Case III Recoveries

Drafted — not technically validated

Module revision 2 · Conventional fixed-wing, arrested carrier recoveries. Aircraft-agnostic concepts, illustrated using historical US Navy training material. Helicopter and vertical-landing procedures are outside this module.

Read the recovery sequence, explore the navigation geometry, then practise selected skills in the optional standalone Tomcat exercise.

Purpose and learning objectives

Case III provides an instrument recovery to the carrier at night and in weather requiring instrument procedures. It connects a sequenced marshal hold to an instrument approach and the final visual landing task. The general controller-training text assigns selection of the recovery case to the Air Officer; the P-816 account calls this role the Air Boss. [2, p. 11-21] [1, pp. 2-3–2-4, 2-22–2-25]

By the end, you should be able to explain the recovery phases; distinguish a radial, inbound course, base recovery course and final bearing; interpret a marshal clearance; explain why timing and configuration matter; and distinguish a landing, bolter and waveoff.

This is a conceptual reference, not an aircraft checklist. Exact speeds, configuration, approach aids, minima and missed-approach instructions depend on the aircraft, equipment, applicable procedure and clearance. The source is a T-45C training publication: its aircraft actions are not universal.

The whole recovery at a glance

Figure 1 follows one aircraft through the historical CV-1 Case III example in [1], from the first check-in to the ball call, with the bolter or waveoff re-entry. Select a number to highlight that part of the figure. The numbered text is the explanation; the figure only places it. Numbers such as 1,200 ft or 150 kt belong to that T-45C training example, not to every aircraft.

Figure 1 — Case III recovery overview (plan view)

After the mission, check in with Red Crown, the carrier strike group's air defence controller, giving call sign, position and altitude. Red Crown passes instructions and hands you to Strike; that handoff should occur before you enter the 50 NM carrier control area (CCA). The Strike check-in adds the flight's low fuel state. [1, pp. 1-3, 2-11]
Once inside the CCA, Strike hands you to Marshal. Check in with call sign, position, altitude and low state. Marshal assigns the recovery case and holding instructions, including altitude, and passes weather, altimeter, BRC and bingo information. [1, p. 2-12]
In this source the fix is ideally on the 180 radial relative to BRC and generally within 30° of it. Its DME is the assigned altitude in angels plus 15: angels 8 (8,000 ft) gives 23 DME. The lowest assignment for jet and turboprop aircraft is 6,000 ft. [1, p. 2-19] The general controller text references its 180 radial to the expected final bearing instead, so read the radial from your clearance. [2, p. 11-33]
A six-minute left-hand pattern of two-minute turns and one-minute legs. Aircraft in the stack are separated by 1,000 ft and must be established at their assigned altitude by 10 NM from the stack. Arrive at the fix on airspeed (250 kt) ready to commence at EAT plus or minus 10 seconds, and tell Marshal when established. [1, pp. 2-20, 2-26]
Leave the fix at EAT and call “commencing” with the altimeter setting and fuel state. Establish a 4,000 ft/min descent at 250 KIAS. [1, pp. 2-23, 2-27]
Marshal hands you to the final controller during the penetration, ideally before platform. In the source dialogue the call is “switch Approach, button 18”, and you check in on the new frequency with your fuel state. [1, pp. 2-26–2-27]
At 5,000 ft, normally about 20 NM from the ship, reduce the descent to 2,000 ft/min and report “platform”. [1, pp. 2-23, 2-27, A-5]
If the marshal radial is not the reciprocal of the final bearing, correct at 20 DME: gradually when the final bearing is within 10° of that reciprocal, otherwise with a 30° correction. If not established on final bearing by 12 miles, fly the 12-mile arc until you intercept it. [1, p. 2-23]
Level at 1,200 ft. In the T-45C example, landing checks start at 10 DME, the gear is down no later than 8 DME, and the aircraft crosses 6 DME at 150 kt before slowing to final approach speed. Configuration and speeds come from your own aircraft's procedure. [1, p. 2-23]
ACLS lock-on occurs between 8 and 4 DME. Approach asks you to “say needles” and compares your reply with the radar before directing “fly your needles”. If they disagree, the controller breaks lock and directs “fly the bullseye” (ICLS) until a new lock. [1, p. 2-23]
At three-quarters of a mile the controller instructs you to call the ball. Transition from the instrument scan to the optical landing cue while the approach is still monitored; the LSO answers “Roger ball”. [1, pp. 2-25, 2-27]
Climb as the procedure directs, turn downwind when instructed by Approach, do the landing checks, report fuel state abeam the ship and expect a turn back to final 4–8 NM past abeam. The figure does not say which side the downwind is on; Approach assigns it. [1, p. 2-25]

