Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: F-18 Pilot Training Pt. 3 Message-ID: <1990Jul11.025320.23246@cbnews.att.com> Date: 11 Jul 90 02:53:20 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 47 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Mary Shafer Oops. I talked about the Ducks, I made snide remarks about the Ducks, but I didn't tell you what a Duck is. It's an observation plane, a pusher-puller. I think it's an O-2, made by Cessna, and that there's a civil version. The FACs fly in these, since they can fly low and slow and loiter over the area. I was asked why NASA was designing a military display system--that's easy, we aren't. I work in flying qualities, the essence of which is how the pilot/aircraft combination works in performing a specific task. The task has to be well defined, so that all the pilots are flying the same task; the task has to be difficult, so that the pilot is challenged; the task has to be realistic; so that it's meaningful. A good display can help immeasurable in the definition of the task and in the evaluation of the task performance. I'm not designing a real display, I'm interested in a tool that will help me look at the flying qualities. You'll never see my display on your HUD. About the various weapons systems--I mentioned that the briefings on these were classified. That means that I can't talk about these any more, since my knowledge base has been contaminated with classified information. Before, it was just hearsay, which I'm allowed to repeat at will. Marshal is the holding pattern. They do straight-ins for the carrier, so Marshal is just above and before the point where you'd start your straight-in. The yeoman who gave me directions was entirely correct with respect to the front of the building and I found the building-referenced system very useful. The problem was my inability to tell left from right early in the morning. Anything else you-all want explained? I freely admit that I wrote a rather cryptic version, but I'll gladly explain, at length, anything you want. (In fact, try to stop me--unless Bill cooperates, it won't work!) I just didn't want to insult the group readers by explaining _everything_, including the obvious. -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot