All language subtitles for Top.Guns.The.Next.Generation.S01E02.Catching.the.Wire.1080p.DSNP.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-ALLEYESONME

[♪ dramatic music playing]

- I’ve got the
carrier at the approach end

In heading 141

- The difference between
the United States Navy is

that we need all our pilots
to land on an aircraft carrier.

That's what makes us special.

- Clear to land,
I'll call you down

- Landing on this ship is
one of the most challenging

things that we do.

The margin of error
is incredibly small.

If you get low, you
run the risk of hitting

the back of the ship,
killing yourself and others.

- We’re a little tight

- Too high, you're gonna
have to come back around

and try again.

- If you don't catch a wire,
you're gonna find yourself

going underneath the ship.

- Hook is extended

- Copy

- By the time you can
see the aircraft carrier,

it's just, it’s terrifying.

- Hold power in the middle

Hold it there

Do not get low into the ramp

- You're absolutely
stressed to the max.

You try and take a
couple of deep breaths.

- Cover your ears.
It's gonna get loud.

- You feel the hook
grab the wires.

That rapid,
aggressive deceleration.

- Division, safe on deck

- You feel the
satisfaction of the hook

grabbing one of the wires,

the adrenaline
is absolutely pumping.

Your knees are shaking,
your arms are shaking,

and then you got to get
your hookup and get gas and

get ready to go again.

[Narrator] ...For the
first time ever.

- Get a little G on it

- Roger

[Narrator] The US Navy has let
cameras document the Advanced

stage of its elite fighter
pilot training program.

- Give 'em hell out there,
man, as usual.

- Will do.

- Got him yet?

- Negative

- He’s right off our nose

- Got him, visual

[Narrator] Where pilots
learn the skills to be ready

for frontline combat.

- You show up to work
every day so that when the

war happens, you win.

- Fight’s on

[Narrator] From dogfighting...

- Take a shot if you have it

- Fox 2

[Narrator] ...to
carrier landings.

- Do not get low into the ramp

[Narrator] Low-level flying...

- This is awesome

- It is pretty cool, isn’t it?

- It’s trippy

[Narrator] ...to
precision bombing.

- Bullseye

- Hell, yeah!

[Narrator] In pursuit of
their fighter pilot wings,

they'll have to pass
the most intense training

of their lives.

- You’re gonna overbank

Pull, pull, pull, pull!

- I want my wings, I’ve
worked so hard for them

- What up big dog?

- We're all here
to get our wings.

So in terms of dream,

I think I'm kinda like the
threshold of living my dream.

- This is where
I'm supposed to be.

This is what I was
meant to do and I love it.

[Narrator] But not all
of them will make it.

- Damn it

- Look at your G’s

- Oh ♪♪♪♪

- Right out of the gate,
it will be an unsat.

- I dropped the ball.

- Woo, baby, you like to die.

- I knew that coming here
would be a challenge.

I just don't think I
had any idea how tough and

like what kind of tough.

[♪ upbeat music playing]

- I do enjoy the time
driving to and from work.

It really is beautiful and
very peaceful out here.

It looks a little
bit like home for me.

[announcer] It's the
Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.

♪ You got to feel it ♪

♪ You got to believe it ♪

- I knew when I graduated
high school that I wanted

to join the military.

My dad was a Marine
for many, many years.

Both my grandpas were
in the Army and the Navy,

and so it's kinda
the family business.

[Narrator] Carissa Meinster
had studied medicine and

was on track to become
a military doctor before

one flight changed her life.

[Carissa] It was
with a F-18 pilot,

and she flew me
around for 20 minutes.

I just was so impressed by her,

and at the last minute,

felt called to do it.

It is cool to think I'm getting
closer to being what she was.

[Narrator]
Carissa’s husband, Ben,

recently passed the
program and is now flying

F-18s for the Navy.

[Carissa] Being in the
military and being married

is very challenging.

There's never any
promises of time together.

My hope, obviously,

is that I could go join him
out in Lemoore, California.

Ideally, we'll be able to live
and work in the same place.

[pilot] Here we go.
Strike time.

CARISSA Hammer 3-2,
breaking high pattern

[Narrator] So far, Carissa
has completed the first phase,

Strike bombing.