Recovery sequence

Conceptual sequence based on [1], §204. Read the phase explanations before the exercise.
Phase	Purpose	Understand before continuing
Arrival	Receive the recovery plan.	Clearance, weather, fuel and available approach.
Marshal	Separate and sequence arrivals.	Fix, altitude, holding pattern and expected approach time.
Commence	Leave marshal in the assigned sequence.	Time, inbound course and descent profile.
Penetration	Descend toward the instrument final.	Platform, level-off and correction to final bearing.
Final	Follow approach guidance, then transition to landing cues.	Configuration, guidance validity and landing signal officer calls.
Recovery outcome	Arrest or safely re-enter the recovery.	Applicable bolter/waveoff procedure and controller instructions.

Arrival, handoffs and marshal clearance

The general Navy controller-training text lists the recovery case, approach type, expected final bearing, altimeter, marshal instructions, expected approach time (EAT), approach frequency and time check, with vector/stack information as needed. [2, p. 11-32] The P-816 training example also includes weather and relevant divert/fuel information, and reports when established and commencing. [1, pp. 2-26–2-27] Read the clearance as a connected plan: where to wait, at what altitude, when to leave, and which approach follows.

Fuel planning remains active throughout the recovery. A delayed approach consumes fuel; a bolter or waveoff adds another circuit. The module does not prescribe a common fuel ladder: the source explicitly makes bingo fuel dependent on aircraft type. [1, p. A-1]

Practise: decode a marshal clearance

This is Marshal's reply to aircraft 405 in the source's Case III dialogue. [1, p. 2-26] Select each phrase to see what it gives you. The figure shows where that places you in the stack.

405,: The call sign: this clearance is for aircraft 405 only. Case III recoveries are flown as single aircraft in this source. [1, p. 2-22]
Mother's weather is 600 overcast, visibility 3 miles,: The ship's weather. “Mother” is the ship. [1, p. 1-10]
altimeter 29.87.: The altimeter setting. Read it back; it is updated later in the same dialogue.
Case III recovery, CV-1 approach.: The recovery case and the approach that follows marshal.
Marshal on the 160, 22, angels 7.: The holding fix: the 160 radial at 22 DME, at angels 7. In the source's rule the fix DME is the angels plus 15, so 7 + 15 = 22. [1, p. 2-19]
Expected final bearing 015,: The landing-area centreline direction to expect. The reciprocal of the 160 radial is 340°, which differs from 015° by 35°, so this example would need the 30° correction at 20 DME. [1, p. 2-23]
expected approach time 22.: EAT: the time to leave the fix and commence, to within 10 seconds in this source. [1, p. 2-20]
Approach button 18.: “Button” is the frequency selection for the approach controller you will be handed to. [1, p. 2-21]

Assigned altitude Angels 7: 7,000 ft at 22 DMEMarshal radial (°)Final bearing (°)

Figure 2 — Marshal stack, side view. Slots at angels 6–14 follow the source's angels + 15 rule; the dashed line is the CV-1 example descent in Figure 4. Vertical spacing is exaggerated.

Bearings and the landing area

Radial: A bearing from the navigation station. Radial plus range locates a fix; it is not a heading from your present position to that fix.
Inbound course: The reciprocal direction toward the station along a radial. The reciprocal of 220° is 040°.
Base recovery course (BRC): The carrier's magnetic heading for recovery.
Final bearing: The magnetic direction of the landing-area centreline. The angled landing area means this differs from BRC.

