Any of us who have spent a fair amount of time at sea become acquainted with the full cycle of life — from the births at home to the passings at sea. For those of us in aviation, that environment afforded more opportunities for the latter, sometimes, unfortunately, exceptionally so. My first encounter was when…
Christmas comes at a time of year where we, perforce, count our blessings, tally our losses and generally reflect on the year past. We find this action common across national boundaries and racial divides and, all too commonly, it ends there. The accountant’s take of the past year and if the blessings outweigh the losses,…
Part I here Badgers, Buccaneers and Bears…(Pt 2) (A North Atlantic tale from the "good ole days") Stopping by Maintenance Control, the lieutenant asked for the aircraft discrepancy book on 602. All the current and near past ills of the aircraft are chronicled in this three-ring binder, giving crews an idea of what they…
“AIR RAID PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT A DRILL” Seventy years ago those words ushered in a period of unbelievable agony, trial, effort and sacrifice. What was once before was forever changed afterward. Jack-booted thugs bent on their “Final Solution” strode cobblestone streets of the land distantly remembered as the forebear of a new nation,…
This Thursday, 21 October 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the first purpose built AEW aircraft, the E-2 Hawkeye (actually, it was the YW2F-1). Designed around the radar, rather than adapting an existing airframe, the Hawkeye symbolized function over form – from the 24ft “rotodome†prominently perched over the fuselage, to…
“Hawkeye, Ball…” Since the E-2A went to sea in the early 1960’s, “Hawkeye” was the name used for the ball call to the LSOs. Later iterations of the E-2C continued that practice but distinguished the a/c type by markings on the nose (a white “II” for Group 2 E-2s, or a “+” for H2Ks today)….
