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Commanding
Officer
VA-174 Hell Razors March 18th,1981- July 19th, 1982 Last Updated: January 27th, 2025 |
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There are many stories I could relate here, but haven't so far.
If any of you Hell Razors who read this have a suggestion about a story you want me to include,
email me at:
bosmith1300@gmail.com
I'm not sure when we left Hawaii for
Jacksonville but I think it had to be in early December,
1980. Cathy and I decided to live in navy quarters at NAS
Jacksonville. As the prospective Commanding Officer of
VA-174, I was assigned quarters on Mustin Road opposite
the St Johns River. The quarters were the standard 3
bedroom 2 bath cinder block quarters but the location was
great. I think
we were well established in the quarters sometime
late December as Cathy was eight
months pregnant with our fist child, Jessica.
I remember it very well as Cathy's water broke during the half of the super bowl and we had to go o the hospital. It was the first time that I was at the hospital for the birth of any of my children. Not only was at the hospital but also I was actually in the delivery room and observed the delivery.
I spent some time at NAS Cecil and NAS JAX in February, 1981 renewing my qualifications in the A7 ejection seat, high pressure altitude chamber, swimming etc. I started renewing my flight A7 qualifications at VA-174 on March 18th, 1981.
My first flight on March 18th was a cross country flight to El Centro with Mike Longworth in the two seat TA7C. We split the flight time between first pilot and co pilot time. I flew one practice bomb flight on March 19th in a TA7C and then flew back from El Centro in a TA7C with Crash Landon. I logged 1.4 actual instrument/night time on that flight.
I enjoyed flying the TA7C as I was involved in the conversion of A7Bs to TA7Cs when I was the A7 Class Desk Officer at COMNAVARLANT in 1974.
Jessica was born on January
31st, 1981
I remember it very well as Cathy's water broke during the half of the super bowl and we had to go o the hospital. It was the first time that I was at the hospital for the birth of any of my children. Not only was at the hospital but also I was actually in the delivery room and observed the delivery.
I spent some time at NAS Cecil and NAS JAX in February, 1981 renewing my qualifications in the A7 ejection seat, high pressure altitude chamber, swimming etc. I started renewing my flight A7 qualifications at VA-174 on March 18th, 1981.
My first flight on March 18th was a cross country flight to El Centro with Mike Longworth in the two seat TA7C. We split the flight time between first pilot and co pilot time. I flew one practice bomb flight on March 19th in a TA7C and then flew back from El Centro in a TA7C with Crash Landon. I logged 1.4 actual instrument/night time on that flight.
I enjoyed flying the TA7C as I was involved in the conversion of A7Bs to TA7Cs when I was the A7 Class Desk Officer at COMNAVARLANT in 1974.
Change of Command (Relieved Captain Bob Naughton)
March, 1981
When I took command of VA-174, it was the
largest squadron in the Navy; over 100 assigned
aircraft and over 1,000 personnel. It consisted
of many departments with specific missions and
challenges. I will now give a short description
of these departments and my relationship to
them.
FRAMP
(Fleet Replacement Aircraft Maintenance Program)
(Fleet Replacement Aircraft Maintenance Program)
The
FRAMP mission was to train or retrain
maintenance personnel who were enroute to a
fleet squadron. The FRAMP mission was similar to
the mission of the pilot training mission of the
squadron in that to accomplish this mission,
FRAMP instructors had to be experienced A7
maintenance supervisors with recent fleet
experience. Assignment to VA-174 FRAMP was
desirable to talented maintenance supervisors
because it meant that they could most likely
remain stationed in Jacksonville for three
tours. FRAMP was operating with no problems that
I was aware of so getting involved in FRAMP's
day to day operations was not a priority. The
only issue I can recall involved a disagreement
between FRAMP and the VA-174 Maintenance Officer
concerning the spotting of a FRAMP aircraft in a
spot that VA-174 wanted. I don't remember
getting involved in the resolution of the issue.
