![]() VA-45
Blackbirds
TA4 Instrument Training |
![]() VA-82
Marauders
A7-Corsair Fleet Squadron |
![]() VA-174
Hellrazors
A7 Corsair RAG Training |
![]() Mary,
Heather, and Laura at the Grand Canyon during my USAF
exchange tour in 1968.
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![]() Mary, Heather, Laura and I packed up our stuff in the old Buick LeSabre and headed southeast back to to Jacksonville. Only this time, we had a new member of the family, a dog named Bosco. Bosco belonged to our neighbor in base housing at McConnell. I threw a tennis ball to Bosco next door for about a year. When our neighbors moved, they couldn't take Bosco so they gave him to us. Their loss was our gain. Bosco was a great dog! |
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Lane East had a swimming pool
in the backyard. It also had a vacant lot behind us which couldn't be developed because it was a pioneer cemetery. This gave us privacy for our pool. |
![]() We wanted
Heather and Laura to go to S. Bryan Jennings because
the Principal there was well
known for her progressive approach to elementary education. |
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The Club Continental men's tennis tournaments were usually won in those days by Dr. Dick Bolton. But occasionally, Dr. Bolton didn't play so another member Ray Bradbury and I usually fought it out. Occasionally, I won! Here I am sporting my John Newcomb mustache and my TAD Davis wood racket. |
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VA-45 Blackbirds TA4F Skyhawk Instrument Training |
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VA-174Hellrazors
A7 Corsair Fleet Replacement Training |
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VA-174's hangar is the double hangar in the center of the image. The hangar to the left was the Fleet Replacement Squadron Hangar. The hangar to the right was VA-45's hangar and the FRAMP (Fleet Replacement Aircraft Maintenance Program) space where the training of A7 maintenance personnel took place. |
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This is what
it looked like flying to
Cecil for landing at Runway 18. We would fly about halfway up the runway in an echelon formation and break one aircraft at a time to the downwind leg for landing. Sometimes, the more experienced fleet squadrons would execute what is called a "fan break" where all four aircraft in an echelon formation would break simultaneously and get their interval on the downwind leg by varying the amount of G the pilot used in the break. The lead pilot would use more G than each pilot in succession. |
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I
began attending Happy Hour at the Rocket 17 Bar at the
Bachelor Officers Quarters at Cecil regularly on
Friday nights. I was accompanied by Possum there
often. He was the Operations Officer at VA-174. One
night when we were leaving the Rocket 17, I asked him
how much money he had in his pocket. His reply: a quarter. (More on this later) By the way, about this time I learned that I was being promoted early to Lieutenant Commander. |
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You need all of that long runway at MCAS Yuma when the temperature is hot. |
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NLF (Naval Landing Field) Whitehouse
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![]() USS Lexington CVT-16
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VA-82 Marauders November 1970-December 1972 |
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When I checked out of VA-174, I just got in my car and drove north (toward the bottom of the image) and pulled in to the parking lot for the second hangar from the bottom. Va-82 shared that hangar with her sister squadron, the VA-86 Sidewinders. |
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VA-82
had just turned in their old A7Bs for 12 brand new
A7Es |
![]() This image
was colorized by Ray Thomas using Photo Shop
Elements 2020 software
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VA182 squadron officers when I checked in
November 1970. VA-82
was my second
fleet squadron so I was
assigned as a
Department
Head. I was
the fourth
senior pilot
in the
squadron. I was
junior to the
Commanding
Officer, CDR Mac Gleim (5th from ther left front row), the Executive Officer, CDR Tom Scott (next to CDR Gleim's left), and LCDR Leighton "Snuffy" Smith (between CDR Scott and me on the right front row). |
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Snuffy and I were quickly called "The Smith Brothers" (Like the cough drop guys in the 1960s)) |
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Snuffy and I would work together to try to improve the squadron's combat tactics and flying skills. He was the Operations Officer;. I was the Maintenance Officer for both cruises. We decided not to switch after the first cruise when we learned we would be going to Vietnam the second cruise. We were roommates on America on both cruises. |
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