AT SEA: NAVY PILOTS ABOARD THE U.S.S. ABRHAM LINCOLN PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE WAR WITH IRAQ

Record ID: 588567

  • Title: AT SEA: NAVY PILOTS ABOARD THE U.S.S. ABRHAM LINCOLN PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE WAR WITH IRAQ
  • Date: 9th March 2003
  • Summary: (W4) ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (MARCH 9, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF F-18 HORNET PLANE LAUNCHING OFF FLIGHT DECK 0.10 2. CLOSE OF TAIL FIN OF S-3 VIKING WITH CARTOON DRAWING OF "BIG BAD WOLF" 0.13 3. SLV CATAPULT MOVING BACK INTO POSITION BETWEEN THE LEGS OF A CREWMEMBER 0.18 4. WIDE OF F-18 SUPERHORNET WAITING TO BE LAUNCHED 0.21 5. CLOSE UP OF F-18 PILOT JOHN TURNER, CALLSIGN "PING", FROM DENVER, COLORADO IN COCKPIT ,. BEFORE TAKE OFF 0.25 6. SLV JET LOCKS INTO CATAPULT/ FINS MOVING 0.30 7. WIDE OF F-18 SUPERHORNET LAUNCHING OFF FLIGHT DECK 0.37 8. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN TURNER , "PING", F-18 SUPERHORNET PILOT, SAYING: "We know if we are being shot at from the ground, how to react to that, if we're shot at from the air, how to react to that and we practice that every time we fly OSW (Operation Southern Watch), when we flew OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) or when we train we always train to that exact same level that we are required to fight at. When we do OSW we brief like we are in a conflict, because OSW is a conflict and moving on to something else, to us is not going to change how we do our business, and so I think emotionally that we are ready to do whatever is asked of us, especially as aviators, pilots, we'll take our jets and we know that they perform to the level that everyone else expects them to and I think we are ready to take them to wherever we are asked to take them." 1.10 9. WIDE OF S-3 VIKING LAUNCHING OFF THE DECK 1.20 11. VARIOUS VIEWS F-18 SUPERHORNET LAUNCHING OFF THE DECK; CREWMEMBER SIGNALLING (3 SHOTS) 1.31 12. GV, JETS FLYING IN FORMATION 1.36 13. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN TURNER , "PING", F-18 SUPERHORNET PILOT, SAYING: "Everyone in the Navy who flies a tactical jet, the first time you do it you are by yourself, no one wants to be in your back seat, you just prove to yourself that you can land and your reward is the catapult afterwards and the catapult is unlike any rush you can imagine, going from zero to 150 knots in less than two seconds, two seconds, it's pretty neat." 2.00 14. SLV PILOT , " PING" JOHN TURNER LANDING IN HIS SUPERHORNET, TAXIING AND LANDING ON FLIGHT DECK 2.12 15. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN TURNER , "PING", F-18 SUPERHORNET PILOT, SAYING: "What we enjoy during the day is at night, I guess that is where we get our anxiety from. There are some very dark nights out there where it doesn't matter how many hours you have or traps you have you would rather not be up there flying but I guess that's where our skill and professionalism come in. Everyone out here knows that they can bring the jet back at night every time. You may not enjoy it, your legs may be shaking when you land but you know that you can land." 2.45 16. VARIOUS VIEWS F-18 SUPERHORNET JET LANDING AT NIGHT (3 SHOTS) 3.02 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th March 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE ARABIAN GULF
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVABEEBIZO0DDA113QXZD5EWX9RS
  • Story Text: Navy pilots aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have said
    fighting an air war over Iraq will be no different than the
    Operation Southern Watch missions they have been flying for
    several months.



    The USS Abraham Lincoln is one of three aircraft
    carriers in the Gulf, its more than 70 warplanes currently
    engaged in patrolling a no-fly zone over southern Iraq under
    Operation Southern Watch (OSW). Two more carriers are in the
    Mediterranean and a sixth has just been deployed to the
    region.

    Pilots aboard the Lincoln have flown OSW missions as well
    as air support for Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan
    last autumn. John Turner, whose call sign is "Ping," flies the
    Navy's newest jet, the F/A 18 E "Superhornet." The Superhornet
    differs from the traditional hornet in that it is larger,
    heavier, faster and has added capabilities such as
    mid-air refuelling.

    He says that the missions in a potential conflict will be
    similar to what the pilots are doing right now.

    "We know what the jet can do, we know if we are being
    shot at from the ground, how to react to that, if we're shot
    at from the air, how to react to that and we practice that
    every time we fly OSW (Operation Southern Watch), when we flew
    OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) or when we train we always
    train to that exact same level that we are required to fight
    at," he said.

    "When we do OSW we brief like we are in a conflict,
    because OSW is a conflict and moving on to something else, to
    us is not going to change how we do our business," Ping added.

    Just landing a jet on an aircraft carrier is one of the
    most nerve-wracking experiences for any pilot, he says. No
    strike mission can be as tense as an arrested carrier landing.

    "The first time you do it you are by yourself, no one
    wants to be in your back seat, you just prove to yourself that
    you can land," says Ping, who has been flying jets off carrier
    decks for six years. "Your reward is the catapult afterwards
    and the catapult is unlike any rush you can imagine, going
    from zero to 150 knots in less than two seconds. It's pretty
    neat."
    Darkness adds another dimension to the danger of
    returning to the ship. In order to keep qualified, every
    carrier pilot must complete at least one night trap every
    seven days.

    "There are some very dark nights out there where it
    doesn't matter how many hours you have or traps you have you
    would rather not be up there flying," says Ping. "Everyone out
    here knows that they can bring the jet back at night every
    time. You may not enjoy it, your legs may be shaking when you
    land but you know that you can land."
    (jd/

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