The carrier environment is one of the most dangerous in the world. Planes come in at full power; if the cable does not arrest the plane, called trapping, the aircraft must immediately take off again. When an aircraft takes off from a carrier deck, a forward catapult, called a cat stroke adds to the forward momentum of the plane. Whether taking off or landing, the last moments are indeed critical and aircrews must continually requalify for carrier work.

I was not prepared for the incredible noise, constant activity and the smell of hot metal and jet fuel. It was a formidable assault on the senses. To capture the tension and anticipation , I placed a F-14 Tomcat being launched from a forward catapult and another F-14 just prior to the completion of a successful trap on the carrier Kitty Hawk against the idyllic backdrop of a Pacific sunset. - WSP