Two senior aviators aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson joined a short list of fliers on Jan. 18 when they logged a 1,000th arrested landing, or “trap,” according to a press release issued by the ship.
Capt. Tom Barber, commander of Carrier Air Wing 2, and Cmdr. Jason Hutcherson, commander of Strike Fighter Squadron 2, achieved the landing together in the front and rear seats, respectively, of an F/A-18F Super Hornet known as “Bullet 100.”
Since naval aviation’s inception in 1911, over 180,000 have have earned their gold wings, but less than 360 pilots and 120 naval flight officers have reached the milestone of 1,000 traps.
As the pair made their approach, other aviators and aircrew gathered to witness the event.
“It was great to see everybody from my squadron and the air wing up on the flight deck,” said Hutcherson in the release. “I was a department head of VFA 2 a couple of years ago and then to come back as the XO (executive officer), and now as CO, and to get 1,000 traps with the same squadron, it’s been pretty rewarding.”
Barber said he was honored to complete the historic flight with Hutcherson and thanked the squadron and Hutcherson for allowing him to fly their aircraft.
Hutcherson added that although the achievement is a personal accomplishment, it wouldn’t have happened without a ton of help.
“I hope that they recognize that getting 1,000 traps isn’t just me,” Hutcherson said. “It’s the ship, it’s the maintainers, and it’s all the supporters that we have as aviators.”
The Vinson and her strike group are currently on a regularly scheduled deployment to the western Pacific.
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Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
