September–October 2002 NAVAL AVIATION NEWS
September–October 2002
NAVAL AVIATION NEWS
NAVAL AVIATION NEWS
The U.S. Navy’s Oldest Periodical, Established 1917
Volume 84, No. 6
September–October 2002
F L A G S H I P P U B L I C A T I O N O F N A V A L A V I A T I O N
C o n t e n t s
De
p a r t m e n t s
10
MAWTS-1
Hones Warfighting Edge
16
NADEP
North
Demystifying
the Depot
22
NATTC
High-Tech
Training
24
VAQ-141
Shadowhawks:
“Ready
on Arrival”
26
Flight
International Inc.:
Supporting
the Warfighters
28
Dauntless
Reborn
30
Naval
Aviation in the Korean War Series:
Marine
Aviation in
4
Grampaw
Pettibone
6
Airscoop
40
People–Planes–Places
47
Professional
48
Flightbag
ibc
ANA
Photo Contest
F
e a t u r e s
COVERS—Front: Art Director Morgan
Wilbur’s painting shows an aircrewman in
a Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 8
SH-60F Seahawk flying over the wake of
John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during Operation Enduring
Freedom. Back: Marines
from the 31st Expeditionary Unit
fast-rope out of a CH-46 Sea Knight during
Exercise Cobra Gold 2002 in
captured two Marine KC-130 Hercules
participating in the spring Weapons and
Tactics Instructors course sponsored
by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics
Squadron 1 at MCAS
2 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
60
Years Ago . . .
Flying from
carriers and land bases during WW II, Navy attack aircraft such as the
SBD
dive-bombers above provided our country with a flexible offensive punch
when and where
needed.
Today
. . .
Our country
has again called upon naval aircraft to take the battle to the enemy.
Over
Strike Fighter
Squadron 137 at right, await the call from our ground forces for
close air
support.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 3
RAdm.
Mike McCabe
Director,
Air Warfare
Published
by the Naval Historical Center under the
auspices
of the Chief of Naval Operations
Dr.
William S. Dudley
Director,
Naval Historical Center
Staff
Sandy
Russell Editor
Wendy
Leland Managing Editor
Morgan
I. Wilbur Art Director
JO1(SW)
Ed Wright Assistant Editor
JO3
Dan Ball Assistant Editor
Associates
Hal
Andrews Technical Advisor
Cdr.
Peter Mersky, USNR (Ret.) Book Review Editor
Capt.
R. Rausa, USNR (Ret.) Contributing Editor
Capt.
Ted Wilbur, USNR (Ret.) Contributing Artist
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Aviation News is online as part of the Naval
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Painting by Morgan I. Wilbur
Human Tragedy
A section of F/A-18 Hornets was on a night
air-to-ground training mission. The section
entered the target area from the west at 6,100
feet, identified the target (two smudge pots
appearing as a single-point light source) and
circled the target once to set up for a 360-degree
final attack heading for practice 30-degree dive
deliveries.
The lead pilot overshot his run-in heading and
rolled in from a lower altitude and closer to the
target than the planned attack profile. The pilot
called in “live” but three seconds later impacted
the ground heading about 330 degrees, 60
degrees nose down and 30 degrees left wing
down. He suffered fatal injuries. The Hornet was
destroyed.
Grampaw Pettibone says:
Another controlled flight into terrain! The
immediate cause of this tragic loss of life and
aircraft was the pilot’s loss of situational
awareness and his misjudgment of the
distance to the target during the run. But
there are contributing factors that raise flags
of concern. In the squadron, this aviator was
noted to have difficulty with task loading in
flight, and his flight lead responsibilities were
reduced to afford him the opportunity to
regain proficiency. Other pilots also noted that he
had
difficulties such as personality changes, typing skill
degradation and memory lapses. None of these were
correlated by the command nor admitted by the pilot
to the CO or flight surgeon. No Human Factors
Council sessions were held during the pilot’s eight
months in the squadron.
The intensity level of the missions conducted
during this exercise caused a degree of alarm in other
pilots, in addition to the pilot in question. The need
for aggressiveness might not have been balanced by a
degree of caution. The pilot had flown only three day
air-to-ground sorties in the seven months prior to the
mishap.
We’re all human beings and, in this case, action by
a Human Factors Council might have been a sound
preventive measure and might have broken the key
link in the mishap chain. We are also our brother’s
keeper. Gramps knows that it’s a sensitive issue, but
if
a shipmate is having trouble, get him or her to seek
help or alert leadership.
4 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Gramps from Yesteryear
Two Navigators
An EA-3B Skywarrior was scheduled for a routine
flight of about three hours from NAS Small Island to
NAS Large Island. During the sortie, one of the
navigators was to receive his navigator check flight.
The
crew consisted of the pilot, an electronic
countermeasures operator, two navigators and the plane
captain. Ltjg. Magellan was the designated Naval Air
Training and Operating Procedures Standardization
navigation examiner and Ltjg. Prince Henry was the
navigator who was to be checked. He gathered the
navigation equipment and, upon checking the sextant,
found that the bubble in the sextant could not be
reduced
in size.
Following an uneventful departure, en route radio was
contacted and the flight proceeded on course. The crew
made aircraft position reports using a dead-reckoning
plot. Midway timewise into the flight, the crew noted
the
wet compass was heading 290 degrees (the desired
heading was west) and drifting northward. The main
compass also appeared to be drifting.
The navigator decided to take a deviation check.
When he reviewed the air almanac, he discovered that
although the months were correct, he had the wrong
year
(1972 versus 1973)! However, the navigators
interpolated the 1972 almanac for sun position and
subsequently took two deviation checks, both of which
were discounted as being inaccurate since neither was
close to the heading indicated on the compasses.
Approximately two hours and 45 minutes into the
flight, when land should have been in sight, the pilot
declared an emergency. He experienced some difficulty
convincing the controlling agency that his flight was
lost.
Direction-finding steers, some of which were
completely
unreliable, were received. One placed the Skywarrior
overland when, in fact, no land was in sight. It
became
more apparent that the EA-3B would not reach land or
an
airport before fuel starvation occurred.
Five hours after the start of the flight, the crew
bailed
out. All were rescued at a position 1,000 miles off
course.
Grampaw Pettibone says:
Thunderin’ thunderins! Do you believe an aircraft
with two navigators aboard got LOST? Sure there
were extenuating circumstances—like the compass
failure and inaccurate direction-finding steers—but
these couldn’t hold a candle to the people failures.
First of all, what good are navigators when they let
you down at the time you need them most. Anyone
can navigate when all the electronics are working
right, but real pros can do it when the chips are
down. Secondly, supervision at the home station looks
shaky. Why are old almanacs left lying around the
navigators office and why did one navigator claim
there were no other sextants in the navigation office
when he discovered the one he had was less than
satisfactory? Poor show.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 5
AIRSCOOP
Edited by Wendy Leland
SHARP Enters
Development
The Navy accepted the first
engineering and manufacturing
development version of the Shared
Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP), above,
on 24 June. The SHARP system will
provide high- and medium-altitude
tactical reconnaissance capability for
F/A-18 C and D Hornets, and is
projected to deploy on board Nimitz
(CVN 68) in mid-2003.
Scramjet Engine
Begins Testing
The Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency and the
Office of Naval Research are
developing a scramjet missile
engine to cruise up to Mach 6.
Unlike conventional rockets,
which carry a mixture of fuel and
oxidizer internally, the new engine
will need only conventional liquid
hydrocarbon fuel and extract the
oxygen needed for combustion
from the air. The term “scramjet”
is used to describe the engine’s
supersonic combustion ramjet
design, which follows the same
principles as a ramjet engine in
which air coming into an engine is
compressed as it is forced through
a narrow neck on its way to the
combustion chamber, but at
supersonic speeds. On 30 May at
NASA Langley Research Center,
Va., the engine reached Mach 6.5
at 90,000 feet altitude in simulated
hypersonic conditions, marking the
first successful ground test of a
scramjet engine.
New Simulator Joins
the Fleet
Northrop Grumman delivered to
the Navy the first of five Mobile
Remote Emitter Simulators (MRES)
for the Atlantic test ranges at NAS
Patuxent River, Md. The simulator
provides a single workstation that
can generate virtually all of the
threats that may be encountered in
an air defense scenario, and can be
easily towed to different locations.
The MRES will be used to help train
naval pilots and other personnel to
identify and counter potential enemy
missile or artillery threats, and to
calibrate, test and validate the
operation of electronic warfare
systems.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 7
FIRE SCOUT
TAKES OFF
The Navy’s RQ-8A Fire Scout
vertical takeoff and landing
unmanned aerial vehicle began
its flight test program at Naval
Air Weapons Station China
Lake, Calif., on 19 May. The
Fire Scout is a fully
autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle
designed to provide situational
awareness and precision targeting
support for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Opposite, a Helicopter Combat
Support Squadron 6 CH-46E Sea
Knight transfers cargo from John F.
Kennedy (CV 67) to George
Washington (CVN 73) at the
conclusion of JFK’s service in
support
of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Laser Eye Protection
a Reality
Spectacles to protect against the
threat of eye damage from
antipersonnel lasers will soon be
available to Naval Aviators.
Developed by the Naval Air Systems
Command Crew Systems Science
and Technology Division at NAS
Patuxent River, Md., the EDU-5P
multiple wavelength laser eye
protection spectacles can be utilized
in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft
during both day and night operations.
They are also compatible with nightvision
goggles and heads-up displays.
For the Record
The X-31 thrust-vectoring
demonstrator resumed flight testing
on 17 May at NAS Patuxent River,
Md., following a year of
reconfiguration and ground testing.
On 14 June an F/A-18F became
the 100th Super Hornet delivered to
the Navy.
The Navy accepted delivery of
the first production AIM-9X
Sidewinder missile
during a 1 May
ceremony at Raytheon facilities in
Tucson, Ariz.
Under a $10 million contract
modification that runs through
FY 2004, Northrop Grumman will
continue work on a naval
unmanned combat air vehicle,
including additional technology and
risk-reduction studies such as
modeling and simulation of
autonomous flight operations from
8 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
A 4 June test flight at NAS Patuxent
River, Md., above, was the first for
the MV-22 Osprey since the
aircraft was grounded in December 2000.
Senior Airman Cheresa D. Clark, USAF
In the skies above Wasp (LHD
1), two Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (Reinforced) CH-53E Super
Stallions
prepare to refuel from a KC-130 Hercules.
Vernon Pugh
an aircraft carrier.
Mishaps
A Naval Strike and Air Warfare
Center F/A-18A Hornet crashed at
NAS Fallon, Nev., on 6 June. The
pilot ejected safely.
A civilian was killed and a crew
member injured when a UH-1N
“Huey” of NAS Lemoore, Calif.,
made an emergency landing during a
search and rescue hoist on 13 June.
A Marine Attack Squadron 231
AV-8B Harrier II crashed while
operating from Nassau (LHA 4)
in the Atlantic Ocean on 22 June.
The pilot ejected safely.
A Helicopter Combat Support
Squadron 4 MH-53E Sea Dragon
was damaged when landing
following a takeoff emergency at
NAS Sigonella, Italy, on 27 June.
Two aircrew members were
injured when a Marine Medium
Helicopter Squadron 264 AH-1W
Super Cobra crashed
near MCAS
Cherry Point, N.C., on 27 June.
A Helicopter Combat Support
Squadron 2 UH-3H Sea King crashed
on board Cushing (DD 985) and was
lost overboard while operating in the
Arabian Gulf on 5 July.