Figure 3 — BRC and final bearing. The ship steams on BRC; you land along the angled landing area, so your final bearing is the direction of its centreline. [1, pp. A-1, A-3; 2, p. 11-32]

The first two definitions describe the geometry used below; BRC and final bearing are defined in [1, glossary pp. A-1, A-3]. The general Navy controller text also defines final bearing as the extended landing-area centreline. [2, p. 11-32] Do not substitute BRC for final bearing or assume the marshal radial is always reciprocal to either. The published CV-1 example explicitly provides for correction from the marshal radial to final bearing. [1, p. 2-23]

Navigate to the fix

TACAN (tactical air navigation) provides bearing and DME (distance measuring equipment) range. Position yourself and the fix on a station-centred plot, then find the direction from your position to the fix. Flying the assigned radial as a heading does not solve this point-to-point problem.

In this educational calculation, bearings are magnetic, north is up and range is in nautical miles (NM). We use a flat plane, horizontal range and no wind; actual DME is slant range. Heading equals track only under the no-wind assumption. The fix is constrained to lie opposite BRC for this exercise; actual clearance geometry can differ.

Practise: heading to the marshal fix

Set the ship’s BRC and your own position, estimate the heading to the fix, then check it. The fix is on the BRC + 180° radial for this geometry exercise.

BRC (°)

Marshal radial 180°

Fix DME (NM)Your radial (°)Your DME (NM)Your heading estimate (°)

Worked example: from the 090 radial at 30 DME to the 180 radial at 21 DME, the direct track is about 235° for 36.6 NM.

How the check is calculated

Place Mother at the origin with x east and y north. A position on radial r at d NM is x = d·sin r, y = d·cos r. The track from you to the fix is the direction of the difference vector, atan2(Δx, Δy), and the distance is its length. In the worked example you are at (30, 0) and the fix at (0, −21), so Δx = −30, Δy = −21: the track is 180° + atan(30/21) ≈ 235.0° and the distance √1341 ≈ 36.6 NM. With no wind, that track is also the heading. The time shown uses a fixed educational map rate of 250 NM/hour, which is not a groundspeed model.

Marshal and timing

Marshal is a sequencing and separation system, not just an orbit near the ship. The assigned radial, range and altitude define your place in it. Plan to arrive at the fix ready to commence at EAT. Reaching the right position at the wrong time loses the intended sequence. The source describes managing the hold to reach the fix on time and reporting a time discrepancy. [1, pp. 2-19–2-20]

The general controller-training text describes a six-minute left-hand jet/turboprop marshal pattern. [2, p. 11-33] The historical pattern in [1] gives its timing as: two two-minute turns plus two one-minute legs. Holding speed is tied to fuel conservation or the aircraft’s specified holding speed. These are the source's documented parameters, not a universal four-minute instrument hold or a common airspeed for every aircraft. [1, p. 2-20]

Timing check: two turns × 2 min + two legs × 1 min = 6 min. Two circuits = 12 min. That arithmetic explains a pattern's duration; it does not authorise arbitrary leg extensions or leaving a clearance early. Confirm an amended plan with the controller when the assigned timing cannot be met.

Joining the hold

The source sets the conditions for joining marshal rather than a turn technique: be established at the assigned altitude by 10 NM from the stack, and reach the fix on airspeed ready to commence at EAT plus or minus 10 seconds. [1, p. 2-20] It does not describe an entry turn for the pattern. A general instrument technique for joining any racetrack is the FAA's three holding entries. [3, 5-3-8 j 3]

Direct: fly to the fix and turn to follow the pattern.
Teardrop: at the fix, turn outbound to a heading 30° from the outbound course toward the holding side, fly it for one minute, then turn in the direction of the hold to intercept the inbound course.
Parallel: at the fix, turn to parallel the outbound course on the non-holding side for one minute, then turn in the direction of the hold through more than 180° to return to the fix or intercept the inbound course.

