The USS Ronald Reagan is your new base. Launch and recovery is the order of the day. During launch, powerful catapult gets you airborne in just a few hundred feet. And in recovery, your tailhook needs to catch the steel cable to bring your muscular aircraft to a screeching halt.

With the thrill of aircraft carrier based operations, the Flight Deck series has been a most popular title for flight simulator fans worldwide. We’d venture to say that the with the three previous editions, Flight Deck is the world’s bestselling add-on of all time.

Flight Deck 4 is now a bestseller in the major software retailers nationwide and in Europe. If you’re looking for realistic, exciting and challenging flights from the deck of an aircraft carrier this package that packs it in. Your home base is the new USS Ronald Reagan from which you’ll be flying the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, E-2C Hawkeye, S-3B Viking, SH-60 Seahawk, C-2A Greyhound and EA-6B Prowler. With an all-new simplified launch and recovery system, you’ll be airborne with a steam catapult in just seconds and stopped with steel cables if you’re skillfull enough to set down on the swaying deck.

Flight Deck 4 is now available either by download or on CD-ROM for FSX & FS2004.

From the flight deck of the new USS Ronald Reagan, you’ll fly these seven aircraft:

• F/A-18C HornetTM
• F/A-18E Super HornetTM
• E-2C Hawkeye
• S-3B Viking
• SH-60 Seahawk
• C-2A Greyhound
• EA-6B Prowler

Flight Deck 4 uses an all-new simplified catapult launch and recovery system. You’ll experience the thrill of authentic deck operations with AI traffic on and above the carrier. You’ll see why cable recovery on the short flight deck is both thrilling and nerve-wracking.

Launch
Hurry onto the deck. It’s launch time and you’re next in line. Taxi into position over the catapult. The launch team connects you. The steam is flowing and now it’s armed. Set your brake. From his crouching position, the yellow jacketed shooter gives you thumbs up. It’s game time.

Recovery
Flying over the sea, Mama is barely perceptible over the blue water. Drop down and you’ll see your home base.  The LSO orders you to lose altitude. Fly past and do a 180. Flaps down and throttle back. Your fingers tighten around the stick. You jiggle it back and forth as you line up with the swaying deck. Drop your gear and tailhook. Stay up there; don’t loose too much height.

IFOLS "Meatball"
Here’s a tool that you’ll use when landing. The center light on the meatball lets you know if you’re above or below the glideslope to the carrier. Click to see the IFOLS indicators,

Heads Up Display
You can also use the HUD display to guide you onto the deck. On the left you can see that the aircraft icon is above the "center" mark meaning that you need to lose altitude to stay on the glideslope.
   
   

Special Effects
Superb workmanship and special effects add to the realism of Flight Deck 4. See the steam venting from the deck surface at the catapult and the engine afterburners ready to get the aircraft airborne.

Special animation:
Launch and recovery - simplified operation of catapults and cables with steam and sound effects
Aircraft: HUD, meatball, tail hook, folding wings, cowl flaps, afterburners, cargo door
Aircraft carrier: detailed lower deck, navaids, AFD, AI traffic, wake effects
Dozens of pre-set flights for each aircraft. USS Ronald Regan is positioned at 4 different locations:

• Bay of Bengal
• South China Sea
• Mediterannean Sea
• Coastal San Diego

For official information about the USS Ronald Reagan, please visit www.reagan.navy.mil

 

Source: Abacus
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