• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

VLA -- Ensuring Kitty Hawk Planes Return Safely

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS031208-12

Release Date: 12/9/2003 6:12:00 AM

By Journalist Seaman Christopher Koons, USS Kitty Hawk Public Affairs

USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea (NNS) -- When the aircraft of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) return to the ship after completing a mission, their pilots can't land them all alone. That's where air department's visual landing aids (VLA) office comes in.

"Without us, the ship wouldn't be able to safely recover aircraft," said Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class (SW) Wayne Keller, VLA's acting leading petty officer.

While VLA isn't involved in the launching of aircraft, according to Keller, their sophisticated instruments are what allow planes to safely land on the ship's flight deck, especially if the pilot cannot clearly see the ship.

"Our long-range lineup system projects a laser up to 10 miles out from the ship," said Keller. "This helps aircraft spot the flight deck at night or if the weather's bad."

According to Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class (SW) Hendrick Simoes, VLA's assistant leading petty officer, VLA consists of three work centers, two of which also use the latest high-tech equipment.

"Integrated launch and recovery television systems uses cameras on the flight deck to monitor aircraft landings and record any mishaps," said Simoes.

"And the improved fresnel lens optical landing system (IFLOLS) uses four computerized units to provide lighting for pilots to make a safe landing," he said.

All four of these units are vital to helping aircraft land properly, said Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Ivan Almante, who works in IFLOLS.

"One unit allows pilots to see the movement of the ship," said Almante. "A second unit is the main computer; it controls the unit one lights."

The third and fourth units identify what aircraft are returning, said Almante. "One unit shows the air boss what planes are coming in, and the other unit repeats it for the landing signals officer."

The personnel of VLA's third work center, flight deck lighting, perform less advanced but equally important tasks, said Electrician's Mate Fireman Apprentice Kevin Whidbee. "We maintain all of the lights on the flight deck, repairing them when we need to."

Keeping the ship's exterior lighting in working order is a sometimes easy, sometimes dangerous task, according to Whidbee. "The vertical dropline lights are the hardest to work on, because they are right over the water," said Whidbee. "We have to climb down a ladder to get to them."

Keller described his 23-person staff as being highly motivated. "They are a very talented group of Sailors. Right now, they are leading air department's V-2 division in getting all their qualifications done."

According to Keller, this means VLA is air department's "cream of the crop."