Vella Gulf Builds Flight Deck Team’s Knowledge, Confidence through DLQs MC3

AT SEA

07.10.2019

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gian Prabhudas 

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)   

From deck landing qualifications to vertical replenishments, a crew must be ready to receive and send off aircraft no matter the conditions.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) demonstrated that they are more than capable of conducting flight operations by completing over 40 landings during deck landing qualifications July 10.

“The crew performed really well for the experience level that they have,” said Chief Boatswain’s Mate Austin Gant, flight deck officer for the evolution. “We had some of our older crew training our newer Sailors and we were able to get the job done. Being able to complete this mission not only helps the pilots, it helps us improve our proficiency as a unit.”

The process of successfully conducting flight operations is not something that comes in just a day, week, or month. Aboard a cruiser, a minimum of around 30 personnel must meet specific qualification standards to even be able to take part in the evolution.

“All of the flight deck team are qualified flight deck observers,” said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Kevin Connolly. “They’ve passed their physicals and they’ve gone through advanced aircraft firefighting school, where they have to pass an evaluation on what they’ve learned.”

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Cristian Martinez, a landing signalman (enlisted), or LSE, said that in order to earn his position on the flight deck, he also needed to attend and pass an LSE course, where Sailors are taught proper hand signals for communicating with oncoming and off-going aircraft.

“It’s important to go through all the training because at the end of the day, it’s your responsibility to make sure that each and every aircraft that lands on the flight deck does so in a safe manner,” said Martinez.

Connolly said being able to conduct flight operations entails more than getting the right personnel, like Martinez, qualified.

“The equipment plays a big part in it,” said Connolly. “The crew has to make sure the condition of parts that comprise the flight deck and hangar bay exceed the Navy’s standards for quality and safety.”

Connolly said this includes doors, non-skid, painted lines, the horizontal reference system, and much more.

Though flight operations bring on inevitable challenges, Connolly believes that the crew has repeatedly proven their ability to adapt and overcome any problems that come their way.

“We have gotten a little bit better at these every time,” said Connolly. “Being able to have these repetitions builds confidence and it builds knowledge. I feel as though we have a pretty strong flight deck team as of right now.”

• Date Taken: 07.10.2019
• Date Posted: 07.14.2019 17:42
• Story ID: 331291
• Location: AT SEA