piloting help needed!

[the test pilot 5]

hi everybody.

 

my question is simple: i need help on how to pilot and and land safetly an harrier-like

jet on an aircraft carrier.

i'm working on a campaign featuring a marines squadron operating from the uss tarawa with kestrels.

 

but i don't want to release a campaign with a kind of challenge that i can't take care of.

 

if you can prepare a checklist for the landing of the jet.

 

i already manged to take off, but...........

 

fuel is not unlimited.

[JediMaster 451]

Beats me! I've taken off lots of times, haven't managed a vertical landing YET. I just do rolling landings on airfields.

[macelena 1,070]

i tried it with an AV8S, but once stopped in the air, when i pulled the throttle down, the son of something dove and crashed

[the test pilot 5]

i tried a mixed landing with a normal approach and a switch on wertic al flight in the end, but i didn't made it.

 

i just don't know which value of the throttle makes the jet mantain the altitude.

 

actually, i'm tring with av-8c.

 

maybe i'll have to try with the kestrel first.

 

someone says it has a more powerful engine

Edited March 24, 2008 by the test pilot

[+Brainless 1]

i tried a mixed landing with a normal approach and a switch on wertic al flight in the end, but i didn't made it.

 

i just don't know which value of the throttle makes the jet mantain the altitude.

 

actually, i'm tring with av-8c.

 

maybe i'll have to try with the kestrel first.

 

someone says it has a more powerful engine

 

This is not at all easy. I saw a video on how to do it a while ago but can't remember whether that was here or at Simhq..damn memory when you get to my age. Anyway I have done it. You need to get the right balance of VTOL and throttle setting . Come in low and creep up over the deck. Then add the VTOL to almost max to come to landing speed. It's just practice, practice, practice.

 

Someone needs to do another video on how it's done.

[FastCargo 412]

Folks,

 

If this were easy, everyone would be doing it.

 

Think of it as trying to ride a unicycle. You are trying to keep your CG within the '4 posts' defined by the jet engines.

 

Here's my technique which works pretty good and is consistent.

 

First, get setup EARLY! What I recommend is come into the carrier like an approach in a normal aircraft, glideslope and everything. Get to within half a mile.

 

Then, start rotating your nozzles downward while slowing. Eventually try to be at about 70 degrees nozzle, with throttle setting to continue down that normal glideslope.

 

Continue to progress to the carrier until you are about a tenth of a mile, leveling at 100-200 feet (which will put you above the 'normal' glideslope).

 

Tweak your nozzles to about 80 percent...and slowly modulate your throttles to start a nice descent...while continuing to progress toward the carrier.

 

At this point, only use your primary flight controls and your throttles to manipulate your descent. If you come down too fast, bump up your throttles. If you find yourself falling behind, pitch down SLIGHTLY to gain more forward speed...pitch up SLIGHTLY to bleed speed...compensating the reduction in pure vertical lift with throttle. This saves you trying to manipulate 3 controls at once.

 

Also, as a technique, turn off the cockpit. Yeah, yeah, you lose immersion, blah, blah. In a real aircraft, you can see far more than a cockpit view in the sim shows you, and most especially, depth perception. So this is a way to 'relevel' the playing field. Also, zoom out a little bit...this helps detect 'ground rush' eariler if you start sinking too fast.

 

As you get close, don't be afraid to do a slight roll on landing...just be ready to hit the brakes.

 

If you're in doubt...go around and try it again. Do not push a bad setup...90% of bad landings are caused by not taking the time to setup properly.

 

FastCargo

[+Brainless 1]

Folks,

 

If this were easy, everyone would be doing it.

 

Think of it as trying to ride a unicycle. You are trying to keep your CG within the '4 posts' defined by the jet engines.

 

Here's my technique which works pretty good and is consistent.

 

First, get setup EARLY! What I recommend is come into the carrier like an approach in a normal aircraft, glideslope and everything. Get to within half a mile.

 

Then, start rotating your nozzles downward while slowing. Eventually try to be at about 70 degrees nozzle, with throttle setting to continue down that normal glideslope.

