VFA-147 at Sea

F-35 unit & base selection, delivery, activation
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by blain » 29 Aug 2018, 19:52

First pic I've seen of a VFA-147 F-35C. I'd like to see the CAG jet. From a modelers perspective I hope at some point it has as much color as USMC's F-35 squadron CO jets.

Image

https://news.usni.org/2018/08/27/f-35cs ... am-lincoln


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by spazsinbad » 29 Aug 2018, 20:34

F-35C NH 410 Deck ABE 27 Aug 2018
"An F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter maneuvers aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Monday during operations in the Atlantic on Aug. 27, 2018. USNI News Photo"
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/upload ... C_0700.jpg


I used to be able to log in to DVIDS to download high quality photos but not today - not with three browsers I cannot?
"180820-N-FK070-1182 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 20, 2018) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Caleb Swaim directs an F-35C Lightning II assigned to the Rough Raiders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/Released)" https://cdn.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/p ... 0w_q95.jpg


Went to another photo in series and now I can log in - I dunno….
"180822-N-NF912-1031
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 22, 2018) Seaman Savannah Reid observes an F-35C Lightning II assigned to the Rough Raiders of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 approach the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jeremiah Bartelt/Released)" https://www.dvidshub.net/download/image/4685305 (JPG 1.1Mb)
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F-35C NH 410 Deck ABE 27aug2018.jpg
1000w_q95.jpg
F-35CapproachLINCOLN22aug2018.jpg


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by 35_aoa » 31 Aug 2018, 03:13

Surprised to get back from 5 weeks at sea and not see a single thread about this.......last 2 weeks we just did F-35 "OT-1". First cyclic CVN F-35 ops in history. Yes, they howl a little more than our Rhinos (much like a Viper), and their formation lights are configured in a weird way so as to make them look like they have cat eyes on the PLAT cam. And yes, Top Gun 2 film crew was there as well, shooting all over the place. Maybe my 15 mins in fame is yet to come.....think I bagged a (settle)/AR OK 2 wire the sunset they were filming at the same time I was flying.


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by popcorn » 31 Aug 2018, 03:24

35_aoa wrote:Surprised to get back from 5 weeks at sea and not see a single thread about this.......last 2 weeks we just did F-35 "OT-1". First cyclic CVN F-35 ops in history. Yes, they howl a little more than our Rhinos (much like a Viper), and their formation lights are configured in a weird way so as to make them look like they have cat eyes on the PLAT cam. And yes, Top Gun 2 film crew was there as well, shooting all over the place. Maybe my 15 mins in fame is yet to come.....think I bagged a (settle)/AR OK 2 wire the sunset they were filming at the same time I was flying.

Cool! Trapping a Rhino during sunset, great imagery...
"When a fifth-generation fighter meets a fourth-generation fighter—the [latter] dies,”
CSAF Gen. Mark Welsh


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2018, 05:00

35_aoa wrote:Surprised to get back from 5 weeks at sea and not see a single thread about this.......last 2 weeks we just did F-35 "OT-1". First cyclic CVN F-35 ops in history. Yes, they howl a little more than our Rhinos (much like a Viper), and their formation lights are configured in a weird way so as to make them look like they have cat eyes on the PLAT cam. And yes, Top Gun 2 film crew was there as well, shooting all over the place. Maybe my 15 mins in fame is yet to come.....think I bagged a (settle)/AR OK 2 wire the sunset they were filming at the same time I was flying.

News started here: viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15767&p=400669&hilit=usni#p400669
and:
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15767&p=400825&hilit=supadupas#p400825

USN has been on info lock down for many months now - before the USAF did same - however the USAF are supposed to come out of their self imposed media cloistering (for OPSEC training for spokespeeps so some can LURN HOW TO SPELL LIGHTNING FOR goodness sake!) soonish like.

THIS IS A GOOD ONE BUTT! viewtopic.php?f=62&t=16223&p=400742&hilit=Lincoln#p400742


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by 35_aoa » 31 Aug 2018, 05:17

From a basic launch and recovery perspective, it was basically a non event. They got aboard just fine. There are no new guys flying F-35C's right now, all are either Hornet or Rhino background cruise experienced pilots, if not career F/A-18 folks in some cases. That being said, their baseline landing mode is equivalent to F/A-18 PLM/"Path". They don't even have the option to fly the "manual" pass (no auto anything) that I grew up flying. In short, no color, I only saw one F-35 bolter in 2 weeks of flying......


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2018, 05:43

Interesting to know. How 'bout your goodself? What mode do you usually use and what mode were you using for the settle?


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by sprstdlyscottsmn » 31 Aug 2018, 05:44

Awesome stuff! In my head any sunset 2-wire Rhino trap I see in the movie will be you!
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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2018, 06:25

DOAN SEDDLE: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4667238/ ... -jx484-345
"ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 21, 2018) An F/A-18 Super Hornet approaches the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Abraham Lincoln is currently underway conducting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Andrew Hays/Released) [JPG 1.2Mb] https://www.dvidshub.net/download/image/4667238 OR https://cdn.dvidshub.net/media/photos/1808/4667238.jpg
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sHornetRAMPlincolnAug2018.jpg


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by 35_aoa » 31 Aug 2018, 06:41

spazsinbad wrote:Interesting to know. How 'bout your goodself? What mode do you usually use and what mode were you using for the settle?