The VA-174
Maintenance Department
The
VA-174 Maintenance Department was the largest
aircraft maintenance department in the Navy with a
complex mission. The department was tasked to
provide aircraft to support operations in three
locations; replacement pilot (RP) training at Cecil
Field, a carrier qualification detachment, and for a
weapons detachment in El Centro, California;
sometimes at the same time! To accomplish the
mission of flight operations Monday through
Saturday, maintenance personnel were assigned in
three sections; 0700 to 1900 (7:00pm), 1900 to 0700
Monday through Thursday (a 4 day work week) , and 24
hours a day as required Friday through Sunday (a 3
day work week). Note: The weekend shift had to
support a Saturday flight schedule, some Sunday
flights such as returning weekend cross country
instrument training flights, and to prepare aircraft
for a full flight schedule starting early Monday
morning. I was surprised that it was not that
difficult finding volunteers for each of the three
shifts. Despite the 12 hour work days, the Monday
through Thursday shift enjoyed the three day
weekend. And, the weekend shift enjoyed having four
days off.
Although my maintenance background as an Aircraft Division Officer in VA-15; (ADJ) jet engine), AMH (hydraulic systems), AMS (metal smiths), and AME (canopy and ejection seat specialists; A7D/E Maintenance Officer in VA-82, and as A7 Class Desk Officer at COMNAVAIRLANT might make you think that I would get involved in the day to day operations of the VA-174 Maintenance Department. But it was not a priority for me because I was confident that the Officers and senior Chief Petty Officers were the best of the best coming from fleet squadrons for their follow on shore tours. The Maintenance Officer, Pablo Flores, was an experienced and talented officer so it wasn't a high priority for me to get involved in day to day operations.
I see Pablo Flores, ANA (Association of Naval Aviation) monthly luncheons; and he told me that they were aware of my background especially as the COMNAVAIRLANT A7 Class Desk Officer. They might have been surprised that I basically stayed out of their way. But, that was because my highest priorities were RP training an Instructor pilot motivation. I was confident that professionals like Pablo Flores an the LDO/Warrent and Chef Patty Officers under his supervision were up to the task without my involvement. But there were a couple of things I stayed up on such as the configuration and readiness status of aircraft that were assigned to VA-174 but were the ready spares for deployed squadrons; usually four aircraft but eight aircraft if two carrier air wings were deployed or in the end of their training prior to deployment. This was a program that Jim McConnell and I had established while I was the Class Desk Officer. Jim and I wanted to ensure that there were two similarly configured and ready to be deployed aircraft at VA-174 for each deployed squadron.
ATAN/AT3 Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was referred to as a "striker" because she was working toward her initial qualification in the AT rating. She was assigned to the Line Division. One day she suffered heat stroke after spending long hours in the hot sun. I was involved in ensuring that she was assigned to the AT shop working mostly on aircraft in the hangar bay which limited her exposure to heat conditions as much as possible. ATAN Jones was one of the best trouble shooters in the shop made AT3 while there. I was involved in her assignment as an AT trouble shooter on the flight deck of a aircraft carrier for one of our carrier qualification detachments. As part of our VA-174 detachment, she was one of the first women to be temporarily assigned to an aircraft carrier. I recognized her outstanding performance by awarding her a Navy Achievement Medal. It was my pleasure to recognize a positive performance in her case.
Unfortunately, there were instances that required me to handle poor performances by conducting a Captain' s Mast. Navy Commanding Officers of ships and squadrons were authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to impose limited punishments such as restriction of movement, assignment to a "Correctional Custody Facility" for up to 60 days, reduction of pay, reduction in rate of pay, and confinement in a "Brig (at sea) for up to three day on "bread and water". Or, I could refer a case to a Summary Courts Marshall conducted by a VA-174 officer or to a Special or General Courts Marshall conducted by higher authority for more serious matters.
