Landing Signal Officer (LSO) Guide
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What is an LSO (Paddles)?
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The Landing Signal Officer (LSO), commonly referred to as "Paddles," is the qualified officer responsible for visually monitoring and controlling aircraft during the final phase of carrier landing, from the start of the groove to touchdown. The LSO's primary responsibility is safety: identifying unsafe approaches early enough to correct or wave off the aircraft before a dangerous situation develops.
Beyond safety, the LSO also serves as the pilot's coach and evaluator, issuing real-time voice corrections during the approach. Their authority during the approach is absolute; once an aircraft is in the groove, the pilot is expected to fly the LSO's calls without hesitation, and a waveoff call must be obeyed immediately regardless of the pilot's own assessment of the approach. This section covers standard LSO phraseology, grading, and procedures for CASE I, II, and III recoveries.
LSO Phraseology
| State of aircraft | LSO Callout |
| High in the groove | "You're high" |
| Low in the groove | "Power" |
| Settling / getting low | "Power, power" (repeated = urgency) |
| Lined up right | "Come left" |
| Lined up left | "Right for lineup" |
| Fast/Overpowered | "You're fast" |
| Slow/Underpowered | "You're slow" |
| Aggresive corrections | "Easy with it" |
| Approaching foul deck/unsafe | "Waveoff, waveoff (reason)" |
| Station | Message/scenario | Notes |
| *aircraft rolls out into the groove* | ||
| LSO | "Three quarter mile, call the ball" | Pilot may call the ball prior to 3/4 mile |
| Pilot | "100, hornet ball, 2.9" | |
| LSO | "Roger ball" | It is navy tradition to say this with
enthusiasm: "Rooooger balll!!" :) |
| LSO | "Right for lineup" | |
| LSO | "A little power" | |
| LSO | "Easy with it" | |
| *aircraft traps* | ||
| LSO | "3-Wire" | Optional call, pilot's will appreciate it |
Notes to keep in mind
- If aircraft is seen configured incorrectly such as no hook, no gear, or abnormal/damaged gear, "waveoff, waveoff" command is given immediately, followed by the reason e.g. "Waveoff waveoff, nose gear not fully extended" or "Waveoff waveoff, unstable approach"
- LSO will be on the frequency that aircraft are on when in the last few miles to recover. For CASE I and II this is on tower (PriFly), for CASE III LSO will be on approach freq.
- Once aircraft is on the ball and paddles contact, LSO has complete priority on frequency
- If you see the aircraft has to make a steep climb or descent to get back on glideslope, or an aggressive bank to get back on centerline, waveoff the aircraft. It is not worth it to have an aircraft slam in the back of the deck or land sideways, potentially missing the wires and end up crashing into the planes parked on the deck who spent 15 minutes preparing and cold starting. If you are unsure about the approach, waveoff. If you just have a weird gut feeling that the plane is descending too quick in close and cant safely correct in time, don't say power, wave them off. In general, pilots are taught to not conduct a waveoff themselves unless absolutely necessary, they will continue on a bad approach, they will continue to fight to get back on centerline and glideslope until their LSO calls the waveoff.
- Advanced LSO tip: If you see two aircraft that rolled out in the groove and it is obvious that there wont be enough time for aircraft 1 to clear the deck before aircraft 2 traps, DONT wave them off. Let them both continue on the approach. If front aircraft traps, you will immediately wave off the rear aircraft. If front aircraft bolters/waves off, the rear aircraft continues the approach as normal.