Obviously, takeoff and landing are two of the most important things you can do on a mission. If you make a mistake in either area, your mission (and possibly your life) will be immediately over. The easiest way to perform a takeoff or landing is with the autopilot, but this section will discuss manual takeoff and landing procedures.

You can take off and land from either a carrier or from a runway. Since most takeoffs and landings will be on a carrier, carrier landings will be discussed in depth.

Compared to landings, takeoffs are a breeze…literally. But, if you don’t follow the proper procedures, you could end up skipping like a stone along the ocean.

At the beginning of a mission, your plane will be positioned at the front of a catapult. First, fire up your engines to afterburner stage five. When you’re all powered up you’ll need to take off your airbrakes to move down the catapult. It’s extremely important to be at afterburner stage five before executing a catapult assisted launch—because without enough thrust, you’ll plummet to the water below.

When you clear the carrier deck, retract your landing gear and pull back on the stick to gain altitude. Check the pitch ladder on the HUD, your angle should be between 15 degrees and 25 degrees for takeoff. Anymore, and you might risk stalling your aircraft without the appropriate altitude to recover. To prevent this, check your pitch ladder and make sure not to pull back until your airspeed is at least 180 knots (if it isn’t, check to see if your airbreak is down, as you should be above that after being assisted by the catapult and having your bird in afterburner five).

Landing is a much trickier matter than a takeoff. Fighter pilots refer to a carrier landing as “a controlled crash” since you hit the deck at relatively high speeds. There are three aspects to a carrier landing: orientation, approach and execution.

100% RPM	60% RPM	50% RPM
	300 knots		150 knots
1,000 feet		500 feet	200 feet
			Engage Flaps
			Speed Brakes
			(if necessary)
10 miles	5 miles	3 miles	<1 mile

 

A successful carrier landing begins with the approach. After you reach the waypoint before landing, immediately follow your waypoint caret so that it appears in the center of the heading scale. Check the Landing Distance Scale on the right side of the HUD to see how far away the carrier is. You should be at least 10 miles from the carrier before beginning your approach.

At 10 miles out, drop your throttle to 100% RPM and lower your altitude to 1,000 feet. Always be sure to follow the Waypoint Caret on the Heading Scale. You will be able to see the carrier when you get within eight miles.

When you reach five miles out, drop altitude to 500 feet and reduce throttle to 60%. Your airspeed should be around 300 knots. Keep following the Waypoint Caret. At three miles, extend your tailhook and lower gear. You also want to lower the throttle to 50%.

A successful carrier landing begins with the approach. After you reach the waypoint before landing, immediately follow your waypoint caret so that it appears in the center of the heading scale. Check the Landing Distance Scale on the right side of the HUD to see how far away the carrier is. You should be at least 10 miles from the carrier before beginning your approach.

Two miles out, begin to monitor the Vertical Velocity Scale and the AOA Indexer. The proper landing velocity should be from –15 to –20 feet/second and your AOA Indexer should have the center circle lit. (If the top light of the AOA Indexer is lit, your airspeed is too low, while if the bottom light is lit, your airspeed is too high. The AOA Indexer does not deal with pitch or how high or low your aircraft is, so pulling up only screws up your approach, and could cause a “wave off”.) You now need to place the Flight Path Marker in the intersection of the ILS needles and continue to hold it there. Continue your gradual descent.

When landing on a an aircraft carrier, you will be assisted by an LSO (Landing Systems Officer, aka. “Paddles”) He will give you instructions about your landing approach )when you are within one mile, if you are going to fast or too slow, etc.). He will also wave you off if you attempt to land when other aircraft are in the landing pattern ahead of you or if the deck is fouled, or if your landing is to far off that it could cause damage to him, the carrier, or yourself. If this happens, you will need to circle around for another approach.

Keep “flying the needles” until you clearly see the end of the carrier deck. Monitor your AOA Indexer and use your brakes and flaps to keep the center circle lit. Aim your velocity indicator right beyond the “Three Wire”. This allows you to catch the Three Wire, or the best wire on the deck, when landing. After you touch down, throw your throttle into full military power until you are sure you have stopped, then AND ONLY THEN reduce your throttle to idle and taxi to the holding position or another catapult for take-off.

 

Grade	Grade
ok	5.0
ok	4.0
(ok)	3.0
bolter	2.5
owo (waveoff)	2.0
no grade	2.0
cut	0.0