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Early Morning Carrier Quals


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I didn't have much homework this arvo, so took the chance to jump into the sim and have a play around.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat aboard CVN 64, the John C. Stennis. Early morning carrier ops and a bit of exploring - nothing too fancy. Don't expect great shots - I didn't place much emphasis on how they came out.

Lined up. Hand on throttle. Back and neck straight. From "The Waterboy" - "time to open up a can of woop ass!"

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Recovery off CVN 64

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Not a bad day for flying. There are some CL's moving East towards the carriers' AOPs - so we'll keep an eye out

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In the circuit. Making a hard turn onto downwind

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I have a terrible reputation with the boys at Transload - I always bolt on my first recovery. Let's see if today is any different...

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...nope. Good to know that everything's normal!

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Let's hope we snag a trap this time 'round

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Gotcha. Pulled up on the second cable

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I left behind some dirty skid marks...

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Set up again

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Not much room for error eh?

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Pity these things can't be turned into the wind in FS. A 10kt tailwind is grounds for throwing the carrier around for more suitable performance for aircraft - but we don't have that luxury. Instead, we hope for the best.

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We're right! Time to do a quick exploration of Taiwan

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On our way back. Clouds are moving in, and I feel like a bite

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Hittin' the burners!

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Cloud coverage is increasing. On base.

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We're down. Caught the last trap. Lucky, I wasn't in the mood for a bolter.

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Another angle

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On deck for a few hours rest, then we have night sorties. Let's hope that wx backs off!

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Hope you enjoyed! :wink:

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Joe,

Very nice shots and story line. The Tomcat is one of my favorite non-prop aircraft. Very efficient at

converting kerosene to noise.

It's a pity, but they're all gone now. The Navy has retired the last active squadron and the official last

flight is history.

There's a supposedly true story of a young F-14 pilot with a serious case of the nerves. He was attempting

a night trap and had boltered seven times (!!!) and refueled twice. The Landing Signal Officer finally told

him on the radio, "Son, you're going to have to land here eventually. This is where the food is."

Anyway, nice post. Thanks...

John

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Fantasticas ever!

Being the sorot of guy who fears for the saftey of his aircraft if the length of the runway measures under a 5 digit number, carrier ops are not something i embark on often. But you have certainly made me want to take my Naval Flanker for a spin... :wink:

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Thank you gents for the kind words - much appreciated.

John, seven times?! Poor bugger - bet he would've appreciated that hot meal after hitting the deck - better than eating with the fishies!

Fred - go for it mate! It's a lot of fun - and challenging also, I'm sure you'll have a blast!

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