The Captain's Mast of a female striker assigned to the Line Division
In this case, a young woman had numerous occasions where she wouldn't show up in time for work or in some cases for days at a time. The Line Division Officer had tried to correct her conduct by using his authority by assigning her extra work etc without success.The female "striker" let other sailors in the division know that she wasn't worried because the Navy on the east coast did not have any Correctional Custody Units. The Line Division Officer and the Maintenance Officer requested that I settle her case at Captains Mast.
I conducted all my Captains Masts in public; the maintenance hangar bay. Sailors in the squadron were encouraged to observe my Captains Masts. In this case, there was no doubt that she was guilty of unauthorized absences. My only question was what punishment I should assign. I found out that the Army had a Correctional Custody Unit (CCU) close by Norfolk and that I was authorized to assign her to that facility. There were several hundred observers standing on the deck of the hangar or on the wings of nearby aircraft on the day of her Captains Mast. She was surprised when I assigned her to 60 days at the Army Correction Conduct Unit and then very shocked when she was escorted to a waiting C9 aircraft to be flown to Norfolk and then driven to the CCU. She was escorted by two trusted sailors to observe her reception at the CCU and to make sure that she did not receive any mistreatment. The escorts were concerned that the initial drill sergeant (a woman) was too tough on our "striker" in that she was immediately made to get on the ground and do pushups in her Class A uniform.
My next assignment was scheduled
to be as the Executive Officer of the USS Saratoga.Although my maintenance background as an Aircraft Division Officer in VA-15; (ADJ) jet engine), AMH (hydraulic systems), AMS (metal smiths), and AME (canopy and ejection seat specialists; A7D/E Maintenance Officer in VA-82, and as A7 Class Desk Officer at COMNAVAIRLANT might make you think that I would get involved in the day to day operations of the VA-174 Maintenance Department. But it was not a priority for me because I was confident that the Officers and senior Chief Petty Officers were the best of the best coming from fleet squadrons for their follow on shore tours. The Maintenance Officer, Pablo Flores, was an experienced and talented officer so it wasn't a high priority for me to get involved in day to day operations.
I see Pablo Flores, ANA (Association of Naval Aviation) monthly luncheons; and he told me that they were aware of my background especially as the COMNAVAIRLANT A7 Class Desk Officer. They might have been surprised that I basically stayed out of their way. But, that was because my highest priorities were RP training an Instructor pilot motivation. I was confident that professionals like Pablo Flores an the LDO/Warrent and Chef Patty Officers under his supervision were up to the task without my involvement. But there were a couple of things I stayed up on such as the configuration and readiness status of aircraft that were assigned to VA-174 but were the ready spares for deployed squadrons; usually four aircraft but eight aircraft if two carrier air wings were deployed or in the end of their training prior to deployment. This was a program that Jim McConnell and I had established while I was the Class Desk Officer. Jim and I wanted to ensure that there were two similarly configured and ready to be deployed aircraft at VA-174 for each deployed squadron.
Exceptional Situations
and Captain's Mast
ATAN/AT3 Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones was referred to as a "striker" because she was working toward her initial qualification in the AT rating. She was assigned to the Line Division. One day she suffered heat stroke after spending long hours in the hot sun. I was involved in ensuring that she was assigned to the AT shop working mostly on aircraft in the hangar bay which limited her exposure to heat conditions as much as possible. ATAN Jones was one of the best trouble shooters in the shop made AT3 while there. I was involved in her assignment as an AT trouble shooter on the flight deck of a aircraft carrier for one of our carrier qualification detachments. As part of our VA-174 detachment, she was one of the first women to be temporarily assigned to an aircraft carrier. I recognized her outstanding performance by awarding her a Navy Achievement Medal. It was my pleasure to recognize a positive performance in her case.
Unfortunately, there were instances that required me to handle poor performances by conducting a Captain' s Mast. Navy Commanding Officers of ships and squadrons were authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to impose limited punishments such as restriction of movement, assignment to a "Correctional Custody Facility" for up to 60 days, reduction of pay, reduction in rate of pay, and confinement in a "Brig (at sea) for up to three day on "bread and water". Or, I could refer a case to a Summary Courts Marshall conducted by a VA-174 officer or to a Special or General Courts Marshall conducted by higher authority for more serious matters.
