Naval Aircraft
Naval Aviation History
Aviators and Training
Lingo, NATOPS& Orgs
Carrier Ops
100

This twin-engine turboprop performs Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance.

What is the P-8 Poseidon?

100

This was the first U.S. ship designed and built as an aircraft carrier.

What is USS Langley (CV-1)?

100

This initial flight evaluation determines if a student is ready to continue in Navy flight school.

What is NIFE (Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation)?

100

Strike fighter squadrons use this three-letter designator.

What is VFA?

100

This part of the aircraft carrier is where planes take off and land.

What is the Flight Deck?

200

The F/A-18 Super Hornet replaced this Cold War–era Navy fighter.

What is the F-14 Tomcat?

200

WWII carrier doctrine shifted focus away from this earlier capital ship.

What is the battleship?

200

Primary flight training for Navy aviators currently begins in this aircraft.

What is the T-6 Texan II?

200

This color jersey is worn by aircraft handlers and elevator operators on the flight deck.

What is Blue?

200

Aircraft are launched from carriers using this system.

What is a Catapult?

300

This stealth fighter became the Navy’s first fifth-generation strike aircraft.

What is the F-35C Lightning II?

300

This aircraft is widely considered the Navy’s first operational jet fighter.

What is the FH Phantom?

300

In Navy flight school, this stage teaches students basic flight maneuvers, takeoffs, and landings before advancing to advanced training.


What is Primary Flight Training?

300

This instruction governs standardization across all Naval Aviation aircraft.

What is NATOPS?

300

This officer visually guides aircraft during carrier landings.

Who is the Landing Signal Officer?

400

The Navy’s primary airborne early warning aircraft is the E-2, nicknamed this.

What is the Hawkeye?

400

This legendary World War II naval fighter was famous for its role in the Battle of Midway

What is the F4F Wildcat?

400

After winging, strike fighter aviators typically report to this command.

What is a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS)?

400

The color worn by Landing Signal Officers on the flight deck is this.

What is Green?

400

This safety procedure signals a pilot to abort the landing and climb back into the air if the approach is unsafe.

What is a wave-off?

500

Designed for carrier onboard delivery, this tiltrotor replaced the C-2 Greyhound.

What is the CMV-22B Osprey?

500

This U.S. Navy attack aircraft, developed during the Cold War, was capable of both conventional and nuclear strike missions and served from 1963 to 1997.

What is the A-6 Intruder?

500

Qualification that allows a naval aviator to command a squadron or air wing.

What is Command qualification (or CO qualification)?

500

This term describes a flight operation that intentionally exceeds aircraft or operational limits to test pilot and aircraft performance under stress.

What is an exceedance?

500

On modern carriers, this electromagnetic system launches aircraft without the need for steam catapults. 

What is EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System)?

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