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HERE ARE SOME OF THE GREAT GUYS WHO HAVE
RECENTLY MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO:
OP-PLAN EXPENSES:
Denny Bowen, Tim Brown, Joseph Ferguson, Bob Helton,
John Herbert, Larry Lammers, Mel Locke, B. J. Long,
Dan Partain, Dock Pegues, Joe Pike, Norm Riise, John Rivers,
Ed Rogers, Dan Sharr, Chuck Van Arman, and Hal Vincent
GRAMPS MANY THANKS to each of you! OBITUARIES At the recent staff meeting the subject of publishing obituaries of Gramps' members was discussed. Many heartfelt comments were made. In the end, to be fair to all members, it was decided that Gramps will only list the names and dates of Gramps members that have made their finial flyby. You should contact the Editor, Hal McDonnel or any GPS Staff Member for inclusions on the future Final Flyby List
Editor
PLANES of FAME MUSEUM
by Fran Pieri, GPS Membership Officer The Planes of Fame Museum at the Chino Airport features many vintage military aircraft from pre WWII thru Korea and Viet Nam. Many of them are in excellent flying condition. On the first Saturday of each month is an "event day" featuring aircraft that was used during that phase of the war or specific battle. Last Feb. 5th the P-38 Lockheed Lightning was featured. Our own Bruce Bauer was one of the key speakers. The monthly events begin with a seminar at 10:00 AM with speakers who were directly associated with the featured topic. A flight demonstration with the appropriate aircraft will usually follow the seminar. Open 7 days a week 0900 to 1700 (closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25). On Sat. March 5th is Air Operations over Iwo Jima, featuring the P-51 Mustang. Also, on May 21 and 22 there will be an Air Show at the Chino Airport put on by The Museum. I will have some flyers at the next luncheon in March. Be sure to pick up some then.
ANA / SAN DIEGO
CONVENTION By Bud Kretsinger
ANA Trustee & Former GPS CO
ANA's "gathering" is only a couple of months away. Time to figure out how we intend to travel to San Diego. Plane, train, car or bus? Depending on what time of the day we travel, it could be a pleasant thing, or a nightmare. Of course, I'm speaking of freeway travel, when I say nightmare. Unless we individually drive down. I spoke of that last month. Freeway is a good option if we travel between 10 at night and 4 in the morning. But that's not conducive to check in times at the Marriott.
Last month I suggested we travel by train. There's a lot to be said for the train. This is my preferred way of travel, (unless someone will let me borrow their plane). The bus is still a stop-start, traffic fighting way to go. The train is in air-conditioned comfort, and except for station stops, is pretty much direct. There are other benefits, but that would be discussing "nature calls", so I'm sure you follow my drift. Enough said on that subject.
What I'm leading up to is hiring someone to do "the driving for us." At the next luncheon, (March), I would ask that you contact me and tell me which way you prefer. Then I can either contact AMTRAK for an even better fare rate for "groups", or we can ask the Ops Officer, Andy Gilcrest to set up a bus for travel.
As a reminder, there will also be a World Class Marathon in San Diego that weekend, so DO NOT FORGET to make your reservations at the San Diego Marriott in Mission Valley. Those folks are making reservations as you read this, and there's a lot more "marathoners" than there are ANA members who attend these events, in San Diego. The 800 reservation number is
1-800-228-9290.
SEA DART , the right time never came for waterborne fighter By Robert F. Dory
NAVY TIMES 1/31/05
The idea of a jet fighter that could take off from water inspired the imagination of a few Navy engineers and planners in the 1950s.
In 1951, the Navy awarded a contract to Convair, the San Diego company created by the merger of Consolidated and Vultee, to build two prototypes of a single-seat, delta-wing seaplane fighter, the F2Y-l Sea Dart.
