[QUOTE]
[Maybe that needs to change. /QUOTE] meaning (I believe) that perhaps there is a better, more positive way to select a go around.
I'm quite sure that on a waveoff at the boat, Ed got the power up smartly (but smoothly) and "retracted the boards" as he rotated the aircraft.
The change I have in mind is to change the software (or whatever) so that you don't have to select TOGA to go around. You should only have to add as much power as necessary to expeditiously stop the descent, not bust minimums, and start climbing. Slamming on a fist full of power and then immediately pulling it off seems like a recipe for disorientation and confusion. As a graduate of the Navy's Test Pilot School and two subsequent testing assignments, if asked to evaluate such a system, I would have had to object strenuously. Two recent accidents, Buffalo and Amsterdam, have shown us that at least some line pilots have a hard time coping with the dramatic pitch-up brought about by a sudden application of a lot of power in some aircraft. Comments on this board also lead me to think that the typical line pilot is very uncomfortable with actually flying an airplane. Certainly improved training would help to counter this but I'm suggesting that a system modification is also in order. System design has to be aimed at, if not below, the typical pilot.
As far as a waveoff at the ship, you ALWAYS slam the power all the way forward, simultaneously bringing in the boards and hitting the burner (if you have one). Carrier based planes do not dramatically pitch up with power the way transports, especially lightly loaded transports, with under-slung engines do. The thrust line is very close to the center of gravity even for the A-3 and S-3.