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NAVAIR's F/A-18 Program Celebrates 25 Years of Flight
NAVAIR's F/A-18 Program Celebrates 25 Years of Flight
(EXCERPT) Story Number: NNS031125-01 Release Date: 11/25/2003 6:42:00 PM From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) F/A-18 program commemorated the first flight of the Hornet aircraft flown 25 years ago Nov. 20. Alumni members of the "Hornets Nest" gathered at NAVAIR Patuxent River for a day of memories and celebration. “The last 25 years of flight by F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets have established an unmatched record of performance, survivability, reliability, maintainability and affordability for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and our foreign partners,” said NAVAIR F/A-18 Program Manager Capt. B.D. Gaddis. “The men and women who have designed, developed, produced, enhanced, maintained and flown these remarkable aircraft can be very proud. They have set the chinning bar pretty high. But I'm convinced that the next 25 years will be even better." Naval Aviation was forever changed 25 years ago when Jack Krings, test pilot for then-McDonnell Douglas Corporation, had the honor of taking the new fighter on a 50-minute flight from St. Louis o... U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it in full today, 30 Nov 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE the following lines into your web browser.) The subject/content of this report is not necessarily the viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided for your information and discussion. http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=10773 --------------------------- Otis Willie Associate Librarian The American War Library http://www.americanwarlibrary.com |
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Woody,
What is "old?" 1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere. In my case: KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport. Just a bunch of aluminum held together by a bazillion coats of paint. Tanker package still installed, though. 2) When I went through VT-10 as a SNFO in 1969, the flight syllabus consisted of several low-level visual nav hops about the south Alabama countryside in the squadron's fleet of venerable C-45 / SNB "Bugsmashers." The VT-10 CO had the following painted above the pax hatch on each of these birds: "NFO Trainer - Built 194X," with the "X" variable indicating the exact year of manufacture. Oldest "Secret Navy Bomber" in his fleet was one built during the third Roosevelt administration. All of these tired birds were older that the students using them, and in many cases, the instructors teaching in them too. The Skipper always made sure that this fact was explained to each visiting Poo-Bah - especially anyone from Washington or having anything to do with Naval appropriations. Owl sends. -- Mike Kanze "I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back." - Zsa Zsa Gabor "Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal" wrote in message ... On 11/30/03 5:01 PM, in article , "Otis Willie" wrote: NAVAIR's F/A-18 Program Celebrates 25 Years of Flight (EXCERPT) Story Number: NNS031125-01 Release Date: 11/25/2003 6:42:00 PM From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) F/A-18 program commemorated the first flight of the Hornet aircraft flown 25 years ago Nov. 20. Alumni members of the "Hornets Nest" gathered at NAVAIR Patuxent River for a day of memories and celebration. "The last 25 years of flight by F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets have established an unmatched record of performance, survivability, reliability, maintainability and affordability for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and our foreign partners," said NAVAIR F/A-18 Program Manager Capt. B.D. Gaddis. "The men and women who have designed, developed, produced, enhanced, maintained and flown these remarkable aircraft can be very proud. They have set the chinning bar pretty high. But I'm convinced that the next 25 years will be even better." Naval Aviation was forever changed 25 years ago when Jack Krings, test pilot for then-McDonnell Douglas Corporation, had the honor of taking the new fighter on a 50-minute flight from St. Louis o... What is it about me and old airplanes? |:-) U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it in full today, 30 Nov 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE the following lines into your web browser.) The subject/content of this report is not necessarily the viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided for your information and discussion. http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=10773 --------------------------- Otis Willie Associate Librarian The American War Library http://www.americanwarlibrary.com |
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"Mike Kanze" wrote...
What is "old?" For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) 1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere. In my case: KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! |
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John,
For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) Touché! Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! Since the designation "A-4C" was the pre-McNamara designation of A4D-2N, you WERE in all likelihood flying an "oldie." IIRC, the A4D-2N first hit the fleet in 1959 or 1960. Not that the Smithsonian's bird necessarily was any "newer" - we would hope yours still had usable wing life. g (Going rhetorical now) Which brings us - again - to the question, what is "old?" BuNo seniority? Airframe hours expended? Declining utility / suitability for a particular purpose? Increasing lack of spare parts / increasing cost of remaining spares? Ad nauseum. -- Mike Kanze "I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back." - Zsa Zsa Gabor "John R Weiss" wrote in message news:RnPyb.380900$HS4.3131487@attbi_s01... "Mike Kanze" wrote... What is "old?" For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) 1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere. In my case: KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! |
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Since the designation "A-4C" was the pre-McNamara designation of A4D-2N
Should be "post-McNamara." I apologize for responding to my own post. -- Mike Kanze "I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back." - Zsa Zsa Gabor "Mike Kanze" wrote in message ... John, For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) Touché! Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! Since the designation "A-4C" was the pre-McNamara designation of A4D-2N, you WERE in all likelihood flying an "oldie." IIRC, the A4D-2N first hit the fleet in 1959 or 1960. Not that the Smithsonian's bird necessarily was any "newer" - we would hope yours still had usable wing life. g (Going rhetorical now) Which brings us - again - to the question, what is "old?" BuNo seniority? Airframe hours expended? Declining utility / suitability for a particular purpose? Increasing lack of spare parts / increasing cost of remaining spares? Ad nauseum. -- Mike Kanze "I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back." - Zsa Zsa Gabor "John R Weiss" wrote in message news:RnPyb.380900$HS4.3131487@attbi_s01... "Mike Kanze" wrote... What is "old?" For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) 1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere. In my case: KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! |
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Which brings us - again - to the question, what is "old?"
Back in the early 1950s, I spent two years flying R5C-1s. That's the airplane the Army Air Corps mistakenly called the C-46, and flew over the Hump during WW II. Half of our squadron's airplanes were painted blue, but where the blue paint had worn off, we could see Army olive drab paint. The Army wore them out, no longer wanted them, and I suppose the Navy bought them at a yard sale and gave them to us Marines. I think that's one definition of "old." vince norris |
#8
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John R Weiss wrote:
"Mike Kanze" wrote... What is "old?" For a pilot or an airplane? ;-) 1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere. In my case: KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport Well, when I was flying the A-4C in 1977 or so, the one in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC was newer than the one I was flying! Shoot, you guys are babies. the transport aircraft I crewed on in 1958-1959 are goat carriers in Cattlegap, Third World. And both ships I served on were scrapped in the mid-seventies. Now that's old. BSEG George |
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Back in 1979 we were waiting for one of the F4Es to get fixed so we
could go on up to Avon Park Range - the crewchiefs and I were sitting under the wing in the shade away from the South Florida sun. one of them looked at me and asked "Sir, when dod you get your wings?" I answered "1954." A funny expression crossed his face and I asked "When were you born?" He answered "1961." Second 'old' feeling, about the same time. I was strapping into an F4E in the same outfit (307TFS) and a staff sergeant was helping me with them. I caught his name tag - 'Klix'. I asked "Is your dad's first name Danny?" He replied, 'Yeah, and I used to play with your kids!" His dad and I had flown 104s in the 319th FIS at Homestead AFB back in 1964-65 . . . Walt BJ |
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