Anything related to the operation of aircraft around carriers: landing, take-off, taxi, storage, etc.
Questions tagged [aircraft-carrier]
105 questions
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Can a landing aircraft snag multiple wires when landing on an aircraft carrier?
There are 4 arresting wires on an aircraft carrier separated by about 50 feet and usually the pilot tries to snag the 3rd one but he does have the option to snag the first or second one.
What stops the tailhook from engaging the wires in front of…
user99379
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What are the advantages of the angled flight deck layout used by some aircraft carriers?
I've been flying aircraft carrier approaches in a flight simulator lately and noticed that the carrier has an interesting layout. I have an image below where the landing runway is in red and the takeoff runway is in blue.
I can understand the…
Dylan
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Why is the landing area of an aircraft carrier angled to port side, not starboard?
On a modern aircraft carrier, the landing area is not aligned with the axis of the ship.
Given this part of the ship needs to be asymmetric, why do most (if not all) angled flight decks point to the left side of the ship (and not the right)? Is…
Manu H
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What is the purpose of the arrow on the flightdeck of USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt?
The below photo of Midway class aircraft carrier USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt shows a long white arrow starting on the centerline of the flight deck and continuing up until the "42" at the bow.
I initially thought it might be a guideline for when…
bjelleklang
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How does the reusable holdback bar work?
Sources: wikimedia.org and ar15.com
Holdback bars are used to hold a carrier plane at full thrust until the catapult pulls it for launch.
Older bars (right) use a disposable shearable block (item 5) between the bar and the plane.
How does the…
user14897
14
votes
2 answers
How can an aircraft not fall into the sea after the arresting cable snaps during a carrier landing?
After watching that video, I can't fathom how in the world could the crew save the day. Can someone give the intuition on how did that happen?
Unfortunately, I am not in the aviation, but I recall from Flight Simulator that on landing, the aircraft…
gsamaras
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Has an aircraft carrier ever assisted a civilian passenger flight?
Has an aircraft carrier ever assisted a civilian passenger flight? I am trying to find an example of this. It could be as extreme as a small plane landing on aircraft carrier in an emergency. A simpler example would be a civilian passenger plane…
Eric Urban
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What is the benefit of a curved up flight deck?
A Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has an interesting aspect: the edge of the runway is raised, which “pushes” the plane in the air during the takeoff. Looking at takeoff videos, the curved edge seems very natural.
All USA aircraft…
Arseni Mourzenko
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How does the ski shape of an aircraft carrier deck help for take off?
Why is a ski-shaped deck used on an aircraft carrier for take off?
The aircraft needs a particular lift for a particular weight, how does ski assist in take off?
Adder
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Where can I find more information about that glass board in old aircraft carrier operations centers?
When I was a kid, I used to read this comics about aircraft pilots in the 50's, and in the operations center of their aircraft carrier, they had operators using markers on a glass wall to keep track of operations. Any idea how that was called and…
Frank
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Straight vs. angled aircraft carrier decks: tradeoffs for rolling takeoff?
I have some questions about modern aircraft carriers and the tradeoffs they make when choosing between straight or angled runways when used with modern jet aircraft for rolling takeoffs.
This question is not about old (e.g. WW2) aircraft carriers…
DKNguyen
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Why, on carrier landings, does the Flight Path Marker (FPM) seem to be placed near to the end of the runway?
On most military aircraft landings, the FPM seems to be usually lined up with the start of the runway, either around the numbers or the aiming point, I would asume this to be the same on carriers for a higher probability of catching the wires, But…
James Davis
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Could a P-3 Orion fly off a carrier?
The C-130 has proven itself eminently capable of landing on a carrier.
When the S-2 Viking was retired, the Navy didn't really have a good replacement for anti-submarine ops - but anti-sub warfare had also fallen in importance.
Suppose there is a…
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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How many staff are needed to support aviation on an aircraft carrier?
An aircraft carrier is the largest type of warship and is used to transport, operate, and maintain military aircraft.
The staff which support aircraft in the carrier can be divided into 2 groups.
Some "variable" staff are directly related to the…
Him
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Why are catapult carriers' decks flat and leveled?
I know the Russians seems to be planning some sort of catapult then ski-jump system, but I am not talking about that.
In the history of all aircraft catapult, they all seems to be launching the aircraft leveled instead of pitching upward. From old…
