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Old 06-10-2020, 04:04 PM   #1
CalandLinda
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Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

I’m normally a RV trailer tire poster and have been doing it for about 15 years.

My lifetime work has been in aviation where I served 31 years in the US Navy. All toll I worked actively in the aviation industry nearly 45 years.

Because of this quarantine action all around the country, I thought of shearing some of my pictures and aviation adventures in some of the RV trailer forums I participate in on a regular basis. I’m not going to adhere to a time line. Each post will be a standalone post that took place somewhere in my travels.

In this first post I’ll take you to my first Navy duty assignment right out of boot camp. I did not get any Navy advanced training because my father was a pilot and I already knew aviation basics from a very early age. I wanted to be a Navy pilot and fly off ships but suffered a severe injury to my right hand when 13 that would prevent me from accomplishing that dream. However, the loss of 40-50 % feeling in my right would not prevent me from entering the Navy to seek a career as an aviation structural mechanic.

In April of 1957 I arrived at my first duty station at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu TH. (Hawaii had not yet become a state).

The squadron I reported to was Air Barrier Squadron 2 which was tasked with providing aborne early warning surveillance from Midway Island to Adak, Alaska with Barbers Point being home base.

The Squadron’s primary aircraft was the Super Connie with the Navy designation WV-2. Training and cargo/personnel movements were done with another version of the Super Connie with the Navy designation R7V. We also had a half dozen conventional beach craft designated SNB.

This has been a preliminary introduction and none of my posts in this thread will come close to the length of this one again

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Old 06-10-2020, 04:38 PM   #2
Charlie 3931fb
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Hey Cal,

First of all, We thank you for your service! 31 in the Navy is just fantastic in my eye's. You did your country proud!

I come form a aviation family. Between my Mother and Father they had 90 years at Lockheed Martin & NASA. I tried to get into the service but because I had 2 back operations when i was a child they said no way. I did get to fly for a living.

I flew helicopters for local TV news channels in Los Angeles and in San Diego CA.

The best to you and your wife,

May GOD bless you and keep you blessed always.

Charlie
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Old 06-11-2020, 10:41 AM   #3
jcurtis934
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Nice aircraft pictures! Love the post. Miss my air force days and lost youth.
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Old 06-11-2020, 12:18 PM   #4
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I worked for years making parts for radar jammer traveling wave tubes for air force aircraft. I enjoyed it.
Thanks for sharing, brought back found memories.
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Old 06-11-2020, 08:48 PM   #5
CalandLinda
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Grand Forks, ND, AFB

For a little more than 4 years we were, on the road, full time RV travelers. We visited all of the lower 48 and 5 CDN provinces we, wintered in the south and summered in the north. Being retired military we used a lot of the military RV Parks/CGs. If we parked in the vicinity of a military base without RV parking we still went there for shopping.

One thing all the military branches have in common is displaying obsolete weaponry. The most common display is aircraft. Large or small there always seems to be room for an aircraft display.

In this first post in this category, I’m going to show just how big a display can get at a military station's main gate.

We had the opportunity to stay a week at the Grand Forks, ND AFB. One of their primary missions is airborne refueling. They had this tanker aircraft on display at the main gate.

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Old 06-12-2020, 08:47 AM   #6
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Thank you for your lifetime of dedicated service to our country. This country would be a lot better off if everybody did a tour of service in any of our armed forces. I love the photos. My father served between Korea and Vietnam and was with VF-32 (The Fighting Swordsman) Their planes at the time were the Crusaders on the USS Saratoga.
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Old 06-12-2020, 12:49 PM   #7
CalandLinda
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NAS Jacksonville, FL

Although I was never stationed at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL; I spent my final 10 years in the work force there, at the Naval Aviation Depot as a journeyman aircraft mechanic, testing and rebuilding the numerous fly by wire hydraulic flight control units for the F/A-18 aircraft.

NAS JAX has a large aircraft display area just inside the main gate. Among those displays is this F-8 Crusader aircraft. It was often referred to as the last of the gun fighters.

Yup, that was my big black dually.

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Old 06-13-2020, 02:12 PM   #8
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Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX

Of all the military RV parks we used in our travels, The USA RV park at Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX was the most modern and well kept.

