thedrifter
03-02-07, 07:21 AM
Pilots are flying high at MCAS
Marine Corps is grateful that the community tolerates noise of landing practice
Published Thu, Mar 1, 2007
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
The exhilarating boom of an F/A-18 Hornet's twin engines propelling the fighter jet into the air causes the human body to vibrate and the ears almost to hurt while standing a few feet from the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. This is especially true during a field carrier landing practice where five jets repeatedly graze the ground only to thrust off again into the sky.
However, living or working underneath the 1 1/2-mile-wide flight path of these practices designed to simulate landing on an aircraft carrier deck is usually more annoying than awe-inspiring.
"We do appreciate the noise the community hears," said Lt. Col. Michael Orr, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251.
The squadron, known as the "Thunderbolts," and Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 86 have been running these practices for the past two weeks while gearing up for a 2 1/2-week training mission on the USS Enterprise that will prepare them for an upcoming deployment, Orr said.
These training flights tend to be much louder because pilots fly normal paths at about 1,000 feet, but Orr said the jets fly at about 450 to 600 feet during field carrier landing practices in a more frequent pattern.
Before a deployment to a carrier, experienced pilots must undergo the training three times during the day and three times at night, and "nuggets," or pilots who are going aboard a carrier for the first time, are required twice the practice time. The base sends out public notices to media to warn residents of the increased noise.
Although one practice, which includes anywhere from three to six of the squadron's dozen jets, lasts only about 30 minutes, the whole process takes hours, as it did Friday. Below highlights a breakdown of what several pilots witnessed Friday during their landing training.
PREPARING FOR TAKE-OFF
At about 8:30 a.m., pilots attend a briefing in the ready room. Then, the designated landing signals officer, called a "paddle" because of the signs they used to flash by hand at pilots before the dawn of certain aviation technology, rattles off the goals and safety measures of the day's mission. He does this with what appears to an outsider as the proficiency and incomprehensibility of a livestock auctioneer. But the pilots seem to follow his advice to when they should start "scanning the meatball," or cross-shaped lens board, as they recline in flight suits in plush leather seats.
It turns out today's mission is to practice carrier landings with an older type of meatball to judge their approach and landings.
The paddle operates this light board and bases his judgment on sight. Usually pilots use a lens in which they judge the way the light reflects on the plastic lenses on the board whether they're coming in too high or too low.
From 9 to 9:15 a.m. the five pilots training today head downstairs to put on 30 pounds of gear that provides compression to the legs and torso to cushion the pressure put on the pilot's body up to 1 G-force. It also includes a specially fitted harness to strap them into the seat. On top of this, they place survival vests that include basic tools, such as a knife and a flotation device that automatically inflates once it hits the water.
At 9:30 a.m., pilots sign up for a jet -- VMFA-251 is one of four one-seater Hornet squadrons at the air station -- and rev up the engines for safety checks and double-checks. Dozens of ground crew members help with light trouble-shooting.
At 10 a.m. jets taxi to Runway 5 and begin to take-off one at a time.
Runway 5 is the preferred route for carrier landing practices because the jets fly over relatively undeveloped areas, Orr said. But depending on winds, jets sometimes take off in the opposite direction, called Runway 2-3, which puts them right over some nice developments on Lady's Island, he said. Orr added that pilots never fly in a direction that would take them over downtown Beaufort in such training.
SOARING THROUGH THE AIR
At 10:05 a.m., the first plane in the pattern approaches and attempts to land but is waved off because the jet is carrying too much fuel. It's usual for the first one or two passes for jets to be weighed down by too much gas, Orr said.
Once each plane has made a couple of passes, they start touching wheels to the ground only to burst back off into the sky.
On an aircraft carrier, jets have about 120 feet to land between the first and fourth landing wires, which is marked on the air station's runway. However, they don't practice on land with the cables because of the stress to the jets. Each jet flies the pattern about six times, and most landings are given the mark of "OK" by the observing "paddles," with a few "fair," or average, landings. The worst thing is to be "waved off," Orr said.
COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES
At 10:30 a.m., the last of the jets land for good, bringing relief to spectators that the engines no longer roar back into flight.
After the flight, pilots attend a debriefing discussing their performances. The ability to conduct these practices to simulate "precise flying" onto a moving aircraft carrier is all by the grace of the community, Orr said. At Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., pilots use outlying airfields because development and noise complaints near the air station prevent them from doing the practices there, and Orr said at other fields, pilots have to fly makeshift patterns to avoid highly populated areas.
"Luckily, in Beaufort, there's smart development and support so that we can continue to fly like we do at the carrier," Orr said.