An F-14B Tomcat of Fighter
Squadron 101 crashed in the
Virginia Capes area on 8 July. The
aircrew ejected safely.
Three Helicopter Antisubmarine
Squadron H-60 Seahawks were
damaged during a flight line incident
at NAS Fallon, Nev., on 9 July. The
main rotor of a taxiing helo struck
the turning tail rotor of a stationary
helo, generating debris which
damaged another aircraft.
Two Marine Medium Helicopter
Squadron (Reinforced) 166 CH-53
Sea Stallions were
damaged during a
flight line incident in Singapore on
16 July. The main rotor of a taxiing
helo struck the turning rotor of a
stationary helo, generating debris
which struck and killed a civilian.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 9
Left, Naval Air Depot Cherry Point,
N.C., airframe mechanics test the
hydraulics on an AH-1W Super Cobra
participating in the Integrated
Maintenance Concept. Most recently
instituted at MCAS Futenma, Okinawa,
the IMC allows preventive maintenance
to be performed on a more regular
basis at less cost than standard
depotlevel
maintenance. The AH-1W was the
first Marine platform to integrate
the
new maintenance concept.
H-1 HELO UPDATE
The Marine Corps’ H-1 upgrade program
is remanufacturing UH-1N “Hueys”
and AH-1W Super Cobras into
UH-1Y and AH-1Zs, which will share a
common drive train, rotor head, tail
boom, avionics, software and controls
to achieve 84 percent commonality
between the two airframes. Another
common feature of the upgraded H-1s
will be the TopOwl helmet-mounted
display and cueing system, above
right. Flight testing on both airframes
reached milestones at NAS Patuxent
River, Md. On 2 July an AH-1Z Super
Cobra prototype passed 300 flight hours. The
next day the UH-1Y made its
first flight at Pax, above left.
Right, Maj. Jeff Greenwood (left) and Bell test
pilot Gregg Shimp depart the UH-1Y on
the flight line following the
successful first flight.
Larry E. Conley
Paul Davidovich
Paul Davidovich
Each spring
and fall, pilots, weapons
systems operators and ground
combat, combat support and
combat service support officers from the
Marine Corps and other U.S. and
foreign services descend on MCAS
Yuma, Ariz., and its surrounding air
ranges for the Marine Corps’Weapons
and Tactics Instructors (WTI) course.
Under the cognizance of Marine
Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron
(MAWTS) 1, students receive classroom
instruction combined with a rigorous
flight curriculum. The course hones
their knowledge about
weapons and their
delivery, platform
tactics and
integration among Marine aviation and
other Marine, joint and foreign aviation
platforms and command and control
systems. Upon graduation, students are
designated weapons tactics instructors
and return to their commands to serve
as warfare instructors and planners.
Major James Reed, MAWTS-1
operations officer, explained the value of
the WTI training, “We ensure that
everyone does things in a uniform
manner so that all of the fleet squadrons
are consistent. It is an excellent course
for Marine Corps aviation, and we have
students from all of the other services.
They see the value in the course and it
helps them work in contemporary joint
operations worldwide.”
MAWTS-1
HONES
WARFIGHTING
EDGE
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002
Story and Photos by Ted Carlson
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 11
Background, as seen from the
navigator’s bubble, a VMGR-252 KC-130F Hercules performs low-altitude
tactics training during the spring
2002 Weapons and Tactics Instructors course. Above, a formation of CH-
46E Sea Knights cruise low
over the Arizona desert on their way to insert troops during a WTI mission.
Each six-week WTI course has approximately 175
students, with at least one student from almost every
Marine aviation unit. The first two and a half weeks
provide classroom instruction, beginning with the “big
picture” of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation—
offensive air support, antiair warfare, assault
support,
aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and control
of
missiles and aircraft. Maj. Reed explained that “at
the
beginning, students and instructors will train with
their
own communities. As time goes on, they begin working
with other communities and integrate into various
larger
operations.”
Special guest speakers describing their real-world
experiences are a valuable component of the classroom
phase. Colonel Marty Post, MAWTS-1 CO, said, “One
who was memorable was a Special Forces master
12 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
sergeant controller who was one of the first to go
into
Afghanistan. He directed airpower to targets including
more than 850 joint direct attack munition drops. He
talked about his equipment, different techniques,
directing different types of aircraft, what worked and
what didn’t work.”
The second half of the course involves three and a
half weeks of flight training to reinforce academic
objectives with hands-on experience. All flights
include a
MAWTS-1 instructor, and both inert and live ordnance
are utilized. A complete command and control system is
operational throughout the Yuma Training Range
Complex during WTI to coordinate the approximately
2,500 personnel and 70 aircraft that participate in a
given
course. Instead of a “final exam,” the students
participate
in a week-long final exercise during which they plan
and
carry out a fully integrated combined arms operation.
MAWTS-1 conducts several other courses during
WTI, such as an intelligence officers course; aviation
ground support and logistics officers course; rotary
wing
crew chief and KC-130 navigator, loadmaster, flight
engineer weapons and tactics instructor course; and
enlisted weapons and tactics courses. Throughout the
year the squadron offers other curricula in addition
to
WTI, such as the tactical air commanders course and
the
air combat element (ACE) commanders course, as well
as a mobile training curriculum consisting of ACE
training, Marine air-ground task force aviation
integration and Marine division tactics courses.
MAWTS-1 maintains close, mutually beneficial
contact with the aviation and tactics schools of the
U.S.
Navy, Army, Air Force and several allied nations,
which
allows the WTI training to reflect the realities of
joint
operations. The variety of aircraft participating in
the
spring 2002 course illustrates the joint-training
concept:
Marine EA-6B Prowlers, AV-8B Harrier IIs, KC-130F/T
Hercules, F/A-18A/D
Hornets, AH-1W Super Cobras,
UH-1N “Hueys,” CH-46E Sea Knights and CH-53D/E
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 13
Above, a VMGR-252 C-130 Hercules
with Maj. John Peck of MAWTS-1 (left)
and Capt. Alex Miller of VMGR-352 at
the controls follow three other
Hercules during a WTI sortie. Right, a
VMGR-352 KC-130F and a VMGR-234
KC-130T return to MCAS Yuma, Ariz.
Sea Stallions were
complemented by Navy E-2C
Hawkeyes, F/A-18C
Hornets and F-5E/F Tiger IIs, as
well as Air Force E-3B Sentry, E-8C Joint
Surveillance/Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), EC-
130H Compass Call, F-16 Fighting Falcon, RC-135
Rivet Joint and
A-10A Thunderbolt aircraft.
The WTI curriculum is continually updated to
integrate contemporary systems and methodology, such
as lessons learned from Operation Enduring Freedom.
For example, in the spring course, “We set up 15–20
Soviet-style vehicles around the Twentynine Palms
[Calif.] ranges,” Col. Post explained. “We sent
F/A-18s
and AV-8Bs, using an armed reconnaissance method, to
find and destroy the vehicles. We had a JSTARS on
station to pass along the targeting information to the
strike aircraft, which would locate and engage the
targets. This was a great exercise and was pertinent
to the
way we did business in Afghanistan. We also used the
AH-1W Super Cobras and UH-1N ‘Hueys’ to escort
light armored vehicles and light armored
reconnaissance
vehicles, flying slightly ahead to ensure the area was
clear, and to give the ground troops instant on-call
close
air support if needed.” The severe brownout conditions
14 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Above, a VMFA(AW)-121 F/A-18D Hornet
lines up for a rocket attack at an
MCAS
Yuma range. Left, armed with
2.75-inch
rockets and a GAU-17 minigun, an
HMLA-267 UH-1N “Huey” departs Yuma
for a sortie. Below, joint services
aircraft
such as this Air Force E-8C JSTARS
participate in the WTI courses.
and high altitudes that challenged helicopter
operations
in Afghanistan may become a training scenario in a
future course.
The biennial training can also be a test bed for
developing procedures and methods for new hardware
and equipment. Included in the spring curriculum was
the validation of the next-generation .50 caliber
machine
gun, the M3M, on the CH-46E and CH-53D/E. Col. Post
explained, “It has a superior rate of fire, up from
about
700–800 rounds per minute on our older guns up to
1,100 rounds per minute now. We have been
making refinements to how it mounts in the
windows and we may even adapt the weapon to the
ground side. Personnel from the Marine Corps
Warfighting Lab and Europe are here to help out
with the development of it, too. The fleet crew
chiefs have an opportunity to use and critique the
system, and by the time it enters production it will
be a proven design.”
Col. Post concluded, “All of the people
working for me here have been hand-picked by
their various communities, and I get the best of
the best. Having such quality people makes my job
easy—they are always looking for a better way of doing
something and they are proactive.” With that kind of
dedication, the personnel of MAWTS-1 can offer the
fleet unparalleled warfighting training.
Ted Carlson is a professional aviation photographer.
Special thanks to Col.
Marty Post; Lt. Col. Bernard Krueger; Majs. Jon
Hackett, Kevin Hudson,
Mike Huff, John Ostrowski, Tim Patrick, John Peck and
James Reed;
Capts. Tanya Murnock and Scott Trail; Lts. Kevin Hyde
and Jeremy
Yamada; Sgt. Eric Cantu; and the many others who
provided assistance.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 15
Left, a CH-46E Sea Knight door
gunner lays down
suppression fire with a .50 caliber
machine gun
during a WTI sortie. Below, the AV-8B
Harrier II Plus
is a key tactical component of the
WTI training.
Somewhere in the
fleet, the following conversation
might be taking place: Pilot to mechanic, “My
plane’s headed for the depot at North Island. What
happens to it there?” Mechanic to pilot, “Sir, you got
me.
It just goes away and a few months later it comes back
all clean and shiny.” So what really happens to the
F/A-
18 Hornets, E-2C Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds,
H-60
Seahawks, AH-1
Cobras and S-3 Vikings that disappear
into Naval Air Depot (NADEP) North Island’s hangars in
San Diego, Calif? The answer is: plenty!
Part of the Naval Air Systems Command, NADEP
North Island is the Navy’s largest aviation industrial
16 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
NADEP
NORTH ISLAND:
DEMYSTIFYING
THE DEPOT
By
Mike Hammond Photos by Joe Feliciano
facility on the West Coast. Its civilian and
military personnel refurbish naval aircraft
and components, utilizing a unique
capability to test, disassemble, repair,
manufacture, rebuild and calibrate much of
the U.S. Navy’s aircraft and parts inventory.
When an aircraft arrives at NADEP
North Island, whether under its own power
or by truck, the first step is to induct it into
the depot. Paperwork is completed to turn
the airplane over to the depot, and the
squadron and depot versions of the Aviation
Discrepancy Book are checked for repair
and modification requirements to be
performed. Next, depot artisans begin the
examination and evaluation (E&E) process
to determine what needs to be done in order
to get the aircraft back to the fleet as
quickly and cost-effectively as possible. The
depot’s work center process then begins,
outlining all of the work necessary in
minute detail and estimating the costs, parts
and labor charges. The work may be
scheduled maintenance or unscheduled work
that was found to be needed during the E&E
process, modifications and upgrades, or
work done in response to squadron requests
based on their unique knowledge of how the
aircraft is flying.
The depot and the squadron or air wing
negotiate a completion date that takes into
account the depot’s need to give the aircraft
the best maintenance and repair possible and
the fleet’s need to get the airplane back for
training or to meet critical deployment
schedules. “Throughout the process,” said
AE1(NAC) Stephen Dyson, a C-2 crew
chief, “we may be in contact with
maintenance control at the squadron to ask
if certain things were already done, or if
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 17
Left, an artisan reinstalls a
panel on the leading edge of an
E-2C Hawkeye on the NADEP
North Island test line, where
aircraft are readied for test
flights. Right, the carriers Nimitz
(CVN 68) and Constellation
(CV 64) sit at the depot’s
doorstep at NAS North Island,
Calif. Below, an F/A-18 Hornet is
moved from induction at the
depot’s test line to the hangar
where it will undergo months of
maintenance and repair before
returning to the fleet.
paperwork is available that we
don’t have, and we keep the
squadron abreast of what’s
happening with their plane.”
A stop in the paint hangar comes
up next, where paint is removed by
plastic media blasting (PMB), a
more environmentally friendly and
time-saving method than the
customary chemical stripping,
which is still used in some applications. Tom Sapien,
Aircraft Paint/PMB supervisor, explained that “the
depaint process is crucial to the fleet because it’s
our job
to identify corrosion on aircraft and arrest it before
the
aircraft is repainted and reinducted into the fleet.”
However, this step can be a challenge due to the
amount
of paint on the aircraft when they arrive at the
depot. The
specification calls for only a 9mm coating, but
aircraft
have arrived with 30mm of paint, adding up to 600
pounds to aircraft weight and requiring as much as an
additional six days at the depot for removal. Once all
the
paint is removed, an anticorrosive or primer coating
is
applied to protect the stripped surfaces from exposure
to
the saltwater environment if the aircraft will remain
at
North Island for a lengthy period.
Disassembly comes next, allowing
the aircraft frame and its component
parts to take different paths to
completion at the depot. The airframe
gets work on corrosion, stress damage,
cracks and an array of other
maintenance and repair activities. It
may be x-rayed to find hidden damage
and surfaces may be ground, heattreated
or examined nondestructively
for honeycomb or other internal damage. With a
composite material facility that was the first of its
kind in
the Department of Defense, NADEP utilizes specialized
materials of extraordinary strength and light weight
to
repair and replace surfaces that only a few years ago
would have needed to be bought new.
Component parts that need work are removed and sent
to shops that specialize in that type of part, such as
avionics, landing gear, stabilizers and flaps,
instruments,
fuel cells, ordnance systems, canopies, parachutes,
and
hydraulic and pneudraulic systems. This element
comprises the largest portion of the depot’s workload;
in
FY 2001 NADEP North Island completed more than
63,000 component parts.
Once the complex dance of moving parts and
18 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
An F/A-18 Hornet gets washed
down in
one of the bays in the depot paint
area.
NADEP North Island must meet the
rigorous environmental standards of
California, the toughest in the
nation, in
all its operations.
assemblies around the depot for
maintenance and repair is completed,
reassembly of the aircraft begins. Then,
it’s another visit to the paint complex,
where the aircraft get a new coat of paint,
decals, stencils and all the required critical
safety of flight markings.
The last stop is the depot test line
where depot artisans and military crews
perform a series of ground tests and
checks until they deem the aircraft ready
to fly. NADEP North Island pilots and
crew then take to the air and perform
another series of checks to ensure the
airworthiness of all the aircraft’s systems.
If any discrepancies are found or problems
develop, they’re corrected, and depot
pilots and crew again do a check flight.
When all agree the aircraft meets the
requirements of safety and a top-quality product, the
aircraft is removed from the depot’s books. Military
pilots, either those assigned to the depot or from an
active squadron, fly the aircraft to the organization
designated to receive it—which, due to the vagaries of
deployment and training schedules, may not be the
same as the one it left.
Tessie Pino, overhaul and repair supervisor in the
depot’s F/A-18 team, explained the challenge current
operations place on the depot. “With the war going on
right now, we have many ‘must-meet’ aircraft scheduled.
Actually, we had the first aircraft that came back
from
Operation Enduring Freedom, which had 11 bombs
painted on it for 11 missions. It’s being worked on
right
now as a must-meet, and will be returned to the fleet
soon to join the war again.”
NADEP North Island strives to develop new
technology and procedures to streamline the depot
process. Their engineers and artisans pioneered new
procedures in the late 1980s to disassemble an F/A-18
Hornet where
it was never designed to be taken apart in
order to replace the center section, nose or tail.
This
imaginative effort has saved $150 million to date and
will extend the service life of today’s Hornets until
the
Super Hornet E/F
models phase into fleet units.
Similarly, the depot instituted phased depot
maintenance
for the C-2A Hawkeye and E-2C Greyhound, in
which
the entire tail section of a C-2 or the center support
section of an E-2 is removed and replaced by one that
has been prepared ahead of time. These aircraft
typically
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 19
Left, NADEP North Island artisan
John Ruiz carefully tests the fit of
a section of honeycomb in an
F/A-18 Hornet stabilator. The
depot was the first DOD facility to
repair aircraft components made
of or using composite materials.
Below, Leon Boykin, one of the
more than 3,000 civilian
employees of NADEP North
Island, performs fiberglass
repairs on an S-3 Viking nose
cone. While the majority of
NADEP artisans are veterans of
military maintenance operations,
only about 70 are active-duty
Navy personnel.
complete the NADEP process in half
the time as in years past.
The depot can also manufacture
many E-2/C-2 replacement parts that
are not available through any other
means, which can be used in the
depot or to supply the fleet as needed.
And the depot’s artisans have taken
the turnaround time for individual
aircraft components from an average
only a few years ago of 70–90 days
to under 30 days. Efforts like these
ensure that aircraft spend less time in
the depot and are thus more available
to the squadrons and aviation units of
the fleet, providing greater
opportunities for training time and
improving readiness.
NADEP North Island also brings
in-house engineering and logistics
support to the table. The depot’s
logisticians provide innovative
20 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Above, Chu Fang of NADEP North Island’s
research and
engineering department tests the
global positioning
system and armament software of an
SH-60 Seahawk.
Above right, NADEP North Island is
the only Navy facility
performing depot-level maintenance on
the LM2500
turbine engine, which powers many
Navy surface vessels.
Right, the depot is capable of
manufacturing wire bundles
and electrical components. Below, AT2(AW)
Cesar Decena
(seated) and AT2 Stephen Applebaum
perform a series of
tests in the depot’s Fleet
Calibration Laboratory.
solutions to the challenges of getting parts,
materials,
equipment, skills and expertise to the right place at
the
right time, allowing the fleet and its aviation units
to
function fully and capably while deployed. In a time
when information is at a premium, the depot provides a
flow of publications and drawings that the fleet needs
to
take care of its immediate problems on site.
Two laboratories at the depot also provide critical
services to the fleet and the depot. The Navy Primary
Standards Laboratory ensures accurate calibration of
the
electronic, microwave, flow, pressure, mechanical and
other systems in the modern Navy’s aircraft, surface
vessels and submarines, which are crucial for mission
effectiveness. The Materials Engineering Laboratory
supports investigations into breakdowns and wear in
the
materials used in today’s aerospace systems, and
assists
the depot in its efforts to identify environmentally
friendly materials for use in its processes.
“Every aircraft repaired, every component
fixed, every repair engineered, every logistics
plan developed here must have the stamp of
being delivered by the best and delivered with
quality, timeliness and cost value,” explained NADEP
North Island Commanding Officer Captain Pete Laszcz.
“America’s naval warfighters can have confidence as
they go in harm’s way that the products from here will
carry them safely to the accomplishment of their
mission.
Instilling that confidence is our mission, and our
people
have shown themselves to be equal to the task.”
With that, the opening conversation might now go
something like this: Pilot to mechanic, “My plane’s
headed for the depot at North Island. What happens to
it
there?” Mechanic to pilot, “Sir, we don’t have time to
go
over all the stuff they do to it there. Better read Naval
Aviation News for
the whole story.”
Mike Hammond is the NADEP North Island Public Affairs
Officer. For
more information on the depot, log on to
www.nadepni.navy.mil.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 21
Above, an F/A-18 Hornet taxis
from NADEP
North Island’s test line for a check
flight. Depot
pilots, sometimes assisted by
squadron pilots
and aircrew, fly check flights on all
aircraft
before they are returned to the
fleet. Left,
maintenance contol center personnel
at NADEP
North Island brief depot pilots on
the status of
aircraft before check flights.
Naval Aviation
has come a long way since its
beginnings in 1911. Technological advancements
have provided not only new aircraft and ships, but
progressive training for the personnel who operate the
equipment. With the development, installation and
unveiling of a state-of-the-art electronic aviation
classroom and a one-of-a-kind catapult launch system
simulator, the Naval Air Technical Training Center
(NATTC) Detachment, Naval Air Engineering Station
Lakehurst, N.J., has made a quantum leap forward in
combining the latest technologies with aircraft launch
and recovery equipment education.
“We’ve taken Navy training into the 21st century,”
explained Lieutenant Alan Chuderski, the det’s
training
officer. “We’re not just ropes and swabs anymore.”
The 11F12 Catapult Launch System Trainer Device
simulates catapult launch operations in a safe and
secure
environment that incorporates 3-D graphics and
surround
sound into a virtual reality classroom. “We can
simulate
all types of weather, wind conditions and aircraft
weights,”
Chuderski said. “We can also do nighttime operations.
About the only thing we don’t do is spray the students
with saltwater to simulate mist coming in over the
bow.”
The new trainer incorporates 122 core scenarios
covering all carrier-based aircraft. “There’s no way
to
interact with video, so we had to get smarter,” the
lieutenant continued. “We knew the technology was out
there. Why not use it to create a better, more
realistic
environment?”
The interactive nature of the new device is a big help
to instructors, who can now program in faults, change
scenarios and more closely monitor students’ progress
as
each phase in their training progresses. “When you
push
that fire button, you have to get it right,” he said. “It’s
not just an aircraft we’re launching; it’s someone’s
son or
daughter. That’s what we teach.”
The development of the $1.3 million training device
was an 18-month-long “labor of love,” Chuderski
22 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
PH3 Angela Virnig
commented, but it was not without difficulties. “Getting
the animation right was the hardest part. The graphics
people really needed our coaching.
We had to make them understand that
a half step off or a hand gesture made
the wrong way would have a totally
different meaning.” Overall, NATTC
is happy with the final product, which
was unveiled during the first training
class in February.
In addition to the catapult launch
trainer, the first of six electronic
aviation classrooms at NATTC was
recently opened and ready to accept
11 students for instruction in visual
landing aids (VLAs). The classroom was designed to
enhance instruction for the interior communications
electricians (IC) who maintain and operate the
improved
fresnel lens optical landing system, the long-range
lineup
system and landing signal officer (LSO) heads-up
display
systems.
“We give instruction in these VLAs to pilots and
LSOs so that they can safely execute landings aboard
aircraft carriers at sea,” NATTC instructor IC1 Thomas
Murdock said. The classroom’s components include
computer terminals and a
large display screen, which
projects equipment views
and actual operations of
individual aircraft.
“By inserting multimedia
technology into our
instruction, the students rely
less on their imagination.
Instead, they get to see
what really goes on,” Lt.
Chuderski added. Not only
will the training be easier and more efficient, it
will be
more interactive. Individual keypads mounted on each
desktop require students to electronically answer
questions posed by instructors. “In this way, we’ll
get
instant recognition of each student’s comprehension
level.
“When they leave here,” Chuderski concluded,
“they’ll be ready to walk out on that deck and become
an
immediate asset to their ship. It’s a big deal.”
Kathleen Bozan is editor of Air Scoop at NAES
Lakehurst, N.J.
Opposite, “shooters” on board Theodore
Roosevelt (CVN 71)
observe preflight checks of a VF-102
F-14 Tomcat. Bottom, an
F/A-18 Hornet of CVW-17
launches from George Washington
(CVN 73). To more accurately reflect
real-world flight deck
scenarios like these, NATTC Lakehurst
has developed two
digital training systems. Right, the
catapault launch system
trainer device provides a shooter’s-eye-view
of flight deck
operations, while an electronic
aviation classroom, below
right, is used to instruct students
in the use of visual landing
aids.
PHAN Jessica Davis
24 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
© Chris Buhlmann
When the Shadowhawks
of
Electronic Attack
Squadron (VAQ) 141
departed NAS Whidbey Island,
Wash., in April 2001 en route to
Norfolk, Va., and Enterprise (CVN
65) for a Mediterranean/Arabian
Gulf deployment, they expected a
typical cruise. They could not have
known how eventful the
deployment would become.
The Shadowhawks got their first
glimpse of Europe as the Big E
passed through the Straights of
Gibraltar on 8 May, followed by a
port visit in Spain. Enterprise and
Carrier AirWing (CVW) 8 went
on to conduct joint exercises with
the French navy, which allowed
the crew to observe the newest
French aircraft carrier Charles De
Gaulle in
action, as well as her air
wing flying E-2C Hawkeyes, Super
Etendards and the newest naval
fighter, the Rafale.
After routine operations in the
western Mediterranean and a port
visit in Italy, Enterprise headed for
the North Atlantic and British
Isles in June. Later on the coast of
Scotland, the squadron spent two
weeks training with NATO allies
in the Joint Maritime Course.
Operations were intense and
included spectacular low-level
flights through northern Scotland
and integrated attacks against the RAF Stornoway
and RAF Lossiemouth airfields. A port call in
Portugal and two rigorous weeks at sea off Greece
preceded a stint in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian
Gulf, where the Enterprise battle group
supported
Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no-fly zone
over Iraq.
On the morning of 10 September, the Big E began
the long transit home. But the expectation of a
leisurely journey back to the United States was
shattered on 11 September as the Shadowhawks and
the world watched the despicable terrorist acts unfold
in the skies over New York City and Washington, D.C.
Soon after, Enterprise and CVW-8 joined other
U.S.
Navy assets on station in the northern Arabian Sea
and brought the fight to the enemy. Providing a large
portion of the firepower unleashed during the initial
strikes into Afghanistan, Enterprise and her
battle
group lived up to their motto, “Ready on Arrival.”
During Operation Enduring Freedom, the aircrews of
VAQ-141 provided the crucial element of electronic
attack in support of coalition air and ground forces.
Since their return to NAS Whidbey Island, the
Shadowhawks continue to train in order to maintain a
high level of proficiency in preparation for whatever
challenges the next deployment brings.
Ltjg. McGowan is VAQ-141’s public affairs officer.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 25
PH3 Joshua C. Millage
© Chris Buhlmann
Opposite, a trio of VAQ-141 EA-6B
Prowlers fly over snow-capped
mountains in April 2001. Left, a
Shadowhawks electronic
countermeasures officer prepares
for flight. Below, the flight deck
“shooter” aboard Enterprise (CVN
65) gives the launch signal to
catapult a Prowler of VAQ-141
in
October 2001. The Shadowhawks
conducted strikes against terrorist
training camps and Taliban military
installations in Afghanistan during
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Tucked away into
a small corner of the Newport
News-Williamsburg, Va., airport is a little known
company that fulfills an important support role for
the U.S. Navy’s warfighting capability. Flight
International
Inc. (FII) provides realistic training for both air
wings and
the surface fleet.
Founded in 1976 as an airline training school in
Atlanta,
Ga., FII is an aviation services company which offers
the
government and the aerospace industry cost-effective
and
flexible airborne testing platforms that have a wide
range
of capabilities, including towed targets and decoys,
electronic warfare (EW) systems and customer-specific
payloads. The company is also an authorized Federal
Aviation Administration repair station specializing in
service and modification of Learjet aircraft. The
company’s global operations span the United States and
Europe. It relies on a large fleet of aircraft, mostly
Learjets, and an experienced staff of more than 150
employees.
Flight International provides airborne electronic
warfare
and electronic countermeasures support for training of
aircrews and shipboard personnel, as well as for
supporting
research and development, training and evaluating
programs conducted by government agencies such as
NATO, the defense industry and the scientific
community.
Its aircraft can be fitted with internal and
external EW equipment for threat simulation
and active and passive jamming systems
covering a wide spectrum of frequencies, and
can simulate the specific radar signatures of
potential bad guys.
The company’s flight crews and onboard
electronic warfare operators are highly
experienced in both the flight test and
operational environments, and the crews are
well versed in threat scenarios and tactics.
Rather than take the more lucrative path of
26 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL INC.:
SUPPORTING
THE
WARFIGHTERS
Story
and Photos by Rick Llinares
Top, Flight International Inc. relies
on a large fleet of Learjets
to accomplish its global mission.
Above, a towed target rests
under the wing of a Learjet. Below
left, a Strike Fighter Squadron
37 F/A-18 Hornet escorts a
Learjet to NAS Oceana, Va.
commercial airline aviation, the small cadre of
experienced pilots take on the challenging and diverse
mission that FII supports. The average company pilot
brings thousands of hours of military flying
experience
into the cockpit, including some combat.
Jim Pressick is typical of the aviators who fly for
Flight
International. He flew F-4 Phantom IIs in
combat during
the Vietnam War, as well as F-15 Eagles during
his 22-
year career in the Air Force. The former fighter pilot
described some of the varied missions that he and the
other FII pilots fly. “During air gunnery engagements
with
the Navy, we fly several profiles. The first is
straight and
level and the fighter pilots provide their own angle
off the
target. The other profile is more interesting. Called
the
‘squirrel cage,’ it’s a circular pattern and very
dynamic in
which three fighters attack the target banner at
different
times in a continuous manner.”
After the mission, the Learjet typically flies back to
NAS Oceana, Va., with a fighter escort. Since the
banner
trails the Learjet, an F-14 Tomcat or F/A-18 Hornet
flies
aft of it to ensure that no aircraft accidentally
cross the
path of the banner. Once over the airfield, the
Learjet crew
cuts the banner free and it floats harmlessly to the
ground
where it can be inspected for hit accuracy.
An equally important part of FII’s mission is to
support
the surface fleet with towed targets. The Learjets
carry tow
reels under the wing that have a target connected to
up to
22,000 feet of cable which is reeled out and back. The
Navy ships fire their guns at the towed target which
simulates a cruise missile. The Lear pilots usually
keep the
target anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the
water,
but in some cases present it at altitudes below 200
feet to
simulate a low flying cruise missile. This tests a
ship’s
ability to locate and track these threats.
For true simulation of high-speed threat aircraft, the
company relies on some interesting assets, including a
pair
of SAAB Draken aircraft and an Israeli Kfir fighter.
In
addition, mission-specialized pods are hung underneath
the
Lear aircraft which allow the jets to simulate the
electronic
signatures that potentially hostile aircraft represent
to
Navy ships and ground controllers.
Much of the Navy training done by the company in the
Atlantic Fleet is over the large warning areas off the
Virginia and North Carolina coasts. While FII owns the
aircraft, the actual flight time is arranged and paid
for by
the Navy and managed by the Fleet Area Control and
Surveillance Facility (FACSFAC), Virginia Capes in
Virginia Beach. The facility monitors aircraft
movements
and coordinates assignments as well as the use of the
offshore warning areas for all air, surface and
subsurface
units. It also handles many other tasks, from search
and
rescue operations support to range safety and control
for
live-fire exercises and supplying air intercept
control
services for fleet readiness squadrons. FII also
maintains a
base of operations at NAS North Island, Calif., where
it
provides similar services to its primary Navy customer
in
the Pacific Fleet, FACSFAC San Diego.
All of this support provides the Navy a valuable
training capability that enables aircrews to remain
the best
of the best.
Rick Llinares is a professional photographer and writer
specializing in Naval
Aviation. The author is grateful to Flight
International Inc. and FACSFAC
VACAPES for their support of this article.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 27
Some people
travel to frigid
Greenland to retrieve aircraft
from beneath 250 feet of
glacial ice. Others go to the
sweltering jungles of New Guinea
to bring them back. The National
Museum of Naval Aviation,
Pensacola, Fla., went to the bottom
of Lake Michigan to recover a
Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, and the
Michigan-based Kalamazoo
Aviation History Museum, along
with the national Guadalcanal
Memorial Museum, are the
beneficiaries. After years of
fundraising and negotiation, this
aircraft was brought to the “Air
Zoo” in early November 1993. The
dive-bomber is probably most
noted for its work in the Pacific,
especially during the Battle of
Midway where its type sank three
major Japanese aircraft carriers and
damaged a fourth.
Divers retrieved SBD BuNo
06624 from the freshwater lake
where it crashed near Naval Air
Station Glenview, Ill., on 19
September 1943. After sustaining
damage in a landing accident and
being underwater for 50 years, the
Dauntless was
in very poor
condition. To prevent further
corrosion, power sprayers were
used to remove muck and silt from
the aircraft, which was then
completely disassembled. All of the
parts were cleaned and oiled to
preserve them.
While the restoration team, led
by Air Zoo members Greg Ward
and Rick Johnson, planned the
rebuilding of the aircraft, museum
volunteer Richard Bauer
researched the history of BuNo
06624. Assigned to the Tophatters
of Scouting Squadron 41 on 12
September 1942, the aircraft
played an important role in
supporting U.S. forces off Africa’s
west coast while operating from
Ranger (CV
4).
28 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
The SBD-3 Dauntless retrieved
from the
depths of Lake Michigan by the
National
Museum of Naval Aviation was a shadow
of its former self, above center. A
painstaking restoration by the
Kalamazoo
Air Zoo, above, restored the plane to
its
former glory, top. Opposite page, the
SBD
sits on the tarmac with a modern
squadronmate, an F/A-18E Super
Hornet.
After dismantling the aircraft at the museum in 1994,
a decision was made to rebuild it to static condition.
On
long-term loan from the Navy, it was unlikely that it
would be allowed to fly. Even so, the personnel
carrying
out the restoration are perfectionists and they
replaced
parts that no one would ever see, including wiring,
cables
and other interior equipment. Restoring the propeller,
spinner, cowling and the entire engine took almost
eight
years of devoted labor. Both damaged wings also had to
be restored, but one of the biggest challenges was
rebuilding the flaps and dive brakes. A special mold
had
to be made to accomplish the task.
The fuselage was completely stripped, all corrosion
removed and some new skin added. The tail wheel was
gone, but one was found at an auction on eBay. The
landing gear was restored, magnesium wheels replaced,
cockpit renovated and the canopy manufactured. All
exterior painting, including insignia and other
markings,
was completed on the Dauntless for a dedication
ceremony at the Air Zoo on 11 May. The original pilot
of
BuNo 06624, E. F. Anderson, was unable to attend the
ceremony, but his son and grandson attended and posed
for photos in the cockpit of the restored SBD.
A fitting tribute took place on 30 May when F/A-18
Hornets from
today’s Tophatters of Strike Fighter
Squadron 14 flew in to meet a WW II ancestor.