The holding side is the side of the inbound course where the pattern lies: left of it for the left-hand marshal pattern. The AIM calls a left-turn pattern nonstandard and orients its entries to the 70° line on the holding side, as for a right-hand pattern. [3, 5-3-8 j 3 (e)] The AIM assigns each entry to a sector of its entry figure, which this module has not verified, so the practice does not tell you which entry a heading calls for. It flies the entry you pick so you can see its shape and turns.

Applicability: these are FAA civil instrument holding entries, practised here as a general instrument skill. They are not a Navy marshal requirement in [1].

Practise: fly an entry

Set the hold, the inbound course and your heading at the fix, then pick an entry. The plot draws the racetrack, your arrival and the flown path. It is a no-wind sketch at 250 kt. The racetrack uses the source's two-minute 180° turns and one-minute legs. The entry turns use the AIM's holding turn: 3° per second, 30° of bank, or 25° of bank with a flight director, whichever needs the least bank. [3, 5-3-8 j 8] At 250 kt, 3° per second would need about 34° of bank, so the 30° limit applies; a coordinated level turn at 30° of bank is g·tan 30° ÷ speed ≈ 2.5° per second. The flight-director option is not modelled. The plot turns the short way where the AIM names no direction, and cuts the inbound course at no more than 45°, an angle the AIM does not give. Legs stay at one minute. Where the turn back is too wide to roll out on the course, the path crosses it and corrects; where the entry does not line up by the fix, it corrects on the first circuit of the racetrack, as in any hold.

Worked example: left-hand hold, inbound course 000°, arriving on heading 090°. The pattern lies west of the inbound course. A parallel entry turns right 90° onto the outbound heading 180°, east of the inbound course on the non-holding side. After one minute it turns left through 225°, more than 180°, to cut the inbound course at 45°. It reaches the fix about 0.5 NM off the inbound course, so it corrects on the first circuit and is established inbound on the next pass.

Timed turns on the turn needle

Holding is flown by the clock, so its turns are flown at a known rate. In the source's pattern each 180° turn takes two minutes: 180° ÷ 120 s = 1.5° per second. [1, p. 2-20] A turn needle shows the rate of turn directly, so you can hold a rate without chasing the heading. Heading change = rate × time; time = heading change ÷ rate.

The scale differs between instruments. The DCS F-14 manual by Heatblur states that one needle deflection corresponds to a 360° turn in four minutes: 360° ÷ 240 s = 1.5° per second, the same rate as the marshal turn. [4] That is simulator documentation for the DCS F-14 module, not the aircraft's NATOPS. For comparison, the FAA's civil holding turns are 3° per second, 30° of bank or 25° of bank with a flight director, whichever needs the least bank. [3, 5-3-8 j 8]

Practise: fly a timed turn

Work out how long the turn takes, start it, and roll out when your time is up. The heading card turns at the selected rate; the needle shows the deflection. The faster speeds compress the clock for practice only.

Aircraft

Needle deflection 1 width 2 widths

Clock speed

Turn left from 040° to 310°: 90°.

Elapsed 0:00

Worked example: a 90° turn at one F-14 needle width (1.5°/s) takes 90 ÷ 1.5 = 60 s; a 180° marshal turn takes 2:00.

The 2-width option assumes the pointer scale is linear (3°/s); the manual states only the one-width value. F/A-18 and other aircraft are added only when a source the review can read states their indicator's scale.

Commence and platform

Commencing marks the transition from holding to the approach. The penetration combines descent, course management and controller handoff. Platform is the reporting point in the approach where the descent rate changes. The source glossary places it normally at 5,000 ft and about 20 NM from the ship, so it is both an altitude and a position. [1, p. A-5] The published CV-1 profile in [1] uses 250 KIAS and 4,000 ft/min initially, reducing descent at 5,000 ft to 2,000 ft/min, then levelling at 1,200 ft. These values illustrate that source's profile, not aircraft limitations. [1, p. 2-23]

Keep lateral and vertical tasks separate: descending correctly does not establish you on final bearing. When the marshal radial is offset, the source provides an intercept/arc procedure. Use the actual published approach and clearance rather than steering directly at the ship or applying a fixed deck-angle subtraction. Handoff should ideally occur before platform; check in on the assigned frequency. [1, pp. 2-23, 2-26]

The approach profile

Figure 4 joins the source's numbers into one side view: commence at the fix, 4,000 ft/min to platform, 2,000 ft/min to 1,200 ft, level flight, then the self-contained GCA check altitudes to the ship. [1, pp. 2-19, 2-23, 2-25] Choose a marshal altitude and fly the aircraft down the profile, or drag the position slider.

