• published: 05 Oct 2012
• views: 138064

more at http://quickfound.net/links/military_news_and_links.html "This documentary takes a close look at naval aviation on a modern aircraft carrier. It features extensive footage of the launching and recovery of carrier aircraft, including super-slow-motion footage of landings. A successful carrier landing, known as a "trap" by naval aviators, is a one of the most difficult and dangerous duties in the life of any aviator. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Photographic Section, UMO-11." Public domain film from the the US Navy, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original). AIRCRAFT CARRIERS PLAYLIST: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFA956A25F3C04DCF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_United_States_Navy_carrier_air_operations ...Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier flight operations are highly evolved, based on experiences dating back to 1922 with the USS Langley. Knowledge of and adherence to procedures by all participants is critical... Everyone associated with the flight deck has a specific job, which is indicated by the color of his deck jersey, float coat and helmet. Rank is also denoted by the pattern of trousers worn by flight deck crew: - Woodland camouflage pants -- Denotes junior sailors and petty officers. - Khaki or Desert camouflage pants -- Denotes chief petty, warrant and commissioned officers. This keeps in line with the traditional khaki color of CPO and officer service uniforms. Air Officer Also known as the air boss, the air officer (along with his assistant, the miniboss) is responsible for all aspects of operations involving aircraft including the hangar deck, the flight deck, and airborne aircraft out to 5 nautical miles from the carrier. From his perch in Primary Flight Control (PriFly, or the "tower"), he and his assistant maintain visual control of all aircraft operating in the carrier control zone (surface to infinity, out to 5 nmi), and aircraft desiring to operate within the control zone must obtain his approval prior to entry. The normal working jersey color of an air boss is yellow, but an Air Boss may wear any color jersey, as he represents everyone working on the flight deck, hangar bay and aviation fuels personnel... Landing Signal Officer The Landing Signal Officer (LSO) is a qualified, experienced pilot who is responsible for the visual control of aircraft in the terminal phase of the approach immediately prior to landing. LSOs ensure that approaching aircraft are properly configured, and they monitor aircraft glidepath angle, altitude, and lineup. They communicate with landing pilots via voice radio and light signals. Arresting Gear Officer The Arresting Gear Officer (AGO) is responsible for arresting gear operation, settings, and monitoring landing area deck status (the deck is either clear and ready to land aircraft or foul and not ready for landing). Arresting gear engines are set to apply varying resistance (weight setting) to the arresting cable based on the type of aircraft landing... Approach The Carrier Controlled Approach is analogous to ground-controlled approach using the ship's precision approach radar. Pilots are told (via voice radio) where they are in relation to glideslope and final bearing (e.g., "above glideslope, right of centerline"). The pilot then makes a correction and awaits further information from the controller... Regardless of the case recovery or approach type, the final portion of the landing (3/4 mile to touchdown) is flown visually. Line up with the landing area is achieved by lining up painted lines on the landing area centerline with a set of lights that drops from the back of the flight deck... If an aircraft is pulled off the approach... or is waved off by the LSO... or misses all the arresting wires ("bolters"), the pilot climbs straight ahead to 1,200 feet to the "bolter/wave-off pattern" and waits for instructions from approach control... Immediately upon touchdown, the pilot advances the throttles to full power so that a touch and go (known as a "Bolter") can be executed in the event that all trap wires have been missed. Occasionally, pilots will opt to advance the throttles to maximum power (full afterburner). Ideally, the tailhook catches the target wire (or cross deck pendant), which abruptly slows the aircraft from approach speed to a full stop in about two seconds. As the aircraft's forward motion stops, the throttles are reduced to idle, and the hook is raised on the aircraft director's signal. The aircraft director then directs the aircraft to clear the landing area in preparation for the next landing...