By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Torrey W. Lee, USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
USS RONALD REAGAN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 Sailors departed Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in San Diego June 2 to get underway to conduct carrier flight deck certification.
The first CVW 14 aircraft to land on Ronald Reagan's flight deck were the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4.
Other embarked squadrons include the "Blue Diamonds" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146, the "Argonauts" of VFA 147, the "Black Knights" of VFA 154, the "Black Eagles" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 113 and the "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 30. The squadrons' arrival marked the first flight operation since Ronald Reagan returned to NASNI following its 2009 deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
"It's good to walk before you run," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Daniel Estrada, a member of Ronald Reagan's flight deck crew. "We haven't had any aircraft on board since the October (2009) time frame. In order to get through flight deck certifications, we have to get back into the swing of things. This certification allows us to get back to the basics and get our minds set right for sea."
As part of the ship's final assessment for carrier qualifications, flight deck certifications are required for the ship to deploy. Evaluators from Naval Air Forces Pacific came aboard to review and evaluate the ship's ability to perform flight operations safely. The review includes tests on the arresting gear systems used for aircraft recovery as well as catapult systems that launch aircraft.
The certification will include a full evaluation of both the arresting gear, catapults and flight deck personnel. Ronald Reagan's air department Sailors will be assessed on their ability to maintain a fully operational flight deck and respond to simulated mishaps.
Experience is the key to success, said Lt. David Martinez, Ronald Reagan's flight deck officer. The challenge for Ronald Reagan is to successfully incorporate more than 250 new Sailors into the air department who were not aboard the last time aircraft were launched from the ship's flight deck.
"We're always prepared for success; we're true professionals," said Lt. David Martinez. "We have a core group of seasoned veterans. We've added more experience to our team; even our new guys came from USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and USS Kitty Hawk (CVN 63). So we think our team is even stronger."
Upon completion of the certification, Ronald Reagan and other 3rd Fleet ships will participate in the International Canadian Fleet Review commemorating the 100th birthday of the Canadian Navy in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Welcome to the Milcom Monitor Post sponsored by Teak Publishing (Copyright © 2006-2023 Teak Publishing). All rights are reserved. Redistribution of these pages in any format without prior permission is prohibited. Links to individual stories are permitted without permission. The comment section on this blog is closed, but you can pass along material or comments via email MilcomMP at gmail dot com. If you submit material for this blog and want to remain anonymous, indicate that in your message.
Milcom Monitoring Post Profiles
- Home
- What are Emergency Action Messages (EAM)? Updated 20 September 2021
- UFO Milsat Program
- Fleetsatcom System
- UHF 225-380 MHz Milcom Spectrum Holes: Updated 24 July 2019
- Civilian Air Cargo/Airline/Military Call Signs
- Intl HF Aero Civ/Gov/Mil Frequency List
- USN Aircraft Modex Numbers
- University of Twente Wide Band WebSDR Netherlands
- U.S. Military ALE Addresses
- DoD Air Refueling Frequencies - Update 15 Jul 2016
- COTHEN HF Network – Last Update 23 May 2023
- Monitoring the Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary Update 10 Sep 2016
- US Coast Guard Asset Guide - Update 24 May 2023
- The Spectrum Monitor e-Zine Milcom Column Index - Update 17 January 2022
- The Milcom MT Files (1998-2013) Articles Index