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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0029.PDF
MACHINE When the US Navy's first class of McDonnell Douglas (MDC) T-45A Goshawk stu dent pilots begins training in mid-1993, it will benefit from more than just a new aeroplane. The training com mand will be using a new aircraft carrier, new simulators and a new computer-based ground-training system designed to enhance individual and classroom learning and re duce instructor workload. The result, the Navy hopes, will be an increase in both the quality and the efficiency of its overall training system. Although the operational schedule for the T-45A has slipped repeatedly over the past few years, some of the other elements in the Navy's "next-generation" undergraduate jet pilot training system are already in place or USN pilots being trained in the class of 1993 will be training on a brand-new aircraft and carrier. Lane Wallace looks at the McDonnell Douglas T-45A and the aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal are in the process of being implemented. The changes began in early 1992 when the larger and more capable USS Forrestal (AVT-59) replaced the USS Lexington as the Navy's premier training carrier. THE USS FORRESTAL The two biggest advantages of the Forrestal are its size and the fact that its equipment can handle all the Navy's aircraft. The Forrestal's deck is 55m longer than that of the Lexington and nearly 30m wider, with one more elevator. The first benefit of the extra space is that it allows more aircraft to be processed at one time. "On the Forrestal, I can have 14-15 aeroplanes on the deck at any given time...and still be landing and shooting," comments Cdr John Ault, the Forrestal's air-operations chief. "If the Lex ington got three aeroplanes on her deck refuelling, she almost closed down." The Forrestal also has 15.5m more be tween its ramp, at the aft-end of the deck, and its first arrestor wire, which provides a "bigger safety margin", according to Ault. In addition to allowing a slightly shallower FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6 - 12 January, 1993 27
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