"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." - William Phillips