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"Fixed parking areas" onboard a carrier?


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I need some input for my current build. I´m working on Trumpeters "Theodore Roosevelt" in 1/700 scale. I do have a lot of aircraft, since the kit came with 16x F-14s, 4x EA-6Bs, 4x S-3s, 2x E-2Cs and 2 SH-60s. And I added 12x F/A-18s, 12x A-6Es and 4x HH-60s.

Now my question is: Are there certain parking areas on board the deck where specific aircraft "usually" sit? I remember reading that E-2Cs and helos are usually located near the island. But are there some more "rules" how to place aircraft that are not in current prepation for launch?

I´m not planning to put all the above mentionend aircraft on the deck, a couple will go in the hangar and some won´t be stationend at all.

And a last detail which may be interesting to answer my question: I want to show "launch-operations", having all 4 catapults in action.

Any help will be much apprectiated.

HAJO

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Can't answer directly for the TR, but this Enterprise is carrying the same CVW, (8) in between TR cruises in 2001. I would guess the basic layout is similar.DSC_0073.jpg

Minus of course the Phantom near the stern. And the visiting Canadian Sea King in the helo area.

Edited by phantom
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Like everything else, the question isn't that simple....what is the status of the deck? Spotted for launch? spotted post-recovery? launch in progress? turning aircraft between cycles? Parked for the day? Spotted for an Unrep? Spotted for a port visit? Photo-ex?

Each one of those is different....

Spongebob.

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All four cats in operation may be a bit more "cool" than "real".

Naw the port bow has 12 Hornets parked on it. Not launching from there anytime soon. I did my layout based on a photo from a Combat Aircraft magazine back in 2001 that showed the deck in this pattern.

As for the Canadian Sea King, well, they must visit from time to time, and you ALWAYS need a Phantom on deck

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Naw the port bow has 12 Hornets parked on it. Not launching from there anytime soon. I did my layout based on a photo from a Combat Aircraft magazine back in 2001 that showed the deck in this pattern.

As for the Canadian Sea King, well, they must visit from time to time, and you ALWAYS need a Phantom on deck

I was referring to the OP's idea. 1 & 2 would be pretty standard, but you wouldn't normally see 3 & 4 running simultaneously.

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Like everything else, the question isn't that simple....what is the status of the deck?

[X] Spotted for launch?

[ ] spotted post-recovery?

[X] launch in progress?

[ ] turning aircraft between cycles?

[ ] Parked for the day?

[ ] Spotted for an Unrep?

[ ] Spotted for a port visit?

[ ] Photo-ex?

Each one of those is different....

Spongebob.

Like I said :thumbsup: , all four cats in use, launch operations. I was planning to have one F-14 "in the shot" and another waiting strapped on the cat as scenario for both bow catapults. Some more aircraft waiting for launch behind the deflectors.

And an E-2C waiting for launch at the catapult "in the middle" (don´t know what number that is) and an EA-6B rolling to the catapult, just crossing over the closed deflector (the most port-side catapult).

HAJO

Edited by Hajo L.
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I've been on 7 carriers and 5 deployments, 2 of those as a troubleshooter, 1 as a pc, and 2 in my workcenter, and I have to say, I've seen all 4 cats in operation numerous times. 1 is on the stbd bow, also called the 1 row when a/c are parked, 2 is on the port bow, aka the 4 row, 3 & 4 on the waist. Usually only one bow cat is in operation to support cyclic ops, it varies which one depending on their status, both waist cats are almost always a go unless one is broken. The Hummers (E-2) are usually the early go a/c, mainly to get them out of the way, they either go off the bow or #3. On modern decks without tomcats, hornets line the 1 or 4 row, some on el. 1 and 2, if its the first go there are some in the 6 pack too. Mid ops rhinos go on the fighter line, the 6 packs just facing the other way. EA-6B's gernerally sit in the corral between el. 1&2. There is almost always a Hawkeye in the hummer hole at the forward end on the island, and two or three folded helos in the helo hole at the aft end. Tilly is always in her hole behind the island. El. 3, the shelf, and the round down are a mix of supers and charlies. El. four gernerally has two rhinos, and the finger almost always has either a prowler or a charlie on it (usually broken:)) During launches the waist sometimes has as many as two birds each in marhsal behind the jbd's, while they try to only stack one behind the bow jbd incase the jet on the cat goes down they have room to move it out of the way. One thing that kind of irks me on some model carriers is when people put tow tractors over the foul lines, just a pet peeve. Let me know if you have any more questions, I might be able to dig up a training diagram at work with all the nick names for the different spots on the roof if you are interested. btw, its very rare for an el to be down during launch/recovery cycles

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OK...that's something to work with.

