Audio problem: When Gunny's sister shows up at JAG, Gunny's mouth doesn't move when he greets her. (00:08:45)
Factual error: The attention to detail on the ship was excellent, except that the sailors' teeth looked too good considering that sailors in the 19th did not brush their teeth and often chew tobacco.
Adrift (1) - S6-E24
Continuity mistake: The USS Patrick Henry in "JAG" has always used the hull number "74" on the sailors' ballcaps, as well as the scenes of the ship. (CVN-74 in real-life is the USS John C. Stennis). However, in the scene just before the pilots' briefing, the stock footage of the carrier was of a different vessel, hull number 59. In real-life, "59" was the USS Forrestal (CVA-59), the ship that had one of the deadliest shipboard fire on July 29, 1967. The fire killed 132 crewmen, injured 62, with 2 missing & presumed dead. The fire raged for several hours & would have destroyed the carrier, if not for the actions of the heroic crewmen to save her.
Visible crew/equipment: When Harm and Webb walk into Harm's apartment talking about Harm's brother, a crew member can be seen.
Adrift (1) - S6-E24
Character mistake: When asking Skates if she saw Rabb eject, she is referred to as Commander when her rank is Lieutenant. (00:40:10)
Revealing mistake: While at Ft. Leavenworth, the show indicates that Harm is picking up Father O'Rourke from Kansas City International Airport. Having spent many years there, the buildings, etc that were shown are not KCI. Also, L-1011's did not and do not routinely fly in or out of KCI, as one L-1011 was seen flying overhead.
Chosen answer: When landing on an aircraft carrier, a pilot "calls the ball" by confirming to the landing signal officer (LSO) that they have the carrier, and more specifically its landing guidance systems in sight. Carriers use a Fresnel lens system which is a light only visible at a certain angle, so if a pilot sees the "ball" they are at the correct altitude and glide slope for landing.
Sierra1 ★