Navy student pilots qualify using Precision Landing Mode on Ford carrier By (0) Rear Adm. John Meier, commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic, and Capt. J. J. Cummings, USS Gerald R. Ford's commanding officer, observe flight operations from the ship’s landing signal officer platform on Sunday. Photo by Zack Guth/U.S. Navy Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Naval aviators assigned to the "Gladiators" of Fleet Replacement Squadron Strike Fighter Squadron 106 qualified on board the USS Gerald Ford using Precision Landing Mode for the first time, the Navy announced. Carrier Strike Groups have been using PLM, a new, safer flight control technology, which is also intended to increase training efficiency by reducing the number of in-flight instrument corrections needed before landing, since 2017.