Naval Aviation

[sandy43]

I really enjoy your pictures. Spent 4 years in the Navy as an AC. A tour in the Med on the Saratoga, 2 years at Navy Kingsville where I saw many Cougers go down from pilots learning to fly jets. The stories I could tell.

[CWtheMan]

During my more than 31 years in Naval Aviation, I served with Navy Fighter Squadron 41 twice. The first time was 1964 – 1966 with F-4B Phantom II Aircraft. The second time was 1977 – 1980 with the F-14A Tomcat Aircraft.

[ladon67]

CW- The AH-1F on the outside of the Army Aviation museum was mine as a crew chief in the late 80s-early 90s. It's a RIARNG helicopter, serial number 68-17109. I left for flight school at Ft Rucker in 92 and when I got back to RI, I got to fly my old helo!
I flew Cobras for 7 or so years, then went fixed wing flying the C-12 and C-23 Sherpa. I'm a CW5 now flying the -12 exclusively. I gotta say, it's fun when I get a 3 star Admiral on board and I tell him "I used to be in the men's department of the Navy." They look at you quizzically and I say "I was in the Marines!!" HAHA!!

[Canonman]

Was fortunate to capture these images of a vintage Navy/Marine PBJ during the Reno Air Races. After a 23-year restoration, Semper Fi is the only original PBJ flying in the world. Thanks!! to all of our veterans and member veterans for your service

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Canonman

Was fortunate to capture these images of a vintage Navy/Marine PBJ during the Reno Air Races. After a 23-year restoration, Semper Fi is the only original PBJ flying in the world. Thanks!! to all of our veterans and member veterans for your service

Mitchell bomber?

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by jasin1

Mitchell bomber?

Yes, Navy version of the B25 Mitchell.

"During World War II the Marine Corps operated surplus B-25 Mitchells with the designation “PB” for patrol bomber. The Marines used the aircraft extensively in the South Pacific to routinely heckle and attack Japanese bases as well as intercept enemy shipping."

[CWtheMan]

One time while visiting a random yard sale I found a box of WWII colorized aircraft postcards. This is one of them.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Canonman

Yes, Navy version of the B25 Mitchell.

"During World War II the Marine Corps operated surplus B-25 Mitchells with the designation “PB” for patrol bomber. The Marines used the aircraft extensively in the South Pacific to routinely heckle and attack Japanese bases as well as intercept enemy shipping."

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

One time while visiting a random yard sale I found a box of WWII colorized aircraft postcards. This is one of them.

Attachment 36878 Attachment 36879

Thanks! You can still fly on that b25 that’s featured on the postcard…pretty cool.

My sons room is still full of his die cast model airplanes and helicopters from when he was a kid..’. He has his own home now but we leave both of our kids rooms the way they were when they moved out….call me nostalgic

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by jasin1

Thanks! You can still fly on that b25 that’s featured on the postcard…pretty cool.

My sons room is still full of his die cast model airplanes and helicopters from when he was a kid..’. He has his own home now but we leave both of our kids rooms the way they were when they moved out….call me nostalgic

Thank You!

[CWtheMan]

An Airdale story

In April 1973 I deck launched off the USS Midway somewhere in the South China Sea and flew to Danang in Vietnam. By that time most of South Vietnam was being shelled by the Northern forces. From there I hitched a ride in a USA Caribou aircraft going to the Tan Son Nhut air base at Saigon. Saigon and the airbase were suffering from random missile shots in the outskirts. The air base was also the Saigon airport and I had to get a bus ride from the military side to the civilian side. There were very few people out and about.

I had reservations aboard Pan Am flight #1 via Hong Kong and Tokyo to San Francisco. However, because the airport had taken a few missiles hits the Pan Am flight would not land. There were 16 of us scheduled to fly out on the Pan Am 747 and we were scurrying around trying to find something going to Hong Kong when we saw an Air France 747 land. Because the peace talks were an ongoing thing in Paris the Air France pilot wasn’t worried about being shot at. We went to the Pan Am desk to see where the Air France aircraft was going when it left? It was going to Hong Kong and Pan Am booked us out on it. I spent two nights in a very nice Hong Kong hotel waiting for a Pan Am flight to the states. Of course, Pan Am paid for my hotel room and all meals. Most of those I had traveled with were going to Sidney, Australia or Honolulu for R&R.