RANGE CONTROL 102 feet

[Narrator] And unlike
some of her classmates.

SPENSER Oh ♪♪♪♪

[Narrator] She excelled
during the stage.

INSTRUCTOR You're looking good

RANGE CONTROL 49 feet

INSTRUCTOR
Nice, you’re dialing it in

CARISSA Woo!

[Narrator] But now, in this
next stage of the course,

Carissa is really struggling.

- Okay, Field Carrier Landings,

alright, that's
what this mission is.

You're going to get to go
out and execute a fighter-style

jet powered field
carrier landing.

[Narrator] Due to the
extreme dangers of landing

on a carrier at sea,

students train on a
landing strip at Meridian.

- What you're going to see
on the runway is a painted

aircraft carrier box.

It's the landing area that
the aircraft carrier has on it.

So the aircraft carrier
landing area is small.

We drive that nose up position,

drive it aggressively
until we crash on deck.

So we have to practice
landing in that particular

violent manner in order to
get aboard the aircraft carrier.

The reason we do that is
because you've got to put the

hook, in a certain part
of that landing area in

order to catch a wire.

[Narrator] As well as landing,

pilots must be
ready to take off,

because if they miss a wire,

there’s less than
500 feet of runway to

get airborne again.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER Clear
to land, I’ll call you down

[Narrator] To mirror the
conditions of carrier landings,

students have been
learning a maneuver called

"Touch-and-Go".

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Keep working it in

[Narrator] Where they
accelerate after touching down

to immediately take off again,

mimicking the
procedure should they miss

the wire on the ship.

- I’m trying to learn how
to, uh, land on the carrier.

Landing on the
wire is difficult.

- You see those
Navy style landings.

Really like smack it in.

- Navy lands on postage stamps.

[tower] Golf 1, welcome to
the pattern, Charlie.

[Narrator] To pass,
students must show improvement

over 13 flights,

each one consisting
of six touch and go landings.

- I've done 30 landings
in the past 24 hours,

so I'm a little fatigued.

I’m fatigued.

[Marcus] What differentiates
us from like the Air Force is

landing on the boat.

So CQ is all about doing
what the Navy does.

[Narrator] Any student unable
to prove they can master

field carrier landings
cannot become a fighter pilot

for the US Navy.

- Two flights left.
- Two flights left.

- Don’t ♪♪♪♪ it up

[Narrator] Carissa failed
her first attempt

at carrier qualification.

- Thank you.

[Narrator] And is currently
resitting all 13 flights

of the stage.

- I tried so hard.

Going all the way through
like 13 straight flights of

just working harder
than I think I've ever

worked in my whole life,

and then it not being
enough is like so painful.

You can't let up for even
a second or you'll get bit.

- I think everyone that
goes through this program deals

with self doubt.

You have to do the thing,
you have to execute.

There’s no other way around it.

[Narrator] Captain
Stephanie Harris is the only

other female pilot in
Carissa’s class and so far,

she’s on course to pass
her carrier qualification.

[director] How would your
classmates describe you?

- Oh.
I think they think I'm a hippy.

Yeah they think I'm a hippy.

I'm Stephanie Harris
and I'm 33 years old.

Before I got into aviation,

I lived on a
houseboat in Brooklyn.

I interned at the
United Nations.

I went to India and
worked on a farm.

And so when I was like,

I'm gonna join the Marine Corps,

everyone was like, what?

[laughs]

Who would've thought!

But I've always felt
like a protector.

Uh so, I've been thinking
about putting Legacy Hornets

number one.

It's like F-18s.

They do some cool missions,
but as the time gets closer,

I'll have a better idea.

[Narrator] Carissa is 11
flights into her resit and

has just two flights
left to pass the stage.

[Justin] If Carissa
were to fail the carrier

qualification landing stage,
a second time,

it's grounds for
dismissal from the syllabus.

[Carissa] The program
here is so challenging.

Nobody can make you
believe that you can do it.

The only thing you can do
to get past it is go up and

do the exact same
thing they just told you,

you weren't good
enough at again.

[tower] McCain ground
go to Runway 1 and

take Alpha Bravo.

Ok Tower, 24152 takeoff.

- Tango 5, abeam

TOWER 148 McCain Tower

Right for line-up

[Narrator] Scrutinizing
each touch and go are landing

signal officers
Commander Polson and

Lieutenant MacGriff.

