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The first batch of Demons had the infamous J40 engine... the little engine that couldn't. The later versions had the J71, which wasn't that much better... but much better than the J40. The pilots were directed to avoid "visible moisture" in flight, due to flameout problems. A great number of...

For all the uniforms that should be brought back (AWG, Dress Khaki...), there are some that should be left alone... From the Tailhook Association archives... LTJG Les Chambers in full dress uniform with sword at NAS San Diego, circa 1938-'39. Fred Prouty collection via Fred Prouty Jr.

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 24 April 2009 More color from the ramp at NAS Cubi Point, RP, summer '76. VMFA-115 F-4J

As a matter of fact, it was in the "hopper" for consideration for a cover of The Hook magazine back in 05/06. The caption on the USN photo reads: Atlantic Ocean (Nov. 4, 2005) - An MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, assigned to the "Bay Raiders" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Eight...

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 23 April 2009 Back in the day.... VP-9 P-3B taxies at NAS Cubi Point, RP, summer 1976, back when P-3s had color and tailcodes. According to my sources, the aircraft was written off after a belly landing at NAS Barbers Point, 17 May 1983.

Here's what was written on VA-165's camo experiment in the Summer 1990 edition of The Hook magazine (used here by permission of The Hook magazine) BOOMERS IN CAMOUFLAGE In a ComNavAirPac approved project, the Boomers of VA-165 painted some of their livery in temporary browns and greens and flew...

In the early 1970s there were a few Pacific Fleet F-4 squadrons with Marine RIOs. The Navy had a shortage and the Marines had a surplus. There was an overlap in replacements in my squadron, and for a while we had two Marine RIOs.

VA-145 Swordsmen "Electron 505" trapping on board USS Ranger (CVA-61) 1974

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 26 March 2009 VA-145 KA-6D 1974

I don't remember anyone at Miramar in the early '70s taking about the Brits and how much they had contributed. Going through the F-4 RAG (VF-121) in mid-'72, there were two RN Brits there, one pilot and one RIO. They were good... but not "oh-my-god great" as I recall. When I went through Topgun...

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 23 March 2009 VF-21 Freelancers F-4J Phantom II tanks from VA-25 Fist of the Fleet A-7E over the Tonkin Gulf, spring 1973.

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 21 March 2009 VA-113 Stingers A-7E

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 20 March 2009 VA-113 Stingers A-7E taxis to the cat on board USS Ranger (CVA-61), summer 1974.

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 19 March 2009 Heavy 13 Viggie in the wires on board Ranger (That's an RA-5C From the Bats of RVAH-13 on board USS Ranger (CVA-61)... sometime in 1974)

Ok... my two cents.. In late '71/early '72 at VT-10, selections were a combo of needs of the Navy and what you wanted. At this time, students really didn't know much about the various communities (except for the couple of P-3 NESEPS who knew what they wanted), so we were at the mercy of the...

Speaking as one of the guys who picks out what goes on covers.... ^^^what HeyJoe said...

Six years of active duty as an F-4 RIO, with a 15-month disassociated overseas shore tour at the end. Resigned my commission and became an aviation technical writer... found the job in the newspaper want ads. Received a package in the mail from the Reserve Recruiting Command. Got my commission...

HSM-70 stood up at Jax on the 12th. http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=42636 Will deploy with CVW-8 on board USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)

They did see some action at the end of the Vietnam War: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3191

I lied about my age and joined the Navy. I was thirteen at the time. Yeah.. I was a Navy fighter pilot went to Vietnam, and I was injured catching a SAM in my teeth. And they made me a three-star admiral! And then I got a job in journalism, writing for the National Enquire.. er, Geographic...

That's affirm. He's been there since '97 as executive director ... and done a fantastic job. I'm making it over to San Diego next week for a visit (and the reception... see RenegadeOne's posts elsewhere in the forums about the Thursday night (Feb 12) get-together at TH HQ)

Anyone with $45 for a year's membership (multiple years and life memberships... also available) is welcome. There are two flavors of Tailhook membership... Regular (BTDT) and Associate (No Traps). The ONLY difference is that only Regular members can vote on the Board of Directors. Right...

Ok... maybe -2 for me for reading comprehension...

Thanks for the comments ... you too, SteveG75 Now... go recruit some more members so's I can keep doing it for a few more years... v/r Old R.O. Hook Managing Editor

Just my $.02 here If zerocinco is 40 years old... as he himself states in his profile... that means he was born in 1968 or so... So... he was around 5-ish when the war ended (at least "officially") in 1973. So... some of his quotes are a little curious:

Nope... I think he means MC-12W... as in Huron... as in a new ISR platform. http://www.deagel.com/news/US-Air-Force-to-Convert-C-12-Hurons-into-MC-12W-ISR-Platforms-for-CENTCOM_n000005609.aspx and http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/mc-12-liberty.htm

ADJ = Mechs for Jets ADR = Mechs for Recips As for the A-4s... he was directing the comment at A4sForever The Aviation Machinists Mate rating was made just AD (vice ADR and ADJ) sometime in the late '70s I believe...