Illustrations from the era showed squadrons of Sea Darts operating in the open ocean, alongside vast fleets of warships. A Washington, D.C., newspaper published a drawing of a Sea Dart operating from the city's Tidal Basin to defend the capital from Soviet bombers. The basin is only about 4 feet deep, in no way suitable for any seaplane, but the image was captivating. When Convair test pilot E.D. "Sam" Shannon took the first plane, designated XF2Y-1, aloft at San Diego on its first official flight on April 9, 1953, the Sea Dart was already having technical troubles. The Westinghouse jet engines were inadequate for the plane, a fate the Sea Dart shared with several Navy fighters of the period. The retractable hydro skis used for landing, takeoff and beaching required extensive redesign. A Navy plan to build mobile bases for waterborne aircraft was lagging and, in fact, never became reality. Moreover, the Korean War was going on, and the Navy had shown itself to be seriously behind in developing more conventional jet fighters. The Sea Dart program went through several changes on paper. In fact, the Navy changed the number of planes it wanted from seven to 22, and finally, just five. Several engines were considered for a production version of the Sea Dart. For the most part, the plane performed well in tests, but the Navy seemed to be unable to decide what to do with it. The program took a tragic turn on Nov. 4,1954, when Convair test pilot Charles E. "Chuck" Richbourg was killed in the No. 2 Sea Dart, called a YF2Y-1, as it disintegrated during a low-level, high-speed flight as the press watched and television cameras rolled. Tests resumed with a redesigned aircraft. A single hydro ski replaced the dual skis. Two Sea Darts proceeded with the flight test program; two more were built but never flew. The aircraft demonstrated an ability to operate in waves up to 10 feet, and to fly faster than sound in a shallow dive. According to documents preserved at the San Diego Aerospace Museum, the Navy solved one technical problem after another, and by 1957, it had a Sea Dart design that would have been service-worthy. By then, however, the interest in sea bases and waterborne combat planes had waned.. According to "General Dynamics Aircraft," by John Wegg, the Sea Dart logged over 300 flights in 46 months before the Navy discontinued the program in 1957. Five years later, when the Pentagon's system for naming aircraft was overhauled, the F2Y was renamed the F-7. All four surviving Sea Darts are in the collections of various museums around the country. Robert F. Dorr, an Air Force veteran, lives in Oakton, Va. He is the author of numerous books on military and naval topics, including "Air Force One." His e-mail address is robert.f.dorr@cox.net. GPS Editor's note : GPS member CDR Billy Jack Long, USNR(Ret), became a member of the Sea Dart test pilot team after Chuck Richbourg's fatal crash. B.J. completed all final tests on the single and twin ski aircraft including open-sea landings and takeoffs. 
HAPPY EASTER
11 CARRIER NAVY JFK on the chopping block
Excerpts from an article by Christopher P. Cavas in Navy Times 2/14/05
The 11-ship carrier force indeed will become a reality, according to the new fiscal 2006 Pentagon budget submitted to Congress Feb. 7.
The new budget documents, however, clearly show the one-ship reduction from the 12-carrier force that's been in place since 1994.
The carrier likely to be axed is the John F. Kennedy, according to a senior source who asked not to be identified. "Big John" had been scheduled to remain in service until 2018
Navy Secretary Gordon England did not mention the John F Kennedy by name, the inference was that the ship would be the 36-year-old JFK, based at Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Fla. The Navy has acknowledged that the ship has a long-standing series of material problems, and it is scheduled to enter Norfolk Naval Shipyard this summer for a major dry docking overhaul. Shipyard officials already have delayed purchasing items for the overhaul, however, in anticipation that the job could be canceled. Decommissioning the ship would save the Navy about $350 million a year, service officials said.
The Navy's only other non-nuclear carrier is the Kitty Hawk, based in Japan. That ship is planned to remain in service until fiscal 2008, and, with the Japanese government contributing to its upkeep, is reported to be in very good material condition despite being in service for nearly 44 years.
Shipbuilding accounts will be trimmed, as rumored. Instead of building six ships in 2006, the Navy will construct just four. Gone is One Littoral Combat Ship - shifted to 2007 at the request of Congress -and one of two planned T-AKE dry cargo ammunition ships, now moved to 2008.
The next aircraft carrier, CVN 21, also has been pushed back, from 2007 to 2008.
