[MilCom] CVW-17 Completes Training at Pinecastle

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NNS060414-08. CVW-17 Completes Training at Pinecastle
By Chief  Journalist (SW/AW/IUSS) Henry W Rice, USS George Washington Public  
Affairs

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- CVW-17, embarked on USS  George 
Washington (CVN-73), completed three days of training and
exercises at  the Navy's Pinecastle Bombing Range in Florida April 10.  The 
air wing  utilized the Pinecastle Range to conduct unit-level training, air 
wing strikes,  and combat search and rescue training. CVW-17 also utilized the 
Avon Park Range  to conduct close air support training with the 4th Air/Naval 
Gunfire Liaison  Company Marine unit (4th ANGLICO). The purpose of the training 
was to give the  air crews an opportunity to practice dropping live ordnance 
at the  range.

"Pinecastle is one of the few ranges on the east coast that allows  aircraft 
to drop live ordnance," said Lt Derek Fix from CVW-17's operations  office. 
"This is a training opportunity that is not readily available when the  air wing 
is back home in Oceana."

All of the embarked squadrons  participated in the exercises, including 
VFA-11 "Red Rippers;" VFA-81 "Sun  Liners;" VAW-121 "Bluetails;" VS-22 
"Checkmates;" and HS-7 "Dusty  Dogs."

"The training provided CVW-17 the opportunity to work and train  together as 
an air wing and carrier team," said Fix. "But it also allowed us to  get 
valuable integration training with other joint assets."

The Florida  Air National Guard, flying F-15C Eagles, participated in both an 
air wing strike  as well as air combat training with VFA-11 and VFA-81. "The 
Florida Air National  Guard provided opposition support for air wing strikes 
into Pinecastle, which  afforded some of the air wing assets a great 
opportunity to train against  dissimilar aircraft," said Lt Cmdr Rodney Behrend, 
operations officer for  VFA-11.

VS-22 participated in close air support training with the 4th  ANGLICO Marine 
Unit at Avon Park. VAW-121 provided command and control for air  wing 
strikes, as well as coordinated the busy commercial air traffic patterns  with Miami 
center and Fleet Area Control & Surveillance Facility  Jacksonville so the air 
wing assets could safely fly into Pinecastle and back to  GW. HS-7 
participated in a Combat Search and Rescue exercise, picking up a  survivor in the 
Pinecastle range.

Overall, CVW-17 found the training  exercises to be valuable and to help keep 
the air crews ready to deploy with a  high state of readiness.

"Any training that involves being able to  conduct missions utilizing ranges 
where live ordnance can be expended is very  valuable," said Behrend. 
"Additional training value is added when we have the  opportunity to integrate air 
wing assets into large force exercises that mirror  tactics the air wing would 
employ during real-world operations."

GW  provided support via its air department launching and recovering the 
aircraft  and weapons department assembling the ordnance. The entire crew received 
some  important operational training during the exercise.

"This was my first  time building real bombs," said Airman Apprentice 
Brittney Britt of GW's weapons  department. "I learned a lot, and this is the first 
time in almost two years  that GW has been making real munitions. We have been 
training and passing our  inspections, so it was good to finally put our 
training to the test."

The  bombing range, in the Ocala National Forest, is centrally located, which 
 provides air crews with a realistic striking range from both the Atlantic 
and  Gulf of Mexico operating areas. This flexibility enhances the carrier 
strike  group's ability to complete all its training prior to deploying into harm's 
 way.

The Navy has used nearly 6,000 acres of the 382,000-acre forest for  target 
practice for 50 years under a special use permit from the US Forestry  Service.

The exercises and training began April 8 following carrier  qualifications 
for all CVW-17 pilots, certifying them to land on GW's flight  deck day and 
night.

The GW/CVW-17 team is currently heading south to  participate in "Partnership 
of the Americas," a US Southern Command-sponsored  training and readiness 
deployment designed to strengthen regional partnerships  and improve 
multinational interoperability.

For related news, visit the  USS George Washington (CVN 73) Navy NewsStand 
page at  www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn73/.