The flight deck is now clear and will soon appear as if draped in a blanket of snow. Larry Johnson and Donny Suits, X42 general foremen, take a spot on “vulture’s row,” the outdoor walkway that overlooks the flight deck. They’re awaiting aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) countermeasure washdown testing, a system their crews were involved in building.

“I’m proud to be a part of this,” Johnson says. “It’s a great feeling to actually see something operate that you worked on for so long.”

Suits explains the testing will be done in zones on the flight deck. It takes a few hours to complete the test, which begins with a spray of water, then the foam and water again.

As the foam begins to spray across the deck, small flakes of the white fluffy substance blow around. “It’s like it’s snowing,” Johnson says. “It’s like your washing machine overrun.”  

Monitoring the AFFF system in another part of the ship is the X42 team of Pipefitter Lon McReynolds, Pipefitter T.D. Smith Jr., Foreman John Waddy, Pipefitter Dean Brooks, and Pipefitter Ron Hendrickson (pictured left to right taking a break after the testing).

McReynolds notes that many bystanders observe their testing. "It gives you a feeling of pride when it all comes together and works and everybody is watching your test. We come out and we're pulling 16 hour days so it's gratifying."
"This is the part I enjoy - working with the Navy guys," Waddy says. "We're watching them learn the system and get it to the stage that they can take the ship over. They're prepared for any firefighting emergency."

Hendrickson says they feel like their system is the most important on the boat. "When you are out at sea, you can't run from a fire," he says.

He likes that he and his team have worked with other trades such as X31 electricians to build the system. "It's nice to work with different people like that and have it come together as one."
Smith adds that, "A lot of time you don't get to see how the system works."

DC1 (SW) Michael Bryner, a firefighter on the Reagan since January, is especially proud to serve on this particular carrier because he helped to build it. After leaving the Navy in 1996, Bryner joined Northrop Grumman Newport News, working as a pipefitter. He spent his time in the shipyard working on piping in the aft emergency diesel generator room of Reagan. "I always thought I'd be on this ship as a reservist, but I didn't think I'd be on it as a sailor," Bryner says.
But when his wife left the Navy in 2000, he decided to reenlist. "It's kind of cool to serve on the ship I helped build - to see it from both the sailor and shipbuilder perspective." Bryner says he's happy to be out at sea. "Once we got underway everything seemed to fall into place."

It’s the late afternoon and Bryan West of E67 Electronics Test is working with the Navy in the Balloon Inflation Room at the aft end of the ship. They are preparing to launch the weather balloon that is equipped to keep track of data such as air speed and direction. “We’re ready to go,” West says.

AG3 Michael Thrasher releases the balloon that will rise to about 50,000 feet.

Marine Chemist David Bennett of O27 plays a key role on the ship, ensuring all the confined spaces that are not meant for human occupancy are safe for workers who build the ship.

Marine chemists like Bennett check for hazardous gases in the confined spaces and ensure they are in safe physical condition, for example, having proper lighting. He spans the ship throughout sea trials - from shaft alley to pump rooms. "The workers have to have confidence in us," he says. "We feel we have an important job."