Milestone PLANK Owner First F-35C Arrest NIMITZ 03 Nov 2014

[SpudmanWP]

Wait, what????

123 Cats and 124 Traps????

Is there still a plane on board?

---Edit---
There was a typo, it was 124 for both Cats & Traps.

[spazsinbad]

STATS are wunnerful fings.... Meanwhile here is another two handed catapult shot from: [Greenshirt has a great job - perhaps we will see some photos from this position?]

CAPTION: "F-35C CF-3 is catapult launched from the deck of the USS Nimitz during the second day of operations in the Pacific Ocean. Photo by MC2 Antonio P. Turretto Ramos

Source: http://www.codeonemagazine.com/images/m ... 7_5479.jpg

[SpudmanWP]

123 Cats and 124 Traps????

I got a response from Code One Magazine

Nope, both aircraft were flown off the Nimitz. It was just a typo--thanks for the head's up.

The correct number for both Cats and Traps was 124.

[spazsinbad]

TAH Mr Fumble Fingas at Code One did not have a good day - eh. TWO major typos?

[SpudmanWP]

I'll give them props for a quick fix.

btw, The average per-plane ops was 5 Cats & Traps, 10 Touch-n-Gos, and 1.75hrs in the air for each day on the boat.

[spazsinbad]

Heheh. First rool of fight club - I mean online publishing - proof read/double check. Guess what the rools are subsequently? [Hint - the same.] Some more stats....

F-35 Completes First Round Of Tests On U.S. Navy Ship
17 Nov 2014 (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Gunna Dickson)

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy version of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet met 100 percent of the threshold requirements set for a first round of sea-based testing aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, Navy and Pentagon officials said on Monday.

The carrier variant of the new warplane completed 124 catapult takeoffs, 124 arrested landings, and 222 planned "touch and go" landings off the coast of San Diego, California, according to data compiled by Navy testers.

Two landings were "bolters," when a jet fails to catch the heavy duty cables used for arrested landings, forcing it to circle around again. But those events were planned for testing purposes, officials said.

Altogether, two F-35 jets used for the tests completed 32 flights and achieved 458 unique test points, according to the Navy data...."

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/r-f-35-c ... ip-2014-11

[popcorn]

123 Cats and 124 Traps????

I got a response from Code One Magazine

Nope, both aircraft were flown off the Nimitz. It was just a typo--thanks for the head's up.

The correct number for both Cats and Traps was 124.

Can you possibly have them confirm which aircraft/pilot is credited withthe first cat? Thanks.

[spazsinbad]

TWO pilot/aircraft [CF-03 and Dyckman] NIGHT catapult references on this thread - DAY?:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26634&p=281583&hilit=Dyckman#p281583
&
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26634&p=281607&hilit=Dyckman#p281607
__________________

CMDR Sewell is a candidate for day catshot according to some e-mail photos I received:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26634&p=281182&hilit=Sewell#p281182

[zerion]

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military ... /19019879/

[spazsinbad]

Thanks 'zerion' - some great quotes from that article above below - another 'bolter' explanation with the two VOLT bit which looks a little scary for Murphy Law to kick in? I will guess that connections are impossible to make incorrectly by physical design?

F-35C shines in first carrier trials aboard carrier Nimitz
17 Nov 2014 Joshua Stewart

"...'Nothing scary'
Karapostoles' job [LSO] is to monitor aircraft as they fly in for a landing. Along the way he helps pilots adjust their course, and, if necessary, he waves off landings because of unsafe conditions or a bad approach. The goal is to land aircraft as safely and quickly as possible.

So far there haven't been any wave-offs for a bad approach, but there were a few due to wind and deck motion. It was "nothing scary," Karapostoles said.

One touch-and-go, however, didn't go as well as hoped, officials said. The maneuver was supposed to simulate an approach to a landing, but the aircraft hit the deck too far forward. Had it been a real landing rather than a simulation, the plane's tailhook would have missed the arresting gear, resulting in a bolter where the pilot quickly lifts back off the deck and circles around the carrier to set up for a second attempt, Karapostoles said.

Otherwise the plane has consistently caught the three wire, he said. The three wire is one of four arresting cables on the Nimitz's flight deck and is the preferred landing zone.

The F-35C test pilots have made approximately 100 traps on the Nimitz, and the three wire was caught so many times that the metal cable had to be replaced. The one wire, the cable furthest aft on the flight deck, hadn't been used at all, Wilson said.

"We've been beating up the three wire," he said.

When it snags that wire, pilots have a softer landing in the F-35C [?] than what they're used to in legacy aircraft, Wilson said...."
&
"...Besides the two-F-35Cs, there were two other new pieces of hardware on the flight deck. Lawnmower-sized generators were brought on board and positioned near the island. Carriers are wired for a 115-volt system to power equipment on legacy aircraft while the F-35C requires a 270-volt system. The generators were put on the deck to provide this alternate voltage.

Officials said that the generators will only be used for carrier tests, and the Navy is adding 270-volt power to carriers during planned availabilities. After receiving the upgrades, carriers will have both 115- and 270-volt systems."Ships will be modified," said Jim Gigliotti, the director for F-35C and Navy program manager for Lockheed Martin...."