Gerard Pahl is Education Director at the Kalamazoo
Aviation History
Museum.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 29
As of May 2002,
the Director of Naval
History, who has management responsibility
of all historic, sunken naval aircraft, requires a
permit for recovery of sunken aircraft.
Applicants must include a feasible and
comprehensive plan for recovery, conservation,
safety and addressing environmental concerns.
For more information contact the Underwater
Archaeology Branch of the Naval Historical
Center at 202-433-7562 (DSN 288-7562).
After the
invasion of South Korea by
North Korean troops on 25 June 1950,
American forces were strung out
through the Far East. One American carrier
was available, along with one British Royal
Navy flattop, and that was the extent of naval
airpower in Korea for a month.
As the small carrier task force pounded the
North Koreans, the Truman administration
sent in the Marines. On 7 July, the Forward
Echelon, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW)
and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade,
consisting of the 5th Marine Regiment and
Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 33, stood up.
MAG-33 included Marine Fighter Squadrons
(VMF) 214 and 323, Marine Night Fighter
Squadron (VMF(N)) 513, Marine Observation
Squadron (VMO) 6 and two radar units. The
brigade’s formation and departure had been a
marvel of logistical coordination, activating
reserve components and creating new ground
units almost overnight. The brigade left San
Diego on 12 July aboard the escort carrier
Badoeng Strait (CVE 116). Transport
squadrons VMRs 152 and 352 with longrange
R5D Skymasters also moved men and
material into the theater.
30 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
By
Cdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.)
A VMF-214 Black Sheep F4U-4B
launches from
Badoeing Strait early in the war. The Corsair was
invaluable in Navy and Marine Corps
squadrons
throughout the conflict in Korea.
MARINE
AVIATION
IN
KOREA, 1950–1953
After arriving in Japan and
checking its aircraft and equipment,
the brigade set out for Korea,
landing at Pusan on Korea’s extreme
southeast coast on 2 August 1950.
The first Marine strikes of the war
launched on 3 August, with VMF-
214 sending eight F4U Corsairs
flying close air support (CAS) for
U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK)
soldiers near Pusan. Initially on
board Badoeng Strait, VMF-214
transferred to Sicily (CVE 118),
skippered by WW II Navy ace
Captain John S. Thach. By 7 August
VMFs 214 and 323 were flying
continuous CAS sorties ahead of the
Marine and Army troops on the
ground.
The WW II-vintage Corsair,
rockets and napalm were an
effective combination throughout the
entire war, but especially during this
early period. Short-legged jets could
not loiter above the battlefield, and
airfields in country were not yet
available. Flying from carriers
allowed more on-station time. Thus,
it fell to the veteran Navy and
Leatherneck Corsairs to carry the
war in the beginning.
Marine helicopters were active,
too. One of the first helicopter
rescues by Marine aircrews occurred
on 10 August 1950, when an
HO3S-1 of VMO-6 flown by First
Lieutenant Gustave F. Lueddeke
picked up Captain Vivian M. Moses
of VMF-323. Moses’s Corsair had
been hit by enemy ground fire and
lost oil pressure, and he had to ditch.
In a sad twist, Capt. Moses
32 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Left, an F4U Corsair of VMF-
212 is hoisted on deck off
Yokosuka, Japan, in
September 1950. Below,
F4Us and F7F Tigercats wait
on the frozen flight line at
captured Yanpo airfield,
North Korea, in 1950.
volunteered for another mission the
next day, only to be shot down
again. After being thrown from his
aircraft on crashing into a rice
paddy, he drowned. It was MAG-
33’s first combat fatality.
VMO-6 also flew several OY
Sentinel artillery-spotting
aircraft,
nicknamed “Grasshoppers.”
Although unarmed, these little
planes flew a dangerous mission,
and after taking ground fire several
spotter pilots retaliated. Capt.
Francis A. McCaleb began carrying
hand grenades, tossing them out
over any small group of enemy
troops that fired on him.
Inchon Operations
After intensive planning, a
massive allied operation against the
port of Inchon on the west Korean
coast began in September 1950.
Inchon was the port facility for the
capital city of Seoul, now under
Communist domination. The
projected amphibious landing
required a lot of planning. The great
tides moving on the harbor, with
differences of as much as 35 feet,
were of primary concern. In fact, the
tides actually determined the
invasion date of 15 September when
the flood tide would be highest.
The invasion force hit Green
Beach on the northwest tip of the
small offshore island of Wolmi-do
after a lengthy softening up by
carrier aircraft. VMF-323 and VMF-
214 Corsairs flew cover for the
Marines, pouring machine gun fire
into enemy positions not 50 yards
ahead of the assault forces. Men and
tanks stormed ashore, but met
surprisingly light resistance. The
enemy had badly underestimated
American capabilities, thinking the
dangerous tides and currents would
take care of the invaders.
Operation Chromite established
an allied foothold that eventually
pushed the North Koreans back,
freeing the South Korean capital
area and proving the Marine Corps
amphibious operation was alive and
well. Chromite also upheld the hardwon
doctrine of Marine CAS, the
Corsair squadrons
in particular
receiving high praise from Army and
Marine commanders.
After the great gains of the
Inchon invasion, however, the
Marines faced one of their greatest
challenges as they came up against a
new and powerful enemy, the
Chinese Army at Chosin. The
withdrawal from the Chosin
Reservoir in the bitterly cold early
winter of 1950 is one of the most
terrible, yet heroic chapters in
Marine Corps history.
By mid-November, the winter
had arrived, creating a new danger
for friend and foe. Communist
China had joined the fighting and
the Marines faced a huge force of 10
Chinese divisions, comprising
100,000 men. Outnumbered and
fighting against the unexpected
Chinese offensive, the Marines
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 33
Left, Marine pilot 1st Lt. Gus
Lueddeke hovers a Bell HTL-3
during a simulated rescue using a
sling. Below, a VMO-6 HO3S
leaves a front-line position carrying
a Navy corpsman injured
while trying to rescue a Marine from
a minefield in September
1951. Bottom, an OY-2 Sentinel flies
over a ridge in North
Korea in June 1951. The pilot spotted
fleeing Chinese troops,
and shortly after this photo was
taken, Marine aircraft bombed
the ridge.
SSgt Ed Barnum National Museum of
Naval Aviation
National Museum of Naval Aviation
began to withdraw. This started an
epic story of survival and courage
whose costly success would be due
in no small measure to cooperation
between Navy and Marine Corps air
units coordinating with the
struggling ground troops.
MAG-33 squadrons did their best
to hamper the enemy. VMF-312,
which had arrived in theater with
F4U-4s in mid-September,
accumulated nearly 2,000 flight
hours, while losing four aircraft and
one pilot, even while moving to
Yonpo Airfield near Hamhunn on 1
December. By 28 November, the
situation was becoming desperate as
Chinese troops harassed positions at
Hagaru-ri, where a 2,900-foot
airstrip had become crucial to the
resupply effort.
An essential airborne asset to
what was called the Chosin
Breakout was the air-supply
operation by VMR-152 R4Q
Packets.
These twin-engine, twinboomed
cargo planes made most of
the supply runs to Marines trying to
get out of the Chosin area—
dropping some 1.8 pounds of
supplies, including a 19-ton bridge
in eight sections.
The first Marine jets arrived with
VMF-311 at Yonpo on 10
December, assigned to MAG-12,
flying its first combat missions that
afternoon. The squadron was soon
ordered south to Pusan, from which
it flew missions all over Korea. The
Marines had developed CAS during
the Philippine Campaign of January
1945 and made this coordination
between aircraft and requesting
ground units their own special field
of operations. CAS by F9F Panther
jets brought in a new discipline,
which took into account the new
type’s high speed and reduced range
and loitering capabilities. There was
also concern about the Panther’s
shallower dive angle because of the
jet’s higher speed. This reduced
angle increased the fighter’s
exposure to its own bomb fragments
after delivery.
By January 1951, however, the
Panthers were
grounded because of
problems with their Pratt & Whitney
engines, and the squadron was sent
back to Japan. In February VMF-
311 was reassigned to MAG-33 and
relocated to Pohang’s airfield. Until
February 1952 VMF-311 was the
only Marine jet squadron in Korea.
It was joined by VMF-115, and in
March by Marine Photographic
Squadron (VMJ) 1 flying F2H-2P
Banshees.
During the Korean War, the
Marines initiated a new form of
troop insertion with the introduction
of the helicopter. Marine Helicopter
Transport Squadron (HMR) 161
brought HRS-1s in September 1951
34 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Above, film is loaded in a VMF-311
Panther’s gun camera as the pilot folds
the plane’s wings after a mission.
Right, Maj. John H. Glenn poses by
the
torn tail of his F9F Panther in
March
1953. Below, R4Q Packet cargo
planes
were key to the resupply effort.
Bottom,
Korean farmers seem unconcerned as
two Panthers fly overhead
while
returning to their base.
Sgt C. D. Prindle
Sgt Curt Giese
MSgt W. F. Gemeinhardt via Nicholas
Williams
Backround photo by TSgt Ralph J.
Austin
aboard Sitkoh Bay (CVU 86), and
quickly began using the newly
developed doctrine of vertical
envelopment: moving Marine
combat troops and their equipment
to the battlefield by helo. The
HRS-1, right, was an unusual
helicopter with its engine mounted
in the nose, below and in front of
the cockpit, and two clamshell
doors.
HMR-161 flew its first resupply
missions by mid-September,
followed by its first airlift missions
on 21 September in support of
Operation Summit, the relief of an
embattled ROK unit. Besides 224
troops and nearly 18,000 pounds of
cargo, the HRSs carried telephone
wire to connect the reconnaissance
teams with the command post. That
November, the HRS crews airlifted
Thanksgiving dinners to the men in
the field.
Aerial Combat
From the Navy and Marine Corps
standpoint, air-to-air action was
sporadic, with the Air Force seeing
most of the engagements against
Communist aircraft. At first, the
enemy seemed reluctant to commit
its few modern MiG-15 fighters, and
sent in WW II veterans like Yak-9
fighters and Il-10 ground-attack
bombers. Flying from Bataan (CVL
29), VMF-312 Corsair pilot Capt.
Phillip C. DeLong shot down two
Yaks on 21 April 1951, while his
wingman, First Lieutenant Harold
Daigh, accounted for two others.
DeLong was already an ace in the
Pacific with 11 Japanese kills.
Squadron aviators scored again on
10 September 1952 when Capt.
Jesse G. Folmar shot down a MiG-
15 with his Corsair.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 35
TSgt V. Murdutt
continued on p. 37
36 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Clockwise from left: VMF-312 aviators
(left
to right) 1st Lt. Harold Daigh, 2nd
Lt.
Robert Howard, Jr., 1st Lt. Shelby
Forrest,
2nd Lt. Edward Leiland and Capt. Phil
DeLong celebrate a quadruple
shootdown.
Maj. John F. Bolt shot down six
MiG-15s in
Korea to become the Marine Corps’
only
jet ace, and the only Marine aviator
to
achieve ace status in two different
aircraft
and two wars. With the F3D-2 Skynight’s
nose compartment open in preparation
for
maintenance, the large search radar
antenna and the small lock-on radar
antenna which made the F3D-2 a
skilled
night fighter are visible. From the
cockpit
of their Skynight, Lt. Col.
Robert Conley
(right) and radar operator SSgt.
Connor
indicate their nighttime shootdown of
a
MiG-15.
The maneuverable MiG-15 was a
formidable
adversary. Left upper, Soviet
volunteer pilots
inspect a MiG-15 for use in Korea.