The profile is a simplified educational model. It assumes no wind and a groundspeed equal to the 250 kt figure, so each minute covers 250 ÷ 60 ≈ 4.17 NM. A 4,000 ft/min descent then loses 4,000 ÷ 4.17 = 960 ft per NM, and 2,000 ft/min loses 480 ft per NM. From angels 7 at 22 DME, the 2,000 ft down to platform takes 2,000 ÷ 960 ≈ 2.08 NM, reaching platform at about 19.9 DME. The next 3,800 ft at 480 ft per NM takes about 7.92 NM, levelling at about 12.0 DME. Rate changes are instant, and the GCA check altitudes are joined as a straight 400 ft per NM line. True airspeed above sea level is higher than 250 KIAS, so a real aircraft covers more distance in each minute.

Figure 4 — CV-1 example approach profile (side view)

Marshal altitude Angels 7 · fix 22 DMEAircraft position (NM from ship)

Key points in the CV-1 example for angels 7. Ranges marked ≈ come from the model above; the rest are source values. T-45C configuration points are that aircraft's procedure.
NM	Altitude	What happens	Source
22	7,000 ft	Commence at EAT: “commencing”, 4,000 ft/min at 250 KIAS. Marshal hands you to Approach during the penetration, ideally before platform.	[1, pp. 2-20, 2-23, 2-26]
20	—	Correct to final bearing if it is not the marshal radial's reciprocal: gradual within 10°, otherwise 30°.	[1, p. 2-23]
≈19.9	5,000 ft	Platform: reduce to 2,000 ft/min and report “platform”.	[1, pp. 2-23, 2-27]
≈12.0	1,200 ft	Level off at 1,200 ft. Not on final bearing by 12 miles: fly the 12-mile arc.	[1, p. 2-23]
10	1,200 ft	T-45C: start the landing checks.	[1, p. 2-23]
8	1,200 ft	T-45C: gear down no later than here. ACLS lock-on from here to 4 DME; “say needles”.	[1, p. 2-23]
6	1,200 ft	T-45C: cross at 150 kt, then slow to final approach speed.	[1, p. 2-23]
3	1,200 ft	Self-contained GCA check: 1,200 ft at 3 NM.	[1, p. 2-25]
2	800 ft	GCA check: 800 ft at 2 NM.	[1, p. 2-25]
1	400 ft	GCA check: 400 ft at 1 NM.	[1, p. 2-25]
¾	≈300 ft	“Call the ball”; transition to the optical cue; the LSO answers “Roger ball”.	[1, pp. 2-25, 2-27]
½	200 ft	GCA check: 200 ft at 0.5 NM.	[1, p. 2-25]

Final approach and the ball

Arrive configured and ready for the final approach, using the aircraft's landing checks and limits. Gear, flaps, approach speed and angle of attack belong to the aircraft procedure. The Tomcat's controls and exercise gates are not module-wide rules.

The source describes automatic carrier landing system (ACLS) lock-on and comparison with instrument carrier landing system (ICLS) indications before following ACLS needles. Those exchanges require that equipment and a valid lock; the words “fly needles” and “fly bullseye” are not interchangeable generic commands. [1, p. 2-23]

The ball is the optical landing system's glideslope cue. [1, p. 1-11] In the source's example, the controller requests the ball call at three-quarter mile. The pilot transitions from an instrument scan to outside landing cues while the landing signal officer (LSO) monitors the final landing task. Continue to monitor the approach during this transition. [1, p. 2-25]

Figure 5 — Reading the ball

The source's lens has ten green datum lights each side, four green cut lights above, and waveoff lights. [1, pp. 1-12–1-13] Move the aircraft above or below the glidepath and watch the ball against the datum lights.

