Naval Aviation News articles from September 2002

Naval Aviation News archives from September 2002

60 years ago.
September 1, 2002... Flying from carriers and land bases during WW II, Navy attack aircraft such as the SBD dive-bombers above provided our country with a flexible offensive punch when and where needed.

Today.(United States calls on naval aircraft )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Our country has again called upon naval aircraft to take the battle to the enemy. Over Afghanistan our attack aircraft, such as this pair of F/A-18 Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 137 at right, await the call from our ground forces for...

Human tragedy. (Grampaw Pettibone).(F/A-18 Hornet crashes during training exercise)
September 1, 2002... A section of F/A-18 Hornets was on a night air-to-ground training mission. The section entered the target area from the west at 6,100 feet, identified the target (two smudge pots appearing as a single-point light source) and circled the target...

Gramps from yesteryear: two navigators. (Grampaw Pettibone).(EA-3B Skywarrior looses navigation)
September 1, 2002... An EA-3B Skywarrior was scheduled for a routine flight of about three hours from NAS Small Island to NAS Large Island. During the sortie, one of the navigators was to receive his navigator check flight. The crew consisted of the pilot, an...

SHARP enters development. (Airscoop).(shared reconnaissance pod )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The Navy accepted the first engineering and manufacturing development version of the Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP), above, on 24 June. The SHARP system will provide high- and medium-altitude tactical reconnaissance capability for F/A-18 C...

Scramjet engine begins testing. (Airscoop).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research are developing a scramjet missile engine to cruise up to Mach 6. Unlike conventional rockets, which carry a mixture of fuel and oxidizer internally, the new engine...

New simulator joins the fleet. (Airscoop).(from Northrop Grumman )
September 1, 2002... Northrop Grumman delivered to the Navy the first of five Mobile Remote Emitter Simulators (MRES) for the Atlantic test ranges at NAS Patuxent River, Md. The simulator provides a single workstation that can generate virtually all of the threats...

Fire Scout takes off. (Airscoop).
September 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The Navy's RQ-8A Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle began its flight test program at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., on 19 May. The Fire Scout is a fully autonomous...

Laser eye protection a reality. (Airscoop).(Naval Air Systems Command Crew Systems Science and Technology Division )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Spectacles to protect against the threat of eye damage from antipersonnel lasers will soon be available to Naval Aviators. Developed by the Naval Air Systems Command Crew Systems Science and Technology Division at NAS Patuxent River, Md., the...

For the record.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The X-31 thrust-vectoring demonstrator resumed flight testing on 17 May at NAS Patuxent River, Md., following a year of reconfiguration and ground testing. On 14 June an F/A-18F became the 100th Super Hornet delivered to the Navy. The...

Marine Corps. (H-1 Helo Update).
September 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The Marine Corps' H-1 upgrade program is remanufacturing UH-1N "Hueys" and AH-1W Super Cobras into UH-1Y and AH-1Zs, which will share a common drive train, rotor head, tail boom, avionics, software and...

Mishaps. (H-1 Helo Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... A Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center F/A-18A Hornet crashed at NAS Fallon, Nev., on 6 June. The pilot ejected safely. A civilian was killed and a crew member injured when a UH-1N "Huey" of NAS Lemoore, Calif., made an emergency landing...

MAWTS-1 hones warfighting edge.(Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS) 1)
September 1, 2002... Each spring and fall, pilots, weapons systems operators and ground combat, combat support service support officers from the Marine Corps and other U.S. and foreign services descend on MCAS Yuma, Ariz., and its surrounding air ranges for the...

NADEP North Island: demystifying the depot.(Naval Air Depot (NADEP) North Island's hangars in San Diego)
September 1, 2002... Somewhere in the fleet, the following conversation might be taking place: Pilot to mechanic, "My plane's headed for the depot at North Island. What happens to it there?" Mechanic to pilot, "Sir, you got me. It just goes away and a few months...

NATTC Lakehurst introduces high-tech training.(Naval Air Technical Training Center )
September 1, 2002... Naval Aviation has come a long way since its beginnings in 1911. Technological advancements have provided not only new aircraft and ships, but progressive training for the personnel who operate the equipment. With the development, installation...

VAQ-141 Shadowhawks: "Ready on Arrival".
September 1, 2002... When the Shadowhawks of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 departed NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., in April 2001 en route to Norfolk, Va., and Enterprise (CVN 65) for a Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf deployment, they expected a typical cruise. They...

Flight International Inc.: supporting the warfighters.(Company Profile)
September 1, 2002... Tucked away into a small corner of the Newport News-Williamsburg, Va., airport is a little known company that fulfills an important support role for the U.S. Navy's warfighting capability. Right International Inc. (FII) provides realistic...

Dauntless reborn.(a Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless is recovered)
September 1, 2002... Some people travel to frigid Greenland to retrieve aircraft from beneath 250 feet of glacial ice. Others go to the sweltering jungles of New Guinea to bring them back. The National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Fla., went to the bottom...

Marine aviation in Korea, 1950-1953.
September 1, 2002... After the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops on 25 June 1950, American forces were strung out through the Far East. One American carrier was available, along with one British Royal Navy flattop, and that was the extent of naval...

Awards. (People Planes Places).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) took home top honors as the 2001 Battenberg Cup winner. The cup is presented annually to the Atlantic Fleet Battle Efficiency winner with the greatest accumulation of crew achievements. TR also won the 2001 Capt....