Left lower,
well over 30,000 Po-2 biplanes were
built and
found work throughout the Communist
world.
During the war the Po-2 was used
mostly as a
nuisance raider in Korea, carrying
light bombs
and machine guns to harass the enemy
at
night. Right, an F7F Tigercat crew
chief sends
off his plane and pilot.
via Col. Phillip C. DeLong Yefim
Gordon Archive
E. S. Holmberg via Steven P. Albright
Other aerial kills by Marine
crews included Po-2s used as night
hecklers by the enemy. These small
biplanes were very hard to locate in
the dark, because their wooden
construction greatly reduced the
effectiveness of the Marines’ radar.
A new phase of the air war
opened on the night of 3 November
1952 when an F3D-2 Skyknight crew
from VMF(N)-513 shot down the
first enemy jet at night, a Russian
Yak-15. Painted flat black with red
tail code letters and side numbers,
the Skyknights were intended as
escorts for Air Force B-29s that had
been harassed by enemy
interceptors. The F3Ds proved their
worth and never lost a B-29 to
Communist fighters, shooting down
seven enemy aircraft, including six
MiG-15s.
Marines also flew exchange
tours with the Air Force’s F-86
squadrons. Major John F. Bolt had
been a Pacific ace with six kills
flying with Pappy Boyington’s
Black Sheep of
VMF-214. After 89
missions with VMF-115, he got a
90-day assignment with the 39th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st
Fighter Interceptor Wing. During
May and June 1953, he shot down
six MiG-15s to become a two-war
ace, and the Marine Corps’ only jet
ace.
Flying Sergeants:
Enlisted Aviators in
the Marines
Although many countries
numbered enlisted pilots in
their squadrons, the United
States military had generally
ruled that only commissioned
officers could be pilots. There
had been many American
enlisted aviators just before
WW II, but by the end of the war,
most of them had accepted
commissions.
Navy and Marine Corps enlisted
aviators were called Naval Aviation
Pilots (NAPs). The Marines had 131
NAPs in 1952, and not just in
transport squadrons. NAPs flew
helicopters and jets, seeing heavy
action in Korea. Flying sergeants
flew Corsairs and F7F Tigercats at
Pusan and Chosin, Panthers in close
air support against the Chinese, and
OY Sentinels in dangerous artilleryspotting
missions.
Several of these NAPs had
actually been commissioned officers
in WW II. After mustering out in
1945 and 1946, many of the former
Corsair and
SBD Dauntless drivers
regretted leaving active duty. When
the Corps found itself short of
aviators to fly its new jets and to
man its remaining squadrons, it
developed a program whereby
former Marine officer aviators could
return as master sergeants (E-7s) if
they reupped 90 days or less after
leaving active duty. After the 90
days, the former aviator could rejoin
as a technical sergeant, a grade
below master sergeant.
When VMF-311 brought its F9F
Panthers to
Korea, several of its
pilots were enlisted. Master Sergeant
Avery C. Snow was the first NAP to
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 37
Above, MSgt. Paul Miller takes
advantage of personal time to read a
letter in his quarters at the K-3
airfield in South Korea. Left, five master
sargeant Naval Aviation Pilots of
VMJ-1 pose with a squadron Banshee,
left to right: J. R. Todd, Sam
Cooper, LeRoy Copland, Marv Myers and
Red Truex.
via L. R. Truex
via L. R. Truex
38 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
complete 100 combat missions in a jet. He had been
a captain with Marine Torpedo Bomber Squadron
232 during WW II. Another new NAP was Master
Sergeant Lowell T. Truex, also flying photo
Banshees,
who was a commissioned fighter pilot in
the Pacific.
Master Sergeant James R. Todd was VMJ-1’s
high-mission man, completing 101 photo sorties. He
was a second lieutenant at the end of WW II and was
mustered out in 1946. He returned in November,
resigned his commission and reenlisted as a master
sergeant. Todd served in Vietnam, where he flew
Above, an F2H-2P
Banshee photoreconnaissance
plane awaits
its next mission in
South Korea. Left, Maj.
Tom Miller, XO of VMA-
323, climbs out of his
AU-1 after a mission in
1952. Among the many
reservists recalled to
active duty were two
professional baseball
players who traded in
their bats and gloves
for the controls of
Marine aircraft. Capt.
Jerry Coleman, below
left, flew F4U Corsairs
with VMA-323, and
Capt. Ted Williams,
right, flew Panthers
with VMF-311.
George Terry
Ron Marsh via Jerry Coleman
C-117s, occasionally on dangerous
night flare-dropping missions.
Marine enlisted aviators were an
integral part of their service’s
capability. In the Vietnam War,
however, there were only a few
NAPs on active duty and fewer
still flying. By 1973, only four
NAPs were still serving and all
four were simultaneously retired
on 1 February 1973, closing a
colorful era in naval aviation and
Marine Corps history.
Reserves
Most countries rely on a cadre
of regular servicemen, backed up
with a larger contingent of
reservists who can be called back to
active duty in a short time. During
the Korean War, reservists from all
of the U.S. military branches were
mobilized. The Marine Air Reserve
had a small number of people
participating, but a large number of
“inactive” reservists were on the
rolls, and many of these were called
up by late 1950.
Many of the activated reservists
had seen action in WW II, but very
few had any flight time in the new
jets. Thus, the reservists filled out
the Corsair squadrons, performing
vital CAS work. One such former
aviator-reservist played for the New
York Yankees, another for the
Boston Red Sox. Capt. Jerry
Coleman played in Yankee
pinstripes at second base after flying
SBD Dauntlesses with VMSB-341
during the Philippine Campaign in
January 1945. Capt. Theodore “Ted”
S. Williams played left field for the
BoSox, but was better known for his
hitting genius. Unlike Coleman,
Williams had not seen action in WW
II, but served as a flight instructor in
the States. Coleman flew Corsairs
with VMA-323, while Williams got
the jets of VMF-311. (The Navy and
Marine Corps fighter squadrons
flying propeller-driven aircraft were
redesignated as attack squadrons in
March 1952.)
Final Days
As the spring and early summer
of 1953 proceeded, the Marine
squadrons of MAGs 12 and 33 kept
up the pressure, flying countless
sorties against enemy lines and
installations. Sometimes, their
attention made the difference
between a Communist victory and
an outpost remaining in Marine
hands.
Flying was completely cancelled
for 12 days in July because of rain
and heavy cloud cover, but there
were signs of a coming cease-fire.
Even so, Chinese troops made one or
two last-ditch efforts. On 25 July,
VMFs 115 and 311 flew strikes
against enemy concentrations.
Finally, word came that 27 July
would be the last day of the war.
Even as the 7,000 men of the 1st
MAW prepared to stand down, the
wing’s aircraft flew 222 sorties on
that final day. Capt. William I.
Armagost of VMF-311 flew the last
jet mission of the war against
Chinese supply areas in the late
afternoon, 35 minutes before the
cease-fire was to take effect at 1910
hours.
After the armistice went into
effect, the 1st MAW remained part
of the Fifth Air Force to enforce the
no-fly zone south of the
demilitarized zone. F3D Skynights
of VMF(N)-513 and radar-equipped
AD Skyraiders from Marine
Composite Squadron 1 and Marine
Attack Squadron 251 flew security
patrols to guard against Communist
violators. Aerial movement in and
out of Korea was restricted to five
airfields. Withdrawal of in-country
units, either to Japan or back to the
United States, was an ongoing
operation, coupled with introducing
new squadrons into the theater to
continue post-armistice activities.
The war in Korea had given the
Marine Corps in general, and
Marine aviation in particular, a
much needed shot in the arm.
Although its record in WW II spoke
for itself, the Corps’ air arm had
been close to disbanding. But when
the first shots were fired in June
1950, the air Marines were among
the first to be sent. They would also
be among the last to leave.
Cdr. Mersky has written several books and
magazine articles on Navy and Marine Corps
aviation. He has been the book review editor
for Naval Aviation News since 1982. He retired
as the editor of Approach in 2000.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 39
Right, VMC-1 AD-4W Skyraiders on
the
flight line at the K-3 airfield in
Pohang,
South Korea. Below, ground crew
members maintain a VMA-121 Skyraider
which sports a notable mission
scoreboard below the cockpit.
Fred C. Dickey Jr. via Nicholas
Williams
Major D. C. Georgia
Awards
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) took
home top honors as the 2001
Battenberg Cup winner.
The cup is
presented annually to the Atlantic
Fleet Battle Efficiency winner with the
greatest accumulation of crew
achievements. TR also won the 2001
Capt. Edward F. Ney Award for
food excellence and the 2001
Admiral Flatley Memorial Award
for safety.
The 2001 Grampaw Pettibone
Award winners
were VAQ-136 and
Lt. Christopher Sullivan of VAQ-
132. The award is presented every
calendar year to the organization and
individual who contributed the most
toward aviation safety through
publications.
ET2(SW) Timothy J. Spillan was
named the 2001 Vice Admiral
William P. Lawrence Air Traffic
Control Technician of the Year.
Belleau Wood (LHA
3) won a
2001 CINCPACFLT Golden
Anchor Award for
retention.
For the third straight year, VF-11
won the AIRLANT Grand Slam
award for most effectively
employing air-to-air weapons during
the year.
The Green Hornet Team of the
F/A-18E/F Acquisition Program,
NAS Patuxent River, Md., won the
CNO Environmental Excellence
in Weapon System Acquisition
40 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
AO2 Jeremy Moore checks a
Sidewinder missile on a VFA-34
F/A-18 Hornet on the flight
deck of
George Washington (CVN 73).
PHAN Jessica Davis
The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation presented its
annual awards to
outstanding contributors in Naval Aviation. The 2001
Admiral ArthurW.
Radford Award for
excellence in
Naval Aviation history and
literature was presented to Hal
Andrews (left) for four decades
of significant contributions. The
2001 R. G. Smith Award for
excellence in Naval Aviation art
was presented to Keith Ferris
(right), an internationally
acclaimed aviation artist.
JO3 Dan Ball
Award for
its approach to
incorporating environmental
awareness and pollution
prevention into their planning
decisions.
The 2002 Atlantic Fleet Aviation
Boatswain’s Mate of the Year title
was awarded to ABE1(AW/SW) Jon
Clark of Enterprise (CVN 65).
Helicopter Training Squadron 8,
NAS Whiting Field, Fla., and
Training Squadron 10, NAS
Pensacola, Fla., each received
CNET 2002 Training Excellence
Awards for
providing the highest
quality of training to Sailors around
the world.
VF-154 on board Kitty Hawk (CV
63) won the CVW-5 Top Hook
Award.
Recognizing exceptional
examples of safety and occupational
health program improvements, the
2001 Secretary of the Navy
Achievement in Safety Ashore
Awards for
the aviation community
went to: Large Industrial Activity,
NAVDEP Jacksonville, Fla., and
Out-CONUS Non-Industrial, NAS
Keflavik, Iceland.
Scan Pattern
A new graduate education
program aimed at the enrichment of
Naval Aviation and the professional
growth and development of aviation
officers is targeted for rollout at
NAS Lemoore, Calif., and NAS
Whiting Field, Fla. During
September the Naval Postgraduate
School (NPS) is offering an
executive master of business
administration (EMBA)
program to
aviation officers who meet entrance
criteria. The EMBA course consists
of a 24-month curriculum, resulting
in a financial management degree.
Prior to beginning the course, the
student must attend a one-week, no
cost to their command, TAD
introductory course at the NPS.