The Caribou I got to Saigon in is the one being loaded for its return to Danang. My seat mate on the Caribou ride to Saigon was a 21-year-old Chief Warrant officer who was taken out of recruit training and sent to special training. His vision was something like 20/05 and he could bust a beer bottle at 300 yards with a sniper rifle. (His story).

[jasin1]

First airplane pic reminds me of Doolittle raid…did the air plane drop noticeably when it took off or did it just climb steadily?

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by jasin1

First airplane pic reminds me of Doolittle raid…did the air plane drop noticeably when it took off or did it just climb steadily?

On waist deck launch it will drop a bit according to its weight and head wind. On a cat shot it jumps right into a climb.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

On waist deck launch it will drop a bit according to its weight and head wind. On a cat shot it jumps right into a climb.

Pretty cool. Thanks!

[CWtheMan]

USS Nimitz – 1978

Story time. Right after I got promoted to SCPO I got reassigned to the carrier air wing (CVW8) as their flight deck control maintenance coordinator. I was an extra E8 in VF-41 and the air wing was in desperate need of a flight deck chief with a lot of flight deck experience. During the turn around the air wing got two new CPOs, an E9 and an E7. Both had come from fixed wing careers and had zero experience with shipboard flight deck procedures. I remained with the CAG until my transfer to shore duty in 1980.

This might be leading somewhere, right? Because of availability the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was chosen to go back in time in the movie the “Final Count Down”. Fighter Squadron 84 was chosen as the iconic aircraft to be used in nearly all of the aviation scenes. It was mostly due to their nick name, the Jolly Rogers and their famous tail insignia, black skull and cross bones. I cannot explain how difficult it was to provide flight deck parking for a squadron that had #1 priority and knew it.

Anyhow, the picture with the Tomcats in pursuit of the Zero was shot somewhere off the coast of Key West, FL. Naval Air Station. Key West was being used as a staging point for the movie production company. Peter Douglas – the son of the movie’s star – Kirk Douglas – was the producer of the movie. Rumor had it that Peter and the Nimitz CO were hang glider buddies out in CA.

[ladon67]

That’s a great story CW! I’ve spent a fair amount of time flying outta NQX enroute to Central America. It’s a great step off point because we have to fly around Cuba!

[CWtheMan]

F-35 Lightning II

A series of pictures taken during carrier qualification for the USN F-35. These tests were conducted aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68).

That control station protruding from the deck in the past pix is called the "bow bubble". During recover and re-spotting it is lowered to form a solid, level deck.

[jasin1]

CW…How long could the carrier operate with the onboard tanks for refueling the aircraft? …guess the tanks were low in the hull..did they always keep them topped off or have to flood with seawater when empty for stability.

[Marinerjoe]

Originally Posted by jasin1

CW…How long could the carrier operate with the onboard tanks for refueling the aircraft? …guess the tanks were low in the hull..did they always keep them topped off or have to flood with seawater when empty for stability.

As a retired Navy engineer, I can answer some of your questions. Regarding how long they can operate aircraft, it all depends on the tempo. As long as there are tankers out there to UNREP (underway replenishment) as needed, we can keep fighting for weeks and months. Like we did in the Arabian Gulf as we (at CTF-53 where I was) coordinated beans, bombs, and fuel for the US and coalition ships there for the better part of a year after 9/11.

Regarding stability, there are LOTS of ballast tanks that are used for stability control. It would be a HUGELY last resort to put seawater ballast into a fuel tank as the process to clean them out for fuel use is a major evolution.

Hope that answers your questions.

Joe
CDR, USN (Surface Warfare)

[jasin1]

yeah i thought i remembered reading somewhere where fuel tanks were flooded for ballast in ww2 ? ..i figured they would have high volume pumps and be able to evacuate it quickly and use water separator’s to clean up…..doesn’t make much sense after i read back what i originally posted lol..

i read a lot of war books ( mostly ww2 ) Halseys Typhoon was about the destroyers that capsized in a typhoon because the tanks were empty and couldn’t be refilled because of heavy weather..also they added heavy armor plating above decks which shifted the center of gravity

thanks for the info

[bsmith0404]

I should dig back through some of my old photos and add to this thread. During 25 years of USAF service I’ve put together quite a collection. I worked avionics on F15s and was also assigned to the F117s at the time they were being retired and returned to Tonopah. My son worked on the B1 at Ellsworth AFB. For now I’ll just add a couple pics. One of my son and I in an F15 at Langley AFB in 1991, one of my retirement shadow box, one of me in 1990 when I was an Airman, and one of me in 2010 getting closer to the end of my career.