Naval Aviation News articles from July 2003

Naval Aviation News archives from July 2003

Operation Iraqi freedom: Naval aviation provided coalition forces with critical sea- and land-based support. Air supremacy was declared over all of Iraq on 6 April 2003.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... Caption: two Fighter Squadron 32 F-14B Tomcats from Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) are photographed from an Air Force KC-10 Extender on the way to Iraq in early April 2003. A pair of AH-1W Super Cobras, low on fuel, land on a highway near Baghdad on...

Whoops! Gramps from yesteryear.(Grampaw Pettibone)
July 1, 2003... Thirty-five minutes after being catapulted in an F11F Tiger from an attack carrier cruising off Okinawa, a fighter pilot experienced excessive engine vibrations, followed shortly by complete power failure. He was at an altitude of only 9,500...

Trouble in a Turbo-Mentor.(Al Is In Blunderland ...)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A pilot was on a routine flight ferrying a passenger in a T-34C from one West Coast air station to another. The Turbo-Mentor departed under a visual flight rules tower-to-tower clearance. Once airborne, the pilot canceled his clearance with the...

Viking strike in Iraq.(Airscoop)
July 1, 2003... On 25 March, an S-3B Viking of Sea Control Squadron 38 operating from Constellation (CV 64) destroyed a target near Basra, Iraq, with an AGM-63E Maverick missile. The historic event was the first overland combat strike by a Viking, and its...

VMFA-323: death rattlers afloat.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Constellation (CV 64) began her 21st deployment in November 2002 with a familiar mission ahead: Operation Southern Watch. Then, from her station in the Arabian Gulf, she became a key player in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a fitting end note for the...

HC-2 desert ducks.
July 1, 2003... In today's Navy, most frontline aircraft types operating from carrier decks or smaller surface vessels are well into their second decade of service. Indeed, Naval Aviators proudly boast about the age of their F-14 Tomcats, S-3B Vikings, EA-6B...

HC-2 Fleet Angels history.
July 1, 2003... Providing search and rescue, vertical on-board delivery and executive transport in support of the Atlantic Fleet, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 2 is home-ported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., as part of Helicopter Tactical Wing, U.S....

VFA-122 makes the grade.
July 1, 2003... In mid-January, 10 Super Hornets and 15 pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122 flew to NAS Pensacola, Fla., for a two-week Instructor Under Training detachment. Each pilot flew one or more two-hour sorties per day, with an emphasis on...

The year in review 2002: Operation Anaconda.(Calendar)
July 1, 2003... On 3 March 2002, U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan unleashed Operation Anaconda to trap al Qaeda terrorists and their Taliban supporters known to be lurking in the Shah-e-Kot Valley in southeastern Afghanistan. That day led to some of the...

Naval Aeronautical Organization--United States Naval Aviation.(Illustration)
July 1, 2003... Naval Aeronautical Organization--United States Naval Aviation Air Force Commanders Naval Air Forces NAS North Island, CA Naval Air Forces Atlantic NB Norfolk, VA...

Night-fighters rule Korean skies after dark.
July 1, 2003... The U.S. Navy's only ace in Korea recounts his night-fighter experience during the conflict. During the early part of the Korean War, I served on the staff of Commander Cruiser Division 3 based on Helena (CA 75). This was good "blackshoe"...

Awards.(People Planes Places)
July 1, 2003... Naval Aviation News won First Place in the 2002 CHINFO Merit Awards in the category "Internal Publications for a Specific Audience"--earning its second consecutive First Place honor. The award recognizes exemplary achievements in the internal...

Scan pattern.(People Planes Places)
July 1, 2003... The Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) was established in mid-March at Pensacola, Fla., concurrent with disestablishment of the Chief of Naval Education and Training. NETC is designed to focus specifically on strategy, policy and...

VF-32 honors Columbia's crew.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Painting nose art on military aircraft dates back to WW I, reaching its height in WW II. From the toothy, sinister grins of the P-51s to the B-17s and their famous Vargas pin-up girls, nose art on combat aircraft has exemplified a squadron's...

