The engines are screaming around you, as you look down and realize you're strapped into a chair. As you look to the left, things become clearer. You're in some sort of plane

Profile: Life in the Armed Forces, Dec, 2003

Glancing behind, you see what looks like various boxes and other packages, all packed in a large, metallic cage. You can just make out the small corridor leading to the cockpit. You can hear people talking. Suddenly the plane banks left. Somewhere beneath you awaits a floating island; a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. The C2-A Greyhound you're aboard is traveling at 130 mph. The carrier beneath you is traveling at 25 mph and avails you 500 feet to land on. It's like trying to hit a golf ball with a broomstick while spinning in a circle and jumping. It feels like the plane is jerking around, not very steady at all. You hear someone say PREPARE FOR LANDING. The plane continues to maintain its altitude and the pilot keeps it as steady as possible. You feel the plane hit, and that's the last thing you remember. Well, that and the feeling of going from 130 mph to zero in two seconds. You've just taken a carrier on board delivery (COD) flight.

The Navy has done COD flights for a long time. When carriers need parts, supplies, or personnel moved, the planes are ready to make their move. Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 is stationed at Norfolk, Va., and handles COD flights for all six East Coast carriers.

VRC 40 breaks up its 350-plus crew into six detachments with five seagoing and one ashore. The squadron flies C2-A Greyhounds, the only fixed-wing plane to service carriers. The busiest time for the squadron is during the carriers cruise period. A cruise is a six-month trek, usually to the Mediterranean, with stops in Spain, the Middle East, Italy and Greece.

For many sailors, the cruise reminds them of why they joined: to see the world. Petty Officer 3rd Class Stan Young, an aviation structural mechanic, said traveling with VRC 40 has been a blast. There's plenty of fun to be had here. I've seen a lot of the Mediterranean. On a sixmonth cruise, we usually spend about two to four weeks on board the ship. The rest of the time, we're on land.

A deployment with the carriers means working seven days a week. The detachments are required to make at least two trips to their assigned carrier a day. Sometimes though, it can be a little longer than that, according to Lt. Eric Perle, a C2-A Greyhound pilot with VRC 40. The trip from shore to ship is about three and a half hours. Then we wait on the ship, get refueled and cleared to depart. Sometimes the carriers will ask us to make an extra trip or two, so sometimes we may work an 18- or 20-hour day. I wouldn't trade it though. The travel and excitement is a huge payoff.

The detachment-style that VRC 40 uses is unique. It allows detachments within the squadron to become close-knit, cohesive units, which is exactly how the crews need to be. Everyone depends on one another to get their job done, or it could cost someone his life. The aircrews on board the Greyhounds consist of a pilot and co-pilot and a few highly trained enlisted personnel. They are responsible for the packing and securing of cargo and the safety of passengers on board. They attend months of aviation training, studying rescue swimming, flight safety and more. Of the entire Navy, few sailors ever become naval air crewman (NAC). Those who do, however, get a job like none other, according to Young.

When we deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom, we had the chance to visit Greece, Italy, Spain, and tons more places. I felt kind of bad for the guys on the ship. While I was checking out the sights, sleeping on a bed in a hotel, and transporting people and parts, the guys on the ship were on board the ship for two months before they got a port call. What can I say, I've got a great job.

VRC 40 is one of only two COD squadrons in the Navy, with the other located in San Diego. The squadrons spend the 18 months between cruises ensuring the aircraft are ready to go. According to Cmdr. Doug Carsten, VRC 40's commanding officer, the squadron works hard all the time. During Operation Enduring Freedom, we transported more than 800,000 pounds of cargo and 3,800 personnel to and from the ships. As the only fixed-wing plane to service carriers, those are impressive numbers. Not only are the sailors here busy flying, but we're constantly working on the planes as well. For every hour of flight, we're required to put in 23 maintenance hours. The guys and gals who work here are the best of the best. That's why we're able to average 750 flight hours per cruise.

The men and women at VRC 40 provide an essential service to the Navy by providing parts, personnel and mail. Mail is an important way for sailors to keep in touch with home. It s important to the Navy because morale is something that affects battle far more than equipment or facilities. The squadron works hard to keep the mail traffic flowing.

The men and women serving in VRC 40 have the only job of its kind in the world. They work long hours, sometimes weeks without a day off. But when they're not flying, loading cargo or fixing the aircraft, they might be on a beach in Greece, or at a local restaurant on the isle of Bahrain. They could be dancing the night away in a Spanish club or maybe at a hotel, overlooking the Italian coast and the Mediterranean Sea. Why does VRC 40 have the best job in the Navy? The thing with this job is, answers Perle, things never go as planned and you never know where you're going to end up. But we're always busy and always traveling.