Naval Aviation News articles from March 2003

Naval Aviation News archives from March 2003

Grampaw Pettibone.(S-3 Viking hits flight deck)
March 1, 2003... Steady As She Goes An S-3 Viking launched from the carrier on a sea surveillance and coordination mission. The flight was uneventful until the approach phase. The Viking rolled into the groove a little high, right and fast. An F-14 Tomcat...

5 million hours and counting. (Airscoop).(F/A-18 total flight hour mark passed; other Navy and Marine aviation news)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On 12 December 2002, the F/A-18 Hornet surpassed 5 million total flight hours. The first squadrons airborne on the day of the milestone included Strike Fighter Squadron 192 from Kitty Hawk (CV 63), shown below flying past Mount Fuji, Japan;...

Agile Archer 2002: training MiG killers.(air combat exercise)
March 1, 2003... Last fall, Exercise Agile Archer 2002 pitted Navy F/A- 18 Hornets, F-14 Tomcats and F-5 Tiger IIs against German Air Force (GAF) MiG-29 Fulcrums and U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles in the skies over NAS Key West, Fla. The culmination of two years of...

NAVAIR Lakehurst: one-stop shop for the fleet.(US Naval Aviation Engineering and In-Service Support unit)
March 1, 2003... You're deployed aboard a carrier somewhere in the Arabian Gulf. Before you begin your daily aircraft launches, you conduct tests on the launch valves. While checking your equipment readings, you realize that you don't meet the requirements in...

VC-7 and the development of air-to-ground rockets.(World War II aviation unit)
March 1, 2003... Lieutenant F. Willard "Robbie" Robinson. The air-to-ground missiles that are such a common element of today's combat arsenal evolved from air-to-ground rockets first employed in combat in the Pacific theater during WW II. The author...

Urban Strike: terrorist training for reservists.(Marine Reserve exercise)
March 1, 2003... Growing up a career Marine Corps aviation family member meant transferring from one Marine Corps air station to another every three or four years. Many of the departures and arrivals were punctuated by the staccato beat of CH-46 Sea Knight...

Flying early warning for Task Force 77.(personal narrative of naval officer who served during Korean War)
March 1, 2003... We were wiped out. It was June 1953 and our flight was nearly over. For four long hours, the two of us had sat immobile, tightly jammed into the cramped confines of an AD-4W Skyraider's rear compartment. Gazing intently at a five-inch radar...

Korea Defense Service Medal. (Awards).(National Defense Authorization act authorizes Department of Defense to issue Korea Defense Service Medal)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... President George W. Bush signed the National Defense Authorization act, part of which directs the Department of Defense to issue a Korea Defense Service Medal. The act provides for the awarding of the medal to members of the armed forces who...

Energy Conservation Awards. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The aviation winners of the Secretary of the Navy and Federal Energy and Water Management Program (FEMP) FY 2001 Energy Conservation Awards were (SECNAV category) Kearsarge (LHD 3), VR-57 and MCAS Beaufort, S.C.; and (FEMP category) Kearsarge...

The 2002 Phoenix Trophy. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Enterprise (CVN 65) was the winner of the 2002 Phoenix Trophy. The award recognizes the best Department of Defense field-level maintenance units.

NAS Keflavik, Iceland. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... NAS Keflavik, Iceland, earned its first dual five-star rating in both permanent party and transient quarters and capped off the achievement with its first Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt award for excellence in bachelor housing management.

The Chief of Naval Operations Surface Ship Safety Award. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... For the third consecutive year, Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) was awarded the Chief of Naval Operations Surface Ship Safety Award. The honor is earned annually by ships which demonstrate an aggressive safety program that

The Bronze Star Medal. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... COMCVW-5 Capt. Patrick Driscoll received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in connection with combat operations during Operation Enduring Freedom.

2002 Community Service Programs of the Year. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Three NAS Patuxent River, Md., volunteer programs were named Naval District Washington 2002 Community Service Programs of the Year. Volunteers were recognized for their efforts in personal excellence partnerships; health, safety and fitness;...

2002 LSO of the Year. (Awards).(Joel Janopoulos)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... VT-2 landing signal officer Lt. Joel Janopoulos, NAS Kingsville, Texas, was selected as the Naval Air Training Command's 2002 LSO of the Year.

