How to land on the "Big E"?

[mangaroca]

Hi All,

This is my first post here so be gentle... ;P
OK - I have the beautiful USS Enterprise up and running along with Flight Deck4. I am a big Tomcat fan so I've also got IRIS F-14A. You must know I have some sim experience and flew the Turkey for a long time now - basically, I'm no noob...
The problems I'm facing however are of the "noob kind". :/ I simply cannot land the IRIS Tomcat on the USS Enterprise... I have tried using 3rd Wire as well instead of Flight Deck 4 but with no success either. Just for a few tests I've even approached freeware "USS Ronald Regan" a few times ;> but the result is always the same - I catch no wires and end up with the main gear damaged.

Now, let me tell you a few things I know for a fact:
- I've heard IRIS Tomcat is "not prepared" for carrier operations but I believe Flight Deck 4 or 3rd Wire should allow that, right?
- I have not changed my fuel quantity although the real F-14 would need to be at least 60% dry.
- I did not change the wind to blow in the opposite direction to my approach.
- On Final Approach I use: extended full flaps, estended DLC, lowered hook, lowered gear and FULL spoilers.
- My touchdown speed is ~160 knots (way too much for a real Tomcat but extended spoiles cause the Turkey to literary "drop down as a brick" at lower speeds...).
- My AOA is about 8 degrees.

No matter how hard I try (and as I record my landings I am sure at least some of them should have been succesfull) I always end up crashing on the deck or damaging my main landing gear so it doesn't retract.

My question to you is simple. Is it at all possible to land an IRIS Tomcat on Alphasim USS Enterprise using Flight Deckl 4? Have any of you done it?? If yes, how do you do it???

I have seen hundreds of Tomcat traps and I believe that sometimes the carrier deck of the "Big E" is too "soft" and allows the wheels to "sink" too deep into it; also the gear of the IRIS F-14 is not strong enough to withstand the touchdown force of what in my opinion seems to ba a "standard" carrier landing. However, it still might be my lack of skills so I'd be most gratefull if any of you, successful IRIS Tomcat USS Enterprise stationed pilots posted your hints and statistics on how you do it... how do you land the Cat on the deck!

Thanks in advance!
Kind regards -
Darek Gurtowski

[garymbuska]

For starters I do not nor do I ever want to have either the Tomcat or the Big E but from what you said about the flight deck that could indeed be your problem. But I would think that it would affect all aircraft and not just the Tomcat. Have you checked with the designers to see if there are any issues you might need to address. Try looking for a support forum for either product Flight Deck or 3rd Wire Or the Tomcat. Hope you find the answer to your problem  8-)

[Allen_Z]

Yes they do touch down at 160 - 170 kts  ;)

Fuel weight makes a huge difference, change it to 20 - 30 percent, it will change your AOA

try switching to the mini panel or no panel on final, that makes a huge difference too

Hit shift+Z for the airspeed numbers at the top of the screen, think of it as an out of the way HUD,

a Tomcat pilot is not looking at his panel at touchdown  :)

[homebrewer]

Maybe I should ask my cousin. He flew them from carriers for about ten years. Oo-rah!

[TSC.]

- I have not changed my fuel quantity although the real F-14 would need to be at least 60% dry.
- I did not change the wind to blow in the opposite direction to my approach.

I don't do carrier landings, but you will find landing any plane a whole lot easier if you set up the above perameter's correctly first.



TSC.