The eagles fly in operation Iraqi freedom.
July 1, 2003... It was truly a storybook cruise for the Eagles of VFA-115 aboard Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet on its inaugural deployment, they participated in three major military operations. The first combat missions were...

Records.(safety)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... HT-8 surpassed 900,000 Class A mishap-free hours. HC-3 surpassed 182,500 Class A mishap-free hours. HSL-44B surpassed 125,000 Class A mishap-free hours. TRAWING-1 surpassed 100,000 Class A mishap-free hours. HSL-51 surpassed...

Rescues.
July 1, 2003... On 7 March members of HSL-37 embarked aboard Crommelin (FFG 37) rescued several fishermen from the fishing vessel Don Teo in the eastern Pacific, 250 nautical miles from land. The boat was noticed by aircrew members while on patrol. Crommelin...

During a stormy night in 1948, a junior pilot from VS-24 drew a chalk figure of a lightning-struck cat on the ready room briefing board.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... During a stormy night in 1948, a junior pilot from VS-24 drew a chalk figure of a lightning-struck cat on the ready room briefing board. The figure stayed there through the night while the squadron flew successful multiple sorties through the...

NAS Key West Seabees go to Iraq.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... EA1 Larry S. Lautar, from Construction Battalion Unit 402, NAS Key West, Fla., surveys the Iraqi desert to shoot the center line for the construction of Fleet Hospital Three (FH-3), the Navy's first Expeditionary Medical Facility in a war zone....

"Gators" manage skies during operation Iraqi freedom.
July 1, 2003... Northern Australians will tell you that river crocodiles may not be known for flying, but they'll surprise you by how far they can jump from the water into the air if they want something badly enough. After Operation Iraqi Freedom, RAdm. W....

Top gun air intercept controllers live on the edge.
July 1, 2003... There are times on a ship when things can feel commonplace. But when you walk into a ship's Combat Direction Center, you are immediately aware that you're in the thick of things. Lit only by the bluish lights of equipment being used, the...

Fuel techs keep Truman on the go.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A coffee mug sits on the desk of Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain s Mate-Fuels (AW) John Coontz on board Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). From the look of it, you can tell it has been used more than once. On the side of the mug it reads, "I love the...

Change of command.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... CVW-7: Capt. Kenneth E. Floyd relieved Capt. William E. Gortney, 20 Feb. HMM-266: Lt. Col. Joel R. Powers relieved Lt. Col. Richard B. Preble, 25 Mar. HSL-42: Cdr. Glen C. Doyle relieved Cdr. Joseph A. Bauknecht, 10 Apr. HSL-43:...

Hargis, Robert. U.S. Naval Aviator, 1941-45.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Osprey, MBI Publishing, PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2002. 84 pp. Ill. $16.95. We occasionally review examples of Osprey's wide-ranging collection of concise military-oriented publications that deal with many subjects--from military...

Nila, Gary. Japanese Naval Aviation Uniforms and Equipment 1937-45.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Osprey, MBI Publishing, PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2002.64 pp. Ill. $16.95. A new volume in Osprey's highly successful and expansive series on men-at-arms and their conflicts, this book adds to the line's esoteric but extremely valuable...

Tillman, Barrett. Above and Beyond: The Aviation Medals of Honor.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... Smithsonian Institution Press, 750 Ninth St., NW, Washington, DC 20560-0950. 2002. 294 pp. Ill. $29.95. One of several recent works on the Medal of Honor and its recipients, this book describes the history and events surrounding those...

Virtual corrosion control consortium.(Flightbag)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The V-3C is sponsored by the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Maintenance Policy. Its mission is to address the challenges of corrosion prevention and control for Department of Defense weapon systems and equipment, as well as...

Reunions.(Flightbag)(Brief Article)(Directory)
July 1, 2003... VC-35/VA(AW)-35, 16-19 JUL, Oakland, CA. POC: Chuck Borris, 3400 Wagner Heights Rd. #253, Stockton, CA 95209; 209-477-4132; cmborris@attbi.com. Bon Homme Richard (CV/CVA31), 8-9 AUG, Valley Forge, PA. POC: Ron Edlund, 2299 Madalene,...

Ana photo contest.(Association of Naval Aviation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Association of Naval Aviation's (ANA) 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...