Before the invention of optical glide slope indicators, a specially trained officer stood near the stern of an aircraft carrier to guide approaching planes. They held brightly colored paddles or flags to signal corrections in altitude, speed, and alignment to the pilot. If the approach was unsafe, the officer would cross the bats overhead to command a wave-off.
Heard on the job
The batsman gave me a rapid wave-off just as the deck pitched down in the swell.
Also heard as
- LSO
- paddles