'Flaring' the Hornet on landing

Flaring a USN a/c is like squatting to relieve one's self (cleaned up):)

Couple of reasons.

 

1) Habit patterns.

 

2) This jet is prone to planing link issues. Flaring makes you more susceptible and can be harder to control should the planing link fail.

 

Otherwise, it's a great jet to flare. I flared all the time as an adversary pilot that didn't go to the boat. Easiest airplane to land smoothly I've ever flown.

Trailing link landing gear helps make landings smooth.

Flaring a USN a/c is like squatting to relieve one's self (cleaned up):)

So it's the most efficient and easiest pathway?

.. sure you can flair. We flared at the field to not stress the gimbal on the L POD. As long as it didn't impede on habit patterns for when you did go to the boat.

I would just stick the landing, nothings going to break ;)

Errrr, boys, this guy is the instructor on the board.

Yeet

Couple of reasons.

 

1) Habit patterns.

 

2) This jet is prone to planing link issues. Flaring makes you more susceptible and can be harder to control should the planing link fail.

 

Otherwise, it's a great jet to flare. I flared all the time as an adversary pilot that didn't go to the boat. Easiest airplane to land smoothly I've ever flown.

Realize I'm quoting an old post but this is pretty nuts, I've never seen a hornet flare. I suppose it makes sense it can, what's the power off stall speed? 110 kts?

Would be funny all hell to see in real life. I've seen a lot of hornets land, and almost seem to decrease vsi with bit of throttle, but hardly the <50 fpm else you'll bounce aerobraking dainty legged AF jets.

Planing link and trailing link (and connecting link) are all different things.

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=PIHc_fQ2j8EC&pg=RA7-PA18&lpg=RA7-PA18&dq=planing+link+failure&source=bl&ots=pRG85NSG6Y&sig=ACfU3U37xajx4EFXMUh-2la_NF1-aYMNqQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTm8PLlLjmAhVqplkKHTiJBGQQ6AEwBnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=planing%20link%20failure&f=false

 

Also bear in mind that you’re quoting and attempting to correct a USAF F-16 and T-38 Aggressor pilot with USNR reserve squadron experience flying the F/A-18C, again as an aggressor pilot.

He didn't said that planing link and trailing link are the same thing.

He didn't contradicted anything Mover said.

He just acknowledged a fact which corroborates Mover experience, which is that trailing link landing gear makes for a smoother landing due to its geometry.

Keep the finger off the trigger mate.

Also I didn't realized you were the designated carrier of Mover credentials. I absolutely respect real-world pilots participating in DCS, but I don't think putting them on pedestals would foster a healthy culture in these forums, since at the end of the day they're as human as we all.

Be on speed, flare as you add power to stay on speed during touchdown.

Realize I'm quoting an old post but this is pretty nuts, I've never seen a hornet flare. I suppose it makes sense it can, what's the power off stall speed? 110 kts?

 

Would be funny all hell to see in real life. I've seen a lot of hornets land, and almost seem to decrease vsi with bit of throttle, but hardly the <50 fpm else you'll bounce aerobraking dainty legged AF jets.

I present to you: A flared hornet

Skip to about 6:40 to see the landing

Be on speed, flare as you add power to stay on speed during touchdown.

Why? Source?

Flare to land on a carrier? Naw!

Flare to land on a carrier? Naw!

Well, it depends on your level of skill.

Whatever makes you land is ok. I just made a very unconventional landing. Not nice, but finally at home.

P.S.

No track, would be too embarrassing.:D

No flaring at the ship.

On a lighter side of things... In early LOMAC trying to aerobrake an F15C was a struggle. The flight model for landing was "scripted" so... once the mains hit the runway the nose gear dropped shortly after and required a bit of a fight with the stick to force aerobraking:joystick:

I got tired of this and landed my Eagle like a Hornet:D

Why? Source?

On the field obviously, on the ship you never flare.

Be on speed, flare as you add power to stay on speed during touchdown.

