Marines wrap up carrier landing training

\MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) _ Marine Corps pilots at the Air Station in Beaufort are wrapping up three days of short-runway landing practice in preparation for a deployment to the Pacific next year.

The training requires pilots of the F/A-18 Hornet jets to land on a small section of the runway.

The exercise, which can be rather noisy, simulates landing on an aircraft carrier.

Air Station spokeswoman Sgt. Cathryn Lindsay says the exercise has involved four jets and nine pilots.

The intensive practice is necessary since the pilots may be required to participate in numerous night and daytime landings during their months of deployment at sea.