Most of the program will be
conducted on Navy time at no
expense to the student. The class
combines web-based and classroom
instruction two Fridays each month
and an occasional requirement for
Saturday instruction. Obligated
service is a part of the complete
degree program, and DOD graduate
education policy GREEMAIN
applies and will be served
concurrently with any existing
obligation. This obligation will
begin one year after program
enrollment rather than upon degree
completion. For more information
go to www.bupers.navy.mil.
Records and
Anniversaries
On board Harry S. Truman (CVN
75), Cdr. Ted Carter completed his
Chief Petty Officer Bart Reabe
performs preflight checks on an SH-60 Seahawk
assigned to the HS-15 Red Lions on
board George Washington (CVN 73).
41
PHAN Jessica Davis
1,646th trap in a VF-32 F-14
Tomcat.
HC-3 celebrated
its 28-
year anniversary and has
completed over 176,000
mishap-free flight hours.
On board Kitty Hawk (CV
63) the deputy commander of
CVW-5, Capt. Patrick
Driscoll, completed
his
1,000th trap in a VFA-192
F/A-18 Hornet.
VX-20 surpassed
38,015
hours during 10 years of
Class A mishap-free flying.
On 22 April aboard
Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72),
VAQ-139 XO Cdr. Scott
Pollpeter achieved
3,000
hours in the EA-6B Prowler.
Rescues
On 24 February a Coast
Guard C-130 Hercules from San
Juan, P.R., investigated
an
emergency radio beacon signal and
spotted an inflatable dingy and life
raft lashed together with four
people on board. The aircrew
dropped a radio to the
survivors and learned that
their 53-foot sailboat had
struck something in the
water the night before
and sank within minutes.
Since their location was
130 miles from St. Croix,
U.S.Virgin Islands, they
were out of range of the
Coast Guard’s HH-65
Dolphin helicopters.
The
Coast Guard contacted
VC-8 at NS
Roosevelt
Roads, P.R., which put
together a crew for its
UH-3H Sea King. The
helo arrived on scene
following a 1.5-hour
transit and deployed a
rescue swimmer, who
determined that there
were no serious injuries
among the survivors.
After 45 minutes of fighting large
swells, the swimmer was able to
hoist all of the victims aboard the
42 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
PH3 Travis Ross
A Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
crew member checks on the
catapult and launch bar assembly
before the launch of an E-2C
Hawkeye assigned to the Screwtops of
VAW-123.
2001 AVIATION SQUADRON BATTLE
EFFICIENCY WINNERS
Category Pacific Atlantic
VF VF-213 VF-102
VAQ CVW VAQ-135 VAQ-137
VAQ EXP VAQ-133 N/A
VFA VFA-97 VFA-15
VS VS-29 VS-24
VAW VAW-117 VAW-123
VP VP-9 VP-5
HS HS-6 HS-11
HSL HSL-47 HSL-42
HC HC-11 HC-6
HM N/A HM-14
VQ EW VQ-1 N/A
VQ TACAMO VQ-3 N/A
VPU VPU-2 N/A
VRC, VC N/A VRC-40
helo and they were taken to the
Roosevelt Roads naval hospital for
treatment.
Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane
rescued 71 Haitian migrants from a
capsized vessel six miles west of
Great Inagua, Bahamas, on 10 May.
Two Bahamian vessels assisted two
HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and an
HU-25 Falcon jet from CGAS
Miami, Fla., in
the rescue.
On 15 April a CGAS Elizabeth
City, N.C.,
HH-60 Jayhawk
helicopter rescued a father and son
after their boat ran aground near the
mouth of the York River. The two
were picked up from their vessel and
transported to Coast Guard Training
Center Yorktown, Va., in good
condition.
NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.,
Search and Rescue personnel and
their UH-3H Sea King accomplished
two challenging rescues, one from
the edge of a cliff, the other from the
9,500-foot mark of Mount Baker.
The first incident started with a call
to aid a critically injured hiker who
had fallen 100 feet from a cliff.
Because of rough terrain, the victim
could be rescued only by helicopter.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 43
By JO2 Jd Walter, Task Force
EXCEL Public Affairs
Seeking out training and
educational solutions from the
civilian sector is a primary focus of
the Navy’s Revolution in Training
initiative. Taking the best that
industry offers and adapting it to
Navy needs provides Sailors with
proven and respected training
certifications and professional
credentials, while creating a more
efficient and effective training
program for the Navy.
At the International Center for
Emergency Response Training
Academy (ICERTA), Ocala, Fla.,
the temperatures soar as two fire
hose teams advance into a towering
inferno. Black smoke curls into the
afternoon sky, blotting out the sun.
Underneath 70 pounds of Nomex,
beads of sweat roll into the eyes of
the Sailors, stinging as they
struggle to subdue a 1,000-degree
propane fire.
This course is part of the CNO’s
initiative to revolutionize Navy
training and education. At ICERTA,
eight Sailors are earning not only
professional firefighting
certifications, but also college
credits. This ensures that Sailors are
not only employed, but employable.
Through the eight weeks of
arduous schedules and intense heat,
the course receives nothing but
accolades from the students. All
coming from damage control
backgrounds, they represent a
cross-section of Navy platforms,
from fleet training centers to
precommissioning crews and
aircraft carrier flight decks.
Likewise, the class ranges from the
enlisted ranks of second-class petty
officer to chief warrant officer.
Despite their years of experience in
the Navy, the ICERTA course is
still teaching them new ways to go
about the business of fighting fires.
“There is a big difference
between fighting fires aboard a ship
and fighting a house fire,” said
HT1(SW) William Stevens, Fleet
Training Command Atlantic Fleet,
Norfolk, Va. “If necessary, you can
leave a burning house and fight the
fire from the outside. Aboard a
ship, there is no leaving until the
fire is out, and if we don’t put it
out, we don’t go home, ever.”
Stevens sees great benefits for the
Navy damage control program in
outside training, “Even though the
techniques aren’t always the same,
this training provides a new way of
thinking about fighting fires.”
A new way of thinking is exactly
what the Revolution in Training is
all about. The course began with
Sailors completing an intensive
Firefighting I and II section, the
initial course required for all
civilian firefighters, which included
practical applications on vehicle,
structure and gas fires. Students
also completed training in
rappelling, search and rescue and
ladder handling. The course merges
several ICERTA components
specifically for the Navy.
Upon completion of the course
each Sailor will receive
International Fire Service
Certification and Accreditation
Commission certifications in Fire
Fighter I and II, Hazardous
Materials Awareness and
Operations, Fire Instructor I, and
Fire Officer I and II. The
certifications will be issued through
the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s
office. Additionally, each student
will be awarded eight credits from
the University of Missouri, which
can be applied to a degree in the
field of fire science.
NAVY INVESTIGATES FIREFIGHTING TRAINING OPTIONS
Don Smith
With sunlight fading, the H-3
hovered close to the treetops while
hoisting a corpsman to an adjoining
cliff. The corpsman then traversed
the edge to the hiker, confirmed the
hiker’s condition as critical, placed
him on a litter and returned to the
pickup point. The hiker, suffering
from a broken pelvis, internal
bleeding and organ damage was
safely flown to a Seattle, Wash.,
trauma center.
The second incident involved a
climber who suffered a 400-foot
fall and was unconscious. When
the helicopter arrived the crew
found it lacked power to hover at
high altitude. To reduce weight the
crew dropped off extra personnel
and cargo at a nearby ski area and
dumped some fuel. Then, while
balancing on a 60-degree slope,
two corpsmen were lowered to
place the injured climber on a
litter. After 20 minutes, they were
all hoisted aboard the helicopter,
and the victim was taken to a
hospital in Bellingham, Wash.
Military forces in Hawaii
combined to rescue an injured
merchant mariner aboard the vessel
Pequen nearly
700 miles west of
Oahu, Hawaii. The rescuers included
Lake Erie (CG
70) and O’Kane
(DDG 77); two MCB Kaneohe Baybased
HSL-37 SH-60B Seahawks;
two Army doctors from Tripler
Army Medical Center, Honolulu;
and a CGAS Barber’s Point C-130
Hercules.
The Seahawks delivered a
neurosurgeon and an anesthesiologist
to Lake Erie, while the C-
130 flew overhead providing
communications and coordination
support. Diagnosed with a serious
head injury, the victim was
stabilized and then transported to
Tripler Medical Center.
44 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
Petty Officer 2nd Class Warren Fallashernandez
visits the Navy ELearning
website as Chief Warrant Officer
Virginia Tirado looks on. Navy
E-Learning, one of the largest
systems of its type in the world, provides
more than 1,400 courses for naval
personnel and families. For more
information go to
www.navylearning.com.
Battle of Midway
Marks 60th
Anniversary
Crew members of
Harry S. Truman
(CVN 75) honored the
Sailors who fought the
Battle of Midway in
WW II during a
ceremony held on the
carrier. Recognition of
the battle’s 60th
anniversary included a
21-gun salute and a
flyover by five WW IIera
American aircraft. LCdr. Lance Massey from PCU Ronald
Reagan (CVN 76), whose grandfather was
killed in the initial wave of attacks, ended the
ceremony by laying a wreath over the side of the ship.
Darlene Goodwin
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 45
New Training Video Keeps
Aviators Safe
By Carlos Medina, VAQ-129
Video crews from the Air Force Air Combat
Command visited the VAQ-129 Vikings to record
inside footage from an EA-6B Prowler during
lowlevel
flight. The footage, along with interviews from
VAQ-129 instructors, will be used to update the
training video entitled How Low Can You Go? Pilots
LCdr. William Doster and Lt. Daniel Shaarda used
helmet and dash-mounted cameras to capture the look
and feel of low-altitude maneuvering for the filming.
Low-altitude flight is one of the most exciting parts
of Naval Aviation, but it can also be one of the most
dangerous. Since 1992, 96 aviation mishaps have
occurred in the low-altitude environment and 24
percent of those were a grim reminder of the
importance of this type of training.
The original How Low Can You Go? was produced
in 1986 to warn aviators of the dangers and
misperceptions of maneuvering at low altitude. Air
Force pilots were the intended audience and the video
featured photography and procedures of the F-16
Fighting Falcon.
Other services quickly realized the
value of this training and began using the video,
which
has since been seen by more than 400,000 aviators.
The new version has been expanded to reflect the
joint service nature of its audience. In addition to
the
EA-6B and F-16, the video will feature portions on the
Air Force F-15 Eagle, A-10 Thunderbolt II and
B-1
Lancer and
Navy MH-53 Sea Stallion.
CVW-17: Capt.
Dana R. Potts
relieved Capt. Rodger L. Welch,
26 Apr.
Essex (LHD
2): Capt. Ronald
R. Evans relieved Capt. Scott A.
Berg, 17 Apr.
HC-3: Cdr.
George M. Matais
relieved Cdr. Sherman R. Lupton,
10 Jul.
NAS Pensacola, Fla.: Capt.
John M. Pruitt, Jr., relieved Capt.
Randal L. Bahr, 20 Jun.
NSAWC: RAdm.
David C.
Nichols, Jr., relieved RAdm.
Richard J. Naughton, 29 May.
Nimitz (CVN
68): Capt. Robert
J. Gilman relieved Capt. Steven F.
Firks, 17 May.
VAQWINGPAC: Capt.
Brian
E. Bennet relieved Capt. Douglas
R. Swoish, 27 Jun.
VFA-41: Cdr.
Patrick R. Cleary
relieved Cdr. Brian G. Gawne,
27 Jun.
VP-8: Cdr.
