SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Taking on carrier qualifications is action-packed and adrenaline-fueled, but a group of naval aviators took on the challenge on the USS Nimitz.
"It's pretty cool," said Navy pilot Jon Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is following in the footsteps of his dad, and he explained "I'll have to ask him when I get back where his room was actually at. I'm going to walk around and see if I can find some places but back on this ship."
It's the same ship with the same mission.
"He was a plane captain- a brown shirt- with S3's," he explained.
Three decades later, Jon joined a crew of other naval aviators taking their need for speed to new heights.
"We came to the ship to qualify on board the F-18 to land aboard the aircraft carrier," explained the group of pilots.
Dylan Kuhns, Ryan Carr, Mike Kwasnik, Christian Reed and Rodriguez all qualified on board.
The group of pilots spent two days at sea training night and day.
Some of the tactics were more challenging than others.
"And so, as we're coming down to land on the ship it all is dark so all you see is just the lights on the ship. You're flying on your instruments, and you're told to call the ball, and then you have to safely come aboard the ship," said Mike Kwasnik.
All of it is a team effort from those on the flight deck guiding the pilots to those training the aviators like Lt. Cmdr. Nate Edwards.
"For them, it's a pretty whirlwind experience. It's their first-time carrier qualifying so it can be fast-paced and a little bit of stress," said Edwards.
The pilots go through two years of flight school and then spend at least a year training on their specific aircraft.
"But we still have to maintain what's in front of us," said Kwasnik.
The pilots' next step is to head to different squadrons attached to ships.