Aircraft relative to glidepath

Left: low · centre: on glidepath · right: high

Ball level with the datum lights: on glidepath. [1, p. 1-11]
Ball above the datum lights: a high ball, above the glidepath. [1, pp. 1-11, 1-13]
Ball below the datum lights: below the glidepath. [1, p. 1-13]
A red lens is visible: the aircraft is dangerously low. [1, p. 1-12]
Waveoff lights illuminated: execute a waveoff immediately. Waveoffs are mandatory, whether signalled by radio or by the lights. [1, pp. 1-13, 2-17]

Not to scale. The steps on the slider are illustrative positions, not glidepath angles; cell heights and light counts other than the datum and cut lights are not from the source.

Communications: channels, handoffs and calls

Each controller owns one stage of the recovery, and each handoff moves you to a new frequency. The ladder shows the order in the source; the dialogue below is its Case III example for aircraft 405, call by call. [1, pp. 2-11–2-12, 2-26–2-27] Know what each call achieves before memorising its wording: these are one training publication's examples, not a universal script.

Practise: step through the radio calls

405 → Red CrownCall sign, position and altitude.The source describes this check-in but gives no wording. Red Crown passes instructions and hands you to Strike. [1, p. 2-11]
405 → StrikeAs for Red Crown, plus the flight's low fuel state.Pass any alibis for the ready room. Strike may give weather and the expected recovery case, then hands you to Marshal inside the CCA. [1, pp. 2-11–2-12]
405 → MarshalMarshal, 405, 250 for 42, Angels 14, State 2.4Call sign, position, altitude and low state, the check-in the source asks for. [1, pp. 2-12, 2-26] Position replies in the source use radial and DME from the ship's TACAN. [1, p. 1-10]
Marshal → 405405, Mother's weather is 600 overcast, visibility 3 miles, altimeter 29.87. Case III recovery, CV-1 approach. Marshal on the 160, 22, angels 7. Expected final bearing 015, expected approach time 22. Approach button 18.The clearance decoded in the practice above. [1, p. 2-26]
405 → Marshal405, altimeter 29.87. Marshal on the 160, 22, angels 7. Expected approach time 22.The readback: altimeter, fix and EAT. [1, p. 2-26]
405 → Marshal405, established angels 7. State 2.3Established in holding, with fuel state. [1, p. 2-26]
Marshal99, altimeter 29.88. New final bearing 020An update to the altimeter setting and final bearing. Fly the latest value you are given. [1, p. 2-27]
405 → Marshal405 commencing, 29.88, state 2.2Leaving the fix at EAT, with the new altimeter setting and fuel state. [1, p. 2-27]
Marshal → 405405, rogerAcknowledged. [1, p. 2-27]
Marshal → 405405, switch Approach, button 18The handoff, during the penetration and ideally before platform. Reply, then change frequency. [1, pp. 2-26–2-27]
405 → Approach405 checking in, state 1.5First call on the new frequency, with fuel state. [1, p. 2-27]
Approach → 405405, final bearing 017The final bearing is updated again. Use the latest value. [1, p. 2-27]
405 → Approach405 platformReaching 5,000 ft; descent reduces to 2,000 ft/min. [1, pp. 2-23, 2-27]
Approach → 405405, say needlesAfter ACLS lock-on, report what the needles show. [1, p. 2-23]
405 → Approach405, fly up, onThe needle indications as the crew sees them. [1, p. 2-27]
Approach → 405405, fly your needlesThe reply agrees with the radar, so fly the ACLS needles. [1, p. 2-23]
Approach → 405405, ¾ mile, call the ballTransition to the optical landing cue. [1, p. 2-25]
405 → LSO405, Goshawk ball, 2.0Call sign, aircraft type and fuel state. Say “clara” instead if the ball is not visible. [1, pp. 2-18, 2-27]
LSO → 405Roger ballThe LSO has you; the LSO uses radio calls to bring the aircraft aboard. [1, pp. 1-2, 2-27]

Radio terms

Brevity words carry a whole idea in one word. These are the terms used in this recovery; each links to its glossary entry, which gives the source and page. Try the quiz once you have read them.

