 I'm a pilot. I'm a corrosion technician. I'm a plane captain. These are the faces of Strike Fighter Squadron 27. VFA-27 is one of four Strike Fighter Squadrons in carrier Air Wing 5. We are tasked with being the tip of the spear to America's 9-1-1 Air Wing here for deployed in the Western Pacific Ocean. Right now, VFA-27 is preparing to launch 12 of their jets across the Pacific Ocean in order to receive 13 new FAA-18E Super Hornets. I think the most challenging part of this evolution, being that we afford deployed naval forces, is maintaining that high state of readiness that's required of us while at the same time grooming 13 aircraft, aircrew, and maintainers for a trip across the largest body of water on Earth. The only time squadrons are tasked with an evolution like this is when relocating a command to overseas or when receiving new jets, making this operation a unique challenge. It is something that we have never done before in my time here, is fly every single one of our airplanes at the same time. So to get everything ready for that, it's taken a massive amount of planning, a year's worth of planning, and also it takes all the maintainers pulling together as a group, working extra hours to get the job done. This high-profile mission requires these sailors to make sure every eye is dotted and every nook and cranny checked and rechecked before takeoff. They send the best and brightest after the four deployed naval forces, so we're able to leverage that talent. We've got a great team of maintainers working on these jets, grooming them. We're totally prepared for the trip across the Pacific. As one pilot dips his wings overhead, another taxis out to the runway to begin this long and taxing journey across the Pacific. Petty Officer Michael Storey, Yacowska Naval Base, Japan.