[MilCom] Re: NavNews for Wednesday, April 06, 2005

[Greg Brazil]

For you East Coasters


>                                    -USN-
> 
>  NNS050406-07. 'Fighting Checkmates' Soar With Super
>  Hornet
> 
>  By Journalist Seaman Riza Wenthe, Naval Media Center FSD
>  Norfolk
> 
>  NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA, Va. (NNS) -- The
>  "Fighting Checkmates" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211
>  arrived at Naval Air Station Oceana April 1 after seven months
>  of training at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., with their new
>  aircraft. 
> 
>  The squadron's aging F-14 Tomcats were replaced by the
>  F/A-18E/F, making Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 the
>  U.S. Atlantic Fleet's first fully deployable Super Hornet
>  squadron. In training, the crews learned to fly and maintain the
>  new aircraft, which is more advanced than its predecessor.
> 
>  Cmdr. Robert Geis, the squadron's executive officer and
>  weapons systems officer, said the Super Hornet is a welcome
>  change for the aviators.
> 
>  "This new jet is state-of-the-art," he said. "It's brand-new.
>  Everything is digital and everything works. It's got super radar,
>  air-to-air and air-to-ground. It carries every weapon in the
>  inventory, and it works - everything works. It's just great."
> 
>  VFA-211 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Michael Whetstone
>  echoed Geis' positive thoughts on the aircraft.
> 
>  "They finally developed a plane that took into account the short
>  turn-around cycle that we have on the ship to get things
>  maintained and fixed," said Whetstone. "And they actually put a
>  lot of thought into making that job easier for the maintainer. That,
>  actually, from my point of view, is the best thing about this
>  airplane...that it is maintenance-friendly as well as
>  aviator-friendly."
> 
>  Senior Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Vaughn Ransom,
>  VFA-211 maintenance leading chief petty officer, emphasized
>  the improved quality of life his Sailors will enjoy with the Super
>  Hornet.
> 
>  "A lot of it has to do with the general maintenance," said
>  Ransom. "The trouble-shooting procedure is a lot easier to
>  follow with the new system that they have on computer. With the
>  Tomcat, it could [take] up to 30 man-hours per flight hour. With
>  the Super Hornet, it's somewhere around four man-hours per
>  flight hour."
> 
>  Whetstone added that the Super Hornet brings a lot of power to
>  the Navy's air forces.
> 
>  "With today's threats - the technology that's out there - I think in
>  order for the Navy to continue to be on the forefront, they need
>  to try to get a hold of and maintain the greatest technology that is
>  out there," Whetstone said. "That requirement is met by the
>  Super Hornet without a doubt. It brings a lot to the fight."
> 
>  According to the plane's manufacturers, the Super Hornet is 25
>  percent bigger than the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The jet also has
>  better maneuverability, ease of flying and lands at slower speeds.
>  Additionally, it has two more weapons stations, allowing for an
>  increased mix of bombs and rockets - up to 17,750 pounds. 
> 
>  For related news, visit the Naval Media Center FSD Norfolk
>  Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nmcnorfolk.
> 
>                                    -USN-

>                                    -USN-
> 
>  NNS050406-01. CVW-7 Arrives Aboard Ike
> 
>  By Journalist 2nd Class Shauna Garbiack, USS Dwight D.
>  Eisenhower Public Affairs
> 
>  ABOARD USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, At Sea (NNS)
>  -- For the first time since 2001, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7
>  personnel began to embark aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
>  (Ike) (CVN 69) March 28 for the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier's
>  flight deck certification, following a four-year mid-life overhaul. 
> 
>  During flight deck certification, the flight deck goes through
>  rigorous testing to get certified to launch and recover aircraft; this
>  is the next milestone for Ike's return to the fleet. 
> 
>  Helicopters arrived March 29, and Ike's flight deck was busy
>  with the arrival of the air wing's fixed-wing aircraft, marking the
>  first arrested landing for Ike in four years. 
> 
>  "What we are out here to do is to launch different types of
>  aircraft, at different weights, to make sure the catapults are
>  working properly," said CVW-7
>  CMDCM(AW/SW/NAC/FMF) Mike Rang, a native of
>  Jacksonville, N.C. 
> 
>  "We are here to train together as a team with the Ike Sailors,"
>  said Lt. Daniel Crowley, a native of Boston, and attached to the
>  Nightdippers of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 5.
>  "The more we train, the better we all get when we are on a six
>  month cruise."
> 
>  "This ship has just come out of the yards," said CMDCM
>  (AW/SW) Rick Neal, HS-5's command master chief and a
>  native of Mansfield, Ohio. "Working together as a team, things
>  can run smoother in the future. We all have to learn how to
>  crawl, walk, then run."
> 
>  Neal said the Sailors aboard Ike have bent over backwards for
>  them. He said the crew and the climate are professional, and he
>  could see Ike wants to be the best ship in the fleet. 
> 
>  "I've noticed Ike Sailors are really enthusiastic about their job,"
>  said Crowley. "They have been so helpful and excited to work
>  together."
> 
>  "We're here to help ramp-up the crew," said Lt. j.g. Robert
>  Scott, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., attached to the Patriots of
>  Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140. "The crew looks good.
>  The first time I was on Ike was when I was four or five, when my
>  dad, who was stationed aboard Ike, brought me here. Coming
>  back now is so cool to see it again, and she looks great! The
>  fresh paint makes her look real good."
> 
>  Ike and CVW-7 have come together as a team in getting Ike
>  back to the fleet, ready to assume her watch.
> 
>  "'Flight Deck Certified' means that Ike and CVW-7 are ready to
>  go to sea and do what we are supposed to do, and that's to be a
>  forward-deployed presence and to answer the President's call,"
>  said Rang.
> 
>  CVW-7 squadrons that arrived aboard IKE are: the Topcats of
>  Sea Control Squadron (VS) 31; the Nightdippers of Helicopter
>  Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 5; the Bluetails of Airborne
>  Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121; the Wildcats of Strike
>  Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131; and the Patriots of Electronic
>  Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140. The Gladiators of Strike Fighter
>  Squadron (VFA) 106 and the Salty Dogs of Air Test and
>  Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 also joined Ike for this underway
>  period. These squadrons will play an integral role in certifying
>  Ike's flight deck.
> 
>  For related news, visit the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN
>  69) Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn69.