Naval Aviation News articles from November 2004

Naval Aviation News archives from November 2004

Falling short.(GRAMPAW PETTIBONE)(pulling more power than engines were capable of producing crashes plane)
November 1, 2004... The crew of an SH-60B Seahawk briefed for an antisubmarine warfare mission and launched at 1836 with recovery scheduled for 2230. Weather was 2,000 feet overcast and sunset was to occur at 1936. The pilot in command and copilot were seated in...

Fatal error.(Gramps from Yesteryear)(disaster strikes at aerial demonstration)
November 1, 2004... An air group was conducting an aerial demonstration. All scheduled exercises had been running like clockwork. The finale was to be a coordinated attack on a target 2,000 yards off the port beam of a big attack carrier. The attack force...

E-2/C-2 hit major milestones.(AIRSCOOP)(E-2 Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound)
November 1, 2004... On 14 August the East Coast Hawkeye-Greyhound Ball in Norfolk, Va., celebrated the E-2 Hawkeye's one-millionth flight hour, as well as the 40th anniversary of the C-2 Greyhound's first flight. A C-2 service life extension plan and E-2 upgrades,...

VFA-203 Blue Dolphins deactivate.(AIRSCOOP)(Strike Fighter Squadron)
November 1, 2004... Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 203, a reserve force unit assigned to Reserve Carrier Air Wing 20, was deactivated on 30 June 2004 after more than 34 years of service. Commander Joel B. Levin was the last CO of the Blue Dolphins. The Blue...

HMM-265: 40 years with Phrogs.(Medium Marine Helicopter Squadron)
November 1, 2004... In June 2004, the Dragons of Medium Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 265 marked their 40th anniversary with the CH-46 Sea Knight. The "Phrog," as the tandem-rotor assault support helicopter is affectionately known, has taken Marines into...

Naval Aviation supports the global war on terrorism.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Around the globe, afloat and ashore, Navy and Marine aviation squadrons support the global war on terrorism (GWOT). Naval Aviation News highlights some of these squadrons, shown here operating in Iraq, the Arabian Gulf and Afghanistan.

VMGR-452 Yankees mobilize.(Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron)(Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron )
November 1, 2004... In April 2003, Naval Aviation News Art Director Morgan Wilbur spent a day flying with a VMGR-452 aircrew in Iraq. His series of paintings, two of which are shown here, document the Navy and Marines in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Last year,...

VMAT-203 produces combat-ready Harrier crews.(Hawks of Marine Attack Training Squadron )
November 1, 2004... The vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) AV-8B Harrier II is unique among fixed wing military aircraft. Even though the latest version is 20 years old, it's still a marvel of aviation. Also known as a "jump jet," the Harrier is operated...

Goshawks with SASS.(T-45 Goshawk, Stability Augmented Steering System)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... When an aircraft enters service in Naval Aviation, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) test organizations gear up to do what they do best. Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 under the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at NAS...

EA-3B Skywarrior dedicated to Cold War Memorial.
November 1, 2004... During a ceremony on 13 July, a Navy Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior joined an Air Force Lockheeed C-130 Hercules and Army Beech RU-8D Seminole on display in the National Vigilance Park at Fort George G. Meade, Md. Dedicated on 2 September 1997, the...

Awards.(PEOPLE PLANES PLACES)
November 1, 2004... Naval Aviation News was honored in the 2003 Chief of Information Merit Awards competition, receiving 1st Place in the category Publications for a Specific Audience (Magazine Format). In addition, Managing Editor Wendy Leland received 2nd Place...

Records.(PEOPLE PLANES PLACES)
November 1, 2004... HC-3 surpassed 30 years and 170,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours. HMM-161 surpassed 40,000 Class A mishap-free flight hours. TRAWING-2 CO Capt. Tom Hills reached his 1,000th trap while flying a T-45A Goshawk aboard Abraham Lincoln...

