Meet the men who give nation's aircraft carriers a cutting edge

Kite and string

The naval aviators appreciate the significant role the support crews play in the carrier's air operations.

Lieutenant Commander Tan Zhiyong, a J-15 fighter pilot, said: "We must trust our flight deck colleagues completely rather than relying on our own intuition, because they are the authority on deck operations. In other words, we must entrust our lives to them."

Each time a new J-15 pilot is deployed on the carrier, it is natural for him to feel a little jittery because he is not familiar with deck maneuvers and is prone to errors. This is especially true when a new aviator is guided to move his plane to the launch point as even a minor mistake can lead to a disaster.

"We are honored and lucky to have a team of professional and experienced colleagues to work with us on the deck. They are experts in launch and recovery operations. For example, the launch officers understand that strong waves can cause trouble for us when we are about to take off. Thanks to their knowledge about the fluctuation of seas and the carrier itself, they know the best time to let us take off to make sure both the pilot and the plane are safe," Tan said.

Besides those on the deck, the naval aviator added, there are many sailors toiling under the deck to facilitate takeoff and landing, checking the jets' condition, preparing the jet blast deflector, monitoring birds, and doing other necessary work.

"After we land, we go to the control room to check our takeoff and landing data and videos they recorded in the hope of knowing what we have done well, and where we were not so good, and how to improve our capabilities," he said.

Another J-15 pilot, Lieutenant Commander Wang Yucai, described the relations between the aviators and their deck support crew as "kite and string".

"Without them, we will never be able to take off from and land on the carrier," he said. "In addition to their cooperation with us, their maintenance of the launch and recovery equipment is efficient and effective. There has never been a single case that our flight arrangement is disrupted by broken equipment."