The author, who flew combat missions in A-4s from the USS Intrepid (CV-11) during the Vietnam War and later became the Editor-in-Chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology, reflects on carrier aviation after several days on board the USS Nimitz (CVN-68). He met the youth of America hauling fuel hoses, sorting mail from the COD, giving a double thumbsup as final checkers, taking care of ordnance systems . . . and found that they still make' em like they used to.
I logged my 551st carrier landing in a VRC-30 C-2A Greyhound-my first one facing aft.
While watching day and night carrier operations of Carrier Air Wing 11, it struck me that flight deck operations have not changed much over the years. There is still a requirement to launch aircraft on the catapults and recover aircraft in the arresting gear. Every naval aviator has praised the angled deck introduced by the British in the 1950s and quickly adopted by all since then.
The colors on the flight deck have not changed over the years, with yellow-shirted aircraft handlers, brownshirted plane captains, and ordnance personnel with their red shirts. The professionalism exhibited by the flight deck handlers also has not changed in 38 years, but the emphasis on safety appears to be at a higher level. I also found in talking with people on the flight deck that youth is still the predominant virtue. Average age of personnel working on the flight is 21, which I do not think is much different from when I was manning aircraft on the USS Intrepid (CV-11) or USS Saratoga (CV-60).
What has changed is that approximately 20% of the ship's company and air wing personnel are now women, and the gender diversification has expanded into the squadrons. Women share almost all the shipboard duties. While visiting the ready room of VFA-41, one of two F/A-18 Super Hornet squadrons on board the Nimitz, I found that three of the F/A-18F pilots were women, and there were other women pilots in the other air wing squadrons. It does not appear that any professionalism has been lost by the integration.
Naturally, the A-4s and F-4s of the past have been replaced by F/A-18s. The Nimitz air wing reflects the future of carrier aviation, at least until the Lockheed Martin F-35 joins the fleet. On board were two "Rhino" squadrons, VFA-41 flying the two-seat F/A-18Fs and VFA-14 flying the single seat F/A-18E.
Also part of the air wing was VFA-94 and VMFA-232 flying the older standard Hornets. Marine Corps squadrons on carriers have become commonplace, as have Navy operations with Marine units. Navy detachments of E-2Cs, EA-6Bs, and HH-60s were also part of the air wing. Gone are the Grumman F-14s, as they in their declining days are relegated to East Coast air wings. Also gone are the Lockheed S-3 Vikings, and their tanking chore has been taken over by the Super Hornet squadrons. However, I discovered that former S-3 pilots and naval flight officers had assumed many of the division jobs on the Nimitz.
Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of the air operations I observed aboard the carrier. After visiting air operations, combat control, and other support operations, I realized that the pilots and flight deck operators have access to much more information than we ever thought of years ago. The leadership exhibited by the Nimitz skipper Captain Bob oilman was evident in the carrier operations as well as the mess decks and other functions of the carrier.
The Navy takes good advantage of its distinguished visitor program, of which I was a part. My group included several senior executives from companies doing business with the Navy, as well as several local entrepreneurs and five teachers from local schools. With this exposure, the Navy hopes to stimulate more interest in math and science as well as an appreciation of the requirements and demands of military service.
Beyond the carrier operations, the Navy also has streamlined its management of naval aviation. Vice Admiral James M. Zortman is now the air boss of naval aviation worldwide, rather than the stovepipe management of a few years ago. Also in a relatively new move, the Navy is no longer stationing earners purely lor showing the flag. Instead, they steam where and when needed by political and operational requirements. The Navy has promised to have six carriers available for designated operations in 30 days and another two ready in 90 days.
I have to say that the visit to the Nimitz reaffirmed my belief in the value of carrier aviation, as well as the dedication and sacrifice being made not only by the sailors and Marines on the Nimitz, but all those in (he military.
It makes no difference at this point whether the operations in Iraq is the right war at the right time or the wrong war at the wrong time, the men and women serving in the military and in combat operations in Iraq should be granted our full support, something that was not evident 38 years ago when I served.
They deserve no less.
David M. North retired last year as the Edilor-in-Chief at Aviation Week & Space Technology. A 1957 Naval Academy graduate, he served in VA-36 on the USS Saratoga and completed a combat tour with VA-LS on the Intrepid. After eight years as a pilot with Pan American World Airways, he joined Aviation Week in 1967.