Navy Using Technology to Make Landing on a Carrier a Little Less Challenging?

Navy Times reports "New carrier landing software will smooth out the ride":

Landing an aircraft on a carrier now is a delicate dance of shifting left, right, up and down while adjusting the plane's throttle to make up for the tiny losses in speed and altitude for every movement of the nose.

When you do it right, you keep a little ball on the heads-up display just above the flight deck to glide down and catch your tailhook on the wires.

It takes an immense amount of focus and skill, but Naval Air Systems Command's MAGIC CARPET software aims to make it much easier.

"It's this admin task, where they should be focusing on the projection of power that should be our primary mission," Lt. William Dann said at a NAVAIR presentation Friday.

The difference with MAGIC CARPET is that a pilot can change direction without losing speed or altitude. The software simply self-adjusts to maintain a flight path.

Pilots joining the fleet after this system rolls out will probably be grateful, except for having to listen to endless stories about the "old days."