- At the field, we're
teaching the students how to

successfully fly the ball
and land on the carrier.

We have this thing
called IFLOLS.

Some green lights that
go across the middle.

Those are called the datums.

The green lights represent
the point on the ground for

you to actually touch down.

[Narrator] When
coming into land,

the students are targeting
an amber light called the ball.

When the amber light
is parallel with the

strip of green lights,

the aircraft is on
the correct glide slope

to catch an arresting
wire on a carrier.

If the ball drifts
above the green line,

the aircraft is
coming in too high,

missing the wire completely.

But if the ball drops below,
the aircraft is too low,

and if this was a carrier,
the pilot would risk

crashing into the stern
of the ship.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Wave off, wave off

Foul deck

- 148
Goshawk ball, 2.5 Golf 1

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Roger, ball

[Chelsea] Roger Ball
is a way that establishes

two-way communication.

It's in response to
the pilot calling.

The fact that they do,
in fact, see the ball,

and we're acknowledging,
okay, you got the ball.

You're clear to
continue flying it.

Each flight, they'll
do six touch-and-gos.

What we're really looking
for is an improving trend.

So they're getting better both
in that period itself and then

overall during the phase.

TOWER Tower, Grey Oak 135,
off the right for the left

- Copy 147, thanks

[Narrator] Carissa is
lining up for her first of six

touch-and-gos.

Since the start of her
carrier landing training,

she's been struggling
with the same issue.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Right for line-up

CARISSA Roger, sir

[Justin] For Carissa, often
times her power corrections

are too erratic.

Her height above the target
for touchdown has been too high

or too low.

Unfortunately, the
reality is it’s very hard to

get over that hurdle.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Roger ball

Keep your turn in at 90

You’re high coming down

You’re high

Work it down

Keep working it down

You’re a little low

You're low

You're low, power

Wave off, wave off

Foul deck

- She didn't add enough power
on her line up correction,

and she got below glide slope
before I waved her off there.

[Narrator] If she’d
continued that approach on

an actual carrier,
Carissa would have crashed

into the stern of the ship.

TOWER Rogue 135, turn downwind

STEPH
Rogue 135, turning downwind

[Narrator] So far, Steph
has been a standout performer

on the course.

- My head’s so in the game.
I love to push myself.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
That’s Harris

[Steph] You're only as
good as your last landing.

You always wonder
if you can do it.

See us working
around the runway.

STEPH 148, Goshawk ball.
2.3, Tango 3

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Roger, Ball

[Steph] I arrive to a good start
and then beginning

a steady descent,

hopefully down to
the touch down point.

- You're high

[Steph] It's difficult.

- Keep working it down

[Steph] It's not so much
yanking and banking.

- You're on glide slope

[Steph] It's a lot more finesse.

[Chelsea] She showed up
pretty high,

she handled it well,

working it back
down to glide slope.

But obviously we don't
want to get ourselves that

high in the first place.

But she handled it well.

[Narrator] It wasn't
a perfect landing,

but on an aircraft carrier,

Steph would have
successfully caught the wire.

Carissa fails the
next four attempts.

Now she has just
one landing left today.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Roger, ball

Right for line-up

Little power

Drop it down

Power

You're high

You’re high

You’re high

Wave off, wave off.
Foul deck

- Really didn't like that one

- Yup

[Narrator] Carissa’s
approach was too high,

she’s failed her final
attempt of the day.

- Carissa, don't put yourself
in that position to have

to get lucky.

- All of these
comments about, you know,

a little bit too much power
here or too much power here.

[Chelsea] The reason why
some of those little fly-through

downs or no grades
was the rate at which we

were coming down.

- If I think I'm high
or a little high,

then I don't need to
come crashing down under the

sky to arrive.

[Narrator] With
just one flight left,

Carissa’s dream of
joining her husband as a

fighter pilot hangs
in the balance.

- I do think I have a little
bit of imposter syndrome,

kind of wondering, you know,

when are they gonna figure out
that I'm not really that good?

You know, why am I even here?

Am I even good enough at this?

[Narrator] Aircraft carriers
have been the centerpiece of

American military might
overseas since the conflict in

the Pacific during World War II.