At the far end on the huge PX complex there is an Army museum. The outside displays are in the large parking area. That's where these pictures were taken.

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Old 06-13-2020, 05:14 PM   #9
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Military Aircraft

My short history in the military (4 years) included being stationed in Ohio, Viet-Nam, and Alaska. I was a loadmaster on C-130's, flying wherever the mission called us. My last duty station was Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage in the late sixties. One of our missions was to fly to Greenland and service the 3 DEW sites located out on the ice. We would spend 2 weeks at a time at Sondestrom AB and fly out to the sites, land on the snow and ice (approx 10,000 ft deep) and carry out what ever the mission was. The picture shows of a time when we were hauling a construction trailer back to the AB. That's me walking towards the front of the airplane getting ready to load the trailer. Some of you may recognize the JATO bottles (jet assisted take off) near the rear door. We had to use them when we were carrying a heavy load and needed help getting airborne. Basically they acted as a fifth engine.

On my first visit to Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson I ran across a C-130D model (equipped with ski's) out in the boneyard. The first picture below is the same airplane. It was like an old friend, I had flown in this particular airplane many times. It was sad to see the condition it was in. I hope someday it will be restored.

For you young people the DEW sites (Distant Early Warning) were part of a large cold war radar tracking system before satellites.
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Old 06-13-2020, 06:55 PM   #10
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For those interested is military equipment there is a new museum in Dubois Wy. It’s 140,000 square feet and 100 million dollars. It is the largest private owned military collection in the world. If you are interested in military equipment it will be worth seeing. The owner had tanks sent from Europe for his museum. The problem for him there isn’t enough room for all his equipment.
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:33 PM   #11
CalandLinda
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Naval Air Station, Alameda, CA

My second duty station in the Navy was at Naval Air Station Alameda, CA. The squadron was VP-9 and the aircraft designation was P2V-7.

The old picture is of the squadron’s Aircraft Division. It was taken in 1959, I’m seated far left.

Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL has a restored P2V-7 on display in their large aircraft display area just inside the main gate. Behind it is an F-14 from VF-84. It has the paint scheme used in the movie, "The Final Countdown"; filmed - in part - aboard the USS Nimitz. I was a flight deck maintenance chief for Carrier Air Wing 8 on the Nimitz when that movie was made. I got to meet Kirk and his son Peter Douglas while they were aboard for movie scenes.

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In the VP-9 picture I was 20. In the CVW8 picture I was 40. After a total of 31 years, I retired at age 49.
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Old 06-13-2020, 07:43 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mlh View Post
For those interested is military equipment there is a new museum in Dubois Wy. It’s 140,000 square feet and 100 million dollars. It is the largest private owned military collection in the world. If you are interested in military equipment it will be worth seeing. The owner had tanks sent from Europe for his museum. The problem for him there isn’t enough room for all his equipment.
Lynwood
Thank you for the info. There are some great photos in this link.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/04...grand-opening/
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Old 06-14-2020, 08:02 AM   #13
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Phantom II

Are you an F-4 Phantom II fan? I am, because I did three Vietnam combat tours with them. I did one on the USS Independence with VF-41 and two on the USS Midway with VF-151.

The F-4 was a very densely constructed aircraft. Its structural design was called “torque box”. It could survive some very serious battle damage and still return to the ship.

One time while visiting Las Vegas and parking our RV at the Circus Circus Resort & Casino, my brother and I went out to Nellis AFB to play a round of golf at their wonderfully manicured golf course. Nellis is the home of “Red Flag” a training environment similar to the USN “Top Gun”. They have aircraft of many designs on display. When I saw this F4 I had to stop for pictures. This was the best one.


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Old 06-16-2020, 04:45 PM   #14
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Navy Fighter Squadron 41

Early in 1964 I checked-in to VF-41 from the F-4 Maintenance Training Center. It was my very first assignment to a “tail-hook” squadron and for he next 24 years I would do all of my sea duty assignment with the tail-hookers, ending my career in 1988 as the Maintenance Chief for VFA-132, F/A-18 aircraft.

