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...

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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=10773

---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com

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

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

"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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

You start suspecting your old when every aircraft you have flown is in the
boneyard or museum, and every carrier in the fleet was commissioned after
you got your wings. Heck there are only two remaining, that I ever landed
on.

When they are gone? I think I will just get drunk. Hell why wait.

Red Rider