Simviation Forums

Okay, here's the scenario: I am flying a Hornet in the Carrier Tutorial to make the, uhh lost count (big number), attempt at a landing. On final; 130 knots; looking good; tailhook got #3; good; gear down on the deck; yes I got it this time! Then the unthinkable. I'm at mabey around 70 knots and the jet flips over! All I am going to say is that I'm glad I didn't talk out loud. Anyway, what happened. Why?

It flips ?
I have some problems too with that mission, it's really a hard one. The winds make the jet very unstable, and I recognized that upon landing, I was often sliding a little bit. As a consequence, the ground contact gave me some bank, and the braking power of the cables finished the job... in the end, my Hornet just crashes on the side, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left.

The plot is to really come in line with the forward movement of the plane. Also, keep a look to your vertical speed. If it's too high upon contact, your gear will collapse and you will end up with the nose on the deck, with a nice "Crash" message...

VS is good. Yes it gets so much bank that the wings hit the ground and the gear comes off the deck.

Make sure you're light, not full of fuel.

On the left of the heads up display. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display

There is an Angle of Attack indicator, basically, if you're too slow the GREEN V will be illuminated, if you're too fast the inverted RED V will the illuminated. If you're just right it should be in the centre, illuminated ORANGE. ORANGE = GOOD.

Do NOT pull up just before you touch down in order to land softly, fly staight, on the glidepath the whole time. Just before you touch down go full power without afterburner.

Make sure you're on the meatball. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_landing_aid
Meatball should be green if you're perfect. Any other colour and you're either too low or too high. It's easy to tell however.

I got the meatball. Never thought to check the Angle of Attack.

Yes! I got one in a row!

OK, I practised this mission again, because I have never been able to complete it... until tonight
Found the tactic:
- set airbrake
- set tail hook
- lower gears
- maintain your spees between 160 and 170 knot
- maintain the vario indicator (the moving thing on your HUD) between the horizon and the -5 line
- do not increase your angle of attack, it should be as low as possible

The conclusion is that if the angle of attack is too high, your plane will most likely crash upon landing. I keep my plane almost horizontal, thus the relatively "high" approach speed. In most sims I was used to, the approach speed was always something like 120 to 130 knots. Here, 160 seems to be a minimum. Got it once at 150 but the landing was hard and unstable.

Also, do NOT cut the throttle if you feel you're too high. Just try it anyway, if you're too high you won't catch the cable and go around, but if you cut the throttle, you will increase your vertical speed and you will crash.

Also, once I got the mission completed, I managed to take off again, find the tanker (the waypoint appears when you're flying high enough ... >7000 feet I think, the tanker is at 14.000 or something like that), and refuel !!

I got the fuel probe out, flew very close to the tail of the tanker, and suddenly my fuel tanks were full Not very realistic, but nice to try. Too bad the tanker has no probe...

I managed my landing at 133 knots. Key is that you have to push to full military power the second those wheels hit the deck, just like real life.

Strange. I find 130knots optimum, I consider 140 knots + suicide. Angle of attack should be in the circle because that's why the circle is there.

Strange. I find 130knots optimum, I consider 140 knots + suicide. Angle of attack should be in the circle because that's why the circle is there.

Agree about the speed.

Also, once I got the mission completed, I managed to take off again, find the tanker (the waypoint appears when you're flying high enough ... >7000 feet I think, the tanker is at 14.000 or something like that), and refuel !!

I got the fuel probe out, flew very close to the tail of the tanker, and suddenly my fuel tanks were full Not very realistic, but nice to try. Too bad the tanker has no probe...

There's a tanker?

Also, once I got the mission completed, I managed to take off again, find the tanker (the waypoint appears when you're flying high enough ... >7000 feet I think, the tanker is at 14.000 or something like that), and refuel !!

I got the fuel probe out, flew very close to the tail of the tanker, and suddenly my fuel tanks were full Not very realistic, but nice to try. Too bad the tanker has no probe...

There's a tanker?

There is. Actually, it's not a "real one", since it's just a blank 737 circling around the carrier, but once you get the "mission success" message, take off again and climb above 10.000 feet. You will notice that your waypoint marker will change to "tanker".

This waypoint becomes available only when you're flying above a certain altitude. When you're still on the carrier, and you try to circle your waypoints, you will not see it. It appears ONLY above a certain altitude.

I got no tanker.