ABOARD U.S.S. NIMITZ -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 returned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., today, after completing a sustaining exercise more than 80 miles off the Pacific Coast aboard the USS Nimitz.
The squadron, known as the “Red Devils,” operates from the 23-story aircraft carrier when they deploy, providing aerial support of the aircraft carrier as well as close-air support to the ground units.
The exercise allows the senior pilots to enhance the skills they already possess in addition to getting some of the newer pilots more experience on the carrier, according to Red Devils commanding officer Lt. Col. Hunter Hobson.
It’s important that we bring the new pilots up to speed on how and what we do when the squadron operates from the carrier, explained Hobson.
“I like to pick the brains of the senior pilots for information as they all have more carrier experience than I do,” said 1st Lt. Casey Benefield, the squadron’s newest pilot. “The more feedback I get from the senior pilots and officers, the better more I grow as a fighter pilot.”
During the exercise, the squadron performed a variety of training regimens to include touch and go’s, catapult takeoffs, and landings, or traps.
The squadron executed carrier protection missions to familiarize themselves on how to identify something that could potentially be a threat to the ship, explained Hobson.
“Sometimes when the ship is cruising in the ocean, a foreign boat might wander too close to us,” said Hobson.
The squadron also participated in several training missions that involved close air support of the carrier, and dropping air-to-ground ordnance on dummy-targets, explained Hobson.
“When we carry ordnance on the aircraft, it gives the pilots a better feel for what the plane is going to move like when it carries ordnance,” said Hobson. “Taking off when the plane isn’t carrying any ordnance isn’t as difficult as it would be if the plane carried 5,000 pounds of ordnance.”
The aircraft are launched off the edge of the carrier by a steam-powered catapult, sending the aircraft from zero to 150 mph in less then four seconds, according to Petty Officer 1st Class Adrian Lopez, a catapult operator on the USS Nimitz.
Landing on the aircraft carrier is the more difficult part of flying, explained Capt. Brent Stevens, a pilot and landing signal officer with the squadron.
Stevens explained the pilot only has 15 to 18 seconds to align adjust the plane to the movement of the carrier and slow it down to less than 150 mph. If the plane is coming in too high, or the carrier conditions aren’t favorable, the LSO will signal the pilot to power the aircraft up and circle around for another attempt.
Pilots have to land the 16-ton aircraft inside of a 70-foot landing area that extends from the first arresting wire, the wire closest to the rear of the carrier, to the fourth arresting wire the wire closest to the front of the carrier, while maintaining stability in the aircraft.
“Pilots look to aim for the third wire because it’s in the center of the landing box,” said Stevens. “When the pilot touches down, he must run the aircraft back up to full power until the arresting wire completely stops the aircraft.”
The squadron completed more than 80 traps and launches in the first few days of the exercise, allowing the maintenance department to prove why they are one of the best in the Department of Defense, said Hobson.
The squadron worked maintenance crews in 12-hour shifts to be able to keep up with the maintenance demands of the F/A-18A Hornets the squadron flies, according to Lance Cpl. Nicholas Kintigh, an airframes mechanic with the squadron.
“I am very proud of the squadron and the way they have proven themselves in garrison and while we are deployed,” said Hobson. “(VMFA) 232 is one of the best squadrons to be a part of in the Marine Corps I look forward to our next deployment.”