In 1942, the Battle of Midway
was fought between

the United States
and Imperial Japan.

[reporter] The trap is sprung.

80 planes roared from
the decks of our carriers,

army bombers, marines,

funded destruction
over 300 miles battle area.

[Narrator] In a
devastating attack,

US naval aircraft
launched an assault,

sinking three Japanese
carriers within minutes,

and a fourth later that day,

turning the tide
of the Pacific War.

Today, Aircraft carriers are
central to US global military

strategy with at least three
deployed at any given time,

often to regions as a
way to project power,

their very presence can
deescalate conflicts.

Another student with ambitions
to operate aboard aircraft

carriers is also
one of the course's

most unpredictable talents.

- My name is
Andrew Charles Seepe.

I’ve wanted to do this
since I was like third grade.

I read a article from a fighter
pilot in the Navy who was

describing what it was
like to take off from

an aircraft carrier,

go out to these
multimillion dollar aircraft,

rip around the skies,
and get paid.

Like, honestly, that's
just crazy to me.

- A degree of arrogance
can go hand in hand with being

a fighter pilot.

But you need to temper that
enthusiasm a little bit because

that's going to get some
people's noses bent.

[Andrew] Sometimes I
can't keep my mouth shut,

you know I say something
royally stupid or out of line

and get myself
yelled at or in trouble.

This, this is cool.

It blows my mind
how big these are.

- Dude so this is 106, right?

- Yes.

- When Andrew and I were dating,

he would quiz me on
all of the different types of

jets and I'm like,

"Babe, I cannot tell the
difference between an F-22,

an F-16, and an F-18.

That's just not me.
I'm like, that, that is a jet.

I can tell you that much."

- It’s super cool, dude.
- Yeah.

- We've been married
four and a half years.

He does everything 110%.

He's a very gung-ho individual.

[Andrew] Some of our
classmates were complaining

about like getting woken
up by F-18s in the morning.

I was like, honestly,
I don't care.

That's super exciting.

Like, it usually gets me
really excited to hear them

out there, rippin.

It's hugely motivating
at the same time,

like another
confirmation of like,

this is 100% what I want to do.

Like, this is absolutely sick.

[Chelsea] First of all,
welcome families.

Before we get going,
who has a joke?

Seepe?

[Andrew] All right.
Morning, everyone.

What's red and
bad for your teeth?

A brick.

[Chelsea] Oh, God.
All right.

I don't know how to
come back from that.

[Audrey] He is
absolutely a class clown.

You know, he's the
first one to crack a joke.

He's the first one to laugh.

Honestly, it's one of the
things that I think helps

relieve a lot of tension when
things are overly serious.

That’s one of the reasons
I fell in love with him.

- I know your families are here,

which is a lot of fun.

This is still a real period,
take it seriously,

don't try to impress anybody.

Looking at you right now, Seepe.

- Roger ball.

This is the first time I’ve
actually seen him in a jet and

been able to identify,
that is my husband.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Too much power

AUDREY Too much power?

[Andrew] We all want to
be super good at what we do.

I’m trying to prove I am
better than everybody else.

So that naturally leads to
kind of a competitive like

“How did you do versus me?”

ANDREW That was my money pass

- 148 Goshawk, ball.

2.4 Golf 1

- Roger ball.

- Roger ball.

- Roger ball.

- Rock and roll. Woo!

[Narrator] As the families
begin to disperse,

the students get back
to their training.

INSTRUCTOR You set?

ANDREW Yes, sir

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER Power

[Narrator] Andrew has
aced every single

touch and go today.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Tango 11, Paddles, next is last

[Narrator] The last part
of the exercise requires

a routine flight back to base.

[Andrew] I love flying.

Being able to go fast
and rip the jet around and

do things with an aircraft
people won't ever get to do.

But I wouldn't say I'm reckless.

I think there's small
moments of rashness, I guess.

I just ripped it
as much as I could.

It's just a crazy
roller coaster. super cool.

[alarms blaring]

[automated voice] 1, 8, 5, 6.

‘BIRD’ Seepe,
don’t ride the lightning

ANDREW Coming on down

[Andrew] I messed up.

Did something I
wasn't supposed to.

Coming back to land, normally,

I will come in at
like 350 knots.