2002 Admiral Merlin O'Neil Officer of the Year. (Awards).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Marine Corps Maj. John Albers, lead developmental test pilot and project officer of the C/KC-130J Hercules project at NAS Patuxent River, Md., received the Southern Maryland Chapter of the Retired Officer's Association's 2002 Admiral Merlin...

The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training. (Scan Pattern).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Navy's Revolution in Training has come to the aviation technical community in the form of the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT). The center stood up at Naval Technical Training Center, Pensacola, Fla., on 6 September...

The Center for Service Support. (Scan Pattern).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Another product of the Revolution in Training is the Center for Service Support (CSS), which provisionally stood up on 1 October 2002. The Navy Supply Corps School, Athens, Ga., is the site for the new learning center, which is designed to be...

Executive Masters of Business Administration. (Scan Pattern).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Naval Aviation instructors at NAS Whiting Field, Fla., and NAS Lemoore, Calif., can now pursue the Naval Postgraduate School's Executive Masters of Business Administration program on base. The 54 credit-hour program provides an advanced...

Sea Warrior program. (Scan Pattern).(Naval Personnel Command tests online program for sailors)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) is expected to be the test platform for the Naval Personnel Command's Sea Warrior program. The new program will allow Sailors to view billets via a website, and submit their requests to fill them without having to call...

Kitty Hawk. (Scan Pattern).(Jackie Chan visits with sailors from Kitty Hawk, Carrier Air Wing 5)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... During a recent port visit to Hong Kong, Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and Carrier Air Wing 5 Sailors had a chance to meet Jackie Chan as the international film star toured the ship. Chan was greeted by hundreds of Sailors during his visit and took the...

Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. (Scan Pattern).(aircraft carrier named after former President George Herbert Walker Bush)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Secretary of the Navy Gordon England officially named the Navy's tenth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, CYN 77, in honor of WW II Naval Aviator and former President of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush during a December 2002 ceremony...

Tarawa. (Scan Pattern).(National Geographic films documentary about military deployments)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Sailors and Marines aboard Tarawa (LHA 1) became the focus of a film crew recently when National Geographic sent a team to get footage for a documentary about preparing for deployments. For a week, various Sailors and Marines allowed the crew...

Records.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In October 2002, LCdr. Victor Smith of VFA-115 surpassed 500 traps on a single ship, Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), flying an F/A-18E Super Hornet. On 7 December 2002, COMCVW-17 Cdr. Dana Potts marked his 1,000th career trap, in a VF-103 F-14...

Gen. Jones becomes 25th Honorary Naval Aviator.(James L. Jones)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In a ceremony held in the CNO's office, the 32nd Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. James L. Jones, (left) was designated Honorary Naval Aviator No. 25 by the senior Naval Aviator, Adm. William J. Fallon (right). The designation was...

The Gray Eagle Trophy.(Charles W. Moore, Jr.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On 21 November 2002, the Gray Eagle Trophy was passed from VAdm. Michael D. Haskins (right) to VAdm. Charles W. Moore, Jr. The award honors the Naval Aviator on the active duty list, not recalled, who has held that designation for the longest...

AMC(AW) Brian Campbell. (Rescues).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A tractor driver aboard Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) inadvertently drove into the hot exhaust of an F- 14 Tomcat during normal flight operations. The driver attempted to stop the tractor while jumping off to escape the heat, but failed to set the...

Constellation (CV 64). (Rescues).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A VFA-151 Sailor was recovered off the coast of southern California after spending more than seven hours in the Pacific Ocean. The Sailor was blown off the flight deck of Constellation (CV 64) near midnight from the jet blast of an EA-6B...

The NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., search and rescue team. (Rescues).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On 26 October 2002 the NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., search and rescue team received news that a climber had fallen and broken his leg on nearby Mt. Erie. As the team's SH-3 Sea King hovered at 1,000 feet, the crew chief directed the helo to...

VC-8. (Rescues).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... On 5 December 2002, a VC-8 helo crew from NS Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, rescued a local diver who had become disoriented and came ashore on the island of Vieques. After a few hours of searching, the UH-3H Sea King found the victim lying on a...

