Aviation

A piggybacked peek into the future

By Bill McMichael on December 16, 2010 Aviation, Historical, NASA, Science and technology

A few lucky travelers passing through Lambert International Airport in St. Louis Dec. 13 may have caught a glimpse of aviation history in the making — and of military aviation’s future — when Boeing’s Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system hitched a ride on NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The flight was a test to check the in-flight performance of the SCA while flying with the Phantom Ray and a special adapter before making the much longer trek to California for test flights at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. And it marked the first time in 33…

Dec. 7, 1941

By Bill McMichael on December 7, 2010 Aviation, Historical, Pearl Harbor, Sinking, World War II

Today marks the 69th anniversary of “a date which will live in infamy” — the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that prompted the U.S. entry into World War II. The Navy regrouped, fought back and, four years later, enjoyed the ultimate payback, hosting the formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the battleship Missouri. The anniversary is being marked at commemorations around the world, chief among them ceremonies at the new Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and on Ford Island, where a memorial commemoration will be held in honor of those…

Carl Vinson heads to sea

By admin3 on December 1, 2010 Aviation, Carriers, Life at Sea, Navy, Training

The carrier Carl Vinson left Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on Tuesday for three weeks of training followed by a scheduled deployment. Here are some photos the Navy took as sailors boarded the ship and got under way. (Click for high-resolution versions.)

Austerity taken too far

By David Larter on November 16, 2010 Aviation, Navy

Calling the plans for the purchase of Joint Strike Fighters too costly, the Navy today unveiled an aircraft it says will put the service at the forefront of stealth fighter technology for the 21st century and even beyond. Navy officials revealed the Curtiss pusher biplane on the decks of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush Nov. 15, calling it “leap-forward technology” for merely a fraction of the cost of all previous stealth fighter programs. All right, that’s enough. In reality, this is just a nifty photo showing a replica of the plane that made history 100 years ago when it…

Naval aviation history, brought to life

By Bill McMichael on November 12, 2010 Aviation, Historical, Naval aviation centennial, Navy, Photos

The skies over the Hampton Roads, Va., region are daily crisscrossed by some of the most modern jets in the U.S. military’s inventory, from Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets to Air Force F-22s. But at Norfolk Naval Station on Friday, nothing — nothing — could top the ultra-retro replica Curtiss pusher biplane piloted by the builder, retired Navy Cmdr. Bob Coolbaugh, who flew over Chambers Field as part of the Navy’s commemoration of the first flight off a warship, 100 years ago. On Nov. 14, 1910, at 3:16 p.m., civilian aviator Eugene Ely, seated in his Curtiss on a temporary wooden…

The future of naval tacair arrives at Pax River

By Bill McMichael on November 12, 2010 Aviation, Historical, Naval aviation centennial, Navy, Video

A seminal event in naval aviation history will be celebrated today at Norfolk Naval Station when officials and dignitaries gather for a (non-public) celebration of civilian flier Eugene Ely’s gutty Nov. 14, 1910, biplane flight off a makeshift shipboard flight deck — the first time it had ever been done. Last week, the latest in a long line of official successor aircraft — and the fighter jet on which the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are pinning their future manned tactical aircraft programs — arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. The F-35C Lightning II, the carrier-capable variant of…

Current aircraft, vintage paint schemes for centennial

By Bill McMichael on November 11, 2010 Aviation, Historical, Naval aviation centennial, Navy, Photos

Although the flight that launched naval aviation is being commemorated Nov. 12 in Norfolk, the Navy will officially celebrate 100 years of naval aviation throughout 2011, as the first naval aircraft were requisitioned 100 years earlier. The year will be filled with events across the country, starting with the Feb. 10 kickoff event in San Diego — roughly 100 years and a few weeks after civilian aviator Eugene Ely made the first aircraft landing on a warship. Flyovers and vintage aircraft will play prominently in the events, and part of the fun will be the vintage paint schemes some current…

Farewell, Saturn

By Bill McMichael on October 28, 2010 Aviation, Carriers, Maritime operations, Navy, ordnance, Photos, Royal Navy, Ships, Sinking

There may not have been many of you — the former supply ship Saturn’s crew of 160 never included many more than 40 sailors during its 25-year run with Military Sealift Command — but here’s a respectful nod to you and your old ride, which was sunk in the Atlantic Wednesday after the George H.W. Bush Strike Group spent two days attacking the decommissioned ship during a training/sinking exercise. Ships from Destroyer Squadron 22 and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 8, along with Patrol Squadrons 10 and 45, took part in the tactical training exercise using surface-to-surface, air-to-surface and surface-to-air…

Sailors get bored, too

By David Larter on October 22, 2010 Aviation, Video

A few months ago, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan grabbed a lot of attention for their remake of Lady GaGa’s “Telephone.” The hype translated into more than five million views on YouTube and culminated with an appearance on CBS’s Early Show by video mastermind and GaGa enthusiast Sgt. Aaron Melcher. Colleague Dan Lamothe at Marine Corps Times has been posting a bored Marine video of the week as a wind-down after a long five days of journalistic excellence. If you haven’t seen the video of Marines jousting out at Twentynine Palms, Calif., it is important you click here…

The end of British seapower, taken off the deep end

By Bill McMichael on October 19, 2010 Aviation, Carriers, Foreign navies, Photos

Our departed colleague Phil Ewing recently linked to a sobering Telegraph report on the enormous budget pressures facing the British fleet. Today’s Wall St. Journal takes a much cheekier view of the problem — specifically, as it relates to Britain’s apparent desire to continue funding two new STOVL-capable carriers, one already under construction, that won’t have new Brit-ready Joint Strike Fighters available to populate their decks for some years after they’re ready to go. Check out Five Uses for Spare Aircraft Carriers. Alternative No. 1, turning them into floating youth clubs, would appear to be the best option, as No.…

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