CSG-8

CASE I Recovery

CASE I recoveries are used when flights are not expected to encounter instrument conditions (IMC) during daylight operations. They require a cloud ceiling of at least 3000ft and a visibility from the carrier of around 5nm in all directions. Simply, during a CASE I recovery you will arrive with your flight to the holding stack, and then once it is your turn to land on the carrier, you will commence which will put you on a path towards the carrier from its rear. You will overfly the carrier, and then perform a left hand break which is a sharp turn to the left to bleed off speed. You will get configured to land, fly abeam the end of the carrier and then turn to land on the carrier.

CASE I In Depth

At 50Nm you will check-in with the marshal:

Aircraft Call: "Marshall [Your Side Number], marking mom's [Bearing from ship to player] for [Range], angels [Your altitude], state [Your remaining fuel in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Response: "[Your Side Number]. mother's weather is [visibility],[cloud ceiling],altimeter [Inches mercury], CASE I recovery expected, BRC [Carrier heading]. Marshall at [Assigned altitude in holding stack]. Report see me at 10."
Pilot Action: Set your Heading course line to the BRC. Set your altimeter to the reported reading. Check hook.
Aircraft Readback: "[Your Side Number]"

At 10Nm you will check-in with the marshal:

Aircraft Call: "[Your Side Number], see you at 10."
Response: "[Your Side Number]. Update state, switch tower."
Aircraft Readback: "[Your Side Number], [Your remaining fuel in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Pilot Action: Switch one radio to tower frequency, keep one radio on flight. Ensure you are at your assigned pattern altitude.

At 3Nm from the holding stack

Aircraft Call: "Tower, [Your Side Number], overhead, angels [your altitude], low state [Your fuel remaining in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Response: "[Your Side Number]. Tower, Roger."
Pilot Action: Enter the holding stack at your assigned holding altitude. Preferred entry is at Position 1 and 3, with a 45 degree angle entering the holding pattern. Maintaining the holding pattern by making a constant left hand turn at altitude maintaining 5nm from the carrier at Position 3, and roughly 1Nm at Position 1, holding a speed of 250kts.

In the holding stack, you may be asked to descend to the holding altitude block below if that block has been vacated:

Tower Call: "[Your Side Number], collapse."
Aircraft Response: "[Your Side Number]. Roger."
Pilot Action: At Position 3 in the holding stack, descend 1000ft before Position 1.

Once cleared for landing, you will be asked to commence:

Tower Call: "[Your Side Number], BRC is [carrier heading]. Your signal is Charlie."
Aircraft Response: "[Your Side Number]"
Pilot Action: Just before Position 3, depart the stack heading 210 degrees away from the BRC. This is 30 degrees right from Position 3. Head 7 miles DME from the carrier at this heading and then start a descending left hand turn to 800ft, accelerating to 350kts. Your turn should end 3Nm behind the carrier with the carrier visible in the front left of your cockpit's windshield. During this time, you should change your radio from tower to paddles.

Once abeam the carrier:

Aircraft Call: "[Your Side Number], in the break."
Pilot Action: At your discretion and coordinated with 10 seconds between each member of the flight, perform a level left hand break, holding Gs equal to 1% your airspeed. Deploy speed brake. At 250kts, deploy gear, flaps, and Tomcats should deploy DLC. Hornets retract speedbrake at 250kts. Level off your turn once you are heading the inverse BRC and are 1 to 1.5Nm DME from the carrier. Descend to 600ft. Check Gear, check flaps, check hook, check DLC, check radio. Get onspeed AoA. Once onspeed and abeam the rear end of the carrier, turn left and start a slow descent aiming to be 350ft when you level off your turn with the runway off your nose. This marks your entry to the Groove.

Once in the groove:

Pilot Action: Visually acquire the ball. No later than wings level AND no later than crossing extended centerline ("overshooting"), pilot calls the ball.
Aircraft Ball Call: "[Your Side Number], [Your aircraft model name], Ball, [Your fuel remaining in pounds, divided by 1000]
Pilot Action: Land the plane and make corrections as guided by the LSO.

Carrier Procedures

CASE I Supplemental Patterns

In additional to the normal pattern, there exists a Bolter and Spin pattern in CASE I conditions. The Bolter pattern is for all touch-n-go and boltering aircraft. Please note that the bolter pattern for CASE I and CASE IIIs differs slightly, and the CASE III bolter is explained in the CASE III diagram.