Jeffrey L. McKenzie
relieved Cdr. Michael W. Hewitt,
31 May.
VP-9: Cdr.
Brad Carpenter
relieved Cdr. Robert Lally, 21 Jun.
VP-47: Cdr.
Gerral K. David
relieved Cdr. Keith A. Bluestein,
3 May.
VR-59: Cdr.
James McCullough
relieved Cdr. Mark Woodall,
13 Apr.
C H A N G E O F C O M M A N D
A VF-143 Pukin’
Dogs F-14B Tomcat
launches from John F.
Kennedy (CV 67).
PH1 Jim Hampshire
46 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
FORMATIONS . . .
Above, an F-14 Tomcat (top),
two F/A-18 Hornets and an EA-6B Prowler from Kitty Hawk (CV
63) conduct a fly-by during a
carrier air power demonstration in
the Asia/Pacific region in May. Below, an F-14 from Carrier Air Wing 7 breaks
up and out
to demonstrate a “missing man”
formation above John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and Hue City (CG 66) on
Memorial Day to honor
those who gave their lives to
preserve our nation’s freedom.
PH3 John E.Woods PH1 Jim Hampshire
Elward, Brad & Peter Davies. U.S. Navy F-4
Phantom II
MiG Killers 1965–70. Osprey Publishing, Elms Court,
Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK. 2001.
Distributed in the USA by Motorbooks International,
729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 96
pp. Ill. $18.95.
Number 26 in
Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series, this
new title is the first of a two-volume set. The
second book will deal with Navy (and the few
Marine) F-4 MiG killers 1971–1973. This book discusses
in detail many of the kills achieved by Phantom II crews
in the first half of the air war over Southeast Asia.
Several
of the engagements have rarely been described, such as
the first F-4 kill and loss on 9 April 1965 involving
VF-
96’s Ltjg. Terrance Murphy and Ens. Ronald Fegan.
These
two young aviators engaged and shot down Communist
Chinese MiG-17s, but were themselves shot down in an
incident that was hushed up until recently.
The photos are great, and the color profiles by Jim
Laurier are also well done. A color folio also
includes four
maps showing routes, MiG-kill locations and MiG bases.
The authors describe the development of the Navy’s
“missile mentality” before Vietnam when the McDonnell
F-3B Demon relied on the first generation of
air-to-air
missiles. Actually, VF-161 might have used its Demons
in
1965 in Vietnam if the squadron hadn’t been tapped to
transition to the F-4 and left Oriskany’s (CV
34) air wing
just before the ship sailed. To provide commonality
between the two embarked fighter squadrons, VMF(AW)-
212 brought its F-8E Crusaders to join VF-162
for the
deployment.
There is an interesting discussion of problems with
the
over-restrictive rules of engagement and with
air-to-air
missiles, such as the AIM-7 Sparrow and early models
of
the AIM-9 Sidewinder. Elward and Davies also track
individual F-4s and their careers in various
squadrons.
This new addition to an open-ended series of great,
affordable references adds significantly to the
growing
literature on the Vietnam air war.
Toperczer, Istvan. MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam
War.
Osprey Publishing, Elms Court, Chapel Way, Boxley,
Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK. 2001. Distributed in the USA
by Motorbooks International, 729 Prospect Ave., PO
Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 96 pp. Ill. $18.95.
Afollow-on to the
author’s history of MiG-17 units in
Vietnam, this book is Number 29 in Osprey’s
Combat Aircraft series. It has a fine spread of
photos showing aircraft details and markings, and the
folio
of color profiles is good, although the MiG-21 Fishbed
usually flew in unexciting natural metal with limited
individual markings relegated to nose numbers and
occasional kill markings. A few were camouflaged in
hurried applications of greens and grays. The color
folio
includes photos mostly of museum display aircraft and
an
unusual two-page presentation of postal stamps
commemorating various events of the Vietnamese
experience in the air war, such as shootdowns of
American aircraft.
The Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF) got its first
MiG-21s in late 1965, and the C and D models had
engaged U.S. aircraft by early 1966 with the 921st
Fighter
Regiment based at Noi Bai, northwest of Hanoi. The
narrative gives details of careers of North Vietnamese
aces; an appendix notes there were 13. The top VPAF
ace,
Nguyen Van Coc, scored 9 kills while flying with the
921st. The author finally lays to rest the legend of
13-kill
ace “Colonel Tomb,” the final victim of VF-96’s ace
team
of Cunningham and Driscoll on 10 May 1972. He also
ventures that this F-4 Phantom II crew was
actually shot
down by another MiG-21 pilot, Le Thanh Dao, who had
spotted the F-4J, sneaked in behind and shot a missile
up
its tailpipe. The accepted reason for the loss has
always
been a surface-to-air missile (SAM).
The author details early problems with the speedy
little
delta and how the VPAF came up with tactics to best
use
the MiG’s advantages. The first MiG-21 kill of a
manned
aircraft (the VPAF also shot down several unmanned
reconnaissance drones) was an F-105 Thunderchief on
7
June 1966, although the USAF didn’t record a loss on
that
day. This highlights an ongoing conflict with previous
MiG-17 books in getting claims and records to agree.
There are constant variances between American and
Vietnamese logs, and the Americans often attributed a
loss
to flak or SAMs, not MiGs.
Toperczer’s book is full of interesting tidbits from
the
VPAF’s side of the war. For example, during the USAF’s
legendary Operation Bolo MiG sweep on 2 January 1967,
two Vietnamese aces, including Nguyen Van Coc, were
shot down by Col. Robin Olds’ F-4s in action over the
MiGs’ home field at Noi Bai. Then, there’s the
harrowing
experience of the crew of a Mongol (the MiG-21’s
twoseat
trainer version), a Soviet instructor pilot and his
VPAF student. On 11 November 1972 while out on a
training sortie, they were overrun by a flight of
F-4s.
Unarmed and with a limited fuel supply, the Mongol crew
threw their MiG all over the sky to evade several
missile
shots from the aggressive Phantom IIs. Eventually,
the
MiG’s engine flamed out and they ejected. Yet,
according
to the author, neither the Air Force or Navy claimed a
MiG that day.
All in all, this is a fascinating look at the VPAF’s
war,
which leaves plenty of room for discussion on both
sides.
Naval Aviation News September–October 2002 47
By Cdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.)
NAS Hitchcock:
Epilogue
This letter from Kim and Mike
Brieden, 7765 Pigeon Drive,
Hitchcock, TX 77563, was in
response to the article “Then and
Now: NAS Hitchcock, Texas” in the
Nov–Dec 01 issue. Kim notes that
she saw the article because someone
in the Navy stationed in Hawaii read
it and mailed it to his mother in
Hitchcock. The woman owns an
interior design firm where a friend
of Kim’s works. The Briedens bought
items for their renovation through
the store, and the owner gave the
magazine to Kim’s friend to pass on.
If it had not been for this string of
coincidences, the Briedens would
never have known about the
NANews article.
Four years ago, my husband and I
stumbled upon the abandoned radio
communications building a short
distance from the main building of
the base. The roof, plumbing,
electrical, windows, doors and all
other equipment were destroyed. But
unlike most of the other structures
that were made of wood and are now
gone or past saving, the
communications facility’s brick and
concrete shell remained rock solid.
My husband and I had always
wanted a ranch-style home on
acreage. I loved the lines and
historical aspects of the Victorianera
homes on Galveston Island. The
naval building was an unexpected
and wonderful compromise, sitting
on almost 11 acres. Renovations
include fixtures and art that echo the
military and naval origins of the
structure. We love the fact that
we’ve saved a small piece of local
history and that our “dream home” is
so unique.
Correction, Jul–Aug 02
Page 12: Ratings should read:
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate
(Equipmentman) vice (Electronics);
ABH (Handler) vice (Hydraulics).
Reunions
USMC/Vietnam Helicopter
Assn., 3–6
OCT, Pensacola Beach,
FL. POC: 781-337-3239;
www.popasmoke.com.
VP-40 (1948–1968), 8–12 OCT,
San Diego, CA. POC: Robert Foss,
515-222-0112; robfoss@aol.com.
Cabot (CVL
28), 9–13 OCT,
Mobile, AL. POC: Barrett Frink;
860-928-7437.
Salamaua (CVE 96), 10–12
OCT, Kansas City, MO. POC: Walt
Johnson; 913-432-9760.
Rudyerd Bay (CVE 81), 10–13
OCT, New Orleans, LA. POC: Bill
Flanagan; 858-277-2819;
dinamlrs@aol.com.
HS-7, 11–13
OCT, St. Louis,
MO. POC: Rick Schawacker;
800-684-8792; schawacker@
hotmail.com.
VP-45, 11–13
OCT, San Diego,
CA. POC: C. B. Caldwell;
cbc@cts.com.
NAS New York, 17–20
OCT,
Virginia Beach, VA. POC: Chet
Atkinson; 757-495-1338.
Lake Champlain (CV/CVA/CVS
39), 24–27
OCT, Myrtle Beach, SC.
POC: Eugene Carroll; 607-532-
4735; gcarroll@rochester.rr.com.
Constellation (CV 64), 24–29
OCT, Charleston, SC. POC: Tommy
& Rebecca Best; 919-383-7216;
rbest3@nc.rr.com.
VF-11, 25–27
OCT, NAS
Oceana, VA. POC:
75threunion@vf11.navy.mil;
www.vf11.org.
A-3 Skywarrior Assn., 25–28
OCT, Van Nuys, CA. POC: Gil
Bouffard; 209-234-1929;
elinter@a3skywarrior.com;
www.a3skywarrior.com.
Wasp (CV/CVA/CVS
18), 9–15
NOV, Miami, FL. POC: Richard
VanOver; 716-649-9053.
48 Naval Aviation News September–October
2002
ATTENTION
MARINE AVIATION SQUADRONS:
Is Your Insignia Official?
During 2003, Naval Aviation News, in
conjunction with CNO’s Naval
Aviation History and Archives Office (N78H), plans to
publish a poster
illustrating insignia and lineage of all current
Marine Corps squadrons
with assigned aircraft.
If your unit’s insignia has not been officially
approved in accordance
with OPNAVINST 5030.4, the poster will have a blank
space above your
squadron designation where the insignia should be.
A copy of the instruction may be obtained from CNO’s
Navy
Directives website at
http://neds.nebt.daps.mil/directives/table20.html.
Direct questions to N78H, 1242 10th Street SE,
Washington Navy
Yard, DC 20374-5059; 202-433-2321, DSN prefix 288, or
email
The Association of Naval Aviation’s photo contest is
open to everyone except the staffs of ANA, Wings of
Gold
magazine and Naval Aviation News. The subject
matter
MUST pertain to Naval Aviation. Submissions can be in
black and white or color, slides or prints, or
electronic
images. Please include the photographer’s name and
address, and PHOTO CAPTION.
For details call 703-960-2490. Mail photos to ANA,
2550 Huntington Ave., Suite 201, Alexandria, VA
22303-1499; email anahq@ix.netcom.com
Two images tied for first place in
the bimonthly photo
contest. Top, PH2 Aaron Ansarov
captured the essence of
amphibious operations as CH-53E Sea
Stallion helicopters
conduct low-level flight operations
while amphibious
attack vehicles storm the beach
during Exercise Cobra
Gold 2002 in Thailand. Right, you can’t
get much closer
than this Ted Carlson shot of an
HSL-41 SH-60 Seahawk
departing NAS North Island, Calif.,
on a training sortie on
20 February 2002.