I was a "Path" guy myself, like most other cruise experienced folks. We got most of our FNG's there by the end of the det as well. It is a little bit different muscle memory (little power call is easily overdone for example) but it is as lazy as you can get during a night recovery..........it feels really uncomfortable to just let the ball sit there perfectly centered, but it actually works......though 5 wet tends to gob on a bunch of power at the ramp when the ship is making its own wind, i.e. burble. Click out of auto throttles and it is fixed. I was in the 5W on said sunset, I'm sure they will filter out the tanker recovery sadly :) But I got a little lazy at the ramp and settled. Think that was my only 2 wire, all the others were either 3 (mostly) or 4 on occasion if I got tall in close. Basically you just watch lineup and make a couple glideslope corrections if you begin at an on and on start. Super easy. Pretty much the entire airwing, save the E-2, was getting nothing but OK-3's, to the point where they had to strip the 3 a little more regularly than normal. We also were the first airwing to use the "extended landing pattern" during the day/case 1/2. Descend to 450 feet aft of the bow, same abeam distance (1.2-1.3), then turn from downwind at either 1.7 NM if own interval, or with interval at the 9:30 position if someone is ahead of you. Makes for about a mile straight away with lineup solved, just waiting to intercept GS from below, and if you are flying PLM Path or Rate, it is way easier to get to an on/on start than what we used to do with the traditional approach turn. More repeatable if you will. Makes breaking the deck timing a little more nebulous though.


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2018, 07:13

I unnerstood most of your jargon :roll: FiveWet would be the TANKER I guess soon (by 2024 bloody hell) to be replaced by the BOING! MQ-25. So at 450 feet when you turn base do you stay level to pick up the ball round the last part of the turn?

I have often claimed to have done 400 feet carrier circuits which seemed easier when level turning base rather than NATOPS 600 feet descending base turn in an A4G - long ago. :shock: Shorter straightaways left less time for stuff ups. :mrgreen:


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by 35_aoa » 31 Aug 2018, 08:25

spazsinbad wrote:I unnerstood most of your jargon :roll: FiveWet would be the TANKER I guess soon (by 2024 bloody hell) to be replaced by the BOING! MQ-25. So at 450 feet when you turn base do you stay level to pick up the ball round the last part of the turn?

I have often claimed to have done 400 feet carrier circuits which seemed easier when level turning base rather than NATOPS 600 feet descending base turn in an A4G - long ago. :shock: Shorter straightaways left less time for stuff ups. :mrgreen:


5W or 3W or even 1W (yo-yo tanker ops) is an F/A-18 thing, but yes, definitely tanker stuff. Like you said, you stay level at 450, round the corner by about 2 miles astern, and have about a mile to get everything suitcased before you push over and intercept glideslope from below at 1.0-1.1 NM. It is a bit of a green machine, if your ready room has a greenie board.....I've never been in a squadron that has one, but that doesn't make it any better or worse.....though it has been a long time, or maybe never, since I have scared anyone on the platform


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by spazsinbad » 31 Aug 2018, 08:42

Heheh - Greenie Board - the walk of shame for sprogs! (nuggets/newbies) Intercepting from below is OK? Anyway our A4G squadron was copying the SEA VENOM of previous times. The Venom pilot view over the bulbous nose was not good. The Observer in the right hand seat called out the airspeed in one knot increments so that the pilot did not have to look inside. Tight curving circuits more or less ALL THE TIME from the break helped pilot view in the left turn. Short finals helped when there was NO LSO. This is aboard HMAS Melbourne from c. 1957 to 1966. These guys probably got away with a lot; so when the USN trained LSOs came along in the A4G era there were initially horrendous shouting matches from the olden ones. My CO even arrested an A4G when the mirror was covered up! Talk about deck spotting. 8) The MCO Mirror Control Officer sat behind the mirror while the LSO was caught out from the quick A4G return, discovering error after.

I found the new descending turn from 600 foot base difficult to master at first, we transitioned about halfway through the first cruise IIRC. Anyway as the most junior pilot on VF-805 I knew bugga all about deck landings (my 1st were in the A4G).

Perhaps different to your method with level approach to push over was we turned level but we could see the ball in our MELBOURNE MIRROR about halfway around the level turn, so we transitioned to flying the ball during the turn to finals. Can't recall how long the groove was then but it was short & sweet. Or so I thought until the LSO debrief. :twisted:

MIRRORS are curved so view angle wide & with only a 5.5 degree angle deck things could be as tight as, line up no probs.


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by sprstdlyscottsmn » 31 Aug 2018, 15:07

Did you happen to hear what (nick)name they were calling it around the boat? This is the first time we've had someone on the boards who could have first hand knowledge.
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by steve2267 » 31 Aug 2018, 15:44

sprstdlyscottsmn wrote:Did you happen to hear what (nick)name they were calling it around the boat? This is the first time we've had someone on the boards who could have first hand knowledge.


I too am curious. Was it the Chair Force guys @ Nellis who started Panther? Dunno if the Nasal Aviators would go with that... although Panther would fit
35_aoa wrote:their formation lights are configured in a weird way so as to make them look like they have cat eyes on the PLAT cam
Take an F-16, stir in A-7, dollop of F-117, gob of F-22, dash of F/A-18, sprinkle with AV-8B, stir well + bake. Whaddya get? F-35.


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