Precision, support are key for pilots aboard the Roosevelt

For pilots aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the heightening conflict in Afghanistan has meant a busy, intense deployment since the ship left Norfolk in September for the Arabian Sea.

Its air wing, Carrier Air Wing 8, is flying six days out of every seven, with each pilot doing two or three missions a week.

No two flights are alike.

"We have yet to get a target list ahead of time," said Lt. Cmdr. Ted "Chick" Ricciardella, weapons systems officer with Super Hornet squadron VFA-213, the Blacklions. "We go to the area, check in and get a target list or a task list."

"We're an airborne 911 force" for the ground troops, added Cmdr. Fredrick "Lucky" Luchtman, commanding officer of Hornet squadron VFA-15, the Valions.

"We're never more than a few minutes away, whether it's watching over them or having us drop ordnance."

Luchtman flew over Iraq during the initial invasion, when the enemy was a conventional army. The current targets are insurgent fighters, who are always moving and trying to blend in with civilians.

This makes precision all the more important, he said. Pilots work closely with ground controllers and use tools such as GPS-guided weaponry and video downlinks to give the controllers a view from the cockpit.

Concern over civilian casualties during airstrikes last summer prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to visit the carrier in December. While on board, Navy officials walked him through the targeting, communications and flight operations procedures.

Ricciardella said these missions are long but rewarding.

Each lasts about six hours. The long distance to land-locked Afghanistan makes multiple refuelings mandatory, with a plane typically hitting the tanker three times while over the country.

Although the pilots never see their contacts on the ground, Ricciardella said, "We've been on station a long time. You recognize voices and call signs" and develop a collegiality.

He recently supported a coalition convoy of Polish troops. Nothing went wrong, and as he was leaving, the soldiers radioed their thanks for keeping an eye out for them.

"It's funny - they're thanking us while we're relatively safe in the air," he said.

The Theodore Roosevelt will continue flying missions for several more weeks, until relieved by the next carrier in line. It is expected back in Norfolk in the spring.

Matthew Jones, (757) 446-2949, matthew.jones@pilotonline.com