Naval Aviation News articles from September 1 2000

Naval Aviation News archives from September 1 2000

GRAMPAW PETTIBONE.(analysis of two aeronautic incidences)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Lava Lament A CH-53D Sea Stallion with a full load of troops on board was conducting insertion missions from an Army airfield to a landing zone in a lava field 6,560 feet above mean sea level. The pilot and copilot conducted hover power...

Super Hornet Production Ramps Up.(Navy announces contract with Boeing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 15 June the Navy announced a multiyear contract with the Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., for full-rate production of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The contract provides for the purchase of 36 aircraft in FY 2000, 42 the next year and 48 for each...

Korean Medal Available.(Republic of Korea War Service Medal made available to U.S. veterans of Korean war)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 13 May, the defense minister of the Republic of Korea announced that the Republic of Korea War Service Medal would be available to eligible U.S. veterans of that conflict or to their surviving next of kin. For information on how to apply for...

For the Record.(contracts and product testing - aircraft, Navy, Marine Corps)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The C-40A transport aircraft being built for the Naval Reserve by the Boeing Co., Seattle, Wash., has been officially designated the Clipper. Raytheon Co., Lexington, Mass., received a $31.4 million Navy contract for the Joint Signals...

Mishaps.(military aircraft)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... An F/A-18D Hornet of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101, MCAS El Toro, Calif., crashed aboard NAP El Centro, Calif., on 9 May. Both aircrew members ejected safely. On 9 May, an E-2C Hawkeye of Carrier Airborne Early Warning...

PROWLER IN THE GROOVE.
September 1, 2000... Flaps down and hook up, an EA-6B Prowler approaches the ramp of George Washington (CVN 73) for a touch-and-go as the guided missile cruiser Normandy (CG 60) passes astern during Joint Task Force exercises In the Atlantic Ocean in May.

NDEZ.(corrective eye surgery for naval aviators)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... LCdr. Kevin Mannix, above, is the first pilot to fly and perform carrier qualifications following corrective eye surgery. Naval Aviators may undergo the surgery only if they meet certain criteria, including participation in a Navy-sponsored...

OSPREY TAKES TO THE SKIES AGAIN.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 5 June the MV-22 Osprey resumed operational evaluation flights after a standdown prompted by an 8 April mishap (see NANews, May-Jun 00, p. 8). On 17 June the Osprey flew with passengers--including Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones,...

NEW H-60s ARRIVE AT PAX RIVER.(testing of the CH-60S and SH-60R)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The first production CH-60S helicopter arrived at NAS Patuxent River, Md., on 15 May to begin developmental testing. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is scheduled to deliver 10 of the new helos to the Navy by the end of the year. The...

BLUE ON A ROLL.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... A Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron F/A-18 Hornet skims the tarmac during the Joint Services Open House at Andrews AFB, Md., on 21 May.

CHINA LAKE MUSEUM NAMED.(U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... When the Secretary of the Navy signed SECNAVNOTE 5755 on 12 May 2000, the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology was officially established at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., culminating a 10-year effort. The existing...

25 YEARS OF TEST & EVALUATION EXCELLENCE.(the Naval Force Aircraft Test Squadron )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 1 April 2000, the Naval Force Aircraft Test Squadron celebrated its 25th anniversary. The following is a tribute to the countless contributions that its dedicated personnel have made to Naval Aviation over the last quarter century. As...

NFO'S GATEWAY TO THE FLEET FOR 40 YEARS.(Naval flight officers school)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 7 July, Training Squadron (VT) 10, NAS Pensacola, Fla., celebrated its 40-year heritage of training nonpilot aviation officers. The squadron traces its roots to the Basic Naval Aviation Officers School (BNAO), established aboard NAS...

A SHOW OF FORCE.(Antisubmarine force)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Although some of Naval Aviation's roles have counterparts in other military services, there is one area where no one does what Naval Aviation can: patrolling the seas, the skies and the depths beneath the waves. This used to be called...

The Navy's Air War in Korea: September-October 1950.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Ensign Eldon W. Brown, Jr., of Fighter Squadron (VF) 53 had a feeling that this run was going to be the toughest of the lot. Diving through North Korean flak to strafe a row of wooden crates, his guns suddenly set off a tremendous explosion....

VP-40 PROFILES THE ANATOMY OF A COMMAND HISTORY.(Patrol Squadron (VP) 40)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Q: What does Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 have that almost 300 other Naval Aviation commands don't? A: A complete, well-organized and informative command history that is now a permanent asset to the history of Naval Aviation. (Another plus: it...

