US Navy pilot carrier ops training: behind the scenes

Feature
Patrick Roegies and Jurgen van Toor were onboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to discover what it takes for US Navy pilots to gain their vital carrier qualifications

Each year the CVN-68 USS Nimitz takes to open waters to perform a week of Fleet Replacement Squadron Carrier Qualifications (FRSCQ). Last spring, over seven days all current fighter assets of the Strike Fighter Wings participated in the training.

They included VFA-122 ‘Flying Eagles’ as the West Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, VAQ-129 ‘Vikings’ as the Boeing EA-18G Fleet Replacement Squadron and VFA-125 ‘Rough Raiders’ as the Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Fleet Replacement Squadron.

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Originally published in AIR International Magazine

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