Looks Like USS Ford Is Finally Working

[John Rogers]

Saw in the news that the USS Ford has finally gotten all its new systems working so they can launch and recover their planes and have their radars working well enough so it won't run into any other ships or land masses! Sort of reminds me of what happened on the USS Enterprise CVA(N)65.

When the second set of reactor cores was installed, the Navy along with Westinghouse decided to upgrade all the reactor control electronics from switches and mag-amps to full transistorized controls. Well, the bits and pieces were not tested well enough such went things got put into their places they did not work as intended! Lights would blink on/off, meters would lag or jump, control rods would jump making it very hard to control things. Even though Rickover came to visit several times we all got to work 12/12 daily and 7 days a week. A bunch of the wives got really mad and held a strike and blocked the main shipyard gate at Newport News! The reactor officer, who had been kicked off subs held a meeting and ordered all the married men to "order" their wives to knock it off! Word of that made it onto the local TV station so there was a bunch of embarrassment for the Navy. Finally figured the troubles were caused by electrical "leakage" from 440v power lines.
John

[sc_rufctr]

Impressive looking ship and great news but I didn't know it was having issues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gerald_R._Ford#Delivery

[stevej37]

Stupid question here...
With the angled landing deck...wouldn't it make landings more difficult if the carrier is moving at all?
I realize the speed is very slow, but seems like it would add to the difficulty of landing.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Stupid question here...
With the angled landing deck...wouldn't it make landings more difficult if the carrier is moving at all?
I realize the speed is very slow, but seems like it would add to the difficulty of landing.

I remember seeing a show where it said the English invented that carrier design and it was a monumental improvement but I don't remember why.

Simultaneous take off and landing?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Simultaneous take off and landing?

I can see the benefit of that...but it seems like the angled deck would be better for the take-offs and the in-line deck for landings.

Maybe I should write the Navy a letter to recommend it?

[unclebilly]

You guys need to tour the carrier in SanDiego. It’s a pretty great tour.

[Noah930]

I'd you overshoot a landing and wind up in the drink, you don't want the boat to then run you over, no?

When you're taking off, you want the forward speed of the ship to add/assist with your takeoff speed to help get you in the air.

[pavulon]

Perhaps the Ford's aesthetics are way off or this image's perspective makes it look much different than others but that landing area and arresting wires placements appear much more pilot friendly than those of the past.

[oldE]

Angled deck allows an aircraft which misses the arrestor wire a clear deck to bolter and go around to attempt another landing. Prior to the angled deck, crash barriers (big nets) would be erected to catch the bolter if there were planes positioned on the foredeck.

Best
Les

[450knotOffice]

Crosswind component for a landing jet would only be about 5 knots. Always from the right. No issue at all.

The return for that angled deck is that simultaneous launch and recovery operations can be carried out. Prior to that invention, it was either/or.

[John Rogers]

I can remember watching flight ops from the 011 level when I was on the Big E and during the Vietnam war there were continuous take offs on the bow cats and recovery in the angle deck. About the only time no planes would be lined up on cats 1 or 2 would be when a Vigilante or an A3 would be coming in. Those planes were really big and there was a possibility of a landing plane hitting the tail of a cat-shot.

Lining up and hitting the angle portion of the flight deck is nearly as easy as coming straight in like one of the old carriers. Notice how far aft (towards to rear) the island on the USS Ford is sitting?!
John

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Stupid question here...
With the angled landing deck...wouldn't it make landings more difficult if the carrier is moving at all?
I realize the speed is very slow, but seems like it would add to the difficulty of landing.

Not really its just something you get used too (I fly DCS simulated Tomcats)
The benefits of powering through on a bolter outweight the negatives of the slight angle approach.

Basically you fly along the carrier, parallel, do a break
loose speed
go to landing config, flaps, gear, bit of brake
do another big turn, and if you time it right end up in the right place behind the carrier
call the ball and put it down..




Because you are coming out of a turn, all it takes is taking that turn a bit wider and get to line up..

obviously it's a lot harder in the real world, but that's what they train for, day, night, rain or shine. Some get it, some never qual and wash out. Especially at night.

[stevej37]

^^^ Thanks...great explanation (with pic)!

[ckelly78z]

A friend of my Dad was on a Destroyer support vessel for a large carrier group back in the Vietnam era. He was an engineer below decks that knew specifics on the powerplant in his Destroyer, it was capable of 45 knots (51 mph). They would have to get out in front of the carriers by a bit before they started launching aircraft, because the carriers were so much faster into the wind.

[svandamme]

these supercarriers really are huge.
In Vietnam Era they flew F8 crusaders of the olders 27 Charlie carriers (meaning Essex straight deck with 27 Mod which was the angled deck), the 1 wire was right close to the edge. cross the ramp, yer in the wires. #1 on those was really just a fart away from a ramp strike

In the bigger ones since, there's quite a bit of distance past the deck edge to get to the first wire
But a 1 wire is still terrible and something nobody wants to see on the greenie board (squadron landing score board), the latest carriers only have 3 wires , they did away with the 4th one because the modern fly by wire planes are much easier to land on a specific spot.

[oldE]

Check out Ward Carrol's channel. He was discussing automated landing systems on the newer jets and reports they are so good the landing gear are creating low spots in the deck from the consistency of the landings.
Look Ma, no hands!

Best
Les

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

I remember seeing a show where it said the English invented that carrier design and it was a monumental improvement but I don't remember why.

Simultaneous take off and landing?

Not sure if the English use the angled deck design. IIRC, the US is the only country to adapt and use the cat launch with any success. Everyone else uses ski jump ramps and VTOL type aircraft or Short Take off landing aircraft

US carrier on left and UK on right circ 1998

[matthewb0051]

Ski jump ramp...

[matthewb0051]

Good comparison of US v UK carriers (newest)

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Good comparison of US v UK carriers (newest)

I was wondering if they had a right and left hand angled landing deck in the video, but portions of the video were reversed.