Naval Aviation

[JJaxon]

Midway Magic. I was there 1981-82 AIMD.

[JJaxon]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

An USN A7 Corsair II aircraft getting ready to launch from a bow cat off the USS Midway (CVA-41). The picture was taken by me. It was 1971 and we were in the South China Sea providing support for our forces in Vietnam.

Attachment 26725

That's a non digital picture taken with a Yashica 35mm.

Midway Magic. I was there 1981-82 AIMD Airframe.

[CWtheMan]

The USS Midway (CV-41) is currently a floating military museum moored at downtown San Diego.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

The USS Midway (CV-41) is currently a floating military museum moored at downtown San Diego.



Attachment 28698

We did that in the spring of 2018. A week or so before the Bonhomme Richard sailed in for extended yard work. Toured the bay on a sight seeing boat.

[JJaxon]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

The USS Midway (CV-41) is currently a floating military museum moored at downtown San Diego.



Attachment 28698

Yes, I've been there to visit her a few years ago. Great memories it brought back.

[CWtheMan]

When I last visited the Midway I wore my original Midway cap. They let me ring the bell when I asked for permission to come aboard.

[Snoking]

On the same trip home for Az in the spring of 2018 that we toured the Midway and learned that it was built in 17 months, which seemed amazing, we did the reactor B tour at Hanford, Wa. The Manhattan Project was a 11 month effort to bring workers from across the country, build a city to house them and complete the reactor B project. If one is in the SE Washington State area it is a fascinating free tour. The result!

[Pull Toy]

This may be of interest to some of us old "Airdales".

When the keel was laid for CVA-42, she was to be the Coral Sea. While she was in the ways, FDR died and she was re-dedicated the FDR (aka Swanky Franky!)

The keel was laid for CVA43, and she became the Coral Sea.

Good Luck,

[CWtheMan]

USAF C-141, an awesome aircraft. In my US Navy adventures I got to fly in one of these a few times. The fastest flight was from Pope Field in NC to March AFB in CA. The most enjoyable was leaving the Indian Ocean from the island of Diego Garcia to Clark AFB in the Philippines.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

USAF C-141, an awesome aircraft. In my US Navy adventures I got to fly in one of these a few times. The fastest flight was from Pope Field in NC to March AFB in CA. The most enjoyable was leaving the Indian Ocean from the island of Diego Garcia to Clark AFB in the Philippines.


Attachment 28867

I flew none stop from Bangkok, Thailand to Travis AFB on one set up as a passenger plane with airliner type seats in 1967. Around 7800 air miles and around 14 hours + or -. Which appears to be way more than the stated range. Someone in the know will have to explain that to me.

[KimNTerry]

In flight re-fueling provides for almost unlimited range.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

In flight re-fueling provides for almost unlimited range.

We were not in air refueled as far as I know! Would that have occurred at full cruise speed and altitude?

[CWtheMan]

For may years NAS Miramar was home to the Navy's west coast fighter community and the home of the famous "Top Gun".

During the BRAC commission meetings in the 1990s it was decided to realign Naval Air Station Miramar and turn it over to the Marines. Sometime in 1997 it officially became Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

These pictures were taken by me after the realignment and there are other Marine aircraft displayed at various locations on the MSAS.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

Once upon a time (1972) a long time ago, when America had more than 500,000 personnel actually in the Vietnam combat zone, I was one of them. I was a member of Navy Fighter Squadron 151. Their aircraft (12 of them) were F-4 Phantom II aircraft and I was the aircraft check crew supervisor. Our crew was responsible for performing in-depth periodically scheduled aircraft maintenance inspections, called calendar inspections. Aircraft check flights were required to return the aircraft to full service after completing a calendar inspection.

The Squadron was part of Carrier Air Wing 5 and was operating off the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVA-41). (The Midway is now a popular memorial on the San Diego, CA waterfront).

Our work-center was located on the 01 level in hangar bay 2 and was not air conditioned. There were very few places tall enough in the hangar bays where an F-4 could be jacked in the air, off its wheels, for a drop-check (operating the landing gear). One of them was just below our work-center.

Here are some pictures from that time and place.


Attachment 27575 Attachment 27576

Attachment 27577 Attachment 27578

Attachment 27579 Attachment 27580

An old friend and past co-worker was a Yellow Shirt on the Lex about that time frame.. early 70's

[KimNTerry]

Originally Posted by Snoking

We were not in air refueled as far as I know! Would that have occurred at full cruise speed and altitude?

Yes, refuelling can occur at speed and altitude. Aside from what would feel like turbulence, you would not have known you were refueling ulesss you were in the cockpit, had a headset on set the same channel as the flight crew, or the AC made an announcement.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

Yes, refuelling can occur at speed and altitude. Aside from what would feel like turbulence, you would not have known you were refueling ulesss you were in the cockpit, had a headset on set the same channel as the flight crew, or the AC made an announcement.

Thanks. As the longest range I could find without refueling was Travis to Japan, which is 1500-2000 miles shorter. Seems we flew all night. I could have been asleep. I do know it was a non stop flight. Chris

[JRTJH]

I have no idea how that C141 made the trip, and I'm not going to suggest it was/was not refueled in flight. I would say that most specifications for range and cruising speed are based on ideal flight conditions at "average/full weight capacity". Most passenger configurations don't come close to the C141 weight capacity, so it takes significantly less fuel to keep the airplane at cruise speed, most efficient altitude with a minimum load onboard....

Additionally, almost all "military aircraft unclassified specifications" don't reveal the "ultimate capacity"... We really don't want our enemies to know what we can do under austere conditions with the available equipment we have.... Some of the older fighter aircraft were capable of, in some cases, more than 50% greater performance than was listed in the "unclassified data"..... I'd suspect that it was much the same with the cargo aircraft.

[CWtheMan]

NAS Jacksonville was the first home for the Navy Flight Demonstration Team - Blue Angles.

The last time I was at NAS JAX I took this picture. The aircraft was on display just outside the main gate. It may still be there.

[Bob R]

When i was stationed at NAS Jax they had the F11 in Blue Angel livery parked at the front gate.

bob

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by Bob R

When i was stationed at NAS Jax they had the F11 in Blue Angel livery parked at the front gate.

bob

Here's a F11 on display, Grand Junction, CO.