Only President to Ever Catch a Wire

He couldn't have done it without Abraham Lincoln, whose name was on the ship, and he wasn't about to try it from the left seat, but the Commander-in-Chief's S-3B Viking caught the fourth wire (and you know the poor left seater is going to catch all kinds of crap over missing the three-wire...) on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), and that put the fighter-pilot President into the history books.

At just after noon San Diego time on Thursday, that Viking, the second of a pair from the "Blue Wolves," greased the deck.

Although he has lately been relegated to the back seats of most aircraft, Mr. Bush, once an F-102  pilot in the Texas ANG, logged a little time on the short flight.

"Yes, I flew it. Yeah, of course, I liked it," he told the obviously clueless media, right after the flight.

In the Viking's two rear seats were another pilot and a Secret Service agent. His left-seater was Navy Cmdr. John Lussier of Orlando, Fla.

Appropriately titled under the windshield (on the right) were the words, "George W. Bush, Commander-in-Chief."

Earlier plans for the President to greet the Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for ten months, from an F/A-18 were stomped by the SS, which considered it too great a risk to have just one pilot, and no bodyguard, with the President.

The jet landing itself was deemed necessary because the ship's battle group was outside what the SS considers safe overwater helicopter range.

FMI: https://www.cvn72.navy.mil