VF-41 was in the process of a transition period, changing from the F3H Demon to the new - from the factory - F4-B Phantom II. I was first assigned to the Check Crew (XC) where periodic squadron aircraft inspections were conducted. During the transitioning period we also performed aircraft acceptance inspections. It’s a work assignment where a very lot is learned in a short period of time.

From there I was assigned to the Airframes Workcenter where my primary job assignments were working in my rating (AMH); which consisted of all hydraulic and pneumatic systems, sub systems and emergency systems. Landing gear and primary/secondary flight control systems were within my rating along with brakes, wheels & tires.

From there I went to the line division as a squadron airframes flight deck troubleshooter. In early 1965 the squadron was deployed with the USS Independence (CV-62) to Southeast Asia from Norfolk, VA. I worked the flight deck assignment for that entire cruise and returned to Norfolk 7 months later as a fully qualified airframes flight deck troubleshooter for the F4B aircraft. A few months later I was transferred to the LTV aircraft factory at Dallas, TX where the USN A7A aircraft was being built. Another tail hook aircraft I would become very familiar with.

This first picture is a signature photo of a VF-41 aircraft in full burner during a launch from a waste cat on the Indy. The others were also taken while being assigned to the Indy.

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Old 06-16-2020, 06:19 PM   #15
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Ranch 560, I really enjoyed going through the Pima Air Museum. I plan on going back again.
Thanks to everyone who served this country and the pictures with actual personal information about them are awesome.

Tom Marty
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Old 06-16-2020, 07:44 PM   #16
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Cal,

Sounds like we crossed paths a couple of times. I was in VA-86 on Nimitz for Final Countdown filming, I flew the A-7 barricade shots. Spent 17 years at Cecil including a RAG tour, CVW-17 and command of VFA-86.
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Old 06-16-2020, 11:29 PM   #17
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Talking

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Cal,

Sounds like we crossed paths a couple of times. I was in VA-86 on Nimitz for Final Countdown filming, I flew the A-7 barricade shots. Spent 17 years at Cecil including a RAG tour, CVW-17 and command of VFA-86.

I'm sure your maintenance CPOs and maintenance officers knew me. I worked the CVW8 desk in flight deck control. I was actually assigned to VF-41 as their flight deck maintenance coordinator before CAG drafted me for the air wing maintenance job. I worked it for two years and left skinny with high blood pressure . LCDR Reardon (Nimitz aircraft handler) and I had a second scenes about each other and almost always knew where the respots were going. Some years later he died when the aircraft he was piloting at the time, crashed in the St. Johns River. At that time he was a CDR working fleet training at GITMO.

Here you go, a Snake bird from the Nimitz ere. I think Don Garlits got this after the BRAC closure, repainted it and it's on display at his FL museum.

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Old 06-17-2020, 08:47 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CalandLinda;1187195

Here you go, a Snake bird from the Nimitz ere. I think Don Garlits got this after the BRAC closure, repainted it and it's on display at his FL museum.

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A man and his wife stoped by my shop last year. He had drag raced against Don Garlits when Don was starting out. The first race Don had one of the Plymouth’s with the headlights set on an angle. He looked at them and noticed the bottom set didn’t have headlights in them. Don had run a hose from them to the carburetor. He protested and won. Next race Don had sone small wheels on the front of his car. He protested again, won again and of course won both races. The way he said it Don was madder than hell.
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Old 06-17-2020, 08:49 AM   #19
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Same EC121 that I worked on in 1970, remembered the tail number. Picture taken at Pima Air Museum in 2018.
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Old 06-17-2020, 09:47 AM   #20
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A man and his wife stopped by my shop last year. He had drag raced against Don Garlits when Don was starting out. The first race Don had one of the Plymouth’s with the headlights set on an angle. He looked at them and noticed the bottom set didn’t have headlights in them. Don had run a hose from them to the carburetor. He protected and won. Next race Don had small wheels on the front of his car. He protected again, won again and of course won both races. The way he said it Don was madder than hell.
Lynwood
I called the aircraft a snake bird because aboard ship all of their aircraft were called snakes because of the bright orange diamonds in their paint scheme with the coiled rattlesnake.
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