Doug- 1. Naval Aviation is dying on the vine. The USN's soon going from 12
airplanes in F/A-18 squadrons to 10. From 17 pilots to 15. That reduces
the number of pointy nosed aircraft on the ship from 48 to about 40 while
increasing pilot admin workload. BRBR

Gee, a thread about NavAir. The more things change, the more they stay the same
I guess. We said the same things as you when S-3s came aboard on 'small'
decks(VF-33, 9 a/c, USS Independence), and said it again when F-14s were
deployed on 'small' decks(VF-31, USS Forrestal).

In spite of all the 'bad' times in the late 70s, training anchorages, no
flying(72 traps total for a 6 month cruise AND workup), no parts, etc., I still
loved it, and didn't really consider getting out.
P. C. Chisholm
CDR, USN(ret.)
Old Phart Phormer Phantom, Turkey, Viper, Scooter and Combat Buckeye Phlyer