Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael DeForge (left) and Airman Brian Milless (center) check the hold-back bar on an F/A-18 Hornet while director Airman Edgar Centenorios (right) directs the pilot forward on the catapult before launching from the USS George Washington (CVN 73) on March 24, 2000. The aircraft carrier and her embarked aircraft are participating in a Composite Training Unit Exercise in the Gulf of Mexico. The three flight deck crewmen are Navy aviation boatswain's mates.