Ike gets back to work
June 29th, 2011 | Aviation Carriers Navy | Posted by Joshua Stewart
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is back in business. After a nine-month availability, the second-oldest Nimitz-class carrier is conducting flight ops and taking on fuel; now there are pictures to prove it.
The ship, underway in the Atlantic, is completing carrier qualifications and flight deck certifications in preparation for its next deployment. Ike completed sea trials June 15, completing almost 300 INSURV tasks along the way.
Here are a few pictures from this week’s activities as the carrier works toward its next deployment.
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- Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Kyndall Bennet looks for contaminates in fuel from an HH-60H Seahawk helicopter. // Navy photo by MCSN Albert Jones
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- An F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 131, the Wildcats, lands on the Ike. The plane was flown by Lt. Jonathan “Buddy” Slager and was the first trap during carrier qualifications. // Navy photo by MC2 Christopher A. Baker
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- Ike sailors hold a phone and distance line while the carrier works to bring on fuel while underway in the Atlantic. // Navy photo by MC3 Christopher Marshall.
Bush to make first-ever overseas deployment
May 5th, 2011 | Admirals Aviation Carriers Naval aviation Photos Ships The Med The Middle East | Posted by Bill McMichael
The vision that began with a January 2001 contract award will be fully realized on Wednesday, May 11, when the carrier George H.W. Bush leaves Norfolk to begin its first-ever combat deployment.
The George H.W. Bush, underway in the Atlantic during a 2011 training exercise. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Hall
The 1,092-foot Bush is the 10th and final carrier of the Nimitz class. Commissioned in January 2009, the carrier, as well as its strike group, have been in training for this cruise for most of the past year.
The Bush Carrier Strike Group, led by Rear Adm. Nora Tyson, will consist of five total ships, eight aircraft squadrons and nearly 6,000 sailors, and will operate in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. “The George H.W. Bush Strike Group is ready to go,” Tyson said. “These sailors have worked extremely hard over the last year and we are fully prepared to execute any and all tasking in support of the nation’s Maritime Strategy.”
The Bush Strike Group includes Carrier Strike Group 2, the Bush, Carrier Air Wing 8, the Destroyer Squadron 22 staff, the cruisers Gettysburg, based at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and Anzio, based in Norfolk, and the Norfolk-based guided-missile destroyers Truxtun and Mitscher.
Realism, circa 1929
April 12th, 2011 | Aviation Historical Naval aviation Naval aviation centennial Navy Sea Air Space | Posted by Joshua Stewart
Developed in 1929, Edwin Link's "Pilot Maker" trained aviators for $85 each. By World War II, some 500,000 aviators had trained on the system. // Joshua Stewart/Staff
An F/A-18F Super Hornet simulator provides panoramic views and complex flight technology, but it doesn't have a hydraulic motion system. // Joshua Stewart/Staff
Tucked between displays of what will become the future of naval aviation is a tribute to the previous century of naval flight.
An early flight simulator is one of the more interesting attractions. It looks like a really intense kiddie ride, one of those machines found outside of grocery stores that that blare really loud music and buck kids around for a quarter. Basically, the aviation simulator is a miniature open-cockpit airplane — it’s around the size of a golf cart — sitting atop a hydraulic system. The cockpit has a series of controls that make the whole device move around.
It was developed in 1929 by Edwin Link and dubbed the “pilot maker.” Training included ground school and two hours of flight time. Cost: $85 per student.
In 1934 Link made his first big sale, six machines. And by World War II, about a half-million Allied pilots were training on roughly 10,000 of the devices.
Not too far away is a Super Hornet simulator. That one has three projectors that give a panoramic view of the ground and skyline and two seats positioned behind a panel of complex controls and interfaces. Despite its sophistication, it doesn’t have one of the biggest components of the pilot maker: the hydraulics.
The Navy strikes
March 21st, 2011 | Aviation Libya Naval aviation Navy Odyssey Dawn Ships Submarines Tomahawk Video | Posted by Bill McMichael
Navy ships and subs launched a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air defenses Saturday, including this one, filmed by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Sunderman, leaping skyward out of the Norfolk-based destroyer Barry. The strikes, and subsequent bomb attacks by U.S., French and British aircraft, followed the March 17 passage of a U.N. resolution authorizing “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya, particularly rebel fighters, being attacked by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
The coalition air strikes continued Sunday, with the Associated Press reporting that a line of Libyan tanks south of Benghazi were destroyed. Rebel forces had taken the city before coming under a withering counterattack by Libyan forces. AP also reported that a building in Gadhafi’s residential compound in Tripoli was destroyed late Sunday.
More on the other U.S. and coalition assets taking part in Operation Odyssey Dawn here.
A punishing fitness report
February 9th, 2011 | Anti-gay slurs Aviation Call signs Fitness reports Navy Reprisal Whistleblower | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Naval Inspector General has determined that a junior officer who accused his command of giving him anti-gay call signs was improperly punished with a bad fitness report when he complained about the environment in his squadron. The Pentagon IG agreed.
