The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery...part DEUX

[Rocketman]

Looks like the trainers were all silver at that time. When I started primary some 7 years later, they had just replaced the SNJ with the T-34/T-28, and they were all painted yellow.
View attachment 13158
BzB

The SNJ's were yellow by 1952. Or at least one of them was. Below are F6F Hellcats flown by advanced studs on a cross country in 1954. Looks like by the time you got to advanced you earned a Navy blue bird.

 

[Renegade One]

View attachment 13157

SNJ Texans assigned to Basic Training Unit (BTU) 3 at Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Saufley Field, Florida, pictured in flight on December 3, 1948, sixty-five years ago today.

Pretty manly aircraft for Primary…or did SNAs start in something else…even if it wasn't still N2Ss or N3Ns…?

 

[Rocketman]

Pretty manly aircraft for Primary…or did SNAs start in something else…even if it wasn't still N2Ss or N3Ns…?

They were using SNJ's for Primary and F6F Hellcats for Advanced in 1952. The first aircraft of any kind my father ever climbed into in his life was an SNJ. Prior to hitting the fleet they CQ'ed in both aircraft on either the USS Monterey (CVL-26) or the USS Cabot (CVL-28) Just so happened my dad hit the Monterey both times. Below is the Monterey with an SNJ on deck

 

[707guy]

Love the Ford pic! I can see some Crusaders and a couple of Scooters in the background as well. Love the stuff that NNAM posts.

 

[Gatordev]

View attachment 13163

Imagine having to ride through some seas in that thing. I bet you it rolled like crazy.

 

[jmcquate]

Imagine having to ride through some seas in that thing. I bet you it rolled like crazy.

That's what you get when you slap a flight deck on a Cruiser hull.

 

[Renegade One]

They were using SNJ's for Primary and F6F Hellcats for Advanced in 1952. The first aircraft of any kind my father ever climbed into in his life was an SNJ. Prior to hitting the fleet they CQ'ed in both aircraft on either the USS Monterey (CVL-26) or the USS Cabot (CVL-28) Just so happened my dad hit the Monterey both times. Below is the Monterey with an SNJ on deck.

Wow. Manly stuff in all regards.

 

[Renegade One]

That's what you get when you slap a flight deck on a Cruiser hull.

I'm sure the Great Lakes "fresh water" training carriers USS Wolverine (IX-64) and USS Sable (IX-81) were a lot more stable…and future President George H. W. Bush trained on the latter...

 

[BusyBee604]

I'm sure the Great Lakes "fresh water" training carriers USS Wolverine (IX-64) and USS Sable (IX-81) were a lot more stable…and future President George H. W. Bush trained on the latter...

Yeah, that was the CQ Det. just prior to mine, good times!
BzB

 

[Homer J]

An F9F-6 Cougar of Fighter Squadron (VF) 73 pictured after plowing into the barricade during recovery on board the aircraft carrier Tarawa (CVA 40) on December 5, 1954, fifty-nine years ago today.

 

[Gatordev]

Anyone know the story of the painted number on the fuselage? Why isn't "308" good enough?

And wow, 128xxx...we've come a long way quickly.

 

[CommodoreMid]

Speaking of old BUNOs, visited the Intrepid museum in NYC last weekend (free for military FYI) and they have a Tomcat on deck. The placard next to it indicated how its age was one of the reasons the Navy retired the platform. I then looked at the BUNO and saw that I have flown on P-3s with much older BUNOs. This one was in the 157 range. Sigh.

They also have a T-34 on deck. That placard cracked me up as it said that the plane was phased out in 2002.

 

[Jim123]

They also have a T-34 on deck. That placard cracked me up as it said that the plane was phased out in 2002.

That's OK, according to NAVAIR, the TH-57 helicopter has a turbofan engine. (Actually, about half the information on that particular link is bogus, but hey...)

 

[ea6bflyr]

That's OK, according to NAVAIR, the TH-57 helicopter has a turbofan engine. (Actually, about half the information on that particular link is bogus, but hey...)

I guess they forgot about turboshaft engines....

 

[Renegade One]

Anyone know the story of the painted number on the fuselage? ...

I'm just guessing here, but Navy had just won it's 23rd victory over Army on November 27th of that year in one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football, which began in 1890. At the end of that 1954 game, the series stood at 28 (Army) - 23 (Navy)- 4 Ties.

I'm going to do "throw down" and think that this was a very early version of a "USNA spirit photo" predicting 24 wins next year. Sadly, win #24 did not happen until 1957.

Today…as we approach the 2013 game...the series stands at 57 (Navy) - 47 (Army) - 7 Ties. (There were 10 years in which no game was played for various reasons…WWI being one of them).

Go NAVY…Beat Army!