The spin pattern exists for when an commencing flight arrives at the initial point but the carrier field pattern is full (contains 6 aircraft). In this situation, it is not safe for additional aircraft to enter the pattern so the LSO may ask you to "spin it". To execute a spin, you should immediately ascend to 1200ft MSL, begin a left hand turn from abeam the carrier, with the aim to be no further than 3 DME away from the carrier at all stages. When you are about to enter the initial point again and return to the BRC line, you should descend back down to 800ft for the break.

CASE III Recovery

CASE III recoveries are used during nighttime operations and any daytime operation where the cloud ceiling is below 1000FT ASL or visibility to the carrier less than 5 miles. Simply during a CASE III recovery you will arrive to a marshaling stack 21nm away from the carrier at an assigned altitude. You will hold at this altitude and at this stack until your assigned push time, where you will then proceed towards the boat. You will descend to 1200ft, and make an alignment turn to final bearing, and then you will configure to land once on your final bearing. Your should intercept the glideslope from the carrier while on final bearing, fly the glideslope until you can visually see the ball, and then fly the ball to the deck.

CASE III In Depth

At 50Nm you will check-in with the marshal:

Aircraft Call: "Marshall [Your Side Number], marking mom's [Bearing from ship to player] for [Range], angels [Your altitude], state [Your remaining fuel in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Response: "[Your Side Number], Truman Marshall. Case III recovery, CV-1 approach, expected BRC [Carrier heading]. Altimeter [Inches mercury]. [Your side number], Marshall mother's [Carrier's radial bearing you will marshal on] radial, [The distance you will be marshaling at] DME, Angels [The altitude you will be marshaling at]. Expected approach time is [The time past the current hour you should push from the stack].
Pilot Action: Set your Heading course line to inverse of the radial read to you. Subtract or add 180 to this number on scale of 0 to 360. Ensure TACAN is set to carrier. Set radar altitude alarm to your holding altitude. Check hook. Check lights.
Aircraft Readback: "[Your Side Number], marshal on [Carrier's radial bearing you will marshal on], for [The distance you will be marshaling at] DME, angels [The altitude you will be marshaling at], Expected approach time is [The time past the hour you should push from the stack].
Tower Confirmation: "[Your Side Number], readback correct."
Pilot Action: Proceed to the marshaling stack, descending to your assigned altitude.

Once you arrive on the marshaling radial and are greater than 20DME from the boat, report established:

Aircraft Call: "[Your Side Number], established angels [Your assigned altitude], state [Your remaining fuel in pounds, divided by 1000].
Response: "[Your Side Number]. Roger, state [Your remaining fuel in pounds, divided by 1000].
Pilot Action: Maintain your holding pattern. Make left hand turns, with the lead turn at your assigned DME, turn for 1 minute, fly 2 minute legs, turn 1 minute on your trailing turn back to the radial. Adjust as needed to arrive at your assigned DME at push time.

Once your push time has been reached, call commencing:

Aircraft Call: "[Your Side Number], commencing, altimeter [your altimeter setting], low state [Your fuel remaining in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Response: "[Your Side Number]. radar contact [Your distance to carrier] , expected final bearing [Final bearing].
Aircraft Acknowledge: [Your Side Number]
Pilot Action: Leave the stack, set your course line to the final bearing. Descend to 5000ft.

After your push time is reached and before you intercept the glideslope, marshal will command you to switch frequencies:

Tower Call: "[Your Side Number], switch approach."
Aircraft Response: "[Your Side Number]. Roger."
Pilot Action: Set radio to Approach frequency that was briefed.

After changing to Approach, you will check in with approach:

Aircraft Call: "[Your Side Number], checking in, [DME to carrier] DME, state [Your fuel remaining in pounds, divided by 1000]."
Approach Response: "[Your Side Number]. final bearing [Final bearing]."
Pilot Action: At 15DME start descent to 1200ft and start your lead turn to the final bearing, leveling off your turn at 12DME. Maintain a 12DME arc. Turn base as you intercept the final bearing at 1200ft. At 8DME config for landing and ensure your navigation system is set to display the ICLS needles.

Once established on the final bearing approach will have you verify that your ICLS needles are functional:

Tower Call: "[Your Side Number], needles."
Aircraft Response: [The position of your ICLS needles] (For example "up and on", "down and left", "on and on")
Pilot Action: Intercept and fly the glideslope. Align your velocity vector to keep the needs aligned.