Carrier recovery and EADI

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Chris
Posts: 906
Joined: 23 Feb 2020, 21:12

Carrier recovery and EADI

Post by Chris »

Using the F18C Electronic Attitude Director (EADI) Indicator in carrier recoveries.

A standard rate turn is defined as a 3° per second turn, which completes a 360° turn in 2 minutes. This is known as a 2-minute turn, or rate one (180°/min).

What’s that go to do with the F18C in DCS? Well for case 3 recoveries you will be required to hold a Marshal racetrack holding pattern at a specified height and distance from the boat, at a specific speed, and then leave that holding start point exactly on a given time so that multiple aircraft can land on deck 1 minute apart in total darkness, fog or bad weather, one after the other… simples…

Maintaining an exact standard turn for 180° will take exactly 1 minute…. So you can arrange things to hit your exact leave time…. Something like, 180° SR turn, 2 mins straight lining, then another 180° and 2 mins straight will bring you back to start… in 6 minutes.... 1 minute straights will give a return time of 4 mins and a 360 will give you 2 minutes..... arrange things to suit, your job is to leave exactly on time... from exactly the right spot... which is constantly moving at ship speed.

A simple way to determine the amount of bank for a Standard Rate Turn is to divide the airspeed by 10 and add one-half the result. For example, at 100 knots, approximately 15° of bank is required (100/10 = 10 + 5 = 15); at 120 knots, approximately 18° of bank is needed for a standard-rate turn.

For NATOS Case 3 Marshal is 250KIAS so 250/10 = 25 + 12.5 = 37.5 KIAS…. Hence some guides recommend 40° for simplicity except the F18 has markings for 15 / 30 / 45 so you sort of fudge it… or do you?

Consider using your Electronic Attitude Director (EADI) Indicator in your left MFD accessed from you SUPT page. You can slave this to INS or SDY ADI, I always use INS. Note the 3 lower squares and the 1 square below them. This 1 square will show rudder deflection but F18 fly-by-wire (computer) right… so you hardly use your rudders in normal flight. In a bank, at a constant altitude, the 1 square moves in the direction of bank, line it up with the top left (or right) square and you have a STANDARD RATE TURN at WHATEVER SPEED you happen to be doing….

So in a case 3 marshal, line the squares up, thats it… 180° in 1 minute, 360 in 2.. you want to speed up on the to meet the push time, fine, speed up. Altitude, Airspeed and VV are all displayed too.

For Case 1 Marshall at 250KIAS set the lower square middle between the outer and centre squares to give a ½ rate turn that will give you a diameter of around 4.8nm…. Set your ATC and AP BALT and you can sit there all day with the head out of the cockpit….

For the final turn from abeam use the 30 degree marks on the EADI. This bank angle and ALT and SPD are far easier to see in the left hand MFD when turning to groove than the HUD and as a bonus HSI needles are displayed too.

Below....

Pic 1 Standard Rate Turn - Case 3 Recovery Marshal

Pic 2 1/2 Standard Rate Turn - Case 1 Recovery Overhead Marshal
sr1.png
sr1.png (1.02 MiB) Viewed 827 times
sr2.png
sr2.png (1.07 MiB) Viewed 827 times
Kind Regards
Chris :)

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Neil Willis
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Posts: 2940
Joined: 27 May 2014, 14:44
Location: West Midlands

Re: Carrier recovery and EADI

Post by Neil Willis »

Just need another MFCD to display it on!
Group Captain Neil Willis - RAF Air UKImageImage
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