Aircraft
The service remains committed to buying 42 F/A-18 Super Hornet variants a year, with that number being reflected for every year through fiscal 2011. The mix will begin to change in 2006, as EA18G electronic attack versions are substituted for F/A-18 E and F strike aircraft. Four are in the 2006 budget, 12 in 2007 and 18 in 2008, for a total of 90 EA-l8Gs through fiscal 2011.
Procurement of Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been cut. Two aircraft planned for 2007 have been dropped; the planned 2008 buy of 16 aircraft has shrunk to 10, and 2009's 40 F-35s have become 32. A senior Pentagon budget official said the cuts were based on continuing development problems with the aircraft's weight and affordability issues.
Cost also was a factor, the official said, in cutting 35 MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the 2006-2009 time frame. Now, nine rather than 15 Ospreys will be ordered in 2006; 14 instead of 29 in 2007; 19 instead of 30 in 2008; and 30 aircraft from 33 in 2009. 2005.
LOCKHEED MARTIN LANDS
MARINE ONE DEAL
Navy Times 2/14/05
Lockheed Martin will build the new presidential helicopter fleet, the Navy announced Jan. 28, putting an end to a fierce competition that had both political and international overtones.
The $6.1 billion contract to buy 23 high-tech, high-security aircraft is relatively small in the military budget. But it is emblematic of two important issues: the outsourcing of American jobs and the question of how open the U.S. military market is to foreign contractors.
Maryland-based Lockheed and its European partners had waged a major public relations campaign, with the help of leaders from England and Italy. The decision was a blow to Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft, which has built the presidential fleet since 1957 and saw the contract as a point of pride.
STENNIS HEADS FOR BREMERTON IN BIG DECK REALIGNMENT PLAN
By Gidget Fuentes
NAVY TIMES 01/17/05
Coronado, Calif. As San Diego ship deployments go, the Jan. 5 departure of the carrier John C. Stennis was a quiet affair, as only two dozen or so friends and family members watched the carrier and 1,500 crew members head for open ocean.
The departure from North Island Naval Station marks a home port change for Stennis, which was expected to arrive in Bremerton, Wash., after a three-day transit. Information Systems Technician 2nd Class (SW) Chuck Jones waited on the pier as his brother prepared to man the rails for the morning departure. Jones, 24, like his brother, has been a Stennis sailor for more than four years, but he wasn't making this latest deployment. With orders to move soon to Misawa, Japan, Jones instead waved goodbye to his brother and watched, for the first time, as his ship left. It was a morning of mixed feelings. "There's just so many friends who are going to be gone," he said. His brother, Electronics Technician 3rd Class (SW) Jeff Jones, brought along his belongings: three seabags, two boxes and two computers. A shipmate friend had already lined up an apartment in Silverdale, a town on Puget Sound north of Bremerton. "I'm hoping to get out, just to see what they have to offer," said Jeff Jones, 23, of his new hometown. Last spring, Navy officials decided to shift the carrier fleet. In the shuffle of the big decks, they agreed to send Stennis to Bremerton, and the newest flattop, Ronald Reagan, arrived in San Diego in July. This month, with Stennis' arrival, Carl Vinson will depart on a long deployment to Norfolk, Va., for a refueling and maintenance period. Undetermined is whether Norfolk will become its permanent home port. Once in Bremerton, Stennis will enter Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a 10-month maintenance period and an additional 1½ months for systems upgrades, said Lt. Corey Barker, Stennis' public affairs officer. Crew members who live aboard Stennis will live on a berthing barge once the carrier gets to the yards in late January. The carrier will take on some Vinson sailors, who cross-deck once their carrier leaves Bremerton this month. For Stennis, which has been "in the water" since its commissioning in 1995, the next year will bring much-needed TLC. "We've got to get up there so we can get the ship into the dry dock period," said Capt. Joseph Kuzmick, the ship's executive officer, who likened the yard period to a vehicle's 60,000-mile checkup. After the dry-dock period, Stennis will go out for a sea trial, and then begin training. "We're not sure where we'll deploy, or when," said Capt. David Buss, the ship's commanding officer. "But we'll be ready to go." Stennis left San Diego without any aircraft, but with an interesting cargo: Its hangar bay was crammed with 250 vehicles, which lent the ship the air of a Puget Sound ferry. We're using the carrier as a 'lift of opportunity,'" Buss said. The stormy, wintry weather that's left record rains and snow in Southern California in recent weeks prompted the skipper to encourage sailors to skip the long drive north through Northern California and Oregon, which he noted saved them some money, too. The move of Stennis will leave only two flattops, Nimitz and Reagan, permanently based in San Diego. North Island, however, is a regular stop for West Coast-based carriers that operate and train with strike groups and carrier air wings at offshore training ranges.
