Steeljaw Scribe

Fifty-five hours and 18minutes.  11,236.6 nautical miles.  No GPS, no inertial nav, no fly-by-wire, no computers save the biologic ones and the whizwheels.  No movies, no SATCOM, no sleeper seats.  No in-flight refueling - no stops.  No digital weather radar.  Four aircrew, one nine-month old baby ‘roo and 8,592 gallons of AVGAS.

Non-stop, Austalia to the [...]

(Navy News Service)
YOKOSUKA, Japan (Sept. 25, 2008) Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) form the phrase “Hajimemashite,” which means “Nice to meet you” in Japanese, as they arrive at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. George Washington and Carrier Air Wing 5 will be operating from Fleet Activities Yokosuka as the U.S. Navy’s [...]

The mid-1950’s were a fascinating time in aircraft development in the US.  The famous “Century Series” 1was well underway with participation by almost all of America’s premiere aircraft manufacturers, a series of X-planes   were pushing the boundaries at a remote desert lake-bed   only recently renamed for one aviator who gave his life [...]

As a Student NFO back in the late 70’s (OK, 1978) in P-cola, we tended to spend a certain amount of our free time over at the (then) new-ish Naval Aviation Museum (the ‘National’ appellation still some several years off) and while our attention was drawn to some of the indoor exhibits, nicely finished and [...]

Lead ship of the next class of LHA’s:
Navy Names New Amphibious Assault Ship America
The Navy’s newest class of large-deck amphibious assault ship, LHA 6, will bear the name USS America, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced while speaking at [...]

19 June 1944. Philippine Sea - TF 58 is conducting operations in preparation fo the invasion of Guam.  Consisting of five major groups, TF-58 is one of the most formidable assemblies of naval power the world had seen. In front (to the west) was Vice Admiral Willis Lee’s Task Group 58.7 (TG-58.7), the “Battle Line”, [...]

“I can run wild for six months … after that, I have no expectation of success.“
- Fleet Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto
In racing there is a saying - ‘luck is where preparation meets opportunity’ Perhaps there is no truer an example than the Battle of Midway. Popular literature seems to emphasize the American forces stumbling into [...]

Something a little different for Flightdeck Friday this Memorial day weekend. We are working on a project that if luck holds out, we should be able to post over the weekend, provided we don’t have to make an unbidden trip that lurks around the corner…if so, we’ll roll that project to the 4th of [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]