Sitting in the cockpit of an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier at night can be an awe-inspiring moment. You can see the determination in the faces of the support crews, as they check to insure that your bird is ready to fly.
If you're LT Johnnie "Cooter" Caldwell, naval aviator, you whisper a prayer as you settle down into your seat. After a last salute, the catapult underneath snaps you and your plane with engines at full throttle, speeding you down the deck, until you lift into the air, a black hole of darkness, with incredible velocity
