Hands-on approach: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:45, 10 February 2007

Since landing on a battlestar is a very difficult feat requiring much practice, it seems that almost all battlestars opted to make landings easier through a series of computers that form an auto-landing system. Before the surprise Cylon Attack, the two choices to land on a typical battlestar were by automatic landing or a hands-on approach, meaning a manually controlled landing.

Captain Lee Adama completes a hands-on approach in his Viper Mk. VII (Miniseries).

On Galactica, a hands-on landing is the only accepted landing procedure, as per William Adama's orders. The policy confuses Lee Adama when he is instructed to land his Viper Mk. VII manually (Miniseries).

There are two kinds of hands-on approaches: the condition three-mode landing preformed by Lee Adama when first arriving on Galactica (Miniseries), or a high-speed combat landing into the flight pod.

Commander Adama has banned the use of auto-landing systems aboard Galactica, probably because it would involve the networking of computers that would send data to a ship's autopilot and guide it in for an automatic landing. Commander Adama had maintained (or renewed) the policy of non-networked computers on Galactica in the event of a new Cylon attack. Such automatic systems could be easily infiltrated by a Cylon virus (a tactic used in the first Cylon War).

A typical wireless conversation for a hands-on approach between the Landing Signal Officer and a pilot named "DeadMeat" might go like this:

LSO: "Green light for hands-on approach. DeadMeat, call the ball."

DeadMeat: "Copy. I have the ball."

"The ball" refers to a series of lights going from the back of the landing bay to the front. The pilot uses these lights to adjust his/her speed for a smooth landing. The phrase "I have the ball" confirms that the pilot is aligning or has aligned his ship's angle of attack and speed for a proper entry and landing.

Captain Aaron Kelly is Galactica's LSO and in charge of all flight operations on the ship.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-As is quite obvious, all pilots need to land. As the saying goes, "What goes up, must come down."
+[[Image:Viperapproach 104 1080i.jpg|thumb|200px|The ''ball'' shown in the -+- configuration ([[Final Cut]]).]]
-[[Image:Viperapproach 104 1080i.jpg|thumb|200px|The ''ball'' shown in the -+- configuration.]]
+Since landing on a [[Battlestar (RDM)|battlestar]] is a very difficult feat requiring much practice, it seems that almost all battlestars opted to make landings easier through a series of computers that form an auto-landing system. Before the surprise [[Cylon Attack]], the two choices to land on a typical battlestar were by automatic landing or a ''hands-on approach'', meaning a manually controlled landing.
-What matters for a Colonial pilot is ''how'' they land, given the many kinds of spacecraft used in the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. Some of the hardest of these ships to fly are the vessels of the Colonial military. Since landing on a [[Battlestar (RDM)|battlestar]] is a very difficult feat requiring much practice, it seems that almost all battlestars opted to make landings easier through a series of computers that form an auto-landing system. Before the surprise [[Cylon Attack]], the two choices to land on a typical battlestar were by automatic landing or a <b>hands-on approach</b>, or manually controlled landing.
+[[Image:Handsonapproach.jpg|thumb|200px|Captain [[Lee Adama]] completes a hands-on approach in his [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] Mk. VII ([[Miniseries]]).]]
+On ''[[Galactica]]'', a hands-on landing is the only accepted landing procedure, as per [[William Adama]]'s orders. The policy confuses [[Lee Adama]] when he is instructed to land his [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] Mk. VII manually ([[Miniseries]]).
-[[Image:Handsonapproach.jpg|thumb|200px|Captain [[Lee Adama]] completes a hands-on approach in his [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] Mk. VII. (Credit: Sci-Fi Channel)]]
+There are two kinds of hands-on approaches: the [[Action Stations|condition three]]-mode landing preformed by Lee Adama when first arriving on ''Galactica'' ([[Miniseries]]), or a high-speed [[Combat landing|combat landing]] into the [[flight pod]].
-On battlestar ''[[Galactica]]'', a hands-on landing is the only accepted landing procedure. The policy confused pilot [[Lee Adama]] when he was instructed to land his [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] Mk. VII manually. Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] noted the landing policy to Captain Adama ([[Miniseries]]).
-There are two kinds of hands-on approaches: the [[Action Stations|condition three]]-mode landing done by Lee Adama when viewers first meet his character in the [[Miniseries]], or a high-speed [[Combat landing|combat landing]] into the [[flight pod]].
+Commander Adama has banned the use of auto-landing systems aboard ''Galactica'', probably because it would involve the networking of computers that would send data to a ship's autopilot and guide it in for an automatic landing. Commander Adama had maintained (or renewed) the policy of non-networked computers on ''Galactica'' in the event of a new Cylon attack. Such automatic systems could be easily infiltrated by a [[Cylon]] [[Virus|virus]] (a tactic used in the first [[Cylon War]]).
-[[William Adama|Commander Adama]] has banned the use of auto-landing systems aboard ''Galactica'', probably because it would involve the networking of computers that would send data to a ship's autopilot and guide it in for an automatic landing. Commander Adama had maintained (or renewed) the policy of non-networked computers on ''Galactica'' in the event of a new Cylon attack. Such automatic systems could be easily infiltrated by a [[Cylon]] [[Virus|virus]] (a tactic used in the first [[Cylon War]]). As it turned out, Adama's policy of keeping ''Galactica'' free of networked computers such as an auto-landing system was a key factor in ''Galactica's'' survival during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
+A typical [[wireless]] conversation for a hands-on approach between the [[LSO|Landing Signal Officer]] and a pilot named "DeadMeat" might go like this:
-A typical [[wireless]] conversation for a hands-on approach between the [[LSO]] and a pilot named "DeadMeat" might go like this:
 :'''LSO:''' "Green light for hands-on approach. DeadMeat, call the ball."
@@ Line 20: / Line 18: @@
 "The ball" refers to a series of lights going from the back of the [[Landing bay|landing bay]] to the front. The pilot uses these lights to adjust his/her speed for a smooth landing. The phrase "I have the ball" confirms that the pilot is aligning or has aligned his ship's angle of attack and speed for a proper entry and landing.
-Captain [[Aaron Kelly]] is the [[Landing Signal Officer]], in charge of all flight operations on  ''Galactica.''
+Captain [[Aaron Kelly]] is ''Galactica'''s LSO and in charge of all flight operations on the ship.
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