NATRACOM Student Naval Aviators Complete Carrier Qualifications Aboard Eisenhower

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamison Sutton | U.S. Navy Lt. Benjamin Laskowski renders a salute before launching on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), Aug. 31, 2026. Eisenhower is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications for student naval aviators assigned to Naval Air Training Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jamison Sutton)  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

09.04.2026

Story by Lt.j.g. Melvin Fatimehin 

Chief of Naval Air Training

ATLANTIC OCEAN – Student Naval Aviators assigned to Naval Air Training Command completed Carrier Qualifications aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USSDwight D. Eisenhower(CVN 69), Aug. 30–31.

The two-day evolution marked a significant milestone for students participating in advanced naval aviation training. CQ provides select SNAs the opportunity to demonstrate precise aircraft control, sound judgment, and the ability to safely launch and recover aboard an aircraft carrier operating at sea.

During the evolution, nine SNAs from the E-2 and strike training pipelines successfully qualified aboardEisenhower and Instructor Pilots and SNAs from Training Air Wing (TW) 1 and Training Air Wing (TW) 2 logged more than two hundred arrested landings.

“Success in the carrier qualification phase is the byproduct of hard work, mental discipline, and precise execution,” said Col. Jayson Tiger, Commodore, Training Air Wing 2. “These students met the challenge, qualified aboard Dwight D. Eisenhower, and demonstrated the kind of professionalism expected of our combat-ready naval aviators.”

For participating SNAs, CQ builds on months of classroom instruction, simulator events, and flight training, culminating in the opportunity to operate in the dynamic environment of an operational aircraft carrier. The evolution also relies on close coordination among instructors, landing signal officers, maintainers, and the ship’s crew to safely execute flight operations.

“We train naval aviators with the fleet,” said Rear Adm. Max McCoy, Chief of Naval Air Training. “Eisenhower’s crew provided the platform, expertise, and coordination that made this evolution possible, and that fleet partnership is essential to preparing students for the demands of naval aviation.”

Headquartered at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, CNATRA oversees the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM), which is composed of five training air wings and 17 training squadrons located across Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. The command is responsible for safely conducting primary, intermediate, and advanced flight training for U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and allied international student naval aviators and flight officers.

• Date Taken: 09.04.2026
• Date Posted: 09.04.2026 13:31
• Story ID: 573997
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN