Latest news with #F18
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Landing on an aircraft carrier at night
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Being an F-18 pilot takes hours of training and practice. After pilots have made a specific score on landing and taking off during the day, the lights turn off, and the stakes are higher. Each pilot has to land in the middle of the ocean, on an aircraft carrier, in the middle of the night. Lieutenant Andrew Mueller, F-18 Instructor Pilot, explained that this is important for all operations. Missions usually happen at night. 'The night is where we operate. The opportunity to go out there and do our country's good deeds. There are bad people around the globe that need to be taken care of, and at night is the best way to do it,' said Mueller. What it takes to be a Navy pilot While this is hard for an onlooker's brain to comprehend, it's even more mentally tough for the pilots trying to land in complete darkness. 'It's pretty tough for the human mind to literally be staring at death in the face and a guy's on the radio being like 'hey, you look good dude, keep it coming.'' Mueller doesn't mean to discredit pilots who are nervous; he's been there before and knows it's tough each time things don't look right. 'You see a ship, you know, pitching up and down into the blackness and the propellers coming out, and you're like 'oh, I'm supposed to land there, very cool. And at one point, the LA can go so far down the ship comes out of the water that it just completely disappears and you're basically staring at death in the face.' The best advice he gives to pilots he's training, 'When you walk out onto an aircraft carrier deck at night, take a deep breath, and go like okay well no, I'm actually, I'm the boogie man tonight, I'm the darkness, and then we go do some good work for the US Navy.' To see more from Shelby's naval journey, check out the News 2 special report . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
What it takes to be a Navy pilot
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier has been an airport at sea since 2009. Over 5,000 sailors are on board when the ship is at capacity, and the F-18 and F-35 pilots are one of the main jobs. Being a part of naval aviation takes years of training, and when News 2's Shelby Mac came aboard the CVN-77 pilots were doing aircraft carrier qualifications. This is when pilots must take off and land on the aircraft carrier during the day and night a certain number of times, and get a certain score to be ready for upcoming missions. Lieutenant Andrew Mueller, F-18 Instructor Pilot, has been training new naval pilots on the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush this season. 'We teach them to fly the Super Hornet, and this is final, their graduation here in which we're teaching them to land on the ship both day and night,' said Mueller, call sign Doug. Tour the Captain's Import Cabin aboard the USS George H. W. Bush This is no small task since the runway is 300 feet with the assistance of a catapult versus more than 5,000 feet on dry land for an F-18 take-off. 'As you launch off a catapult your brain is experiencing this feeling of rolling back in your head and it's giving the sensation that you're being shot up into the ether, so you really don't want to manipulate the controls until after you've come off then end, and the jets auto-trimmed to fly you away. So, you don't want to hastily grab the stick and push it either direction. So nice, disciplined shot, sweet, good shot, safely fly away, and then go into your procedures from there.' Mueller is a second-generation Navy pilot, and the Hollywood movies helped others understand what exactly his dad's job was. 'My old man was actually a Navy Aviator back in the day, and prior to the original Top Gun movie coming out, people had no idea what Naval Aviators did, what an aircraft carrier was. It was almost an unknown group of fighter pilots going out and doing things, but once you make a couple of movies about it, then I think it puts it into the public's imagination, and it increases recruiting and retention as well.' Mueller said he's proud of the work naval aviation does for our country, but the team wouldn't be successful without the entire crew. 'There are thirteen pilots and maybe ten jet aircraft, but honestly, there are 300 hard-working Navy sailors who are making sure that the engines are operational, the flight controls are there, and the software, everything that makes the whole team work.' Once pilots have made a specific score on taking off and landing during the day, night comes and it's time to land on a moving runway in complete darkness. To see more from Shelby's naval journey, check out the News 2 special report . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Arab News
07-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
F/A-18 fighter jet goes overboard from US carrier in the Red Sea
DUBAI: An F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea went overboard, forcing its two pilots to eject, a defense official said on Wednesday. The incident Tuesday marks the latest mishap to mar the deployment of the Truman, which has been essential in the airstrike campaign by the US against Yemen's Houthi rebels. The F/A-18 Super Hornet landed on the Truman after a flight, but 'the arrestment failed,' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the incident now under investigation. 'Arrestment' refers to the hook system used by aircraft landing on carriers, which catches steel wire ropes on the flight deck. It remains unclear what part of the system failed. The two pilots on board were later rescued by a helicopter and suffered minor injuries in the incident, the official added. No one on the flight deck was hurt. Tuesday's incident was the latest to see the Navy lose an F/A-18, which cost about $60 million. In April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the Truman and fell into the Red Sea. The crew members who were in the pilot seat of the Super Hornet and on the small towing tractor both jumped away. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 after ships earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Both aviators in that incident also survived. And in February, the Truman collided with a merchant vessel near Port Said, Egypt. The Truman, based out of Norfolk, Virginia, has seen its deployment extended multiple times amid the Houthi airstrike campaign. It had been joined recently by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier operating out of the Arabian Sea.