Trying to push the
envelope a little bit,

I came in at a little
over 440 knots.

- All right.

Raise your hand if you
think that you flew well today.

Seepe, what were you doing?

- I was riding the lightning.

- Yep. You went to the moon.

We saw you like come up,

and you just kept
right on climbing.

[Andrew] It was. Yep okay.

[Chelsea] Seepe,
don’t do anything stupid,

it's not worth it.

You're flying around
that fast there,

you get yourself into a
really scary situation for you,

for us and that's why
we got to do something.

- Alright.

So put yourself in
an unsafe position,

we’re just going to get
rid of you because that’s

what’s gonna happen at the boat.

- That is why
this is that big of a deal.

Any questions?

- No questions.

[Chelsea] Alright.

[Narrator] Andrew
speeding is a serious breach

of Navy protocols.

So serious his future on
the course is now in doubt.

[Andrew] Got told
to go see Skipper.

So I was automatically
like uh-oh this isn't going

to go over well.

- All right, everybody listen up.

We're going to do six laps.

All right, on your mark.

Get set.

Go.

[Narrator] This morning,
Andrew is licking his wounds

after being hauled in front
of his commanding officer

for misconduct.

- 12:58.

All right, before
you guys leave,

I need you to check
your scores and sign.

- I got screamed at by Skipper

- That was you?

- Yeah. Ripped
a 440 plus break and

yeah, don’t do that

- OK, so I won’t do that

[Andrew] Skipper chewed
me out pretty good.

They've gotta inspect the jet
and make sure it's not damaged.

So it was like a
breach of trust.

Skipper kicked me
out of his office,

and now my penance is to
fly the desk for a few days.

This is the duty desk.

I just make sure the
coffee and popcorn is filled

and answer the phones and
if it needs to be routed up,

it kinda goes from there.

[Narrator] Andrew won't be
able to complete his carrier

qualification until his
superiors are satisfied he's

learned his lesson.

- And everybody really
loves being behind this desk

instead of flying.

- I think it was a blemish on a
Seepe's character, and frankly,

a question of his integrity.

My hope from this experience
is that he raises his humility.

We need somebody who can take
their licks and keep on going.

Learn from it, grow,
and then move on.

[Andrew] What I did wasn't good.

It was just stuff that
was dangerous for no reason

to be dangerous.

I'm not gonna do that again.

Watching all my classmates
go off flying while I'm sitting

there on the desk.

Yeah, it sucks.

But hey, I messed up on this.

I'll take what I can
from it and learn and grow.

Apparently, I like to
learn the hard way.

So, not a good time.

- I don't think the best
pilot today is the kind of

fighter pilot that we
would have envisioned

30 or 40 years ago.

- Fight’s on!

- You got him yet?

[Justin] You know, a little bit
arrogant and aggressive.

- Hell, yeah!

[Justin] Your typical jock
or something like that.

Being a good pilot, you
don't need to be cocky.

What we're looking for is
a variety of personalities.

[Steph] Release.
Nice deep breath in.

[Narrator] When she's not
training to be a fighter pilot,

Steph holds yoga sessions
for her classmates, instructors,

and partners of students.

- And relax. Nice.

Yoga being in my life,
it's a good feeling.

Reaching the
fingertips to the sky.

The postures, the
mediation, the breath work.

Exhale.

I can get my head out
of stuff and just focus.

Press the palms towards
the sky like you're holding,

like, a box up.

I think the whole like idea
of being a fighter pilot,

I don't know if I've
fully embodied yet.

There's this element of
fear that can be restrictive.

Palms into the
mat really firmly.

There's like a bigger
burden to carry when you're

aware of what's at stake.

So if you take
yourself to a high plank.

That's a good distance for
your hands and your feet.

But I think the values
and the centering that yoga

has brought to my life,

it makes you a
little bit more careful,

and smart about the
decisions you make.

And that's how we
hold our balance.

- I think there's a really
amazing group of women that we

have here that work together.

[Steph] Exhale.

[Carissa] When things
are a struggle,

that kind of mutual support
is really, really helpful.

[Narrator] Steph and
Carissa’s final carrier landing

flight is scheduled
for tomorrow.

[Carissa] Tomorrow is a big day.

It seems like it's a
very big hill to climb.

