Naval Aviation News articles from March 2005

Naval Aviation News archives from March 2005

Night dive.(GRAMPAW PETTIBONE)
March 1, 2005... After a thorough brief that included all necessary safety of flight coordination and emphasized the requirement that all defensive maneuvers be level turns in assigned altitude blocks, three of four scheduled F-14 Tomcats launched at night from...

Head jam.(GRAMPAW PETTIBONE)
March 1, 2005... An AH-1W Super Cobra launched as Dash-4 in a division of Cobras for a daytime electronic warfare and "battle drills" mission in the local warning area. After several simulated engagements, the Dash-4 helicopter commander in the front seat...

Osprey ops.(AIRSCOOP)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Kearsarge (LHD 3) conducted landing operations with the MV-22 Osprey, above, from 7 to 13 December 2004 to qualify 23 pilots from Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 on day deck landings. Additional shipboard suitability tests had...

Presidential helo builder chosen.(AIRSCOOP)(Department of Defense selects Lockheed Martin to build the new presidential helicopter )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... On 28 January the Department of Defense announced that Lockheed Martin was selected to build the new presidential helicopter (VXX). The Navy had previously identified the Sikorsky S-92 and the Lockheed Martin US-101 as the two inproduction...

Homeport changes.(AIRSCOOP)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... John C. Stennis (CVN 74) departed San Diego, Calif., on 5 January for her new homeport of Bremerton, Wash., where she arrived on the 8th. On 19 January the carrier entered the dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a routine docking planned...

For the record.(AIRSCOOP)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 retired the original AV-8B day attack Harrier in a flyby ceremony on 30 September 2004 at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C. The Coast Guard announced that HH-60J Jayhawk and HH-65C Dolphin airframes modified to...

Mishaps.(AIRSCOOP)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... On 26 January a CH-53E of HMH-361 crashed in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and 1 sailor. An MH-53E of HM-14 ditched at sea while operating in the Virginia Capes area on 25 January, with no fatalities. On 13 January the pilot of an AV-8B...

Reducing mishaps--the safety challenge.(AIRSCOOP)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... According to Commander Naval Safety Center RAdm. Dick Brooks, "An all-hands effort is needed to reduce mishaps in Naval Aviation. We need to keep our sailors and Marines safe, and to make sure our aircraft are mission-ready." To learn more...

Marine Hornets and Harriers at Al Asad.(AIRSCOOP)
March 1, 2005... Above, illuminated by the setting sun, an F/A-18D of VMFA(AW)-224 waits on the tarmac in the hangar area in Al Asad, Iraq, on 15 January. Below, a VMA-311 powerline mechanic runs to the flight line to assist with a squadron AV-8B Harrier II...

Operation Unified Assistance: Naval Aviation's swift response to the tsunami disaster.
March 1, 2005... On 26 December 2004 one of the most devastating earthquakes in recorded history occurred under the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The massive tsunami that resulted killed over 150,000 people and destroyed property from...

A letter home from Indonesia.
March 1, 2005... Cdr. Ted Williams, the XO of VAQ-131 deployed aboard Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), wrote an email home about Lincoln's response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. We are glad that the email found its way through many forwards to arrive in...

HC-8 farewells the Phrog.
March 1, 2005... On 23 September 2004, the HH-46D Sea Knight flew with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 8 for the last time, marking the squadron's transition to the MH-60S after flying the Sea Knight for almost twenty years. The Dragon Whales were...

The Last Flight of Bomber 31: Harrowing Tales of American and Japanese Pilots Who Fought in WWII's Arctic Air Campaign.(PROFESSIONAL READING)
March 1, 2005... Wetterhahn, Ralph. The Last Flight of Bomber 31: Harrowing Tales of American and Japanese Pilots Who Fought in WWII's Arctic Air Campaign. Carroll & Graf, 245 West 17th St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10011. 2004. 357 pp. Ill. $26.00. The...

Midway Magic: An Oral History of America's Legendary Aircraft Carrier.(PROFESSIONAL READING)(Book Review)
March 1, 2005... McGaugh, Scott. Midway Magic: An Oral History of America's Legendary Aircraft Carrier. CDS, 425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017. 2004. 256 pp. Ill. $24.95. This book covers a dramatic subject and the writing is good, particularly when...

Carrier Strike Group 11.(Awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Carrier Strike Group 11 received a Navy Unit Commendation. This commendation is awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to a unit that distinguishes itself by meritorious service in support of military operations but not involving combat, which...

Top Hook.(Awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... VFA-82 was awarded the Top Hook plaque on 22 November 2004, recognizing the best landing grades in CVW-2 during the first month of its deployment.

DON Military Cash Awards Program.(Awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The DON Military Cash Awards Program awarded four Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) sailors $5,000. Cdr. Timothy Veschio, LCdr. Alan Kolackovsky, Lt. Kurt Rohlmeier, and MMCP (SW/AW) Dale Friestad received the check for developing a system to save...

