Independence (CV 62) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 17 text:

tb-: ' -t i fi iii if ' ,- f f, ELM, ,ff Ly 1. .x-5,012,515 at -1 rciujr. -ig tfafa: artsy : '- t 1 msffxlff N ' r - gm me-g,z:-1-7 - -A ike a well-choreographed ballet, aircraft A -:iiions on the flight deck of an aircraft i fur require precision and coordination 'en the performers. More than 200 men time responded to the calls for flight :ers aboard Indy and moved to the 'ally orchestrated ballet of man and me. In what appeared to be chaos to an 1 i V. In order to land on the pitching flight deck of an aircraft carrier. the pilot must bring his aircraft in at an exact predetermined speed. altitude and angle. One of four arresting cables on the flight deck brings the plane to a stop from 150 mph within a distance of 350 feet. A catapult launch from one sr men whose jobs were identified by the of INDEPENDENCE's four catapults sends a 22-ton aircraft iersey they wore, performed their jobs sionally, rapidly, and safely. Airplanes 5 at the direction of the yellow-shirts, and tins were loaded by red-shirted iicemen. Green-shirts maintained the cata- and arresting gear, blue-shirts chock and ed the aircraft, and purple-shirted grapes ded JP-5 fuel to the aircraft. Safety checks fcraft were done by white-shirts. 260 feet from zero to 180 mph in two seconds. The tempo of operations can be exhausting. with a launch as often as every 30 seconds, and a recovery as often as every 45 seconds. Day and night, underway in all weather conditions. the Sailors of INDEPENDENCE and Carrier Air Wing FIVE re- spond to the challenge ofthe world's most dangerous job. d .1111 '-

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Y ' r I . observer, men whose jobs were identified by the color jersey they wore, performed their jobs professionally, rapidly, and safely. Airplanes moved at the direction of the yellow-shirts, and weapons were loaded by red-shirted ordnancemen. Green-shirts maintained the cata- PUllS and arresting gear, blue-shirts chock and chained the aircraft, and purple-shirted Hgrapesu Df0vided JP-5 fuel to the aircraft. Safety checks On aircraft were done by white-shirts. J -f-el . ff'i ig I In order to land on the pitching flight deck of an aircraft carrier. the pilot must bring his aircraft in at an exact predetermined speed. altitude and angle. One of four arresting cables on the flight deck brings the plane to a stop from 150 mph within a distance of 350 feet. A catapult launch from one of lNDEPENDENCE's four catapults sends a 22-ton aircraft 260 feet from zero to 180 mph in two seconds. The tempo of operations can be exhausting, with a launch as often as every 30 seconds, and a recovery as often as every 45 seconds. Day and night, underway in all weather conditions, the Sailors of INDEPENDENCE and Carrier Air Wing FIVE re- spond to the challenge ofthe worldls most dangerous job. i 5 in 4

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544 President Bill Clinton is surrounded by a sea of white hats as he speaks to Independence Sailors April 17, 1996. The Independence Legac uTime after time the Sailors ofthe Independence stood up for freedom and stood down freedom's enemies. In the Cuban Missile crisis, Indy was there. In Vietnam and Lebanon and Grenada, Indy was there. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, you were the first carrier on the scene. You delivered our answer up close and personal. In peacetime and war, this great ship and its battle group have been there as America's shield and Americaas sword. 77 President Bill Clinton