The new findings substantiate Ensign Steve Crowston’s claim of reprisal by Cmdr. Liam Bruen, former commander of Strike Fighter Squadron 136 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
Bruen, who transferred last summer to the Bremerton, Wash.-based carrier John C. Stennis as its the operations officer, has been temporarily reassigned to the staff of Naval Air Force Pacific “pending the outcome of the investigation,” Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez told Navy Times. A copy of the reprisal investigation has been forwarded to his chain of command aboard Stennis “for corrective action as they deem appropriate,” Vasquez said.
Crowston told the IG that Bruen and the unit’s then-executive officer, Cmdr. Damien Christopher, were in the unit’s ready room during an August 2009 all-officer review of squadron call signs, when Crowston was presented with suggestions such as “Fagmeister,” “Gay Boy” and the group’s final choice, “Romo’s Bitch” — a reference to the quarterback of Crowston’s favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys. Crowston was the squadron’s administration/legal officer.
Christopher is now the now commanding officer of the unit, which flies F/A-18 Super Hornets and is deployed aboard the Norfolk-based carrier Enterprise. The Naval IG’s finding concerned only the officer who wrote the fitrep, Vasquez said.
Crowston, who is assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2 at Little Creek, Va., will not disclose his sexuality, saying he feels it isn’t relevant and that his concerns are for what he considers to be inappropriate workplace harassment.
Two additional Naval IG investigations remain in progress, Vasquez said. One is looking at the original IG complaint Crowston filed with Naval Air Force Atlantic, which alleged open anti-gay bias and a hostile work environment at the squadron, as well as various administrative violations. The other is examining AIRLANT’s conduct of its investigation, which substantiated four of 19 allegations. Crowston claims that the AIRLANT IG, Beverly Bilger, told him that she knew Bruen and told Bruen he’d been named.
Hornets, Super Hornets to launch Super Bowl
January 28th, 2011 | Aviation Carriers Cowboys Stadium Navy Super Bowl | Posted by Bill McMichael
We’ve all seen jet fighter flyovers add a patriotic zinger to the National Anthem at big sporting events, but the deafening show of force never loses its cool. If you like ‘em too, stay close to the TV and turn up the sound just before kickoff in this year’s Super Bowl, when four Carrier Air Wing 7 fighter jets will roar over that billion-dollar Cowboys Stadium in Texas.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 launches from the deck of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2007. // U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman David Danals
What’s odd is that if you do, you’ll have the same view as the folks in the stadium, albeit on a much smaller screen. The NFL has already announced that the stadium’s retractable roof will be closed for the Feb. 6 game because of the possibility of freezing temperatures. (Heaven forbid that the national football championship should be played in winter-like conditions!) So while the crowd inside watches the flyover in heated comfort on that near-60-yard video screen, the fliers — from Strike Fighter Squadrons 83, 131, 103 and 143 — will be seeing this:
Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, Texas.// Associated Press
Officials could not possibly crank up that audio system’s sound loud enough to replicate the roar of those Hornets and Super Hornets. But as always, it’ll look great. Play ball!
Who’s your pick? Me? I think it’s the Packers’ year.
The JSF STOVL lands — but will it fly?
January 12th, 2011 | Aviation Joint Strike Fighter Naval aviation Navy testing Video | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is officially on shaky ground, as observers of military affairs learned Jan. 6 when Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed concern over “significant testing problems” and announced he was putting the F-35B “on the equivalent of a two-year probation.” Oddly, that same day, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said the jet made its first vertical landing — at the same base, Naval Air Station Patuxent, Md., where the jet completed its first successful hover test in March.
Impressive. What can’t be seen, however, are the testing problems that Gates could lead to “a redesign of the aircraft’s structure and propulsion, changes that could add yet more weight and more cost to an aircraft that has little capacity to absorb more of either.” If these issues can’t be remedied in two years and the variant isn’t back on track “in terms of performance, cost and schedule, then I believe it should be canceled,” Gates said.
A not-quite arms race, cont.
January 11th, 2011 | Aviation China Navy | Posted by David Larter
The new J-20 stealth fighter, which experts say is comprable to the F-22, shown here in a test flight. // Sina.com
Navy Times sister publication Defense News is reporting that the Chinese have tested their new J-20 stealth fighter, coinciding with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ visit with the Chinese president.
The New York Times reported that the test took place just hours before the visit and that Gates asked President Hu Jintao about the timing. Hu said the test had nothing to do with Gates. The Times article infers there may be some disconnect between the Chinese government and the test, implying that perhaps Hu had not authorized the test.
Mr. Gates said he directly asked Mr. Hu why it was conducted during a three-day trip that is meant to smooth over rocky relations between the United States military and China’s increasingly assertive armed forces.