The Captain's Mast of a female striker assigned to the Line Division
In this case, a young woman had numerous occasions where she wouldn't show up in time for work or in some cases for days at a time. The Line Division Officer had tried to correct her conduct by using his authority by assigning her extra work etc without success.The female "striker" let other sailors in the division know that she wasn't worried because the Navy on the east coast did not have any Correctional Custody Units. The Line Division Officer and the Maintenance Officer requested that I settle her case at Captains Mast.
I conducted all my Captains Masts in public; the maintenance hangar bay. Sailors in the squadron were encouraged to observe my Captains Masts. In this case, there was no doubt that she was guilty of unauthorized absences. My only question was what punishment I should assign. I found out that the Army had a Correctional Custody Unit (CCU) close by Norfolk and that I was authorized to assign her to that facility. There were several hundred observers standing on the deck of the hangar or on the wings of nearby aircraft on the day of her Captains Mast. She was surprised when I assigned her to 60 days at the Army Correction Conduct Unit and then very shocked when she was escorted to a waiting C9 aircraft to be flown to Norfolk and then driven to the CCU. She was escorted by two trusted sailors to observe her reception at the CCU and to make sure that she did not receive any mistreatment. The escorts were concerned that the initial drill sergeant (a woman) was too tough on our "striker" in that she was immediately made to get on the ground and do pushups in her Class A uniform.
After about three
weeks. I flew a TA7C with her
Division Officer to NAS
Oceana. Commander Tactical
Wings Atlantic provided a
sedan for us the travel to the
Army CCU to observe her
progress. We were given a tour
of the facility which included
an inspection of our striker's
locker. The condition of her
locker was outstanding. The
sergeant reported that after
the initial shock of being at
the CCU, our striker was doing
very well.
Our striker completed CCU with outstanding grades. She lost a few pounds, was returned to us in exceptional physical fitness, and was positively motivated to do a better job in the Line Division. It was not only successful in the case of our striker, but it also sent a message to the other women in the squadron that a trip to the Army CCU could be in their future if they didn't follow the rules.
Our striker completed CCU with outstanding grades. She lost a few pounds, was returned to us in exceptional physical fitness, and was positively motivated to do a better job in the Line Division. It was not only successful in the case of our striker, but it also sent a message to the other women in the squadron that a trip to the Army CCU could be in their future if they didn't follow the rules.
The El Centro Weapons Detachment
My highest priority was to meet our Replacement Pilot (RP) graduation goals with high quality graduates.
Replacement Pilot Graduation Goals
The
VA-174 El Centro Detachment was a permanent
assignment for most of the personnel in the
detachment. It consisted of a LCDR
Detachment In Charge officer (with limited
Article 15 UCMJ authority) and a staff of
administrative and maintenance personnel.
Additional maintenance personnel were sent from
Cecil to support operations when pilots were
present for weapons training. I made it a
priority to personally participate in every
weapons detachment. I wanted to show my support
in both the training if the RPs, but also my
support for the El Centro Det personnel.
As a result, I got to know the LCDR Det Officer
very well. There are many stories to tell about
my participation in El Centro operations; most
of which I will tell later in the section about
El Centro pilot training!
My Highest
PrioritiesMy highest priority was to meet our Replacement Pilot (RP) graduation goals with high quality graduates.
Replacement Pilot Graduation Goals
Our
Replacement
Pilot (RP)
graduation
goals were not
just to
produce the
proper number
of graduates.
But more
importantly, I
wanted to
ensure that
our RPs had
the skills to
be outstanding
young attack
pilots when
they reported
to their
squadrons. The
most important
skills they
needed to
possess were
that they
needed to be
excellent
formation
pilots, have
the system
knowledge and
flying skills
to be
outstanding
air to ground
weapons
delivery
pilots, be
excellent
instrument
pilots and
have the grit
to be able to
be complete
night carrier
landings in a
safe manner.
