Please Note: Peter Chilelli's prints come in different aspect ratios for each image, so sizes will vary!
Plane Type: F/A-18E Super Hornet
Also known as shooters, catapult officers are naval aviators or naval flight officers, and are responsible for all aspects of catapult maintenance and operation. They ensure that wind (direction and speed) is sufficient over the deck and that the steam settings for the catapults will ensure that aircraft have sufficient flying speed at the end of the stroke. They are also responsible for signaling to the pilot that he or she may take off. Digital art illustration created from USN file image.
Established in 1942, VFA-115 is one of the oldest active aviation squadrons in the U.S. Navy. The squadron has seen combat in the Pacific theater of World War II, at Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War, in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, VFA-115 was the first squadron to deploy with the F/A-18E Super Hornet, the most advanced operational strike fighter in the U.S. Navy inventory. VFA-115 is currently conducting security and stability operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region aboard Reagan as a component of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5.