80 feet wide by 200 feet long in pitch black conditions when the deck is moving up and down 30 feet and moving away from you at 30 knots.
If you manage a successful “trap” on the first pass, well done! However, if you keep missing (a “bolter”) and have to go around several times, you may run low on fuel. Then it's go up and refuel from the tanker (if he's airborne). If these are blue water ops and there aren't any divert fields and no tankers, you either have to get back aboard or ditch a very expensive jet. Losing one’s airplane is frowned upon in your annual officer's fitness report.
The Russian Naval Aviators from ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV have experienced such things (except for the cat launches). The fledgling Chinese Naval Aviators will be doing their version of carrier qualifications soon. It will not be easy and there will be a steep (sometimes fatal) learning curve.
***Re: Carrier operations are a very difficult job for any pilot (or as the USN/USMC types prefer, Naval Aviator)***
Yeah, it’s such a difficult technique I just can’t see how anyone else in this world others than us westerners can muster the technique...
***Re: Let’s look at a typical takeoff/landing cycle***
Hehe... That sounds exactly like these guys who told me how to do it — the right way :)...
***Re: Takeoff: Taxi to cat, engage launch bar and tension, cat crew dials-in takeoff weight of your bird, etc...***
Wow! That warning should scare the livin’ daylights out of anyone who as much as consider trying out the trick and, of course, life’s most “exotic” of experiences :)...
***Re: Now, imagine yourself landing a $40 million, 30-ton jet at 180 knots, in an area 80 feet wide by 200 feet long in pitch black***
Well... I don’t know how “quicky de’gonzalas” Eliot Spitzer is at it but — he did it, didn’t he :)??? I’m sure his F-18 is equally as tantalizing and expensive... I’m also sure he lands on it with ease and — :) in pitch black as well no problemo on his King sized deck :)...
Hey! No hard feelin’s... just a little kiddin’round to make a day more bearable...
In the end, the Chinese will catch up rapidly because of several factors: (1) they possess the material resources to pursue their objectives, (2) they are willing to devote those resources to the pursuit of these ends and (3) they have no compunction about risking large numbers of casualties to achieve national goals. They will catch up in the same way that a technologically-backward Japan managed to field the second most powerful naval aviation force in the world at the onset of WWII, by throwing men and money at the project.