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FSX/P3D scenery question/possible request

Switchblade408

Switchblade408

Members +
In my endless research into the history of aviation, I have read of a number of airfields owned by militaries, particularly naval air arms, that were equipped with arresting cables on the runways to simulate carrier landings. I was wondering if there were any of these available for FSX or P3D with usable arresting cables?
 
NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. I have an Updated scenery for there that has arresting cables and a practice carrier landing area. I was never able to get it to catch my tailhook.
 
I have used Choctaw NOLF (KNFJ) in the distant past. It has IFLOLS Trailers that work. Not sure where I got it from but a search should produce something. Fly out of Pensacola NAS and do traps at Choctaw.

Dave
 
speedy70 said:
There are several airfields and equipment for just that on the royal french navy site.

http://royalefrenchnavy.restauravia.fr/

I have never understood why it is called the royal french navy when france is a republic not a kingdom.

Cheers chris
Click to expand...

La Royale is an informal "nickname" for the french Navy. Apparently no one knows exactly why but I heard it might have something to do with the location of it`s headquarters.
 
Heck, there's Whidbey Island, MCAS Miramar, NOLF Imperial Beach, NAS El Centro, NAS Pensacola, NAS Millington, NAS Beaufort, NAS Oceana...

Pick a Naval/Marine Corps Air Station, chances are they have a set of cables somewhere. Some use various engines to operate the cables, some use carrier anchor chains, attached to the cross-deck pendants for drag, and so on. Millington had that set up, and the chains were spectacular lightning attractors. My girlfriends and I got an incredible show, riding past them on horses one afternoon...
Some Air Force bases have cables as well.
They're NOT for simulating a carrier recovery, though. They are a way of stopping a Naval aircraft, and most Airforce aircraft as well, even though they're not stressed for carrier traps, in an emergency. Brake failures, possibly unlocked, or just unsafe gear, loose droptanks, and so on.
The closest you get to a carrier trap on-shore is what's called an FCLP, or Field Carrier Landing Practice. ALL Naval Aviators, after any time away from the boat, and cadets especially, do many many FCLP bounces before they get anywhere near a boat. An FCLP bounce is pretty much just that: a touch-n-go, with an LSO observing, and grading, how they perform. Only when the LSO(s), and instructor pilots for the cadets, are satisfied are they permitted to out to the carrier. Especially cadets. They may wind up doing a couple hundred bounces before they can go asea. But they never, ever use wires for FCLPs. And each bounce is always an overhead recovery, normal carrier pattern, recovery. It's just done on a shore based runway vs an actual ship. Obviously, it's not moving, and there are pretty stringent crosswind restrictions. Weather, as well. All FCLP's are always Case I recoveries.

A lot of the scenerys in FSX for Navy/MC Air Stations, 3rd party scenery at least, have the wires, but 99% are non-functional. Eye-candy. There is a set of practice cables that are functional at a fictional scenery called TFFG, which IS an actual land based airport in reality, but I can't recall the actual zip file name. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Hope this helps a little...
Pat☺
 
PhantomTweak said:
There is a set of practice cables that are functional at a fictional scenery called TFFG, which IS an actual land based airport in reality, but I can't recall the actual zip file name. I'll see if I can find it for you.
Pat☺
Click to expand...

TFFG comes with COP3, by Rob Barendregt.

Dave
 
Runway 32 at NAS Patuxent River has functional arresting gear as well as a catapult (the cat is about 200 yards SE of the arresting gear). Lately they have been using them to test the F-35.

I'd love some scenery that had both of these included in it.
 
dhazelgrove said:
TFFG comes with COP3, by Rob Barendregt.

Dave
Click to expand...
Thanks, Dave!
I thought it was it's own zip file, but, as usual, I was wrong.
I THINK Rob included instructions on placing the practice land-based cables at other locations, too, but again, I may be wrong. I'll have to dig up COP-3 again and take a look.

Have fun, all!
Pat☺
 
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