F/A-18C Procedures

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The following sections describe standard operating procedures and recommendations that are valid only for F/A-18C.

Considerations

Operating Altitudes

• A fully fueled and heavily armed Hornet can have problems climbing to altitudes above 30000'.
• 25k' is often more than enough for a strike ingress.
• CAP racetracks are most comfortable at 26k' - 30k'.

Ordnance

• Use ATFLIR instead of Litening, as (IRL) the ATFLIR is carrier compatible and the Litening is not.
• Do not use AGM-65F (Infrared Maverick) and AGM-62 Walleye in modern missions as those were phased out in the 90's.
• Double ugly loadouts (carrying 1 centerline tank and 1 wing tank) are common. The wing tank should be on the right wing, in order to not obscure TPod (which sits on the left cheek station) line of sight.

Capabilities

Fuel

• Max Flighttime (aka Max Endurance, or Max E) is generally flown around 250 kts IAS.
• In Max E, the Hornet burns around 1200 lbs of fuel every 15 minutes.
• Generally, pick one of four speeds:
  • Max Endurance
  • Max Range
  • Contract (prebriefed speed for rejoins etc, often 300 kts)
  • Tactical (what the situation requires)

Procedures

Overhead Break

• Cut throttle to idle (do not use speedbrake).
• Pull around 1.5G-2G.
• In the break, immediately when speed goes below 250 kts IAS, lower landing gear and full flaps.
• Ideal lateral separation from the runway (and course line) is 1.5 nm.