2004 DON Safety Excellence Award.(Awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Secretary of the Navy Gordon England awarded VR-53 the 2004 DON Safety Excellence Award. This award recognizes the Navy Reserve squadron with the best risk management program and safety record.

Naval Operations Adm.(Awards)(Scott D. Conn received 2004 Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Leadership Award)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Naval Aviator Cdr. Scott D. Conn was one of two recipients that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark honored with the 2004 Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Leadership Award. With Conn as the CO, VFA-136 deployed aboard George Washington...

MAWTS-1.(Records)
March 1, 2005... MAWTS-1 Col. Raymond Fox logged 5,000 flight hours.

VAQ-133.(Records)
March 1, 2005... VAQ-133 EA-6B BuNo 158030 surpassed 10,000 flight hours.

VFA-34.(Records)
March 1, 2005... VFA-34 surpassed 9,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours.

VMFT-401.(Records)
March 1, 2005... VMFT-401 surpassed 30,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours.

VP-4.(Scan Pattern)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... VP-4 deployed 75 sailors from MCB Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on 27 November 2004 to a variety of locations in the 5th and 7th Fleets in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The squadron normally deploys as a whole to a specific...

VAW-126.(Scan Pattern)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... VAW-126 provided aircraft and crew members for the inauguration of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar on 7 December 2004. The squadron typically operates as an integral part of the air wing; however, this expeditionary operation provided...

The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training.(Scan Pattern)
March 1, 2005... The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) selected six training units to test its Sea Warrior Training and Recruiting in support of the Sea Power 21 program. CNATT units at NS Norfolk and NAS Oceana, Va.; NAS Whidbey Island,...

Blue Angels.(Scan Pattern)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Sailors from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 and the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress recovered the Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet that crashed near Perdido Key, Fla., in December 2004. MDSU-2 personnel localized the wreckage...

Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).(Scan Pattern)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department's (AIMD) jet engine shop performed the ship's first at-sea jet engine test on an F/A-18 Super Hornet engine. AIMD was testing the engine as part of an assessment of the...

HSL-37.(Rescues)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... In October 2004, a crewmember aboard Loyal (T-AGOS 22) suffered a detached retina and needed medical attention. Chafee (DDG 90) and HSL-37 departed Hawaii to assist with the medical evacuation even though they were 900 nautical miles away. The...

VP-9 P-3C Orion.(Rescues)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... On 27 November 2004, a VP-9 P-3C Orion received a distress call from Bahrain air traffic control reporting a sinking fishing dhow with eight fishermen aboard, and requesting search and rescue assistance. The P-3C immediately responded and...

A-1 flies again.(exhibitions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... On 1 July 1911, Glenn H. Curtiss demonstrated the A-1, the first aircraft built for the Navy, on Lake Keuka in Hammondsport, N.Y. In September 2004, an A-1 flew there once again. The Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport decided to build a replica...

Gray Eagle Trophy.(Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus awarded the Gray Eagle Trophy )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... On 29 November 2004, the Gray Eagle Trophy was passed from Adm. Gregory G. Johnson (left) to Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, USMC. The award honors the Naval Aviator on the active duty list, not recalled, who has held that designation for the longest...

NANews journalist departs for sea duty.(Daniel E. Ball)
March 1, 2005... JO1 Daniel E. Ball left the NANews staff in January to do public affairs work during commissioning and fitting out on PCU New Orleans. Through his hard work and diligence Petty Officer Ball was advanced from JOSA to JO1 in less than four years,...

Change of command.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Blue Angels: Cdr. Steve Foley relieved Cdr. Russ Bartlett, 14 Nov 04. CSG-3: RAdm. Bruce W. Clingan relieved RAdm. Evan M. Chanik, 26 Jun 04. (correction from Nov-Dec 04 issue) CSG-6: RAdm. Bernard J. McCullough relieved RAdm. John S....

Blue angels 2005 show schedule.(FLIGHTBAG)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... BLUE ANGELS 2005 SHOW SCHEDULE March 12 NAF El Centro, CA 19-20 Punta Gorda, FL April 2-3 NASJRB Fort Worth, TX 9-10 NAS Corpus Christi, TX 16-17 Wilmington, NC 23-24 Vidalia, GA 30 Charleston, SC May...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... Nov-Dec 2004, p. 25: the AV-B has a 25mm cannon (vice 30mm), and also carries laser-guided bombs.

Reunions.(FLIGHTBAG)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Tarawa (CV/CVA/CVS 40/LHA 1), 28 April-1 May, Harrisburg, PA. POC Charlie Huck, ashuck@evansville.net, 812-682-4219 or Bill Poindexter, poindexter16@cox.net. VC-7, 28 April-1 May, Reno, NV. POC Joe D'Ambrosio, 916-689-6924. Commander...