I didn't include VF-1285 (which I was a member of from '78 to '81 when they were the F-4 SRU) and -1485 because they didn't have any of their own aircraft. VF-1285 was divided into an "A" side and a "B" side, with the "A's" flying with VF-301 exclusively and the "B" siders with -302. I have...

There were two Reserve fighter squadrons at Miramar from 1970 until they went away in 1994 VF-301 was known as the Devil's Disciples VF-302 was knows as the Stallions. The paint scheme was officially called the Heater-Ferris scheme. It was invented by "Heater" Heatley in the early '80s. The...

Like.... maybe this one -- Photo of the last operational sortie flown by VF-301 in F-4s. CDRs Bob "Mouse" Shaw and Bruce Thorkleson climb out from Miramar and head south to one of the Papa areas off Mexico on a drill weekend Sunday afternoon in September 1984. It was the last flight in...

Marines and Barrage Ballons The first use of balloons by the Marine Corps was during World War I when they were used for artillery spotting. After the outbreak of World War II, the Navy authorized the Marine Corps to create barrage balloon squadrons for the air defense of advanced naval bases...

Marine glider pilot under training getting ready to hook up to the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 taxing up to tow the Schweizer LNS-1 glider aloft at Page Field, Parris Island, S.C., May 1942. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer

On 18 September 1941, the Marine Corps Division of Aviation published a recommendation for a glider program to include 100 12-man troop transport gliders and 50 training gliders. Included in the plans were 150 pilots and 500 enlisted men to be part of the Marine Corps glider program." In 1942...

It was on one of the HD channels a while back (HD Theater or something like that). ^ everything he said it was and more. See it in HD if you can.

The operational Navy's always been fast and loose with terminology. Before the 1998 OpNav came out, when a squadron went away, it was supposed to be gone for good (disestablished), but that didn't stop the Navy from bringing back squadrons that were "dead" (VF-191 and VF-194, for instance in the...

Sets minimum standards... fails to meet them

They are to be deactivated on 30 March 2009. As a point of order... only ships are commissioned and decommissioned. Squadrons are now (since the late '90s) established (in the case of new unit numbers) or activated (in the case of bringing back an old squadron) and deactivated. Quote from...

Not sure... but there are several squadrons that have the same nickname. Checkmates (VFA-211 and VS-22) Black Knights (VFA-154 and HS-4) ... I think that for a time they were in the same air wing I'm sure there are others...

1974. F-4J. Strapped into the jet at Miramar at 6:00. Took off and flew overhead USS Ranger which was operating off of San Francisco. Held overhead, tanked from the duty KA-6D, went into the pattern, 11 touch and goes, 7 traps, several hot pumps on the deck. Got a full bag on the last hot pump...

^^^^ Another Troll???? Don't feed 'em

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 27 December 2008 Descending for the initial at NAS Miramar over eastern San Diego County.

WW II UAVs And you thought that UAVs were a modern thing... In August 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps issued a requirement for a small radio-controlled aircraft for use as a target for anti-aircraft gunnery practice. Culver submitted a drone variant of their Cadet LFA sports plane, which was...

I was in AOCS for my first AVROC summer in 1970. We got the news of the RIFs third-hand, but from what I remember, they were brutal. Story goes that at Whiting all the studs were told to assemble in the theater. The officer who was in charge of the assembly said... "Everyone to the right of...

Pull up a chair... make yourself comfortable... help yourself....

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 23 December 2008 Before they were the Bandits, they were the Seahawks. VF-126 flew TA-4Fs and TA-4Js and was based at NAS Miramar and provided jet instrument training for the SoCal squadrons. Photo taken somewhere between Pensacola and Texas, 4th of July...

A photo from the Tailhook HQ archives. N3Ns and N2S at Rodd Field, Corpus Christi, in November 1942. Note the poor stud in the N2S in the taxi throat has nosed over. Photo was taken by LCDR Charles F. Jacobs, who was part of Edward Steichen's crew Natl archives photo number 80-G-475248

^^^ The "DUMystery" looks like an F-4 of some ilk,... but the radar scope is really weird.

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 22 December 2008

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 21 December 2008 RVAH-13 RA-5C Vigilante off the coast of Hawaii, June 1974

Back when the S-3 was very, very new. VS-29 S-3A 22 July 1975