Landing aboard an aircraft carrier is one of the most advanced maneuvers a pilot can make in their Navy career. With the assistance of the Sailors assigned to the Visual Landing Aid (VLA) shop of Air Department's V-2 division aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the task is made just a little bit safer.

VLA accomplishes its primary objectives of safely recovering aircraft and archiving flight deck operations by utilizing the Integrated Launch and Recovery Television Surveillance System (ILARTS) and the Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (IFLOLS).

"We serve as the pilots' guiding light when they cannot clearly see the ship," said Chief Interior Communication Electrician David Young, VLA's leading chief petty officer. "VLA provides a reference to the flight deck, enabling the pilots to land safely."

ILARTS is comprised of 10 cameras mounted on the flight deck and island that make it possible to review flight operations. The Landing Signals Officer (LSO) watches an ILARTS video feed to ensure aircraft are coming in correctly along the final bearing. The LSO can communicate to the pilot to adjust in any direction. If the LSOs feel the approach is not safe, the LSO will wave the pilot off.

IFLOLS, or the "lens," is a visual landing aid on the flight deck that indicates to landing pilots their position in relation to the proper glide slope. A series of horizontal green lights intersect with a vertical line of red lights. The objective is for the horizontal and vertical lines to intersect on a center line.

"I've been in VLA for a year, and so far I like it," said Interior Communication Electrician Seaman Tyler D'Alessandro, an IFLOLS technician. "It's really cool to be working on equipment that's directly involved with the communication between the pilots and LSO."

After completing seven months of initial Interior Communication Electricians (IC) training, ILARTS and IFLOLS technicians must complete 124 days of in-depth training at a "C" school in Great Lakes, Illinois. There, Abraham Lincoln's VLA team of 21 ICs and five Electrician's Mates learned every aspect of flight deck operations and the landing procedures on an aircraft carrier before operating the equipment aboard the ship.

"The initial course made me feel somewhat comfortable working with such mission-essential equipment, but the on-the-job training I received gave me a sense of familiarity that allowed me to work with confidence and pay more attention to detail," said D'Alessandro.

Even when flight operations aren't being conducted, ILARTS technicians are behind cameras capturing all flight deck activity. The video can be used to help train pilots or document any mishaps or near-mishaps.

"The flight deck is a dangerous place; we need to keep an eye out at all times in case of a mishap," said Interior Communication Electrician 2nd Class Jeremiah Miller, a work center supervisor in VLA. "As an IC, I find it rewarding to be a part of Air Department on an aircraft carrier because of how essential they are to the overall mission success of the ship."

Like any job on the flight deck, Sailors of Abraham Lincoln's VLA shop have the lives of others in their hands. Until the last arrested landing of the day, these Sailors ensure their systems are in check and the lights are illuminated so pilots can land safely.


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