PILOT RETENTION FORCES FLIGHT TRAINING CUTBACK Associated Press
Navy Times 2/7/05
The Navy is cutting back pilot training because of high retention and low attrition rates and the looming retirement of some aircraft, including the last of its F-14 Tomcat fighters.
About 160 fewer pilots will be trained this year, a 13 percent reduction from nearly 1,200 student aviators who usually earn their wings each year, said Lt. Rob Lyon, a spokesman for the Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Jan. 21.
The reduction will be accomplished by increasing standards, starting with aviation preflight indoctrination, a ground school student aviators attend at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., before advancing to flight training.
If the changes fail to weed out enough students, higher standards might be applied in various phases of flight training.
"We're not kicking anybody out," Lyon said. "At the same time, they are going to have to work harder if they are borderline."
Students who fail to meet the new standards might stay in flight training by transferring to the Naval Reserve or Marine Corps.
Second chances
They also have the option of remaining in the Navy in nonpilot positions.
The Navy also is taking steps to control the number of students entering ground school from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., college ROTC units and the Officer Candidate School at Pensacola.
One reason the Navy needs fewer new pilots is that it is phasing out the Tomcat and S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft. Also, the Navy recently decommissioned two squadrons of EA6B Prowler electronic warfare planes. The Tomcats are being replaced by F/A-18E and F Super Hornet fighters.
More veteran pilots also are staying in the Navy while attrition among student aviators has been low, Lyon said.
FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP OFFICER FRAN PIERI I want to thank the many of you who brought guests to the January Luncheon. I hope they enjoyed our dynamic speaker, Fred Dungan. If so, now is the time to do follow up and give them a membership application. Remember, they don't have to have had previous military service to become a member of ANA. We have many members in the Gramps Squadron. with no military service. It's the camaraderie that makes our squadron so great. The Grampaw Pettibone Squadron is the most active squadron on the West Coast. The Ray Pett "let me buy you a drink" is doing quite well. The person who signs up the most NEW members this year will win a monetary award. Last years winner was Mel Locke who walked with $380.00. "Atta boy," Mel. When signing up a new member or renewing your membership, please make the check to The Association of Naval Aviation (ANA) and NOT to Grampaw Pettibone Squadron(GPS). We are changing the membership form to be less confusing. If you ever need an extra Op-Pan or membership form; call me and I will send you one ASAP. Mark your calendars for our March 10th luncheon. Be sure to bring a friend. Car pooling is helpful for those who cannot drive. Keep the blue side up. Fran
A Pilot's Poem
by Captain E. Hamilton Lee
I hope there's a place, way up in the sky,
Where pilots can go, when they have to die.
A place where a guy can buy a cold beer,
or a friend and a comrade, whose memory is dear;
A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,
Nor a management type would ere be caught dead;
Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke,
Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke;
The kind of a place where a lady could go
And feel safe and protected, by the men she would know.
There must be a place where old pilots go,
When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low,
Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
And songs about flying and dying are sung,
Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before,
And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door.
Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,
And relate to the others, "He was quite a good lad!"
And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy
You had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly.
He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,
And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here."
"For this is the place where true flyers come,"
"When their journey is over, and the war has been won."
"They've come here at last to be safe and alone"
"From the government clerks and the management clone,"
"Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise,"
"Where all hours are happy, and these good ole boys"
"Can relax with a cool one, and a well deserved rest,"
"This is heaven, my son....You've passed your last test!" Smitted by Don Palmer.
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