Spotted/in progress. You'll most likely use cats 1 or 2 and 3 & 4. From the bow back.

Line of Hornets opposite the Cat in use, tails over water and noses aft. If you're using Cat 2, spot a spread E-2 there with a Hornet or two stacked at a 30 degree angle behind JBD. If you're using Cat 1, the E-2 is probably on Cat 3.

Aft of the bow, Hornets/Prowlers/S-3's with tails over the water on EL's 1 & 2 and the deck in between. 1 E-2 forward and 2-3 Helo's perpendicularly parked by the island (make sure they all clear the landing area foul line. If there is an aircraft on the Cat the JBD will be up.

Aft of the island...1 E-2, then Tomcats around the edge of the flight deck going aft (clear the foul line again). The landing area will be full of folks waiting to launch from Cats 3 & 4...you can get away with no particular order. On the port side, around/on the elevator...1 Prowler and Tomcats/Hornets to fill...clear the landing area foul line again.

One small item, often overlooked is that each parked plane will have a tow bar right next to it. NO FOD COVERS.

HTH

Spongebob

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Yep, except on Tuesdays.

I wanted to build a couple with wings down. Thought about having a couple "in flight" buzzing the ship but I couldn't find anything strong enough that was thin enough to hold the plane up.

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Heres an idea, when hornets roll off the 1 or 2 row, or off the el's where they are t.o.w, the yellow shirts stop them when they clear the scupper to op check the tial hook and spread the wings for a second so the ordies can check the aim 9, then fold and roll. you could do that

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Unfortunately I get a broken link for the document...

Rightwinger26, thanks for the excellence expertise, although I definetely need some explanations.

Just to start with a few, what are:

- 6 packs

- mid ops rhinos

- shelf

- round down

- finger

- what are the foul lines and where are they located?

- which elevator has what number?

Thanks a lot so far, you guys definetely help a lot and I even started thinking of doing a "3-cat-launch" einstead of using all 4 ones.

HAJO

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Let's see...

- 6 pack--rectangular area closest to and parallel to the landing area (the angled deck). It goes from the front of EL1 to the back of EL2.

- Corral--area between EL1 & EL2

- the street--rectangular area like 6 pack, between the sixpack and the EL1-corral-EL2 area

- mid ops rhinos--a when, not a where

- finger--the trapezoidal area right behind EL4

- what are the foul lines and where are they located?--"Safe" lines running parallel to and on either side of the landing area. Kind of like the red line on an AF base runway...

- which elevator has what number?--Front to back, starboard side 1-3. Port side, EL4

Edited by MarkW
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very good, you must have time on the roof. The bow cats have foul lines too, as wellas shot lines on the cat. The round down is the fantail of the flight deck, its round and it goes down, the shelf is aft of el 3, and the finger is the little point behind el 4. If you want I can dig up a training diagram we have at work and email it to you, its a little map that has all the "names" on it. Heres a test for the flight deck savvy, wheres the throat and the hell hole?

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Hornet wings weren't always folded behind the JBD's...

I'm tossing a couple un-cropped panoramics I shot from the island. Not cropping them adds to the feel for the shot, I think, though I ask people if they choose to right click/save the pictures to do the right thing when it comes to copyrights. Had to really reduce the size and quality of both (especially the top one at 20+pics) in order to make them fit here ok, but you get the idea all the same. I have a whole slew of pics like this, and some from way up forward on cats 1 and 2 if anyone would like me to post them.

BigPanoSMCR.jpg

Launch030809acr.jpg

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This next set of singles are un-re-touched, so the ones looking into the sun are a little washed out. The diagonal line is the edge of the horizontal stab I was crouching under to get the shot angle. I so wish I had my 50D back then!

Cats 3 and 4 from behind...

100_2843.jpg

Cats 3 and 4 from the 1-Row... (or was it the six-pack? Could be either...)

100_2851.jpg

100_2854.jpg

Edited by Nick Kessel
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when they are behind the jbd like that they are commited to launch, it saves time to spread when the bird on the cat is in tension, but thats really only when launching in a hurry. Those shots are most deff. from the six pack, if that was the one row, there would be a slew of birds in the way.

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