To be honest, I'm trying
to ignore that it's coming.

It can be very intimidating
when things are a struggle and

you see other people
who aren't struggling.

[Justin] This isn't easy
and I think for somebody like

Carissa who comes
here wanting to do this

but doesn't do very well,

that can sow a lot
of self-doubt.

[thunder]

[reporter] People along the
Louisiana Coast are waiting for

the arrival of
tropical storm, Francine.

[reporter] Forecasts call for
potentially deadly storm surge,

destructive winds,
and widespread flooding.

- Today, we're preparing for
Hurricane Francine's landfall.

When there's a hurricane,

we get jets in the hangar to
protect them from the weather.

So all the jets on the
line are chained down.

They're all covered and plugged.

In Mississippi,
it happens a lot.

Because we have a lot
of weather that we have

to contend with.

[Narrator] After
all the buildup,

Carissa and Steph have
been told to stand down.

[Steph sighs]

[Carissa] One day. One day.
Just not today.

- Not today, but soon.

- I had to figure out what
my new lucky underwear were
today

- Because I wore
some yesterday and we

didn't fly and I was like,

am I gonna do a whole load
of laundry for a new pair, so.

- I should be more
superstitious, I'm not really.

- I don't like being
superstitious, I try not to be,

I like to find...

I think I'm too logical of
a person to be superstitious.

- Yeah.

- But I grew up very Catholic,

so I don't
always have the choice.

[Steph] That'll do it.

[Narrator] In spite
of the setback,

a determined Carissa throws
herself into perfecting her

landing technique
in the simulator.

- 188, Marshall on
mother's 180, Angel 7.

Expected approach time,
four zero.

[Carissa] Growing up,
academics and studying in school

was something that I found
joy in and also found myself

to be quite capable.

Nothing felt insurmountable.

- Through high school I think
a lot of the gentlemen were

uncomfortable around her
because she’s just wicked smart.

She can take a lot of
information in and process

it very fast.

[tower] Better watch your beam
distance here so you're

not too tight.

[Scott] Everything that she
goes after, she has achieved it.

- This is looking
pretty good right here.

- But then I came
to flight school and

was absolutely humbled.

- Roger. Little power.
Watch your BSI.

Don't drop. Don't drop.
Don't drop. Don't drop.

That's alright.

[Narrator] Before
joining Advanced Phase,

Carissa had to push
through setbacks in

basic flight training.

- I failed a flight
in division flying.

- Easy on the angle bank.

- And that was a really,
really brutal experience.

- If the elevator
doors are open,

there in the rear as
soon as you see those like

one potato, two, go.

- I got up and I kept
flying and I got better.

I worked hard.
I never gave up.

- 107, cleared, left
down out a mile.

- You know the way
that she deals with adversity,

I mean it’s pretty,
it's pretty amazing.

- She has always
wanted to go the hard route.

It doesn't matter if it's hard,

she's going to figure
out how to do it.

[Scott] She's just an amazing,
amazing young lady.

- She's unstoppable.

- I've spent a lot of
hours and a lot of time,

and there's been tough
roads along the way,

but this is a pass or fail.

So I'm really trying to
make sure that I stay focused

and finish strong.

[Narrator] With the
skies finally clear,

Carissa has been
given permission to fly.

[Carissa] Big day.

Really big day.

There's a lot of buildup.

This is why we have
done all the learning we've

done up to this point.

[Narrator] Today's flight will
be one of the most important

of Carissa's career.

[Justin] For Carissa, it's
that make or break situation.

Team, how we doing? Good?

It's that last flight
where she has to step up.

All the other flights
beforehand have been

preparation for that event.

[Narrator] For Carissa,
failure today could end her

dream of becoming a
fighter pilot for the US Navy.

[Carissa] Getting
your helmet on,

getting everything
cleaned up and like putting

your gloves on and
getting ready to walk.

It's the one kind of
brief moment of privacy that

you get before
you go out to fly.

A lot of that time,
I spend pretty quiet,

just trying to focus
on what's coming up.

You want to make sure
that you have all of your

brain space free for
what you're about to do.

[Narrator] Also taking
her final carrier landing

exam is Steph.

[tower] Cleared 147
McCain Tower.

Runway 1, right.

Wind 100 at 8 on departure.