Ellie
Marine Corps is grateful that the community tolerates noise of landing practice
Published Thu, Mar 1, 2007
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
The exhilarating boom of an F/A-18 Hornet's twin engines propelling the fighter jet into the air causes the human body to vibrate and the ears almost to hurt while standing a few feet from the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. This is especially true during a field carrier landing practice where five jets repeatedly graze the ground only to thrust off again into the sky.
However, living or working underneath the 1 1/2-mile-wide flight path of these practices designed to simulate landing on an aircraft carrier deck is usually more annoying than awe-inspiring.
"We do appreciate the noise the community hears," said Lt. Col. Michael Orr, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251.
The squadron, known as the "Thunderbolts," and Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 86 have been running these practices for the past two weeks while gearing up for a 2 1/2-week training mission on the USS Enterprise that will prepare them for an upcoming deployment, Orr said.
These training flights tend to be much louder because pilots fly normal paths at about 1,000 feet, but Orr said the jets fly at about 450 to 600 feet during field carrier landing practices in a more frequent pattern.
Before a deployment to a carrier, experienced pilots must undergo the training three times during the day and three times at night, and "nuggets," or pilots who are going aboard a carrier for the first time, are required twice the practice time. The base sends out public notices to media to warn residents of the increased noise.
Although one practice, which includes anywhere from three to six of the squadron's dozen jets, lasts only about 30 minutes, the whole process takes hours, as it did Friday. Below highlights a breakdown of what several pilots witnessed Friday during their landing training.
PREPARING FOR TAKE-OFF
At about 8:30 a.m., pilots attend a briefing in the ready room. Then, the designated landing signals officer, called a "paddle" because of the signs they used to flash by hand at pilots before the dawn of certain aviation technology, rattles off the goals and safety measures of the day's mission. He does this with what appears to an outsider as the proficiency and incomprehensibility of a livestock auctioneer. But the pilots seem to follow his advice to when they should start "scanning the meatball," or cross-shaped lens board, as they recline in flight suits in plush leather seats.
It turns out today's mission is to practice carrier landings with an older type of meatball to judge their approach and landings.
The paddle operates this light board and bases his judgment on sight. Usually pilots use a lens in which they judge the way the light reflects on the plastic lenses on the board whether they're coming in too high or too low.
From 9 to 9:15 a.m. the five pilots training today head downstairs to put on 30 pounds of gear that provides compression to the legs and torso to cushion the pressure put on the pilot's body up to 1 G-force. It also includes a specially fitted harness to strap them into the seat. On top of this, they place survival vests that include basic tools, such as a knife and a flotation device that automatically inflates once it hits the water.
At 9:30 a.m., pilots sign up for a jet -- VMFA-251 is one of four one-seater Hornet squadrons at the air station -- and rev up the engines for safety checks and double-checks. Dozens of ground crew members help with light trouble-shooting.
At 10 a.m. jets taxi to Runway 5 and begin to take-off one at a time.
Runway 5 is the preferred route for carrier landing practices because the jets fly over relatively undeveloped areas, Orr said. But depending on winds, jets sometimes take off in the opposite direction, called Runway 2-3, which puts them right over some nice developments on Lady's Island, he said. Orr added that pilots never fly in a direction that would take them over downtown Beaufort in such training.
SOARING THROUGH THE AIR
At 10:05 a.m., the first plane in the pattern approaches and attempts to land but is waved off because the jet is carrying too much fuel. It's usual for the first one or two passes for jets to be weighed down by too much gas, Orr said.
Once each plane has made a couple of passes, they start touching wheels to the ground only to burst back off into the sky.
On an aircraft carrier, jets have about 120 feet to land between the first and fourth landing wires, which is marked on the air station's runway. However, they don't practice on land with the cables because of the stress to the jets. Each jet flies the pattern about six times, and most landings are given the mark of "OK" by the observing "paddles," with a few "fair," or average, landings. The worst thing is to be "waved off," Orr said.
COMMUNICATING EXPERIENCES
At 10:30 a.m., the last of the jets land for good, bringing relief to spectators that the engines no longer roar back into flight.
After the flight, pilots attend a debriefing discussing their performances. The ability to conduct these practices to simulate "precise flying" onto a moving aircraft carrier is all by the grace of the community, Orr said. At Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., pilots use outlying airfields because development and noise complaints near the air station prevent them from doing the practices there, and Orr said at other fields, pilots have to fly makeshift patterns to avoid highly populated areas.
"Luckily, in Beaufort, there's smart development and support so that we can continue to fly like we do at the carrier," Orr said.
Ellie