 

Continue to progress to the carrier until you are about a tenth of a mile, leveling at 100-200 feet (which will put you above the 'normal' glideslope).

 

Tweak your nozzles to about 80 percent...and slowly modulate your throttles to start a nice descent...while continuing to progress toward the carrier.

 

At this point, only use your primary flight controls and your throttles to manipulate your descent. If you come down too fast, bump up your throttles. If you find yourself falling behind, pitch down SLIGHTLY to gain more forward speed...pitch up SLIGHTLY to bleed speed...compensating the reduction in pure vertical lift with throttle. This saves you trying to manipulate 3 controls at once.

 

Also, as a technique, turn off the cockpit. Yeah, yeah, you lose immersion, blah, blah. In a real aircraft, you can see far more than a cockpit view in the sim shows you, and most especially, depth perception. So this is a way to 'relevel' the playing field. Also, zoom out a little bit...this helps detect 'ground rush' eariler if you start sinking too fast.

 

As you get close, don't be afraid to do a slight roll on landing...just be ready to hit the brakes.

 

If you're in doubt...go around and try it again. Do not push a bad setup...90% of bad landings are caused by not taking the time to setup properly.

 

FastCargo

 

Nicely explained but practice is everything. I haven't done this lately but I'm going to have give it another ago soon. Probably land on the water a few times.

[the test pilot 5]

thanks fastcargo!

 

i'm going to try with my crafts.

if it works right, i'll release a bombing range mission for the AV-8C.

i'll let you know about it.

[S-70 Blackhawk 0]

Just another important thing...

Be VERY careful how far you put the nozzles forward, as you might find yourself flying backwards. I would recommend flying some 'helos on a good simulator (e.g. FS2004). That definitly helps, if you have one that is.

[+Jug 99]

hi everybody.

 

my question is simple: i need help on how to pilot and and land safetly an harrier-like

jet on an aircraft carrier.

i'm working on a campaign featuring a marines squadron operating from the uss tarawa with kestrels.

 

but i don't want to release a campaign with a kind of challenge that i can't take care of.

 

if you can prepare a checklist for the landing of the jet.

 

i already manged to take off, but...........

 

fuel is not unlimited.

 

Pilot's checklists are for reminding the pilot to configure the aircraft properly for landing. You know, wheels, flaps, speed brake, lights, etc. Piloting the aircraft is what you can do well with practice, practice and more practice.

 

Films I have seen of Harrier landings bring the aircraft to a hover over the water near the ship's deck and about the same height as the carrier tower. This is to make sure you can get into a hover without wrecking the carrier in case there is some unknown engine or nozzle problem. Once stabilized, the pilot slowly moves over the deck and sets the bird down.

[the test pilot 5]

thanks everyone!

i now understand how to do it.

now i only have to praticize it.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

i'll post the campaign as soon as the last craft i need comes out.

[+PureBlue 71]

Films I have seen of Harrier landings bring the aircraft to a hover over the water near the ship's deck and about the same height as the carrier tower. This is to make sure you can get into a hover without wrecking the carrier in case there is some unknown engine or nozzle problem. Once stabilized, the pilot slowly moves over the deck and sets the bird down.

 

Yes, in the book I'm reading now "Sea Harrier over the Falklands" by Sharky Ward, they also land just like Jug explained. So that must be the proper way.

Edited April 18, 2008 by pureblue

[sparkomatic 7]

also, at least with the AV-8B there is bleed air at four critical points (nose, wing tips, and tail) to help with "balance"...but by no means is this easy either

 

there is a reason the older models were called "widow makers" in USMC service

[PaperArtillery 0]

Yeah, Fastcargo has the right idea - no matter how VTOL it is, it's still not really a helicopter. Therefore you should obey general principles of flying it like any other fixed-wing, except think of your landing as just an airborne taxi to a stop, if that makes sense. I never got good at the Harrier in games; I could land, shakily and intact, but never "up to spec".

 

Good luck learning!