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Carrier Operations

Life on the Flight Deck

The sailors, specialized crews and coordinated work that make carrier aviation possible.

A dramatic sunset silhouette of the island superstructure and flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025
A dramatic sunset silhouette of the island superstructure on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), with crew members and visitors visible along the flight deck in 2025. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter from HSC-9 Tridents touching down on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025
An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9 (HSC-9), the "Tridents," safely touches down on the flight deck under the guidance of a deck crew member aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
A .50-caliber heavy machine gun firing live rounds with muzzle smoke and ejected casings on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025
A .50-caliber heavy machine gun is captured mid-firing, showing muzzle smoke, expelled brass casing tumbling down from the receiver, and a tracer round streak cutting across the water aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck crew members in white shirts performing maintenance near the exhaust nozzle of an F/A-18 Hornet aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in 2016
Flight deck crew members in white shirts performing close-quarters maintenance near the exhaust nozzle of an F/A-18 Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 211 (VFA-211) on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
An F-14 Tomcat from VF-32 on final approach for an arrested landing on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1997, with flight deck crew in the foreground
An F-14 Tomcat from Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32), the "Swordsmen," on short final approach, inbound for an arrested landing on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1997. The aircraft is framed by flight deck crew members in the foreground, who are blurred. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
A close-up view of flight deck crew members in green shirts and helmets on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016
close-up profile view of flight deck personnel wearing green jerseys and helmets—commonly known as green shirts, responsible for catapults, arresting gear, and maintenance—on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck crew members in green shirts stationed near a raised jet blast deflector on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016
Flight deck personnel, including the recognizable green shirts responsible for maintenance and catapult operations, stationed near a massive raised jet blast deflector (JBD) on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck personnel in white shirts conferring with a green shirt crew member on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016
Flight deck personnel wearing white jerseys and helmets—commonly known as white shirts, who serve in roles such as Landing Signal Officers (LSOs), quality assurance, safety observers, and trouble shooters—conferring with a green shirt on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck crew members conducting a FOD walkdown across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1997
Flight deck crew members conducting a Foreign Object Damage (FOD) walkdown across the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) prior to the start of flight operations in 1997. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck crash and salvage crew members in red shirts operating a firefighting vehicle on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016
Flight deck firefighting and rescue personnel, wearing the iconic red shirts (crash and salvage crew), operating a firefighting vehicle equipped with a deck monitor and rescue tools on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
A close-up view of flight deck control and monitoring consoles with display screens and communication equipment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)
A view of specialized flight deck control and monitoring consoles featuring display screens, interface panels, and communication gear aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). © Mike Lynaugh Photography
ailors loading a .50-caliber heavy machine gun on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025
Sailors load ammunition into a .50-caliber heavy machine gun on the weapons mount aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2025. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
Flight deck crew members in green jerseys preparing for flight operations on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016
Flight deck crew members—including personnel commonly known as green shirts handling catapult and arresting gear systems—preparing for flight operations on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in 2016. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
A wider exterior view of the island superstructure and flight deck on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) adorned with signal flags and bunting during the 2023 Change of Command ceremony
A wider exterior view of the island superstructure and flight deck edge on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) decorated with a string of colorful signal flags and red, white, and blue bunting during the Change of Command ceremony in 2023. © Mike Lynaugh Photography
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