Thanks for the info 'Striker'. You may not be aware that in the mid 1960s to late 1960s there were several groups of RAN FAA would be pilots trained in the USN at Pensacola. [My flying course just missed out on going to the USofA - to be trained with the usual RAAF system initially - mine began in 1967.] Because of this aspect the PDFs contain a lot of info about the Mentor and Trojan with examples of these USN trained chaps being CarQualled in the T-28C - however all then went to Helicopter training in the US to later either fly Wessex or Iroquois (in Vietnam with US Army). Some of these helo chaps then transitioned to the A4G Skyhawk in the early 1970s.
I know it probably pains people to download large PDFs on speculation that they may be interesting or even informative or useful.
Yes I can break up the large PDFs into smaller named pieces but how long is a piece of string?
But anyway the 'how to deck land' PDFs online have long range line up info and some will be reproduced below or pointed to online if those links (in the PDF) still work....
“Roger Ball” high tech style Wings of Gold, Summer 2002 by Holland, Art
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3834/is_200207/ai_n9086662/?tag=content;col1 [DEAD LINK]
"...Another new landing aid for the pilot is the Long Range Lineup System (LRLS). It is mounted just below the flight deck on the aft end of the ship. The main unit contains an optical head containing 10 Lasers (4 Red, 1 Yellow, 5 green), masks, and filters which form 7 corridors indicating position of aircraft relative to flight deck centerline. A base houses the power supply and the pitch/ roll stabilization system.
LRLS provides line-up information to the pilot from six nm to about .65 nm astern the ship. LRLS complements IFLOLS by providing visual cues to the pilot that facilitate the early interception of centerline at night. When on centerline the pilot sees a yellow light. When deviations occur, the pilot will see either a steady green light, if right of centerline, or a steady red light when the aircraft is lined up to the left. As deviation increases to the left or right, the corresponding light begins to flash. The more rapidly the lights flash, the further the pilot is away from an optimum flight path. LRLS augments the existing Automatic Carrier landing System (ACLS), Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Visual Landing Aids (VLA) by allowing a more seamless transition from instruments to visual cues for landing. Because it provides a more accurate means of evaluating position left or right of centerline, LRLS ensures lineup remains a prominent part of the pilot’s visual scan. By reducing the requirement for close-in line-up corrections, as well as minimizing radio transmissions between the pilot and the LSOs, LRLS is effective in decreasing pilot workload and increasing confidence...." Graphic here:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/aircraft-carrier-22.gif will be reproduced with text and attached.
And another dead link:
http://www.hrana.org/documents/PaddlesMonthlySeptember2011.pdf It seems the USN has taken offline a lot of information that will be found now in the PDFs I have mentioned ad nauseam online today.
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Victory for Long Range Lineup System (LRLS)!!!!http://www.hrana.org/documents/PaddlesMonthlySeptember2011.pdf"We fought for it and we got it!!!
As we face a future of increasing fiscal austerity, we can expect funding for everything from flight hours to aircrew equipment to potentially find itself on the chopping block. Over the last few years, one system that has continually been identified for elimination is the Long Range Lineup System (LRLS). After hearing that plans for the USS Gerald Ford (CVN-78) did not include installation of LRLS and already-installed systems could potentially face elimination of the funding required for support and maintenance, the LSO community addressed the issue at both the 2010 and 2011 Operational Advisory Group Conference.
The across-the-board consensus was that LRLS is the primary source of lineup information prior to the ball call for all aircraft not equipped with a HUD.However, even though we included it in our LSO Top 5 each year, this was still not enough to secure LRLS’s future. After some investigation by the LSO School Staff, it was discovered that if LRLS is a requirement to pass Flight Deck Certification then it would then become a required piece of equipment on all fleet carriers. That has
now become a reality and the future of the Long Range Lineup System is now secure."
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BEAR IN MIND I think this new fangled stuff is just amazing. In my now very old experience in VF-805 [poor man fleet defence similar to the mid to late 1960s A-4B/C USN ASW carriers VSF squadrons/detachments] I had only the old not as accurate as todays TACAN and Mk.1 eyeball to land an A4G Skyhawk aboard HMAS Melbourne, a 19,000 ton Light Fleet Carrier (from WWII era but fitted with 5.5 degree angle deck, mirror and steam catapult of 100 feet - upgraded to 105-10 feet in my time onboard). The CCA was same as the GCA of the day via an old Sea Venom radar (which was good for the time). Visual all the way with no auto anything (A4Gs did not have APC Auto Power Control). It was fun in the daytime but very difficult at night - IF ONLY FOR THE LINE UP PROBLEM!
With NO HUD then it was all as described earlier - AoA Indexer and Meatball, Lineup and Airspeed (Optimum Angle of Attack).
Perhaps there is a perception that the PDFs are ONLY about the A4G or the RAN FAA Fixed Wing - they are not. The 'how to deck land' section or the 'htdl' specific PDFs contain information from all parts of the globe with of course emphasis on the only real player today the USN. OK?
