The Navy has ended carrier landing qualifications as a requirement for student tactical jet pilots to graduate with their “Wings of Gold.” According to Task & Purpose, the final undergraduate carrier qualification occurred in March.
Pilots in the strike pipeline — those headed to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II and EA-18G Growler — will now complete their first landings at sea and get carrier qualified after moving on to fleet replacement squadrons. Field Carrier Landing Practice remains part of the syllabus, though conducted only on land.
Officials said the move is meant to shorten training pipelines and align instruction with the realities of modern fleet aircraft. The T-45 Goshawk, which has served for decades as the Navy’s carrier-capable trainer, is set to be phased out under the Undergraduate Jet Training System program.
The T-45 lacks the Navy’s Precision Landing Mode, known as MAGIC CARPET, which has simplified carrier recoveries in frontline fighters by coordinating thrust and flight controls during approach. As a result, weeks of carrier training in the T-45 required students to practice landings in a way they would not perform later in their careers.
“The strategic decision was driven by increased technological capabilities in the fleet, as well as the need to reduce training pipeline times,” a Navy official told Task & Purpose.
So, 100s and 100s of FCLPs. More added to the RAG syllabus as well.
Contrary to popular belief MAGIC CARPET (Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies) does not land the jet. It takes a lot of the load off the Aviator at the boat. Since the T-45 doesn’t and can’t have it makes some sense. One needs to train how they are going to fly, not relearn how to trap all over again.
I assume other trainees not in the jet pipeline will continue to carrier qualify at the boat or is that not the case? Thanks, Steve
Everyone goes through the T-45 pipeline. After earning their wings of gold they move on to the type of aircraft they get assigned to whether it’s Helos, C-130s, C-2s, V-22s, E-2, etc…
I would have thought that there is some utility in teaching pilots how to land on carriers under manual control for those instances where Magic Carpet is inoperative.
If Magic Carpet goes down, it’s because something serious in an already-redundant flight control system has gone terribly wrong. Those kinds of failures require ejection or recovery on shore. There is no manually flying a carrier approach with that kind of failure because the basic flight control system is messed up.
All Navy pilots fly the T6 Texan II through Primary. If the platform you are selected for doesn’t land on a carrier, you don’t fly the T45 (e. g. P8 or Helo).
I sit corrected (I’m sitting down) I got ahead of the game. Yes, T-6 Texan II then on to the platform you will be flying. If I hit the Power Ball this week, there may be the civilian version at my tie down, a Pilatus PC-9. That is of course if I can get insurance
If you hit the Powerball jackpot you can probablybself insure.
Good point. If I hit I will look into that. But…I’m not going to hit.
I hear you’re required to buy a powerball ticket before you can win it. Somethings wrong with that, darn it
I play the home version - I read the winner’s name and I mail him a buck.
I figure that my odds haven’t really changed, but his payoff is better.
So, it was stated that Magic Carpet doesn’t land the airplane. Okay. A lot of advancements don’t land an airplane, like autothrottles, precision flight directors, automatic vertical navigation (in all phases of flight), augmented flight controls that compensate for configuration changes in the background, just to mention a few, but all can fail. Increasing reliance on automation levels has undoubtedly been shown to potentially degrade not only a pilot’s raw ‘stick and rudder’ skills, but also his/her ability to mentally predict the trajectory of an airplane without help from technology. So, the one skill demonstrated by Naval Aviators that previously distinguished them was the ability bring an aircraft aboard a moving aircraft carrier with raw flying skills and a bare minimum of outside assistance. No more apparently. I’m not a military pilot, but I’ve earned a living flying large airplanes for more than 30 years and have personally seen what technological advancements have done to basic flying skills. It’s a real issue. But, as they say, what do I know.