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Fighter Jet Goes Overboard from USS Harry S. Truman
An F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea went overboard, forcing its two pilots to eject, a defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The incident Tuesday marks the latest mishap to mar the deployment of the Truman, which has been essential in the airstrike campaign by the United States against Yemen's Houthi militias. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and Oman's foreign minister both said that a ceasefire had been reached with the Houthis, who would no longer target ships in the Red Sea corridor. The F/A-18 Super Hornet landed on the Truman after a flight, but "the arrestment failed," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the incident now under investigation. "Arrestment" refers to the hook system used by aircraft landing on carriers, which catches steel wire ropes on the flight deck. It remains unclear what part of the system failed. The two pilots on board were later rescued by a helicopter and suffered minor injuries in the incident, the official added. No one on the flight deck was hurt. CNN first reported on the incident. Tuesday's incident was the latest to see the Navy lose an F/A-18, which cost about $60 million. In April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the Truman and fell into the Red Sea. The crew members who were in the pilot seat of the Super Hornet and on the small towing tractor both jumped away. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 after ships earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the militants. Both aviators in that incident also survived. And in February, the Truman collided with a merchant vessel near Port Said, Egypt. The Truman, based out of Norfolk, Virginia, has seen its deployment extended multiple times amid the Houthi airstrike campaign. It had been joined recently by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier operating out of the Arabian Sea. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on the social platform X that an investigation was underway and that "this aircraft was not struck by the Houthis." "The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains fully mission-capable," he added.
CNN
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Second jet lost at sea from aircraft carrier
Second jet lost at sea from aircraft carrier Another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has been lost in the Red Sea, the second jet lost from the carrier in just over a week, five people familiar with the matter told CNN. 01:03 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 14 videos Second jet lost at sea from aircraft carrier Another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has been lost in the Red Sea, the second jet lost from the carrier in just over a week, five people familiar with the matter told CNN. 01:03 - Source: CNN How $60M in tourism revenue is at risk if Alcatraz reopens After Trump's suggestion to reopen Alcatraz as a working prison, CNN's Veronica Miracle hopped aboard the ferry and visited the island – along with its throng of tourists – to get a first-hand look at how $60M in tourism revenue could be at risk if the president's plans come to fruition. 00:40 - Source: CNN Diddy Trial day one: Prospective jurors The jury selection in Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial started today. CNN's Kara Scannell explains who the prospective jurors are and who has been dismissed. 00:57 - Source: CNN Rare volcanic eruption not seen in nearly 40 years Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano could be seen hurling lava upwards of 300 feet into the air during a series of 'rapid rebounds,' which scientists say hasn't been seen in nearly 40 years. 00:33 - Source: CNN Man injects himself over 600 times with snake venom Tim Friede, a self-taught snake expert from California, injected himself with snake venom 654 times over 18 years and later contributed his blood to help scientists develop a new universal antivenom. 01:42 - Source: CNN Hundreds of dachshunds gather in Hungary in record breaking attempt In Hungary, dachshunds and their owners gathered in an attempt to break the record of biggest ever dog walk – a record previously set at 897 by the German city of Regensburg. The Hungarian Records of Association tallied the dogs as they walked through the street with their owners. 00:41 - Source: CNN Bored at the airport? For these travelers, it's showtime! Dancer and choreographer Blake McGrath felt the urge to whip out a dance combo while waiting for his flight at Dallas-Fort Worth International. The flight left without him, but when he uploaded the video to TikTok, it quickly went viral and eventually grabbed over 6.7 million views. 01:41 - Source: CNN 'Where's my camera?': Astronaut shares wondrous views from space NASA astronaut Don Pettit describes his love for photography and the images he took in his first press conference since returning from his fourth mission to space. 00:48 - Source: CNN Shedeur Sanders target of NFL draft prank call During the NFL draft, Shedeur Sanders, one of football's biggest draft prospects, received a call saying he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints, but the call turned out to be a prank. Sanders was later selected by the Cleveland Browns as the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. 01:15 - Source: CNN Robotics team overcomes wildfire destruction to reach world championships After the Palisades Fire destroyed their school and robotics lab, 4th and 5th graders from Marquez Charter Elementary School rebuilt their robots—and their hope—to compete on the world stage. 01:05 - Source: CNN He bought gold at Costco. He's not cashing in yet With gold prices touching record highs recently, some buyers of Costco gold bars are sharing their love of bullion on social media. But one gold bug tells us he's planning to be a lifelong investor in the precious metal. 01:58 - Source: CNN Key evidence in Karen Read trial Karen Read, who is accused of causing the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, is being retried in Massachusetts. Read has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse. CNN's Jean Casarez breaks down key evidence. 01:33 - Source: CNN Earth week ends with a smiling face in the sky Just before sunrise on Friday, April 25, US stargazers can find a celestial "smiley face" along the eastern horizon as a waning crescent moon aligns with Venus and Saturn. 00:50 - Source: CNN Scientists discover car inside sunken WWII warship NOAA researchers discovered a 1940s Ford Super Deluxe "Woody" inside the sunken USS Yorktown, a famed WWII aircraft carrier lost during the Battle of Midway. 00:42 - Source: CNN
