Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Becoming An Aircraft Launch and Recovery Specialist
Real pay, real training, real life on the flight deck — everything you need to decide if this career is for you
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Aircraft Launch and Recovery Specialist Actually Do?
Every aircraft carrier is built around a single, unusual idea: a runway that moves. Because the ship sails into the wind, the aircraft taking off from it get a speed boost from the ship's motion. But even with that boost, the flight deck of a carrier is only about 1,100 feet long. A fully loaded F/A-18 Hornet needs thousands of feet of runway to get airborne on its own. So to make flight operations work, the Navy uses a steam-powered catapult to physically hurl the aircraft from the deck. When the mission is over, the returning aircraft need to stop — fast — and they do it by catching a steel cable with a tailhook, stopping in under 350 feet.
These two systems — the catapult that launches planes and the arresting gear that stops them — are the heartbeat of every flight deck in the U.S. Navy. They require a team of specialists who operate, maintain, and repair them. That is what an Aircraft Launch and Recovery Specialist does.
If you're considering this career, the first thing to understand is the name itself. In the Navy, the official rating (what civilians would call a job title) is Aviation Boatswain's Mate, with the shorthand "AB" and the specific designation "ABE" for those who work with launch and recovery equipment. If you hear someone say "ABE" on a carrier, that's what they're talking about. The civilian title for the