Sailor is first to earn US carrier qualification

Chief Petty Officer Stacy Gager, an aircraft handler by trade, is now trained to coordinate a continual stream of aircraft moving around the carrier as they prepare to fly or come in to land.

The 39-year-old from Yeovil is on board the carrier along with three other RN aircraft handlers as part of a new scheme designed to maintain operational skills while Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth class carriers are under construction. RAF personnel are also included on the programme.

CPO Gager said: “I am really pleased. I studied whenever I could and worked hard on the deck so that I could pass their exams just as their own US sailors do, so it made me very proud to get my qualification.

“The training has been exciting and something different. I wanted [to be] the first to be out here learning these skills and bringing them back to the Royal Navy.”

The programme saw CPO Gager and his team join the US carrier east of Suez in January.

A group of eight personnel will join USS Truman in July to train in flight deck operations, maintenance and weapon handling.

Lieutenant Commander Jon Llewellyn, of Navy Command HQ in Portsmouth, said the programme was invaluable for when HMS Queen Elizabeth comes into service. He added: “The flight deck is one of the most dangerous places to work in the world.”