Source: http://www.navytimes.com/story/military ... /19019879/

[popcorn]

This jibes with a documentary I watched some years back ie.,deck crews replace arresting cables after every 100 traps..

[hookswing]

The 2 bolters were "forced", forth cable was even removed.
Test points to show performance of a deployed Arresting Hook suddenly going down the end of the carrier (extending).

[spazsinbad]

Thanks 'hookswing' for clarification and further to the replacement CDP cycle (which will be on the other thread with a graphic - I'll check etc.... meanwhile just post this nice description....

Design Specifications Development for Unmanned Aircraft Carrier Landings: A Simulation Approach
Midshipman Joseph F. Sweger, Class of 2003; United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

page 8 BACKGROUND...
...Understanding the carrier-landing task requires some discussion of terminology. Angle of attack (AOA) is the angle between where the airplane is pointed and where it is going. This value along with the velocity determines the amount of lift generated. An aircraft’s pitch angle is where the nose is pointed relative to the horizon and for manned aircraft strongly influences the over the nose visibility from the cockpit. Sink rate is the vertical component of the velocity. The glide slope is the desired airplane trajectory, terminating at the desired touch-down point, nominally a straight line extending 3.5 degrees above the horizon as shown in Figure 1 below. Flight-path angle is the angle between the airplane’s velocity vector and the horizon. Because the ship (and touchdown point) is typically moving through the water at 10 to 20 knots, maintaining a 3.5 degree glide slope relative to the ship results in a flight-path angle of 3.0 degrees relative to the inertial frame. The four wires highlighted in Figure 1 are called cross-deck pendants. The cross-deck pendants are disposable and are replaced after 100 hits or sooner if damaged. They are attached to the purchase cable, which goes into the arresting engine under the deck. The maximum energy absorption capability of this system constitutes one of the most significant constraints to the landing problem. Additionally, the targeted hook touch down point is labeled.

The ultimate objective of every carrier approach is a safe arrested landing, or trap. There are many constraints to the landing task. Structures and safety physically constrain carrier landings, while operational requirements demand a high boarding rate (the percentage of approaches that result in a trap). Off-centerline landings are dangerous due to the proximity of personnel and equipment; short (low) approaches hazard striking the aft end of the ship. High approaches will fail to catch a wire. The structural limits of the hook and cross-deck pendant determine the maximum landing velocity. Sink rate is limited by the landing gear structure. Additionally, hook geometry requires the aircraft to land with a positive pitch angle, optimally five degrees, because the main gear must touchdown first. The positive pitch angle is also necessary for the hook to engage the wire...."

Source: http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA419423 (PDF 2Mb)

[quicksilver]

"F-35C Completes Initial Sea Trials aboard Aircraft Carrier

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter completed its first phase of developmental test (DT) aboard an aircraft carrier Nov. 14, three days ahead of schedule aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68)..."

"The aircraft demonstrated exceptional performance throughout its initial sea trails, accelerating the team's progress through the DT-I schedule and enabling them to conduct night operations - a milestone typically achieved during the second at-sea phase of developmental tests, as evidenced by the test schedules of the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet."

"We had such confidence in how the plane is flying that we lowered the weather minimums to what the fleet is actually using, knowing that when I lower my hook and come into the groove I'm going to trap," said Lt. Cmdr. Ted Dyckman, Navy test pilot. "That says a lot for the airplane. So, when it came time for night traps, we said the plane is ready and we launched it. It flew very well behind the ship. Even on the darkest night - pretty much as dark as you can get behind the boat. Two hook-down passes and two traps and that says it all right there. It's unheard of to conduct night ops on the first det."

"The engineers responsible for the aircraft's control laws at Pax (Patuxent) River and Fort Worth have done a phenomenal job designing a carefree aircraft from the pilot's perspective," said Cmdr. Tony Wilson, DT I Team Lead. "The F-35C's performance on the ball was revolutionary, providing carefree handling on approach. The Integrated Direct Lift Control (IDLC) allows ball control like no other aircraft. The control schemes of the F-35C provide a tool for the below average ball flyer to compete for top hook. And, Delta Flight Path is an innovative leap in aircraft flight controls - this command enables the F-35 to capture and maintain a glideslope, greatly reducing pilot workload, increasing safety margins during carrier approaches and reducing touchdown dispersion."

"Successful carrier landings of the F-35C also point to an effective re-design of the once-troubled tailhook. Initial testing shore-based testing pointed toward tailhook design issues and the Atlantic Test Range (ATR) at NAS Patuxent River captured critical measurement data with their precision photogrammetric technology and modeling capabilities. The re-design collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Fokker Technologies of the Netherlands - with insight and participation by Navy airworthiness engineers - has yielded a preponderance of three-wire landings during DT-I and firmly established the success of the redesign..."

More at the link -- http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=84481

[spazsinbad]

It is good that USN has acknowledged the good work by all concerned in PR above.

Meanwhile back on page: 11 was the AvWeak 'Feet Wet' story:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26634&p=281610&hilit=apparent#p281610

which is now more or less available here now:

http://aviationweek.com/defense/redesig ... sea-trials