Steeljaw Scribe

Notes and commentary on things present, reflections on a career in naval aviation and serendipitous items as strike me at the moment…

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Entries from May 2008

Red Star Thursday (Красная Звезда в четверг)

May 22nd, 2008 1 Comment

Russian Navy to return Kirov CGN to Service.
The Russian Navy has stated its intent to return the nuclear-powered cruiser “Admiral Nakhimov” to service with the Northern Fleet. The vessel has been docked in the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk for the last 9 years.

The “Admiral Nakhimov” was taken out of service in 1990 and the Navy [...]

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Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines - Glenn Curtiss

May 21st, 2008 2 Comments

Inventor, racer, aviator - intense and relentless competitor.  Father of Naval Aviation.  These titles and more accrued to one Glenn Hammond Curtiss, born this date in 1878 in Hammondsport, New York.  Not satisfied with the sedate life of the pedistrian, he earned money for his first bicycle while working for Eastman Kodak (where his natural inventiveness and [...]

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See and Avoid

May 20th, 2008 5 Comments

30 June 1956. Two airliners, a TWA Lockheed Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 are eastbound, in uncontrolled airspace in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. Both were flying under visual flight rules ostensibly to avoid the thunderstorms building in the area. At 1056 local, the DC-7 struck the Connie from above [...]

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Be Prepared

May 18th, 2008 1 Comment

Maybe it was growing up in Nebraska with tornadoes as part of our springtime ritual. Maybe it was time spent in Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol. Perhaps it was coming of age in the shadow of SAC headquarters, knowing there was a big red “X” on some Soviet targeting map. Whatever [...]

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Sunday With Calvin

May 18th, 2008 No Comments

Rate this: 2.5
Sphere: Related Content

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Hawkeyes Get Some Smithsonian Love

May 17th, 2008 3 Comments

Well, Carrier 3may have left one with the impression that the air wing was composed solely of Hornettes, but this month’s Air & Space magazine (official publication of the National Air and Space Museum) thinks otherwise with a feature article:

E-2s, the electronic eyes of the fleet, have been in production longer than any military [...]

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Flightdeck Friday - Neptunus Lex Edition

May 15th, 2008 2 Comments

Unless you’ve been blogging under a rock of late, most around these parts know that Lex (aka Neptunus Lex) is headed ashore permanently  this week as he retires from active duty.  Given the geographic disparity in our locations we, unfortunately, shall not be there in person to wish him the best as he begins [...]

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Postcards from Deployment: Homeward Bound (I)

May 15th, 2008 3 Comments

Southern’s latest missive arrives following liberty call in Rhodes as the Truman CSG is headed home. Having spent some time batting about the Aegean Sea in an LST for a midshipman cruise and liberty in Athens (a very long time ago - and yes, there is a story courtesy our airwing buds from [...]

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RIP: Daniel Weitzenfeld, 90

May 14th, 2008 No Comments

Who was Daniel Weitzenfeld? If you have anything to do with Naval Aviation, you should be thankful for this:

epecially in light of the way things used to be:
 

From the Washington Post        :
Daniel Weitzenfeld, 90; Navy Innovator
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; Page B08
Daniel Kehr Weitzenfeld, 90, a retired Navy rear admiral [...]

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India’s MMRCA Competition: The Plot Thickens

May 14th, 2008 1 Comment

Seems like there is interest on the part of the Indian Navy in the carrier capability of the Super Hornet that is part of the multi-national competition: 

Now Navy Wants Super Hornets Too
(HINDUSTAN TIMES (INDIA)14 MAY 08) … Rahul Singh
It is now sufficiently clear that the Indian Navy wants to be able to use the air [...]

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