Cowboys deploy.(Marine reserve fighter squadron assigned to VMFA-112 at NAS JRB Fort Worth)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Marines assigned to VMFA-112 at NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas, deployed to the western Pacific in support of the global war on terrorism. It is the first Marine reserve fighter squadron to be mobilized since WW II. The squadron, above, operates 12...

Rescues.(PEOPLE PLANES PLACES)
November 1, 2004... A UH-3H Sea King helicopter from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Hawaii, airlifted two injured men from the cruise ship Pride Aloha five miles off the Kauai coast on 20 July. After receiving a request for assistance from...

Tophatters participate in Alaskan exercise.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Tophatters of VFA-14, above, completed a detachment to Anchorage, Alaska. Seven VFA-14 Super Hornets had left NAS Lemoore, Calif., following two Air Force KC-135s on the five-hour flight to the land of the midnight sun. The missions flown...

Schools Command has a new showbird.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) replaced the A-6 Intruder that has graced its front lawn for the past six years with a newly retired F/A-18 Hornet from VFA-203. According to CO Capt. A. J. Gallardo, Jr., the aircraft was changed to...

Clean Hunter 2004.(Clean Hunter, a NATO air combat exercise)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Navy's only reserve Prowler squadron, VAQ-209 based at NAF Washington, D.C., completed a detachment to Aalborg, Denmark, in June. The Star Warriors took their jets and personnel across the Atlantic to fly in Clean Hunter, a NATO air combat...

Dambusters revisit Dam.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... On 1 May 1951 during the Korean War, VA-195 pilots flying AD-4 Skyraiders delivered aerial torpedoes on the heavily defended and strategically positioned Hwachon Dam, right. Their mission was simple: destroy the flood gates and raise the level...

Stennis remembers four Aviators.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... In August, S-3B Vikings flew in the missing-man formation over John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as a 21-gun salute sounded across the flight deck during a memorial service for four Naval Aviators. More than 1,000 officers and enlisted personnel...

Change of command.
November 1, 2004... AIRLANT: RAdm Denby Starling II relieved RAdm. James M. Zortman, 28 Jul. Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6): Capt. Jeffrey Scott Jones relieved Capt. Jon Berg-Johnsen, 5 Aug. CARGRU 3: RAdm. Evan M. Chanik relieved RAdm. Bruce W. Clingan, 26...

Editor, departing: Sandy Russell retires.
November 1, 2004... On 30 September, Naval Aviation News staff members, Naval Historical Center colleagues, friends and longtime associates bade farewell to beloved Editor Sandy Russell as she marked the end of a distinguished 30-year government career. After...

Professional reading.(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Holmes, Tony. US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part One. Osprey Publishing, 1st Floor Elms Court, Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK; Motorbooks International, 729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2004. 96 pp....

Professional reading.(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Wolf, William. Victory Roll! The American Fighter Pilot and Aircraft in World War II. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310-9717. 2001. 464 pp. I11. $59.95. This huge, ambitious history has many good points that...

Professional reading.(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Bishop, Farzad and Tom Cooper. Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat. Osprey Direct USA, MBI Publishing, 729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2003. 96 pp. Ill. $19.95. There has been a lot published on McDonnell's masterpiece,...

Corrections to Jul--Aug 2004.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... Front Cover: Enterprise (CVN 65) photo was taken by PHAN Josh Kinter. Page 28: Bataan (LHD 5) photo by PH2 Jonathan Carmichael. Page 29: "Amphibious Assault Carriers and Marine Helicopter Squadrons (REIN), 2003"--Iwo Jima (LHD 7) HC-8...

Hangin' out.(FLIGHTBAG)(hung MAD (magnetic anomaly detection) bird)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Murphy's Law says that "if anything can go wrong, it will," but Naval Aviation personnel are trained for any challenge. On a standard mission while deployed on board Spruance (DD 963), an HSL-46 SH-60F Seahawk experienced a "hung MAD (magnetic...