arresting gear, and crash and salvage personnel. Specific launch procedures and sequences are given, the disposition of aircraft that go down is determined, and the directors and spotters are informed about their specific part in the operation. After the briefing, directors inform their crews of the details of the launch, and the aircraft are spotted on the flight deck. Details of the recovery are included in the next launch briefing, and crews must always be aware that the need for a ready deck could arise at any time because of an emergency situation. Since most aircraft are jets, they are catapulted. Aircraft are spotted as to type, mission, and what catapult is to be used to ensure an even, continuous flow to the catapults. Conventional (reciprocating and turboprop) aircraft can be either catapulted or deck launched. The search and rescue helicopter is normally the first aircraft launched and the last to be recovered. Flight quarters are usually sounded 1 to 2 hours before the launch time. The flight deck becomes very active. All Air Department personnel engage in a foreign object damage (FOD) walkdown. The walkdown finds things (nuts, bolts, safety wire, and general trash) that could be sucked into an aircraft's engine or blown by exhaust that could cause serious damage or injury. Plane captains single up on aircraft tie-down chains. Arming crews load aircraft with the appropriate armament. Fueling crews check aircraft for loads. Catapult and arresting gear crews check their machinery and equipment. Plane-handling crews make last minute respots and check tow tractors and other plane-handling equipment. Crash and salvage (C/S) is manned 24 hours a day. They break out the equipment the day the vessel gets under way with aircraft aboard. The only requirement of the crash and salvage crew thereafter is to inventory and check out the gear. Approximately 30 minutes before launch time, flight crews perform their final checks to start the engines upon the signal from primary fly control (PRI-FLY). Flight deck control coordinates ground crews to provide the aircraft with air conditioning, electrical power ,engine start high-pressure air, move or respot aircraft as required, and manage all aircraft securing equipment. Once complete, the first launch aircraft are started. DANGER Beware of jet blast, props, and rotors. DIRECTING TAXIING AIRCRAFT During flight operations, the speed with which aircraft can be launched and recovered depends largely upon the efficiency of the plane directors. When launching, aircraft must be moved out of the spotting area and positioned on a catapult or takeoff spot, often coming within inches of the flight deck or other aircraft. Under these conditions, mistakes prove costly. When an aircraft lands, it must be released from the arresting gear, moved forward, and spotted to make room for the next aircraft landing. Three important rules for you to remember in directing taxiing aircraft are as follows: 1. Make sure the pilot can see the signals. The standard position for the director is slightly ahead of the aircraft and in line with the left wing tip, but the position may have to be adjusted aboard a carrier. A foolproof test is "if you can see the pilot's eyes, the pilot can see your signals." 2. The person being signaled must know and understand the signals and use them in a precise manner. Indistinct signals or poor execution of signals will lead to casualties. 3. When taxiing an aircraft, you must take extreme caution to prevent personnel from being caught in the jet blast exhaust and being severely burned or blown overboard. Other aircraft and/or support equipment could suffer a similar fate. As the carrier turns into the wind, you must have coordination between primary flight control (PRI-FLY), which gives the catapult officer the signal to launch, flight deck control for the movement of all aircraft, and the bridge that gives permission to commence the launch. NOTE: Primary flight control (PRI-FLY) has control for all flight deck lighting, landing spot lighting, flight deck floodlights, the stabilized glide slope indicator (SGSI), and the flight deck rotary beacon. When the flight deck is readied (equipment, lighting, personnel, etc.) and all final checks are preformed, the proper signals and communications are given for launch by primary flight control. Then, the catapult officer launches an aircraft from the catapult, then another, giving only sufficient time for the first aircraft to clear the bow of the ship. As the catapult officer launches an aircraft, the directors move another aircraft into the launch position. The sequence of time 10-6