To accomplish these goals, I made sure that our Instructor PIlots (IPs) knew that formation skills were a high priority for me as they instructed the RPs during the Formation Phase flown at Cecil Field. I also made it a priority to personally participate in each El Centro Weapons Detachment. In addition, I made low level formation flying a part of the El Centro curriculum and instituted a final "graduation mission" that included a division low level ingress to a target with a pop up roll ahead delivery at the Luke Air Force Weapons Range. More on this in a note below. Finally, I carefully monitored the preparation for each "boat det" and made it a priority to fly out to the carrier and observe the night qualification phase.
Note: The "graduation mission" at El Centro required seven aircraft. The lead aircraft was a division qualified IP; I usually lead the mission. My wing man was a young RP. The section leader was usually a P CAG (a prospective Carrier Air Wing Commander), a prospective XO/CO of a fleet squadron, or a senior IP. The section leader's wingman was a young RP. An IP flew behind the formation to ensure the safety of the RP wingmen during turns. The most challenging skill for the RP was to stay in position at no higher than 500 feet without flying too low during turns into. If the trailing IP observed a wingman getting too low during turns into, he called out to me to level out the turn. We also had a section of IPs oppose the flight during the ingress portion of the flight. The opposition section made a fly by the division to see if either of the RP wingman reported seeing the opposition section. There was no division counter maneuvers authorized during the opposition section fly by! The weapons delivery maneuver was a pop up ,roll ahead maneuver were the RPs were required to institute a 4 G pull up, roll inverted and pick up the target through the top of the canopy then roll wings level for a 30 degree weapons delivery. The mission required four or five IPs for only two RPs. The IPs really enjoyed flying this mission and the RPs got a great sense of accomplishment when completing this mission.
To accomplish these goals, I made sure that our Instructor PIlots (IPs) knew that formation skills were a high priority for me as they instructed the RPs during the Formation Phase flown at Cecil Field. I also made it a priority to personally participate in each El Centro Weapons Detachment. In addition, I made low level formation flying a part of the El Centro curriculum and instituted a final "graduation mission" that included a division low level ingress to a target with a pop up roll ahead delivery at the Luke Air Force Weapons Range. More on this in a note below. Finally, I carefully monitored the preparation for each "boat det" and made it a priority to fly out to the carrier and observe the night qualification phase.
Note: The "graduation mission" at El Centro required seven aircraft. The lead aircraft was a division qualified IP; I usually lead the mission. My wing man was a young RP. The section leader was usually a P CAG (a prospective Carrier Air Wing Commander), a prospective XO/CO of a fleet squadron, or a senior IP. The section leader's wingman was a young RP. An IP flew behind the formation to ensure the safety of the RP wingmen during turns. The most challenging skill for the RP was to stay in position at no higher than 500 feet without flying too low during turns into. If the trailing IP observed a wingman getting too low during turns into, he called out to me to level out the turn. We also had a section of IPs oppose the flight during the ingress portion of the flight. The opposition section made a fly by the division to see if either of the RP wingman reported seeing the opposition section. There was no division counter maneuvers authorized during the opposition section fly by! The weapons delivery maneuver was a pop up ,roll ahead maneuver were the RPs were required to institute a 4 G pull up, roll inverted and pick up the target through the top of the canopy then roll wings level for a 30 degree weapons delivery. The mission required four or five IPs for only two RPs. The IPs really enjoyed flying this mission and the RPs got a great sense of accomplishment when completing this mission.
Instructor
Pilot
Motivation
Instructor
pilot motivation
can become a
problem when an IP
flies one or two
flights a day per
week,week after
week. So, I
instituted as
program where we
flew IP only
flights on
Saturdays when we
could. These
flight included
air to air
refueling, air
combat
maneuvering, and
practice or live
ordnance delivery
when feasible.
Some IP wives
couldn't believe
it when their
husbands flew on
Saturdays after a
week of RP
syllabus flights..
But he IPs loved
the program. It
was fun and it
allowed them to
work on their own
flying skills on
the Saturday
flights.
