RN/FAA Helicopter Ship Ops - Patterns
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Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: UK
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RN/FAA Helicopter Ship Ops - Patterns
Hi,
Looking for some info on Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm helicopter ops procedures, I've got the different landing and take-off techniques (F/A, RW, XD, A/F, Astern, Oblique) but what I don't have is the approach pattern - particularly for carriers - on how to arrive at the waiting position. For smaller ships with a single aircraft I can't imagine it's a problem once you've located the ship you intend to land on, but for carriers or LHAs, where there are multiple aircraft operating in the vicinity of the deck I assume some sort of controlled pattern is followed. I've found the USN "Charlie Pattern" but I don't think this fits FAA ops at all...
I'm not to caring about how you found the ship (but if you have information you care to share that would be great) - just some sort of approach profile/holding point/speed/heights/distances to arrive at the waiting position would be appreciated.
Doesn't have to be current, willing to hear from SeaKing/Wessex/Lynx pilots as well as any modern Merlin/Chinook/Wildcat pilots too.
Looking for some info on Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm helicopter ops procedures, I've got the different landing and take-off techniques (F/A, RW, XD, A/F, Astern, Oblique) but what I don't have is the approach pattern - particularly for carriers - on how to arrive at the waiting position. For smaller ships with a single aircraft I can't imagine it's a problem once you've located the ship you intend to land on, but for carriers or LHAs, where there are multiple aircraft operating in the vicinity of the deck I assume some sort of controlled pattern is followed. I've found the USN "Charlie Pattern" but I don't think this fits FAA ops at all...
I'm not to caring about how you found the ship (but if you have information you care to share that would be great) - just some sort of approach profile/holding point/speed/heights/distances to arrive at the waiting position would be appreciated.
Doesn't have to be current, willing to hear from SeaKing/Wessex/Lynx pilots as well as any modern Merlin/Chinook/Wildcat pilots too.
