How’s the Ouija Board?

I ask this question every once in a while in hopes that some Navy guy out there might email me with the real story.

Carrier ‘Ouija boards’ go digital

”By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Sep 7, 2008 15:55:01 EDT

After decades as the central tool for managing the chaos of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck, the tabletop model known as the “Ouija board” will soon begin passing into aviation history, along with its toy-sized air wing.

In place of the board — and the disciplines of “pin-ology” or “nut-ology,” practiced by its users — the Navy plans a new, all-electronic aircraft control system that commanders hope will streamline and simplify the way aviators move, load, launch and recover aircraft. The carrier Abraham Lincoln will be the first flattop to get the system, with installation planned for next year.

In principle, the new gear, known as the Aircraft Data Management and Control System fulfills the same job as the Ouija board and other existing systems: Help the air wing keep track of where its aircraft are, what fuel and weapons they’re carrying, and other important details.”

As you can see, that story is from 2008. This picture is from 2010 (and I found one from 2011.)



It may just be taking some time to get the system deployed. I don’t know. I’m curious if they ever got the thing to work.

If I remember correctly, I was looking at this project before I retired (in 2006.) I always equated the Navy’s Aircraft Data Management and Control System with the FAA’s attempt to replace Flight Progress Strips with URET.

Once upon a time, it occurred to me that if you wanted to know something about putting a lot of airplanes on a runway with very limited capacity, the U.S. Navy could probably teach you a thing or two.

Don Brown
April 12, 2011