Mr. Hu replied, Mr. Gates said, that it “had absolutely nothing to do with my visit.” Asked if Mr. Gates truly believed that, Mr. Gates said yes, but acknowledged he had questions about whether the Chinese military was acting independently of the political leadership. “I’ve had concerns about this over time,” Mr. Gates said.
A senior American defense official traveling with Mr. Gates said the secretary and his aides were surprised that Mr. Hu appeared to be unaware of the test flight when Mr. Gates raised it with him.
Still, it’s not an arms race.
The Chinese military acting independently of its political leadership would be cause for a degree of alarm in the 7th Fleet, although testing a fighter jet is hardly a reason to set General Quarters. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.
A not-quite arms race with China
January 10th, 2011 | Aviation China Navy Video | Posted by David Larter
The F-35C Lightning II joint strike fighter won't be the only new stealth fighter flying soon. The Chinese J-20 is getting close to operational. // Lockheed Martin
Apparently China’s super death ray carrier-sinking missile is still on Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ radar as he travels to China this week. Gates told The Telegraph that he had been concerned about the development of anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles since he took the job in 2006, and remained so. The trip was designed to ease tensions between the two powers, but so far it seems to have highlighted the jitters China’s recent military advancements have given the U.S.
The AP reports:
China has made strides in building a new stealth fighter jet, and Washington is also concerned about a new ballistic missile that could theoretically explode a U.S. aircraft carrier nearly 2,000 miles out to sea. China has also apparently beaten U.S. estimates to develop that weapon.
Gates told reporters traveling with him to Asia on Sunday that China had the potential to “put some of our capabilities at risk.”
“We have to pay attention to them. We have to respond appropriately with our own programs,” Gates said.
Hmm, responding to Chinese programs with programs. It couldn’t be another arms race, could it?
At their news conference Monday, Gates and [Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie] denied their governments are entering an arms race. Liang, dressed in his military uniform, animatedly defended China’s growing capabilities, calling them “entirely appropriate and consistent with China’s rise as an economic and political power.”
Well, that’s settled.
In regards to China’s J-20, Gates said that U.S. intel had dropped the ball on just how far along the Chinese were with the project.
“I think that what we’ve seen is that they may be somewhat further ahead in the development of that aircraft than our intelligence had earlier predicted,” Gates said.
This after cell phone video of the aircraft hit the Internet last week. Observe:
Support for Capt. Honors
January 3rd, 2011 | Aviation Carriers Facebook Fleet Forces Command leadership Life at Sea Morale Movies Navy Officers Video | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Navy didn’t mince words in its official reaction to Capt. Owen Honors’ role in the creation of what are viewed by many as overly suggestive or inappropriate videos — meant to be humorous — that were broadcast aboard the carrier Enterprise during his run as XO back in 2006-2007. “Those in command … are held accountable for setting the proper tone and upholding the standards of honor, courage and commitment that we expect sailors to exemplify,” said Cmdr. Chris Sims, spokesman for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
You won’t find any such criticism on a Facebook page, “We Support Captain O.P. Honors!”, established on Jan. 1 — the same day the story was broken by Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot newspaper — that describes itself as a “Support Group for a great Executive Officer and his extraordinarily funny XO Movie Night Skits.” It’s growing by the minute, with 1,230 members as of 12 noon EST Monday and nearly 600 posts, nearly all praising Honors, who now commands the ship as it prepares to deploy, and dismissing the videos as harmless fun meant to lighten the stress of shipboard life. Here are some examples:
“I used to be a sailor aboard the USS Enterprise and served while Capt Honors was both a XO and a CO,” one woman wrote. “I was aboard the ship while the videos under question were being filmed and watched them myself. The way the videos were reported to the world as `raunchy’ and `lewd’ is completely unrepresentative of the good-natured humor behind them. Capt Honors’ videos were always a highlight of the week.”
“I served with then-CDR Honors during the 2006 Deployment and know him to be an honorable man,” wrote one man. “The XO made the videos to address real shipboard issues in a comedic fashion. The crew always looked forward to them. Do not sacrifice this officer on the altar of political correctness.”
In the Tell Us What You Really Think Department, 0ne woman really let fly. “I pretty much hated EVERYTHING about being on the Enterprise EXCEPT for the people I worked with, and XO MOVIE NIGHT!,” she wrote. “Way to GO Capt. Honors! F*** EVERYONE ELSE that finds that s*** offensive….let them get back to their Lifetime Original Movies.”
The videos — you can see an edited version here — have generated national attention, with broadcast stories on every network. The videos include scenes of simulated same-sex showers and masturbation and a reference by one of Honors’ “alternate personalities” — a video trick — to another as “fag SWO boy,” leading some commentators to call the videos lewd, sexist and homophobic. Others raise questions about Honors’ leadership style. Sims said Fleet Forces has launched an investigation into the production of the videos.
What do you think?