Salute vs. lights

We have the daylight salute to launch. At night, the signal is for the pilot to flip on the aircraft's external running lights. Is this implemented at the moment?

No, but good idea!

Can you also increase the time between salute and launch to at least five seconds? After the salute is rendered, the Cat Officer needs time to return the salute, verify everyone's giving the okay for launch, touch the deck, point down the runway, and the Cat Operator then does his final check and presses the firing button. That takes a minimum of five seconds, probably more.

Fun video that gives an idea of the timing between pilot salute and shooter return salute, then safety checks, and finally the launch signal (also delay from shooter signaling launch to cat actually launching).

Here's the more serious, straight-forward one:

Another small, but nice-to-have detail to incorporate, if the animated deck crew is still in the plans, is for the shooter to return the salute with the non-signaling hand (left hand salute if signaling from starboard side) and do that whole station-check arm signaling move, though this is not consistent in all the videos I have seen - have seen one with shooter always using the right hand to salute and giving a thumbs up to signal launch.

No, but good idea!

DAMN IT! now we have to wait until the end of 2019. Thanks a lot KiraTheCat!!! :lol:

Yeah, it's definitely 5-7 seconds between pilot salute and launch. Heatblur needs to fix that.

I'm sure all of those details will be ironed out once ED provides them with info on there carrier ops ideas/plans.

3-5 sec delay for cat launch following salute according to the -1.

https://forums.eagle.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=198391&d=1542823112

Prob just depends on how much of a hurry they are in - needs more delay thou for sure.

Would be nice to also have the jet do the noticeable squat as the cat shuttle is released.

By coincidence, one of our SMEs told us about the external lights for night catapult a few weeks ago. Interestingly though, he said the cat would activate "a fraction of a second later", maybe it depends on how alert the shooter is or something, or maybe the SME misremembered it.

It usually took longer than 3-5 seconds. Hated sitting there wasting 2000 ppm waiting to be launched. Sometimes it was a conflict with another Cat, or the Cat Officer timing the pitching of the deck (being launched at the water when the deck was down wasn't fun), or a final checker taking a second look at something.

I'd say that 10-15 seconds wasn't unusual at all.

And the first movement when the cat fired was down. Most crews leaned forward against the straps to avoid being smacked on the head by the top of the headrest and upper curtain.

You could cheat and look at the cat crew member that actually pushed the launch button in the catwalk.

So- Lights on when on the cat at night meant ready to launch. Lights on when taxiing at night meant that you had a brake failure, and everyone would stop what they were doing and try to throw chocks under the wheels while you aimed for something relatively inexpensive to crash into. Usually that meant an A7 or S3. :)

You make it take 10 seconds from push the button to launch and then they just end up getting a bunch of complaints about "Why does it take so long from when i push the button until the catapult launches?"

I don't envy developers.

....being launched at the water when the deck was down wasn't fun.

 

I'd say that 10-15 seconds wasn't unusual at all.

 

Nice, thanks Victory. Yea I can see how being launched off the boat while the bow was pointed at the water would be pretty butt puckering lol :helpsmilie:

You make it take 10 seconds from push the button to launch and then they just end up getting a bunch of complaints about "Why does it take so long from when i push the button until the catapult launches?"

 

I don't envy developers.

Personally I would just make it a random time from 3-15 secs or something...then you can be that dude Victory described above sitting there at max power burning gas looking at the sea rolling by for 15 seconds thinking wtf, or get blasted off the deck straight away.

If you don't get a long wait every time, no need to 'complain'.

Personally I would just make it a random time from 3-15 secs or something...then you can be that dude Victory described above sitting there at max power burning gas looking at the sea rolling by for 15 seconds thinking wtf, or get blasted off the deck straight away.

 

If you don't get a long wait every time, no need to 'complain'.

Now this would be neat.

Can you also increase the time between salute and launch to at least five seconds? After the salute is rendered, the Cat Officer needs time to return the salute, verify everyone's giving the okay for launch, touch the deck, point down the runway, and the Cat Operator then does his final check and presses the firing button. That takes a minimum of five seconds, probably more.

+1!

Definitely, random period of time after the salute! +1 :thumbup:

random,... yes, but averaged around the mean value! So if the launch time had a mean of lets say 4 seconds, than the majority of launches should be around this delay.

can you make it so the direction the pilot turns his head and salutes depends on the CAT position he is on relative to where the shooter would be standing...

IE: if on CAT 1 shooter is to the left side of jet, why is pilot gonna look to the right and salute when he should be looking directly at the shooter on the left. ;)

finding something relatively inexpensive to crash into. Usually that meant an A7 or S3. :)

Lol..Too funny. ..

Usually that meant an A7 or S3. :)

Poor Corsair. It's bad enough being known as the "SLUF."

Definitely, random period of time after the salute! +1 :thumbup:

Random time would definitely make everyone happy. I'd say 5 - 15 seconds.

Having random time however could cause collisions when multiple Tomcats try to takeoff at about the same time.

That shouldn't be an issue if it's sequenced with the other cats.

Not sure about this but i thought the deck crew do their thing and when its all ready and clear they salute to the pilot letting him know its a go, the pilot salutes back and the cat is launched.

Or is it the pilot salutes to let the deck crew know he is ready to go, the deck crew do their checks and then salute back to the pilot followed by the shooter launching the plane.

Not sure about this but i thought the deck crew do their thing and when its all ready and clear they salute to the pilot letting him know its a go, the pilot salutes back and the cat is launched.

 

Or is it the pilot salutes to let the deck crew know he is ready to go, the deck crew do their checks and then salute back to the pilot followed by the shooter launching the plane.

It's both in a way. After being put in tension, the pilot does a few internal checks and also does a wipeout. Externally, the deck crew look over the aircraft to make sure everything is in order (there are slightly different things to check depending on the type of aircraft). When the pilot is ready, he salutes the shooter who then looks around and checks the other deck crew to make sure they are all thumbs up, then signals to launch. The time between the pilot's salute and the cat stroke is the shooter looking around making sure everyone is still thumbs up, giving the signal, and then the button pusher doing one more look back and forward, then pressing the button.

Additionally, they can shoot 2 aircraft simultaneously, but only one from the bow and one from the waist and only during Case I or II. They can't shoot 2 from the bow at the same time for example. The reason for the clearing turn is so that you don't hit the plane coming off the other set of cats. In case III with the straight out departure, they time it so only one aircraft is going airborne at a time.

It's both in a way. After being put in tension, the pilot does a few internal checks and also does a wipeout. Externally, the deck crew look over the aircraft to make sure everything is in order (there are slightly different things to check depending on the type of aircraft). When the pilot is ready, he salutes the shooter who then looks around and checks the other deck crew to make sure they are all thumbs up, then signals to launch. The time between the pilot's salute and the cat stroke is the shooter looking around making sure everyone is still thumbs up, giving the signal, and then the button pusher doing one more look back and forward, then pressing the button.

 

Additionally, they can shoot 2 aircraft simultaneously, but only one from the bow and one from the waist and only during Case I or II. They can't shoot 2 from the bow at the same time for example. The reason for the clearing turn is so that you don't hit the plane coming off the other set of cats. In case III with the straight out departure, they time it so only one aircraft is going airborne at a time.

Thanks for explaining it, appreciate the time to answer.