Cleared for takeoff,
contact tower button 1-2.

[Narrator] Carissa has
just 6 touch-and-gos left

to prove herself.

- 147 off the right,
for the left initial

[Narrator] As much as Carissa
has tried to prepare for today,

her nerves seem to be
getting the better of her.

- Why are you so far away?

Call the ball

CARISSA 147 Goshawk ball

- 2.4 Tango 5

- Roger ball.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Easy with it

You're high coming down.

Don’t climb.

You’re too high on your power.

You’re on glide slope.

Pull, pull, pull, pull

- Oooh that was too much

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Wave off, wave off. Foul deck

I think she’s getting
down to glide slope and

catching it with just
way too much power.

[Narrator] Carissa's
approach was too fast.

It's not the start she wanted.

TOWER Rogue 147, continue upwind

STEPH Tango 3

- How was the first one?

- My power correction
in close was too big

STEPH OK

[Narrator] Next to attempt
a landing is Steph.

STEPH 117,
Goshawk ball. 2.5 Tango 3

- Roger, ball.

- That’s Harris.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
You’re high. Work it down

That’s what we’re looking for

You’re on glide slope.

- That was a good way to start.

- Yes.

[Narrator] Steph’s
landing goes smoothly,

now it’s time for
Carissa’s next attempt.

- 147 Goshawk ball,
1.9 Tango 5

- Roger ball.

- You’re high.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Drop it down.

You’re high.

Drop it down.

- She did the exact
same for two passes in a row.

[Narrator] And to
make matters worse,

Carissa fails the
next two landings.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Wave off, wave off

Foul deck

[Narrator] Leaving her
with only two more attempts

to pass the stage.

- I can't imagine
what’s going through Carissa’s

mind right now.

[Carissa] My husband gave me
the advice one time of,

just try at least
once every flight,

to like take a breath
and take a second.

And slowly feel time slow
down and you see you're like,

oh, I didn't see that last time,

but I saw it this time, cool.

All right, now back
to what I was doing.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
Alright, we'll go again

CARISSA
191 Goshawk Ball, 2.1 Tango 5

- Roger ball.

Right for lineup.

LANDING SIGNAL OFFICER
You’re high

Work it down

You’re on glide slope

Stabilize it

Nice job

- It was a good pass

- Yes

- Keep doing that

- Alright, let’s
do that one more time

Roger, ball

Work it down

Little power

You’re on glide slope

Great, because that’s
what we’re looking for

- Tango 5.

- Yes sir.
- Side 191.

We started showing
a declining trend.

- Yes.

- Your fifth and sixth pass.

It was all on the
line at that point.

- Yes, sir.

- And you really went to school,

and I was really happy
with the way we finished today.

Bird and I both would
feel comfortable taking you

to the boat if we were
going to the boat tomorrow.

So nice work.

Overall, you're qual,
both of you.

[Steph] Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Congratulations.

- Working hard
out there for you, sir.

I don't want you to
be disappointed in me.

- Nice work.

- I felt like it made
more sense every time.

I had Steph cheering me on.

She was like, you got this.

It was kind of a nice moment
to prove not only to them,

but to myself, I can do this.

- We're done CQ.
- Yeah.

- Good job.
- Thank you, you too.

When it finally clicked
and I was like, I got this,

and then it just being
smooth for the last few.

It was a really awesome moment
to finally believe in myself

and not get in my head
because I know I've been able

to do it all along.

- I am just really proud of you.

- Thank you.
I'm proud of you.

[Steph] And to know that
like they would take us to

the boat is also a
really good feeling.

- Yeah, and I feel like I
would want to go to the boat.

Like I feel like if they
said tomorrow, like let's go,

I'd be like, hell, yeah.
Let's do it.

[pilot] Fight’s on.

[Justin] The students
are going to learn the

fundamentals of dogfighting.

-Up and over.

- What we call the knife
fight in the phone booth.

- I'm really looking
forward to dogfighting.

I felt like I was chosen.

- Claggett’s one of those more
aggressive personalities.

- Woah!

- My biggest fear
is to be the guy that people

are worried about.

-Well this is uncomfortable.

- Well we can't give
limitless chances.

It's put up or shut up-time.

- Well, I probably won't
fly this plane ever again.