[chainsaw]

I'm not a fly-boy, but have escorted many carriers on a destroyer. When they land planes on a carrier deck the squadrons alway fly a landing pattern over the carrier then one by one peal off and make two 180° turns to line up with the flight deck. This gives specific (time, distance, and altitude) spacing between the planes, and minimum time spent in the flight pattern. This is a mandatory flght pattern for landing on an aircraft carrier.

[Wright is right!]

" This gives specific (time, distance, and altitude) spacing between the planes, and minimum time spent in the flight pattern. This is a mandatory flght pattern for landing on an aircraft carrier."

As you said - they were simply "flying the pattern."

Michael