He flies a Navy plane calles an S-3 Viking (the one in the pictures)

They have turbofan engines that sound like a giant Vacuum Cleaner.

Hence the name - Hoover Driver. (Hoover Vacuum Cleaners)

Navy fliers fly a glideslope system called the fresnel lense or commonly called the meatball it is a glideslope indicator much like PAPI or VASI but it is very very precise as it is what guides you down to the landing area on the carrier, and hopefully the three wire. land with a centered ball on the lense you get the three wire, land just ever so sagging you get the two and if the ball is cresting you hopefully get the four wire but most often you get the hated bolter = you get another try at it If I am correct there is only 40 feet between wires. So when flying this type fo approach the throttles are constantly moving, for every correction ie: you suck power off to stop a rising ball or to descend ever so slightly you must correct that correction with at least a two part correction ie: you suck power to stop the rising ball now you must add more power than required to stop the rate of descent, catch the ball before it falls off the lense, then you must reset power to your neytral power setting before all that power you just added causes you to fly the ball off the top of the lense. I hope that makes sense. Anyways while adding power in short bursts in the S-3 it makes a very characteristic Whoop Whoop sound so we call the S-3 Viking the Hoover or Hoov for that reason. Heres a fresnal lense fi you want any more info about it just hollar. Wish I had a better pic but if you look almost all the way up on the left side you can see a row of horizontal lights with the meatball being the brightest, amber light slightly sagging from center. That is the Fresnel lense.

ZK

Cool. Thanks for the info. One thing that surprises me is that you are into RC. I'd think after doing carrier landings everything else related to flying would just be a bore. :-)

What's the primary role of an S3?

Kerry

S-3 is mostly a tanker now for the carrier but it still does some maritime interdiction and even strike recently as it was the jet that fired the maverick at Sadams yacht that was being lazer designated by an F-18 hornet. Were pretty proud of that one \\

Oh and we fly Presidents onto the carrier now :stupid:

ZK

No post.......I just wanted to see my avatar LOL

do you like mine?

I being a Lufwaffe buff like it, good that you took out the Swatstika though as I think alot of people would not like it very much. It is too bad one of histories gereatest airforces along with the worlds leading aces had anything to do with such a terrible group of people, or a terrible few that made the entire nation of Germany and especially anyone who had anything to do with the German military look like monsters. I would probably change the avatar though as it may still be considered not very tasteful to many, but hey it's a free country and you can do what you like I guess.

ZK

i think its a neat symbol... why did the nazi's have to have such neat artwork? grrrrr yea i removed the sybmol from the feet...
maybe i could has it holdlding stars & bars...

The Nazis had some great things, art and insignias included. If you could add something custom I think it would make it much more accepted, but then again that is just my humble opinion.

ZK

do you know where i can find a straight on view of stars & bars like found on the p-51 ?

I don't sorry.

or for more, including some cool German WW2 squadron logos:

http://www.rccombat.com/sections/workshop/workshop.asp
then click on "Detailing" in the left top frame.