Mother: Code name used to signify the carrier.
Paddles: The call sign for the landing signal officer (LSO).
Angels: Altitude in thousands of feet.
State: Fuel state, as in “state 2.2”.
Low state: The lowest fuel state in the flight, given at the Strike and Marshal check-ins.
Button: A frequency selection, as in “Approach button 18”.
Needles: The approach guidance display of the automated carrier landing system (ACLS), shown to the aircrew on a crosshair display.
Bullseye: The instrument carrier landing system (ICLS) display. A controller who loses the ACLS lock directs “fly the bullseye” until the lock is regained.
Ball: A pilot report indicating that the visual landing aid is in sight. The ball itself is the bar of light the optical landing system shows the pilot: level with the green datum lights on the glide slope, above them when high and below them when low, with a red bottom cell to warn of a low approach.
Clara: A pilot's transmission meaning they do not have the visual landing aid (ball) in sight.
Charlie: The time the first aircraft is expected at the ramp. A “Charlie” or “Charlie on arrival” call is a directive to enter the pattern now; “Charlie five” means be at the ramp in five minutes.
Red Crown: The carrier strike group's air defense controller, the first check-in after the mission, which passes instructions and hands the flight to Strike.
Alibis: Aircraft maintenance discrepancies, passed to the Strike controller at check-in for relay to the squadron's ready room.
CCA: Carrier control area. All airspace within 50 nautical miles of the carrier; the carrier air traffic control center controls airborne aircraft within it that are not under the control of the tower.
Platform: A point of 5,000 feet altitude in the approach pattern at which all jet and turboprop aircraft decrease their rate of descent to not more than 2,000 feet per minute and continue let-down to the 10-nm DME fix for carriers and 12-nm for amphibious assault ships.
Commencing: The report a pilot makes on leaving the marshal fix to start the approach, with the altimeter setting and fuel state.
Bingo: The minimum fuel state required to divert safely to the nearest suitable field. Bingo is an emergency situation; the bingo fuel state depends on the aircraft type.
Bolter: A touchdown on the carrier in which the arresting hook does not engage the arresting wires.

Quiz: name the term

Landing, bolter and waveoff

The historical training account distinguishes arrestment through engagement of the arresting gear from a bolter, a touchdown without arresting-hook engagement. A waveoff discontinues the landing attempt. The LSO can direct it by radio or signal it with the waveoff lights. Compliance with either signal is mandatory in the source procedure. [1, pp. 2-17, A-1]

In the historical Case III training example, recovery continues under instrument approach control after a bolter or waveoff. The source describes climbing, a controller-directed downwind, landing checks, an abeam fuel-state report and another turn to final. That example uses an instrument re-entry rather than its Case I visual circuit. Aircraft-specific climb, speed, gear/flap actions and lost-communication procedures must come from the applicable procedure; this module does not generalise the T-45C instructions to other aircraft. [1, pp. 2-25–2-26]

Check your understanding

Before practising, explain these without looking back:

Why are BRC and final bearing different?

BRC describes ship heading; final bearing describes the angled landing-area centreline. Use the assigned final bearing.

Does 21 DME mean you are at the marshal fix?

No. Range alone defines a ring. You also need the assigned radial and altitude.

Is platform only an altitude?

No. In the source profile it is a reporting point normally at 5,000 ft and about 20 NM from the ship, where the descent rate reduces to 2,000 ft/min.

When should Marshal hand you to Approach?

During the penetration, ideally before platform. Check in on the new button with your fuel state.

How long does a 90° turn take at one F-14 needle width?

One width is 360° in four minutes, 1.5° per second, so 90° takes 60 seconds. The marshal pattern's 180° turns take two minutes at the same rate.

What does a ball below the datum lights mean?

You are below the glidepath. A red lens means dangerously low; waveoff lights mean wave off immediately.

Does a bolter mean you can join the Case I visual pattern?

No. Follow the applicable Case III bolter procedure and controller instructions.

