Getting Down To The Wire

Tailhook down, T-45 Goshawk

Our son is approaching the end of his Intermediate Flight School training. The crechendo - landing his T-45 Goshawk on an aircraft carrier. From what we understand, it is four touch-and-goes, and then down goes the tailhook, followed by 10 cable-arrested landings. In preparation for the real-deal, the training involves practices landings on land. Here is a video showing what he will be doing soon. The drawing of the T-45 shows the tailhook down - you can see it momentarily being tested before takeoff in the video.

Milestones Are In The Details

Thought provoking cover

Jan received a short text message from our Navy pilot-in-training: "I am doing my first carrier landing practice stuff." You can let your imagination run wild with whatever that exactly entails. I found a Weblink that shows practice carrier landings at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. A friend who used to be a Navy helicopter pilot in Vietnam sent me this magazine cover Flying magazine - it seems appropriate for times like this when parents (and girlfriend) wait to hear the details. The details are all milestones. A Navy information Website gives some more background on aircraft carrier landing qualifications.
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An example of a training syllabus can be viewed by clicking here.