Knowledgeable pilots consider carrier operations the most hazardous and most exciting of all aviation maneuvers. That should be no surprise: the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is, in aviation terms, quite small. The plane must get up to speed in a heartbeat to escape the pull of gravity. And it must stop short in about an equal period of time.
In both cases the margin of error is exceedingly thin, which is why US Navy carrier-based pilots are the best of the best. Their own lives and the lives of crew members, both on the carrier and on board the plane, depend on it. As does the $ 30-50 million aircraft entrusted to them.
In 2.5 seconds, a modern steam catapult can accelerate a 78,000-pound airplane (otherwise requiring a quarter-mile for takeoff) to 160 mph within 300 feet. Using the ship's four catapults, a well-trained crew can launch two aircraft and land one every 37 seconds in daylight. Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet
Imagine the Empire State Building, lying on its side, floating on the Pacific Ocean. That should give you the beginnings of some idea of just how massive the Reagan truly is.
Unlike the building, which tapers to a point, the Reagan is massive throughout its nearly 1100 feet of length. It towers 20 stories above the waterline, with a flight deck that covers 4.5 acres (more than three and a half football fields). It is 252 feet wide, overall - and at the waterline, the beam is 134 feet. It draws 37 feet and displaces 101,000 to 104,000 tons at full load.
As impressive as the physical dimensions are, the performance of this massive vessel are even more so. It can cruise at a top speed of 30 knots (about 35 mph).
Powered by two nuclear reactors (Westinghouse A4W) which drive four steam turbines, the Reagan delivers its propulsive force into the water through four bronze propellers. Each one is 21 feet across and weighs 66,200 pounds. The two rudders for steering are also massive: 29 by 22 feet each, weighing 50 tons apiece.
The Reagan carries over 80 combat aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornets, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and support aircraft. Carrier operations involve shooting the planes off the flight deck with a steam catapult, and recovering them with three arresting cables which can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet. Planes are moved onto and off of the flight deck by the four high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet.
USS Ronald Reagan is home to about 6,000 Navy personnel, 2,480 of which are involved in flight operations. The ship carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days and serves 18,150 meals each day. Its on-board water distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2000 homes. The ship has nearly 30,000 light fixtures, 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones, 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets. The Reagan is big, it is mobile and it is a major tool in the US Navy's worldwide projection of American policy.
Read more about IBT Media video shoot on USS Ronald Reagan.
