Case I Procedures

Our squadron kneeboard (linked here) includes a solid cheat sheet covering CASE I procedure basics. The relevant pages are shown below — take the time to familiarize yourself with everything on them.

Note: We aim to follow real U.S. Navy carrier ops standards and procedures. However, due to DCS and pilot limitations, a few aspects have been adjusted to fit our environment.

For a more detailed breakdown of Carrier Ops, check out this guide created by real world F-18 pilots adapted for DCS

(Page under construction)

CASE I ARRIVAL

Marshal Stack Procedure — Cyclic Ops

No other traffic?

If you're the only flight recovering and no one else is in the pattern/marshal stack, you may skip the stack and proceed direct to the initial. For practice purposes it is still highly recommended to fly the marshal stack.

Other traffic present?

If you know other flights are inbound, or aircraft are already in the pattern, the marshal stack is mandatory. You must marshal at the lowest available level.

How to find your level:

Enter the CCZ no lower than the next open altitude above the highest occupied stack level.

Example: Traffic is holding at 2,000 ft and 3,000 ft in the stack. You enter the CCZ at 4,000 ft and hold there until the 3,000 ft traffic descends and clears, then you can move down.

FORMATIONS IN THE STACK WILL ALWAYS BE A LEFT ECHELON

Always have you wingmen on the INSIDE of the stack, never outside. If you are flying with less experienced wingmen, it is highly recommended to have only two aircraft per flight.

Each level in the marshal stack can accommodate 2 flights (on opposite sides of the circle), it is recommended that they both establish two-way communications prior to entering the stack together. On SOURCE, this will be the standard. If a 4-ship is arriving, the recommended procedure will be to split up in twos (1+2 and 3+4), then 1 and 3 will take opposite sides of the same level.

COMMENCE FROM THE STACK

On commence from the stack, the flight will move into right echelon in preparation for the break. The transition will happen DURING the left turn towards the initial. 2, 3, and 4 will cross under and behind 1 to establish right echelon PRIOR to reaching the initial.

If commencing as a 4 ship, lead MUST break overhead the carrier to keep the flights break within 4 miles of mom.

Overhead break and pattern

On the break, avoid descending from 800ft to 600ft. Aircraft that had to wave off or bolter will be flying literally 200ft below you as you pull for the break. Ensure your break is a level turn and only start the descent once you are pointing downwind.

The 1-1.5nm abeam distance for downwind isn't just a random range. This is roughly where you can expect to be depending on the crosswinds. If you are on downwind and you notice the winds pushing you towards the carrier, aim to keep your downwind leg 1.5nm abeam. And on the contrary, if you feel you are being pushed away from the ship on downwind, stay closer to 1.2nm and below. With winds blowing straight down the ship, stay around 1.3-1.4nm abeam. There are a hundred variables that will affect your approach turn (winds components, drag, weight, speed brakes, angle of bank, AOA, temperature, etc.), they all change how for your abeam distance should be.

It is absolutely vital you have your abeam distance correct before you reach 'the 180' (refer to kneeboard above). If you have to make an aggressive 30 degree bank to get back on abeam distance, do it. The 180 is going to approach much faster than you think, don't forget the ship is steaming towards you.

It is also even more important that you MUST BEGIN YOUR APPROACH TURN EXACTLY WHEN YOU ARE ABEAM THE LSO PLATFORM!!!! DO NOT extend your downwind, even if you think there is not enough room between you and the aircraft landing ahead of you. DO NOT extend your downwind because you need a bit more space to adjust your abeam distance. Unless you are literally about to crash into another aircraft, DO NOT EXTEND YOUR DOWNWIND. To put it into perspective: a 3-second extension on your downwind puts you 6 seconds too long in the groove (because the ship is steaming forward) That's enough to put the aircraft behind you too close, force a wave-off, and clog the entire pattern. Every aircraft behind you in the stack now burns more fuel and waits longer to commence. Your 3 seconds costs everyone, and everyone just wants to get home quick, don't be that guy.

Although in SOURCE ops we generally have more wiggle room and spacing between recovering flights than a real carrier deck would. That's not an excuse to build sloppy habits. Discipline on this needs to be locked in early, so it's automatic when it actually matters. The spacing and timings for carrier recoveries have been painstakingly calculated to reduce open deck time. Ideally, the deck should be foul (due to aircraft that trapped) as you are on downwind and become clear as you roll out on the groove. Using this logic the deck should never be clear for more than 20 seconds in between recovering multiple aircraft. Timing is crucial.

If there's an aircraft ahead of you in the groove, continue your approach. Do not wave off. If they bolter, you'll still be able to continue and (hopefully) trap.

In real life, each level in the marshal stack is reserved for a specific squadron. The aircraft will commence from their assigned levels and aim to hit the deck at their given Charlie times (not normally used for SOURCE ops). The table below shows the squadron assigned marshal stack level should this need to be enforced. This should really only be used during high traffic environments (10+ aircraft).

MARSHAL STACK LEVEL RESERVATIONS
2000ft	41st VSFS BLACK ACES (F-14BU)
3000ft	14th VSFS TOP HATTERS (F/A-18C)
4000ft+	ALL OTHER AIRCRAFT NOT ASSIGNED TO CVN-72

CASE I DEPARTURE

During Case I departures, it is very important to be aware of your surroundings while taxiing on deck and looking out for arriving aircraft. If you know there will be aircraft arriving, prioritize using cats 1+2 and stay clear of the landing area to prevent fouling the deck.

While taxiing out, always keep your displays in the following configuration: LEFT DDI: CKLIST, RIGHT DDI: FCS, AMPCD: HSI (TCN BOXED).

Make sure you always complete the DDI checklist, no matter if its a carrier takeoff or field takeoff. The only difference is you follow the checklist from bottom to top on carrier, and top to bottom on field. Then, and ONLY then can you switch the LEFT DDI to HUD for the remainder of the departure.