Stick The Landing: VT Aviators Complete Carrier Qualifications Aboard IKE

ATLANTIC OCEAN-- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) hosted student naval aviators from Training Air Wing (TW) 1 composed of Training Squadron (VT) 7 and VT-9 from Naval Air Station Meridian and TW-2 composed of VT-21 and VT-22 from Naval Air Station Kingsville, as a part of carrier qualification (CQ) training, Sep. 24, off the coast of Florida.

For the VT students, CQs represents an important milestone in their training as it is the first time the students will land on an operational aircraft carrier.

During the evolution, students completed 256 recoveries aboard IKE in T-45C Goshawk training aircraft. This evolution is the culmination of the advanced phase of strike pilot training. The success of the students will earn them their wings of gold and designation as naval aviators, setting them up to fill operational commands across the fleet.

Throughout CQs, safety and emergency preparedness were paramount to both the student naval aviators and IKE personnel, especially those operating on the flight deck.

“In preparing for this CQ process, we have done numerous briefs and [simulations] of the T-45 models,” said Lt. j.g. Terrance Wever, IKE’s flight deck officer. “We planned for 20 aircraft but ended up with 14, so we knew how to manage the flight deck and the real estate available to us. Ultimately, it’s on all of us to make sure we stop anything that is unsafe. We are preventative and not reactive.”

In the air, the students’ safety is carefully managed. From the tower to the ground, a network of IKE personnel and VT instructors keep a close eye on the performance of the students.

Despite oversight at every level, the instructors have a high level of trust in their students and expect a high level of performance.

“If they’re having difficulty, we’ll talk to them in plain English,” said Lt. Cory “Venus” Morgan, a VT-7 landing signal officer. “Otherwise, it’s usually pretty silent; there’s not much noise. We’re letting them cook, so-to-speak; letting them get reps and sets, because they don’t know what to expect until after the first couple [of recoveries]. Then, they start to loosen up a bit and think ‘I can do this.’”

Although the students are nearing the end of their advanced training pipeline, nerves are inevitable ahead of their first CQ. This is something even the most experienced pilots in the fleet can attest to.

“The first few passes from behind the ship, I barely remember,” said Cmdr. Tyler “McGruber” McQuiggan, IKE’s air department head, also known as “Air Boss.” “My nerves were there and I realized after my first arrested landing, when my feet and hands were shaking from the gravity of what I had just accomplished. Your nerves start to cool over time but I don’t think you ever really get comfortable as a student out there.”

In addition to technical support, instructors play a key role in helping the students manage their nerves during the evolution.

“I think everyone is nervous going to the boat, especially if they haven’t done it in a while,” said Morgan. “It’s a healthy nervousness but we meter their nerves by emphasizing their training will set them up properly for landing on the boat.”

While the students set their sights on earning their wings of gold, IKE’s air department continues to practice their warrior tradecraft at a high level behind the scenes.

“Carrier aviation is always going to have risk and our job is to minimize the risk out here,” said McQuiggan. “We have to keep our head on a swivel, be safe and look out for one another.”

With CQs in the rearview mirror, IKE will return to Naval Station Norfolk and begin preparation for a scheduled maintenance period.