1999 Grandpaw Pettibone Award.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The individual and unit winners for the 1999 Grandpaw Pettibone Award are Lt. Andrew Meshel of HM-14, and the members of HSL 42. The award is presented annually to the individual and unit who have contributed the most to Naval Aviation safety...

Distinguished Flying Crosses.(VA-155 squadron)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... During a 26 May reunion of the VA-155 Silver Foxes, former squadron members were presented belated Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC) that dated from the squadron's 1965 cruise aboard Coral Sea (CV 43), which was then engaged in combat...

Silver Star Medal.(Brian B. Brurud; Clay G. Williams)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... RAdm. Tim Beard, Commander Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, presented two awards for Kosovo combat on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations at a command ceremony in June. LCdr. Brian B. Brurud was awarded the...

Chief of Naval Operations Valor Award.(Lt. Francisco Silebi)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Lt. Francisco Silebi, also of VF-41, received the Chief of Naval Operations Valor Award for combat operations over Kosovo. Silebi received the award for his calm professionalism in the face of danger when several surface-to-air missiles were...

1999 Government Employees Insurance Company Military Service Award.(Kent Davis)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... AB1 (AW/SW) Kent Davis received the 1999 Government Employees Insurance Company Military Service Award on 1 May for his contributions to multiple crash and salvage operations on board Carl Vinson (CVN 70). The Fuels Management Division at...

1999 North Carolina Governor's Award.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... NADEP Cherry Point, N.C., received the 1999 North Carolina Governor's Award for excellence in waste reduction in a federal facility. The NADEP was among 12 North Carolina industrial and governmental agencies and institutions recognized for...

HSL-94.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... An SH-60 Seahawk from HSL-94 assisted Samuel Eliot Morison (FFG 13) in seizing nearly a ton of cocaine from a fast boat off the coast of Columbia in late May. Operating as part of a Federal Joint Interagency Task Force, the frigate's surface,...

AMS.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Secretary of Defense William Cohen approved the merger of the Aviation Structural Mechanic (Structures), AMS, and the Aviation Structural Mechanic (Hydraulics), AMH, ratings, effective 1 March 2001.

VAQ-140.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... While operating in the Mediterranean, members of the VAQ-140 Patriots participated in a project of international goodwill in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 3 May. The Patriots volunteered to refurbish a complex which houses the Dubrovnik Humanitarian...

Records.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum celebrated its Silver Anniversary on 4 July marking the 25th year since the arrival of Yorktown (CV 10) in Charleston Harbor, S.C.

VAQ-136.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Two Sailors of VAQ-136 proved their mettle while aboard Kitty Hawk (CV 63). AO3 Thomas Zeman and AME3 Christopher Stark saved a young airman's life on 1 May when they tackled him moments before he went under an EA-6B Prowler and would have been...

HSL-43.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... An SH-60B Seahawk from HSL-43 assigned to Bunker Hill (CG 52) rescued a civilian pilot on 23 May after his twin-engine aircraft crashed into the ocean approximately 200 miles off the southern California coast. Pilots Lt. Blair Keithley and...

NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., Search and Rescue.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On 4 June the NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., Search and Rescue (SAR) team rescued an injured mountain climber on Coleman Glacier on the west face of Mount Baker. The operations duty office had received a call for assistance from the Whatcom County...

Blue Angels.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Blue Angels events coordinator Maj. Bruce Shank, USMC, flight surgeon LCdr. Pat McMahon and LCdr. Paul Moellere were awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Medal on 9 May for heroism in a noncombat situation. The three team members rescued 2nd Lt. Nolan...

Great Victory Has Grim Cost.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... "When they talk about us as heroes, there were 186 who died that day," retired Cdr. Harry Ferrier said on 4 June at the ceremony for the Battle of Midway anniversary held at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. Tears filled his eyes as his voice trailed...

PROFESSIONAL READING.(Review)
September 1, 2000... Davies, Peter E. F-4 Phantoms, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps: Gray Ghosts. Schiffer Military History, 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310. 2000. 240 pp. Ill. $49.95. We can always use another well-done volume on McDonnell Douglas'...

Correction to May--Jun 00.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Page 34: the winner of the 1999 ANA Enlisted Aviation Maintenance Award was AK1(AW) Michael W. Goodwin, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash. See pages 34--35 of this issue for a complete listing of ANA awards.

Brown Shoes History Project.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... A colleague and I have compiled "The Brown Shoes," which comprises 27 volumes of personal histories of the Flying Midshipmen and others designated Naval Aviators between 1946 and 1953. About 40 volumes are planned. Since this project is so well...