2001 Admiral Arthur W. Radford Award for excellence in Naval Aviation history and literature was presented to Hal Andrews for four decades of significant contributions. (People Planes Places).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation presented its annual awards to outstanding contributors in Naval Aviation. The 2001 Admiral Arthur W. Radford Award for excellence in Naval Aviation history and literature was presented to Hal Andrews (left)...

Scan pattern. (People Planes Places).(NAS Lemoore, Calif., and NAS Whiting Field, Fl. to roll out new graduate education program )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... A new graduate education program aimed at the enrichment of Naval Aviation and the professional growth and development of aviation officers is targeted for rollout at NAS Lemoore, Calif., and NAS Whiting Field, Fla. During September the Naval...

Records and anniversaries. (People Planes Places).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... On board Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Cdr. Ted Carter completed this 1,646th trap in a VF-32 F-14 Tomcat. HC-3 celebrated its 28-year anniversary and has completed over 176,000 mishap-free flight hours. On board Kitty Hawk (CV 63) the...

Rescues. (People Planes Places).(Coast Guard)
September 1, 2002... On 24 February a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules from San Juan, P.R., investigated an emergency radio beacon signal and spotted an inflatable dingy and life raft lashed together with four people on board. The aircrew dropped a radio to the survivors...

2001 Aviation Squadron Battle Efficiency Winners.(Illustration)
September 1, 2002... 2001 AVIATION SQUADRON BATTLE EFFICIENCY WINNERS Category Pacific Atlantic VF VF-213 VF-102 VAQ CVW VAQ-135 VAQ-137 VAQ EXP VAQ-133 N/A VFA VFA-97 VFA-15 VS VS-29 VS-24 VAW ...

Screwtop sortie. (People Planes Places).
September 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) crew member checks on the catapult and launch bar assembly before the launch of an E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the Screwtops of VAW-123.

Navy investigates firefighting training options. (People Planes Places).
September 1, 2002... JO2 Jd Walter Seeking out training and educational solutions from the civilian sector is a primary focus of the Navy's Revolution in Training initiative. Taking the best that industry offers and adapting it to Navy needs provides Sailors...

Battle of Midway marks 60th anniversary. (People Planes Places).
September 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Crew members of Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) honored the Sailors who fought the Battle of Midway in WW II during a ceremony held on the carrier. Recognition of the battle's 60th anniversary included a 21-gun...

New training video keeps aviators safe.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Video crews from the Air Force Air Combat Command visited the VAQ- 129 Vikings to record inside footage from an EA-6B Prowler during low-level flight. The footage, along with interviews from VAQ-129 instructors, will be used to update the...

Change of command.
September 1, 2002... CVW-17: Capt. Dana R. Potts relieved Capt. Rodger L. Welch, 26 Apr. Essex (LHD 2): Capt. Ronald R. Evans relieved Capt. Scott A. Berg, 17 Apr. HC-3: Cdr. George M. Matais relieved Cdr. Sherman R. Lupton, 10 Jul. NAS Pensacola,...

Formations.
September 1, 2002... Above, an F-1 4 Tomcat two F/A-18 Hornets and an EA-6B Prowler from Kitty Hawk (CV 63) conduct a fly-by during a carrier air power demonstration in the Asia/Pacific region in May. Below, an F-14 from Carrier Air Wing 7 breaks up and out to...

Professional reading.(U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-70. by Elward Brad and Peter Davies)(Book Review)
September 1, 2002... Elward, Brad & Peter Davies. U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-70. Osprey Publishing, Elms Court, Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK. 2001. Distributed in the USA by Motorbooks International, 729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola,...

NAS Hitchcock: epilogue. (Flightbag).(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2002... This letter from Kim and Mike Brieden, 7765 Pigeon Drive, Hitchcock, TX 77563, was in response to the article "Then and Now: NAS Hitchcock, Texas" in the Nov-Dec 01 issue. Kim notes that she saw the article because someone in the Navy stationed...

Correction, Jul-Aug 02. (Flightbag).
September 1, 2002... Page 12: Ratings should read: Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipmentman) vice (Electronics); ABH (Handler) vice (Hydraulics).

Reunions. (Flightbag).
September 1, 2002... USMC/ Vietnam Helicopter Assn., 3-6 OCT., Pensacola Beach, FL. POC: 781-337-3239; www.popasmoke.com VP-40 (1948-1968), 8-12 OCT, San Diego, CA. POC: Robert Foss, 515-222-0112; robfoss@aol.com. Cabot (CVL 28), 9-13 OCT, Mobile, AL. POC:...

Attention Marine Aviation squadrons: is your insignia official? (Flightbag).
September 1, 2002... During 2003, Naval Aviation News, in conjunction with CNO's Naval Aviation History and Archives Oftice (N78H). plans to publish a poster illustrating insignia and lineage of all current Marine Corps squadrons with assigned aircraft. If...

ANA photo contest.
September 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The Association of Naval Aviation's 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...

U.S. Navy support and tactical land-based squadrons.
September 1, 2002... PATROL SQUADRONS [VP] VP-1 VB-128 Est. 15th Feb 1943 Redes. VPB-128 1 Oct 1944 Redes. VP-128 15 May 1946 Redes. VP-ML-1 15 Nov 1946 VP-4 VB-144 Est. 1 Jul 1943 Redes. VPB-144 1 Oct 1944 Redes. VP-144 15...