Theodore Roosevelt Completes Flight Deck Certification

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Heath Zeigler, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs

USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, successfully completed flight deck certification, Sept. 14, fulfilling an important milestone of getting the ship and its embarked airwing combat ready.

The Red Rippers of Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 11, Knighthawks of VFA 136, Checkmates of VFA 211, Screwtops of Carrier Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, and Dragonslayers of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 11 all took part in the certification, and were instrumental in the success and safety of the flight operations.

The flight deck certification consisted of 160 total carrier landings, during both the day and night. Certification drills included rigging the emergency barricade, flight deck firefighting and crash and salvage operations.

"We worked hard to make sure that all expectations were met," said Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Frank E. Gardner, flight deck leading chief petty officer. "We out performed what was expected of us."

This is a monumental achievement for Theodore Roosevelt since it is the first time it has landed aircraft on its deck in four years.

"It's amazing to see so many Sailors who have never seen a deployment come together to accomplish this task," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Terry Keyes. "It took a lot of work and long days to get things done and accomplished, but the end result was more than what we expected."

Before the flight deck crew left the shipyard, they spent many hours training on all aspects of how the flight deck operates under all conditions.

"We spent long hours training our crew," said Gardner. "We wanted to make sure that everything could go as smoothly as we could possibly make it."

Time management and teamwork were both keys to the success of the flight deck certification process.

"We have to manage our time while on station," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Raymond Gross, leading petty officer of fly two, a division of Air department. "We have to work with other sections of Air Department to be able to take breaks and get food because our job requires us to be on deck when jets are moving about."

Keyes added that flexibility was also important in the event of last minute changes, such as catapult repairs or aircraft reorganization for launch.

"No matter how well we worked together, we had to remain flexible because anything could happen," said Keyes. "Equipment may go down or a jet may need fuel, so we had to constantly make changes in a safe but efficient manner."

The success of flight deck certification marks one step closer for Theodore Roosevelt to becoming, once again, a ready-for-tasking carrier.

Theodore Roosevelt will continue carrier qualifications during the current underway period.

Truman Earns Flight Deck Certification

By By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Taylor DiMartino, USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs

USS HARRY S. TRUMAN, At Sea (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) completed flight deck certification July 19, four days after its 16-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) ended.

Eight squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 embarked Truman to complete aircraft launches and recoveries during Truman's flight deck certification and will continue flight operations during carrier qualifications.

Truman's flight deck certification was the result of the hard work of all the Sailors and Marines underway with Truman, said Lt. James Sandifer, carrier air traffic control center (CATCC) watch officer.

Flight deck certification included qualifying CVW-3's air crew and getting Truman's flight deck personnel back into the swing of air operations, said Lt. Cmdr. David Walston, V-0's division officer from air department.

To become flight deck certified, Truman required 120 launches and recoveries during the day and 40 during the night across the span of three days.

"Completing flight deck certification was a team effort between Truman's crew and the air wing," said Walston. "The drills were accomplished because we were able to quickly come together as a team."

The precision approach landing system (PALS) also played an integral role during certification. The PALS sends a radar signal to pilots, which assists them in correcting aircraft to successfully land aboard Truman. PALS is inspected and certified by Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic personnel.

In addition to launching and recovering aircraft, the crew had to conduct several fire drills and taxi drills to transport the jets around the flight deck and hangar bays.

The air wing supported Truman during flight deck certification, and now Truman can support air wing pilots as they earn carrier qualifications, said Walston.

"We have the best working relationship between crew and air wing that I have ever seen," said Walston. "The pilots trust our Sailors on the flight deck, and in turn, the flight deck Sailors trust the pilots."

Now that flight deck certification is complete, the Truman/CVW-3 team will continue preparing for deployment by conducting carrier qualifications.

Eisenhower Completes Flight Deck Certification

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zach Martin, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Public Affairs

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, Atlantic Ocean (NNS) -- USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 Sailors completed carrier flight deck certification, July 6.

The CVW 7 squadrons to take part in Dwight D. Eisenhower's flight deck certification were the "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40, the "Rampagers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83, the "Wildcats" of VFA 131, the "Pukin' Dogs" of VFA 143, the "Jolly Rogers" of VFA 103, the "Bluetails" of Aircraft Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 and the "Nightdippers" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 5.

Other embarked squadrons, including from CVW 3, were the "Bulls" of VFA 37, the "Gunslingers" of VFA 105, the "Swordsmen" of VFA 32, the "Blue Blasters" of VFA 34, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, and the "Seahawks" of VAW 126.

The squadrons' arrival marked the first flight operations since Dwight D. Eisenhower returned from its 2010 deployment to the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Louis Decesare, CVW 3 senior enlisted advisor, brought four squadrons including 84 officers and enlisted personnel aboard to assist with the deck certification and to certify their pilots.

"We were thoroughly impressed with the services we received onboard Dwight D. Eisenhower," said Decesare. "We were glad to help with the certification because everyone on Dwight D. Eisenhower bent over backwards to help us during our stay."

Dwight D. Eisenhower's crew, along with the embarked squadrons, helped qualify more than 150 pilots; accumulating more than 670 flight hours and logging more than 930 touch-and-go's, aircraft launches and arrested landings. The ship also completed more than 170 internal graded exercises to finish the final certification.

The ship's underway period arrived after completing a nine-month planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va.

"I know everyone will continue to work hard and strive for excellence," said Capt. Marcus Hitchcock, Dwight D. Eisenhower's commanding officer.

As part of the ship's final assessment for carrier qualifications, flight deck certifications are required for the ship to deploy and successfully complete the aircraft carrier's mission overseas. Evaluators from Naval Air Forces Atlantic came aboard to review and evaluate the ship's ability to perform flight operations safely. The review included tests on the arresting gear systems used for aircraft recovery as well as catapult systems that launch aircraft.

The certification also included a full survey of the ship's flight deck personnel. Dwight D. Eisenhower's air department Sailors were assessed on their ability to maintain a fully operational flight deck and respond to simulated mishaps.

"I cannot express how proud I am of all [the crew] accomplished and continue to accomplish," Hitchcock said.

USS Freedom Conducts Flight Deck Certification

The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) conducts flight deck certification with an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Laird/Released)