Five Captains versus VA-174 Instructor Pilots
Change of Command
I was Relieved by Captain Don Hunt July 19th, 1982
Delegation
of
Responsibility
Not only
did I delegate
most of the
the
responsibility
for Aircraft
Maintenance to
the
Maintenance
Officer, LCDR
Pablo Flores,
but I also
delegated most
of the day
coordination
overall
squadron
operations to
my Executive
Officer, CDR
Fields
Richardson and
for day to day
RP training to
my Operations
Officer. I was
confident that
both Fields
and the OPs
Officer were
more than up
to the task
and they
enjoyed my
confidence but
it also gave
me the time to
look at how
the "Big
Picture" was
going and the
time to
personally
participate in
El Centro
Weapons and
Carrier
Qualification
Detachments. I
paid close
attention to
IP Saturday
flying as IP
morale was a
high priority
for me. I also
depended on my
secretary YN2
Teresa (Terry)
Ambrose to
keep track of
my calendar
and serve as a
filter for
people who
wanted access
to my office.
Terry also
kept me
supplied with
coffee and
insisted in
cleaning my
office. She
considered it
part of her
space and
wanted to
control access
to it.
John
Lehman,
Secretary of
the Navy
Visits
 |
John Lehman was the Secretary of the Navy when I was CO of VA-174. He came to visit VA-174 often but not as the Secretary of the Navy but as LCDR John Lehman USNR. He was a Naval Flight Officer in the active reserve and normally flew in the A6 Intruder at NAS Oceana. But, he occasionally came to Cecil to fly in the TA7C at VA-174. I didn't always see him during his visits. He preferred talking with the IPs and RPs in the Ready Room. Petty Officer Ambrose always made a trip to the Ready Room to be sure he had his personal coffee cup and to determine if he had any questions or wanted to talk with me. I think he enjoyed his "low key" visits. |
Five Captains versus VA-174 Instructor Pilots
 Left to Right: Captain Don Hunt Chief of Staff of COMLARWING One and my relief at VA-174, then me. and in the middle Captain Jerry "Possum" Terrell, Commanding Officer of NAS Cecil Field, and to Possum's left, Captain Bobby Lee, Commanding Officer, USS Forrestal, and on the extreme right, Captain Jack "Spine Ripper" Waples Commander of LATWING ONE |
I
issued a
challenge that
the five
Captains above
could defeat
the best Lt
Instructor
Pilots in
VA-174 in dive
bombing and
strafing. I
think that my
Executive
Officer,
Fields
Richardson
selected the
IPs. The
IPs defeated
us in the dive
bombing
competition
but lost badly
in the
strafing
competition.
Some IPs
complained
that most of
the Captains
had fired too
close to the
target (foul
line) but no
fouls were
called by the
Pinecastle
Target
observers. It
was a friendly
competition
debriefed
appropriately
at the Rocket
17 bar at the
Bachelor
Officers
Quarters
(BOQ).
Change of Command
I was Relieved by Captain Don Hunt July 19th, 1982
 |
I received my third Meritorious Service Medal for my tour in VA-174 |
However, my
father in law. Captain Don Hull-Ryde who was the
Commanding Officer of Fleet Air Control Facility
Jacksonville (FACSFACJAX) had to have heart
surgery and had arranged for me to be his
interim CO until he could return to duty. I'm
not sure about how much time I had between my
leaving VA-174 and reporting to FACSFACJAX but I
know I flew a TA7C flight at Cecil on August
3rd, an A7E on August 12th, and an A7E at Cecil on
October 21st.
My
change of Command as the Interim Commanding
Officer at FACSFACJAX was on October 29th, 1982.
Somehow, I
managed to fit in a Surface Warfare
Prospective Commanding Officer Course, SWOSCOLCOM
(Surface Warfare Officer School Command), Newport,
Rhode Island sometime in late August through
early October.2.
Next Chapter
Interim Commanding Officer FACSFAC (Fleet Air Control Facility) NAS Jacksonville
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