Practice: Tomcat recovery exercise

Case III — Tomcat recovery exercise

Drafted — not technically validated · Exercise revision 8

F-14B / DCS-oriented educational exercise; simulator version not verified. Prerequisites: Magnetic headings and radials · TACAN bearing and DME · Basic carrier terminology.

Reinforce point-to-point navigation, marshal timing, radio handoffs and managing a descent through an approach sequence. The Tomcat is the worked example; its configuration controls and scoring do not define the general module.

The exercise is self-contained: its briefing, instructor, controls and exercise notes explain how to use it without reading this page first. Read the sortie briefing and select Start Exercise. Instructor and voice are optional.

It simplifies motion, wind, aircraft performance, approach guidance and arrestment; fuel consumption and bolters are not modelled. Its numeric gates and inherited dialogue remain unvalidated exercise content. It does not assess real proficiency or implement every procedure discussed above.

Launch the Tomcat exercise (opens in a new window)

Sources and applicability

[1] Naval Air Training Command, CNATRA P-816 (01-14), CV Procedures (UMFO), T-45C. Revision 28 January 2014, Change 1 dated 9 February 2018. Read the Navy-authored publication (third-party mirror). Inspected 24 October 2026: LSOs p. 1-2; CCA p. 1-3; TACAN, ACLS and ICLS terms pp. 1-9–1-10; optical landing system pp. 1-11–1-13; §204, pp. 2-11–2-12 and 2-19–2-27; weather criteria pp. 2-3–2-4; waveoff, Charlie and ball calls pp. 2-17–2-18; glossary A-1–A-3 and A-5 (Platform). Historical training context, not evidence of current fleet-wide applicability. Original paraphrases and geometry only; no manual files or figures are redistributed.

[2] US Navy, NAVEDTRA 14342A, Air Traffic Controller, chapter 11, Shipboard Operations, pp. 11-2, 11-21, 11-32–11-33. Read the Navy-authored general carrier-control passage (HTML mirror). Supports control roles, clearance fields, type-dependent marshal fix, BRC/final-bearing definitions and a jet/turboprop marshal example; it does not establish aircraft-specific handling or current operational authority.

[3] Federal Aviation Administration, Aeronautical Information Manual, chapter 5, section 3, paragraph 5-3-8 “Holding”. Read the AIM section (faa.gov). Inspected 24 October 2026: entry procedures 5-3-8 j 3 (a)–(e), including the nonstandard-pattern note; holding turn rate and bank 5-3-8 j 8. US civil instrument holding, cited for a general instrument technique (the entries and the entry turn rate in the practice) and a comparison rate; it does not establish Navy marshal procedure.

[4] Heatblur Simulations, DCS: F-14 Tomcat manual, “Center Panel”, Turn-and-Slip Indicator. Read the manual page (heatblur.se); source text at commit 49bbd9a. Inspected 24 October 2026: one needle deflection corresponds to a 360° turn in four minutes. Simulator-module documentation for the DCS F-14, not the aircraft's NATOPS; module version not verified.

Page-specific source excerpts and provenance are recorded in the repository review evidence: P-816 evidence and general carrier-control evidence and figure, communications and turn-needle evidence. The module's conceptual structure is aircraft-agnostic; published profile numbers, reporting examples and handling sequences remain attributed to their documented contexts.

Source conflict: this edition gives different Case III visibility thresholds in its weather-criteria section (p. 2-4) and recovery section (p. 2-22). Exact weather minima are therefore unresolved here. This module teaches the night/instrument-recovery purpose without asserting a numerical threshold. It remains Drafted pending independent source-backed review.

Figures 1–5 are original line drawings, not reproductions of any manual figure. They are not to scale; every label repeats a value stated in the text beside it with its source. The profile, stack and turn practice use the simplified models described with them.

The geometry interaction is a simplified educational model: flat station-centred coordinates, no wind, horizontal range and a fixed 250 NM/hour illustration rate. Its equations are shown with the worked example. This is not an IAS-to-groundspeed conversion or a prescribed approach.

The module's source review is separate from the trainer's validation. Neither the T-45C publication nor this module validates the trainer's Tomcat gates, radio script or scoring.