Training Tuesday – 2021-05-18 – Time planning

Activity: Training mission

Version / Modules: Open Beta, Caucasus, any aircraft type (prioritize carrier based ones if you fly many types)

Prerequisites: CASE 1 for carrier aircraft

This evening is about time planning. Being in the right place at the right time. This is of high importance when flying off the carrier, as (IRL) the carrier isn’t open for recovery more than around 15 minutes. Even for pilots flying land based aircraft, good time planning is really valuable.

Goal

• We need to be able to RTB in time so that we can land at a certain approximate time point, taking distance, AAR (and pilot skill) and such into account.

Motivation

• To more closely simulate real-life operations, aircraft (at least carrier based ones) should recover at a pre-briefed time point.
• Having people landing at the approximate same time, makes the event smooth, as we can start the debriefing right away, instead of waiting for people.

Exercise

• Fly a short no-threat mission, with a certain push time and time-on-target. Priority number 1 is to get back in time, with enough fuel.

Competition

In order to make it all a little more exiting, we will keep a score count. The flight with the highest score after the mission wins!

• Taking off at correct time +/- 1 minute: 1 point
• Pushing at correct time +/- 30 seconds: 1 point
• Hitting target at correct time +/- 30 seconds: 1 point
• Joining up with tanker (regardless if needed, each flight member needs to hook up): 1 point (in total)
• Reaching the carrier/airfield before recovery time: 1 point
• Reaching the carrier/airfield at least 5 minutes before recovery time: 1 point (in addition to the above one)
• Landing with enough fuel (min 2000 lbs) within weight limits: 1 point

Time and weather

• November 30 – 2018
• 0900 local time
• Scattered (clouds between 12000′-17000′)
• CASE 1 conditions
• FORCE QNH 2992 / 1013

Intel

• Bullseye: WP2 (N 42° 12.000′ E 41° 39.00′)
• Threats: None
• Joker: 7000 lbs
• Bingo: 5000 lbs
• RAMROD: GRANDSLICE
• Abort mission code: NIGHTFALL
• Target: “Bravo” – A formation of ~50 Ural trucks

Mission

1. Take off at pre-briefed time (CVN 72 or Kutaisi)
2. Go to Hold Alpha
3. Push from Hold Alpha (~09:56 with 1 minute intervals)
4. Hit Target Bravo at pre-briefed time (~10:00 with 1 minute intervals)
5. Recover at 10:50 (CVN 72 or Kutaisi)

Carrier

• CVN-72 USS Abraham Lincoln
• TCN: 72X
• ICLS: 1
• BRC: 353
• CASE 1 departure and recovery
• Hornet Tank: 2000
• Tomcat Tank: 2000
• Minimum Fuel: T + 2*
• Charlie time: 10:50
• All aircraft expected to check in for recovery 10:30-10:40

* During Case 1, every go-around is estimated to 500 lbs, and you need to carry fuel for 2 go-arounds. This means that when showing up in the groove for the first time, you need to have 3000 lbs. After 2 go-arounds, you need to hit the tanker.

Fuel ladder

10:45 3000
10:30 4200
10:15 5400
10:00 6600
09:45 7800
09:30 9000

Considerations

• Always monitor the fuel carefully. If you are low on fuel, fly at max E (~250 kts).
• Max trap weight for Hornet is 44000 lbs (use CHKLST page), and for Tomcat it’s 54000 lbs (use brain power).
• Plan for AAR well in advance and estimate time consumption (especially with newer pilots in the flight), not forgetting that the tanker might be crowded.
• Make sure to be over the carrier at least ~10-15 minutes before recovery time.
• The flight at angels 2 in the stack need to commence ~6 minutes before the recover time (i.e “charlie time”) in order to show up in the groove at the right time.
• If you have lots of time and fuel before the recovery, feel free make use of it! Practice some advanced formation flying, a rejoin, a dog fight, or anything else, before contacting marshal/tower. It’s a fighter jet, so go ahead and have some fun!

Loadout

• 2 x AIM-9X/M, Tpod, FL decides the rest (taking 1 XT will probably require AAR, while taking 2 XT might enable you to skip that)

Departure times

• Gypsy6: 09:20
• Adder1: 09:22
• Beaver2: 09:24
• Camel3: 09:26
• Devil1: 09:28

• Echo2: 09:20
• Empress3: 09:22
• Epic4: 09:24
• Zeppelin2: 09:26

Temporary lineup

Adder1 (Stack 2000′, Hold 20000′, Push 0956, TOT 1000)
1. Lirc 300
2. Wallgren 301

Beaver2 (Stack 3000′, Hold 21000′, Push 0957, TOT 1001)
1. Johnny 304
2. Vapor 305

Camel3 (Stack 4000′, Hold 22000′, Push 0958, TOT 1002)
1. JackFlash 310
2. Voyager 311

Devil1 (Stack 5000′, Hold 23000′, Push 0959, TOT 1003)
1. Bankler 410
2. Punch 411

Gypsy6 (Stack 6000′, Hold 24000′, Push 1000, TOT 1004)
1. Justin / Shiggan 504
2. Troll / Spider 505

Echo2 (Hold 25000′, Push 1001, TOT 1005)
1. Mags
2. Sierra

Empress3 (Hold 26000′, Push 1002, TOT 1006)
1. Agaton
2. Hellquist

Epic4 (Hold 27000′, Push 1003, TOT 1007)
1. Jax
2. Johnpapa

Zeppelin2 (Hold 28000′, Push 1004, TOT 1008)
1. Urist
2.