It’s been my understanding that although GWB was not certified for landing (or takeoff) operations on a carrier, he did in fact handle the controls of that S3B en route to the Lincoln, you are correct on that point.
The fact is, GWB correctly judged that seeing the Commander-in-Chief get out of a Navy jet on board the Lincoln, even IF he was only in the co-pilot’s seat, would be a tremendous boost to morale not only to the crew of the Lincoln, but to our armed forces world-wide.
I think it was well thought out, well executed, and I think it was a good decision.
I have no problem with any CIC visiting troops as being good for morale. But Google images of "Lincoln with the troops," "Wilson with the troops," "FDR with the troops," "Truman with the troops," "JFK with the troops," "LBJ with the troops," "Nixon with the troops," "Reagan with the troops" in fact any president with the troops and you're going to find that all of them are in a busines suit or non-descript civilian attire EXCEPT "Duhpeeyew" who shows up in a flight suit as if he were in combat. Bush could have easily taken his Sea Stallion to the deck of the Lincoln and been just as welcomed...but, instead, he opted for a political stunt. And that is all it was: A stunt!