You don't need to add power as you flare. Because of the way the FCS will maintain your trimmed AOA in the landing configuration, you can add power to flare like a C-17, but flaring with the stick will give you finer control over your vertical velocity.

At around 50' AGL, just crack some power out (as a technique, I reduce the throttles halfway from whatever setting was keeping me on-speed toward idle) and raise the nose to put the Flight Path Vector just below the horizon. As soon as the main gears are firmly on deck, throttles to idle and hold the nose off as long as possible. With Half flaps, you can aerobrake the jet like an F-16, although NATOPS explicitly says it is not recommended (unlike the Super Hornet). With Full flaps, the nose will drop as soon as the main gear struts compress under the weight of the jet.

Using the stick in landing config will just change your AOA. The difference between Cruise and landing config is that in cruise the FCS will command G for a given stick input, whereas in landing it will command AOA for a given stick input.

Meaning you wont see much effect from pulling the stick in order to flare, you have to add power.

I present to you: A flared hornet

 

Skip to about 6:40 to see the landing

Etirion - that has to be one of the most stunning backdrops of an airshow I've ever seen! Where was that video from? Absolutely beautiful! Great video, thanks for sharing!:thumbup:

those who've watched said series the OP pointed out, and those of us who've spent time around non USN hornets at some point in our lives can atest to the issues the landing gear can cause heck just modifying some parts of the classics caused issues ;) (*cough light weight 'fake' launch bars), but you actually see them specifically talk about the very issues Mover and Trev are referring to in the canadian series, specifically after the high cross wind landing event at cold lake were it causes the jet to basically be out of action from memory for several days as they have to repair the linkages.

Here in Aus the hornets from what I've seen tend to flare most times, but we don't use em on a boat ever so you don't have the habit issue but even with that I've noticed that when we have high cross winds etc it's basically just put em on the ground and be done with it.

Disclaimer: I’m not a Hornet driver,

NATOPS cautions against fully flared touchdowns due WOW switch not activating - preventing engines from going below flight idle- increasing LDG distance, brake temps etc.

Flared Landings

Flared Landings

111-7-27.pdf

Of course you can flare it, the Hornet is just an airplane like any other. No reason you can't.

The reason for not flaring when landing on the carrier is that you want to land at a very exact spot to catch one of the arresting cables. But, for a runway, it doesn't matter.

Flare away :pilotfly:

AD

With 26 years in the USN,2 tours in training command, one as a CO, NATOPS instructor in T28, S2, C1 and about 10000 hrs experience. I state"Hold landing attitude until touchdown". Now I also have many hours in land based multi engine (P2/P3) and you did flair those a/c.

When you maintain the correct AOA the a/c is set at the best attitude to engage a wire, fairing changes that attitude.

"Only fly the a/c one way no matter where you are landing"!!

Using the stick in landing config will just change your AOA. The difference between Cruise and landing config is that in cruise the FCS will command G for a given stick input, whereas in landing it will command AOA for a given stick input.

 

Meaning you wont see much effect from pulling the stick in order to flare, you have to add power.

Sorry but that's simply not true. Landing config does not decouple vertical flight path from the stick as you're describing; it's perfectly possible to flare with nothing but aft stick.

You don't need to add power as you flare. Because of the way the FCS will maintain your trimmed AOA in the landing configuration, you can add power to flare like a C-17, but flaring with the stick will give you finer control over your vertical velocity.

 

At around 50' AGL, just crack some power out (as a technique, I reduce the throttles halfway from whatever setting was keeping me on-speed toward idle) and raise the nose to put the Flight Path Vector just below the horizon. As soon as the main gears are firmly on deck, throttles to idle and hold the nose off as long as possible. With Half flaps, you can aerobrake the jet like an F-16, although NATOPS explicitly says it is not recommended (unlike the Super Hornet). With Full flaps, the nose will drop as soon as the main gear struts compress under the weight of the jet.

No, when you flare you increase AOA and your speed will drop, the FCS only maintains on speed AOA with no pitch inputs (trimmed out). Power idirectly still affects sinkrate and AOA (at least in the DCS Honet).