Constellation (CV 64). (Rescues).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The crew of Constellation (CV 64) quickly responded to a main machinery room fire on 8 November 2002, preventing any serious injuries or degradation to the ship's ability to continue her deployment. The fire, caused by a fuel oil leak, was...

Change of command.
March 1, 2003... Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72): Capt. Kendall L. Card relieved Capt. Douglas K. Dupouy, 5 Nov 02. HS-75: Cdr. Mike Branco relieved Cdr. John Hall, 17 Nov 02. NAS Oceana, Va.: Capt. Jason A. Leaver relieved Capt. Cary A. Silvers, 4 Oct 02....

Wasp buries WW II shipmate.(Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Clarence G. Leggett buried from Wasp aircraft carrier)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... SM3(SW/AW) Derrik M. Ingle, With bowed heads and a 21-gun salute, shipmates paid their last respects to a Wasp (CV 7) Sailor and veteran in November 2002. Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Clarence G. Leggett, 79, was buried from...

Rededication gives whirlybird a new paint job.(Sikorsky H-34 Seahorse helicopter restored)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... USMC SSgt. Rusty Baker On 20 October 2002, a ceremony was held to rededicate a Sikorsky H-34 Seahorse helicopter to Marine Air Group (MAG) 41. The H-34 had been positioned as a static display on the main road at NAS JRB Fort Worth at...

Blue Angels 2003 show schedule.
March 1, 2003... March 15 NAF El Centro, CA 22-23 Punta Gorda, FL 29-30 Huntsville, AL April 5-6 NAS Corpus Christi, TX 12-13 Vidalia, GA 26-27 Knoxville, TN May 3-4 MCAS Cherry Point, NC 10-11 Topeka, KS ...

Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941. (Professional Reading).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Peattie, Mark R. Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941. Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402. 2002. 392 pp. Ill. $36.95. Undoubtedly one of the most important books on WW II to appear in the last...

The Liberty Incident: The 1967 Israeli Attack on the U.S. Navy Spy Ship. (Professional Reading).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Cristol, A. Jay. The Liberty Incident: The 1967 Israeli Attack on the U.S. Navy Spy Ship. Brassey's, Inc., 22841 Quicksilver Dr., Dulles, VA 20166. 2002. 294 pp. Ill. $27.50. On 8 June 1967, in the middle of the Six Day War between Israel...

The Independence Light Aircraft Carriers. (Professional Reading).(Book Review)
March 1, 2003... Faltum, Andrew. The Independence Light Aircraft Carriers. The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1250 Fairmont Ave., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464. 2002. 160 pp. Ill. $34.95. Continuing this author's surveys of U.S. Navy WW II...

Joe Foss institute. (Flightbag).(institute formed to teach students about military experiences)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... General Joe Foss-Marine Corps ace, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and former Governor of South Dakota--suffered a stroke in fall 2002 and passed away in January. Prior to his stroke, the WW II aviator set for himself another challenging...

"Hornet high". (Flightbag).
March 1, 2003... Steve Leahy's F/A-18 Hornet painting (Nov-Dec 02, P. 28) prompted this question from a former Marine, "If the aircraft belongs to a Navy squadron, as indicated on the side, why does it say 'Marines?"' Good question. VFA-106 is the East Coast...

Whirlybirds in Korea. (Flightbag).
March 1, 2003... I read with interest your article "Whirlybirds Over Korea" by Hill Goodspeed (Nov-Dec 02). In November 1951, as an Air Force captain flying an F-80, I ejected over Wonsan harbor. Don Whittaker and his crewman, Bill Moore, had me out of the...

Reunions. (Flightbag).
March 1, 2003... Tarawa (CV/CVA/CVS 40/LHA 1), 2-6 APR, Myrtle Beach, SC. POC: Chas Huck, 812-612-4219; ashuck@evansville.net. CVWR-20/CVWR-30, 10-13 APR, San Antonio, TX. POC: Jerry Spaulding, 253-435-4277; jspaulding@yahoo.com. VJ-3/VU-3/VC-3, 11-13...

ANA photo contest.
March 1, 2003... PH1 Jim Hampshire won the 2002 annual contest with this stunning shot of a Special Purpose Insertion/Extraction team being lifted from the deck of John F. Kennedy (CV 67) during a 2002 exercise. Vernon Pugh won the last bimonthly contest with...