Aboard the Enterprise, landing gently in the dark of night

Aboard the Enterprise, landing gently in the dark of night
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=40767

{EXCERPT} Fighter pilots bring birds home following combat missions
over Afghanistan, by Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes Mideast
edition, Sunday, October 15, 2006

Jennifer H. Svan / S&S As sunset approaches, Airman Stuart Barksdale,
right, and Airman Terry Keyes chat on the flight deck of the USS
Enterprise.

Jennifer H. Svan / S&S Cmdr. Ryman Shoaf, USS Enterprise air boss,
directs more than 600 people working on and below the flight deck
launching and recovering aircraft.

Jennifer H. Svan / S&S Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel Hughes, Carrier
Air Traffic Control Center supervisor, looks over the shoulders of air
controllers at a radar screen as aircraft land at night on the USS
Enterprise.

ABOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE — Standing on the bridge, ship Capt.
Lawrence Rice watches in the dark as aircraft land one after another
on the carrier deck below.

It’s a clear, calm night in the Arabian Sea with a bright moon
illuminating the floating runway. These are optimal landing
conditions, but no one involved in bringing the planes home safely
takes anything for granted.

“Things can happen in an instant,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Samuel
Hughes, Carrier Air Traffic Control Center supervisor. “A pilot could
do something you didn’t tell him to do and then it becomes stressful.”

On this particular night, attention is focused on one aircraft that
failed to land on its first attempt.

“Out here, we’re a lot farther from airfields. It makes us pay closer
attention to the occasional aircraft malfunction,” Rice said.

Carrier night landings go hand in hand with adrenaline. Even seasoned
pilots respect the inherent risk: “Night landings are pretty intense,
esp...

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