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Memoirs of a FDNF LAMPS New Guy

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Navy Units Work Together to Save A Life

Number 112Winter 2011

Winter 2011 Issue 112

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Rotor Review # 112 Winter ‘11 1

Number 112 / Winter ‘11Naval Helicopter Association

©2011 Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., all rights reserved

EditorLCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN

Design EditorGeorge Hopson

Aircrewman / Special Missions EditorAWCM Carl T. Bailey II, USN

HSC / HS / HM EditorLT Julie Dunnigan, USNLT Tom Murray, USN

HSL/HSM EditorLT Anthony Amodeo, USN

USMC EditorTBA

USCG EditorLT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

Book Review EditorLCDR BJ Armstrong, USN

Technical AdvisorLCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret)

NHA Photographer CDR Lloyd Parthemer, USN (Ret)LT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

Historical EditorCAPT Vincent Secades, USN (Ret)

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Features15

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Memoirs of a FDNF LAMPS New GuyLT Grant Morris, USN

NATOPS: Not Just A Navy AcronymLTJG Justin Pacheco, USN

You are the HUMSLT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG

Perspective from Helicopter Maintenance ProfessionalsATCS(AW) Ryan Corcoran, USN

Marines Rescue Downed Pilot After Fighter Jet Crashes In LibyaPress Released by www.usmc.mil

Welcome to the WarlordsLT David Farrell, USN

Navy Units Works Together To Save A LifePress released by CNAL Public Affairs

Features

War Fighting Requirements and Shaping Future ExpectationsCAPT Frank Harrison, USN and CDR Tony Saunders, USN

Staying Busy in the NAADLTJG Tom O’ Brien, USN

HSC CVW - “We Have An App for ThatCDR William “B-I-L” Cox, USN/ HSC-9 Ready Room/ editoredited by LT Sean “Pancake” Purdy

The Defi nition Behind the Evolving Mission of the Wings of GoldU.S. Senator John McCain’s Remarks at NAS Whiting Field.

FocusEvolving Rotary Wing Missions

Focus

Printing byDiego & Son Printing, Inc

San Diego, California

Cover art by George Hopson, NHA Art Editor.

Rotor Review (ISSN: 1085-9683) is published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc (NHA), a California nonprofi t corporation. NHA is located in Building 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA 92135. Views expressed in Rotor Review are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of NHA or United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Rotor Review is printed in the USA. Periodical rate postage is paid at San Diego, CA. Subscription to Rotor Review is included in the membership fee in the Naval Helicopter Association or the corporate membership fee. A current corporation annual report, prepared in accordance with Section 8321 of the California Corporations Code, is available to members on request. POST-MASTER: Send address change to Naval Helicopter Association, P.O. Box 180578 , Coronado, CA 92178-0578

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National Offi cersPresident................................................... CAPT John Miley, USNV/P Corp Mem......................... CAPT Mike Middleton, USN (Ret)V/P Awards .......................................CDR Matt Niedzwiecki, USNV/P Membership ..........................................CDR John Barry, USNV/P Symposium 2011..................CDR(sel) Derrick Kingsley, USNSecretary.......................................................LT Kevin Yost, USN

Treasurer ........................................................LT Dave Yoon, USN“Stuff”.................................... ................LT Jen McCollough, USNExecutive Director.................Col. Howard Whitfi eld, USMC (Ret) Admin/Rotor Review Design Editor........................George HopsonMembership/Symposium ............................................. Lucy Haase

Directors at LargeChairman........................RADM Steven J. Tomaszeski, USN (Ret) CAPT Mike Baxter, USNR (Ret) CAPT Chuck Deitchman, USN (Ret) CAPT John McGill, USN (Ret) CAPT Dave Moulton, USNR (Ret) CAPT Dennis Dubard, USN (Ret)

CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

Regional Offi cersRegion 1 - San Diego

Directors.………………..........................CAPT Mike Horan, USN CAPT Buddy Iannone, USNR CAPT Joseph Bauknecht, USN President..…................................. CDR Herschel Weinstock, USN

Region 2 - Washington D.C.Director ..…………...…………......CAPT Matt McCloskey, USN CAPT Andy Macyko, USNPresident .....................................................CDR Pat Everly, USN

Region 3 - JacksonvilleDirector ..........................................CAPT Doug Ten Hoppen, USNPresident..............................................CAPT Clayton Conley, USN

Region 4 - NorfolkDirector ............................................. CAPT Mike Cashman, USN President ...............................................CDR Shelby Mounts, USN

Region 5 - PensacolaDirectors........................................CAPT James Vandiver, USN CAPT Steve Truhlar, USCGPresident ............................................CDR Hans Sholley, USN2011 Fleet Fly-In.........................................LT Spencer Allen, USN

Far East ChapterPresident ..............................................CDR Sil Perrella, USN

Corporate AssociatesThe following corporations exhibit strong support of rotary

wing aviation through their sponsorship of the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc

AgustaWestland Inc. BAE Systems / Electronics & Integrated Solutions

Bell Helicopter Textron, IncBinghamton Simulator Company

Boeing Aircraft & MissileBreeze-Eastern

CAE Inc.Delex Systems, Inc

EADS North AmericaFLIR Systems, Inc.

G.E. Aircraft Engines GEICO

Goodrich CorporationHarris Corporation

LSI, Inc Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors

L3 Communications / D.P. Associates Inc.L3 Communications / Ocean Systems

L3 Communications / Vertex AerospaceNavy Mutual Aid Association

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

Robertson Fuel Systems L.L.C.Rockwell Collins Corporation

Rolls-Royce CorporationSikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Telephonics CorporationWhitney, Bradley and Brown Inc.

NHA Scholarship Fund

President...................................CAPT Paul Stevens, USN(Ret)V/P Operations.........................................CDR Rich Weeden, USNV/P Fundraising .......................................LT Sutton Bailey, USNRV/P Scholarships ........................CDR Tony Saunders, USNV/P CFC Merit Scholarship.............LT James Scharff, USNTreasurer..................................LT Sarah Flaherty, USNCorresponding Secretary..................LT Sam Wheeler, USNFinance Committee.............................CDR Kron Littleton, USN (Ret)

Naval Helicopter Association, Inc.Correspondence and membership

P.O. Box 180578Coronado, CA 92178-0578

(619) 435-7139 / (619) 435-7354 (fax)

In appreciation of our advertisersUniversity of San DiegoNavy Mutual Aid AssociationHovergirl PropertiesRockwell CollinsSikorsky Aircraft Corporation

285046C3C4

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Number 112 / Winter ‘11

Departments

Editor’s LogLCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN

Chairman’s Brief RADM Steve Tomaszeski, USN (Ret)

President’s Message CAPT John Miley, USN

Aircrewman ‘s Corner CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret

NHA Scholarship Fund CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

Executive Director’s Notes Col Howard Whitfi eld, USMC (Ret)

View from the Labs, Supporting the FleetCAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret)

Letters to the Editor

Industry and Technology

Centennial of Naval AviationA Brief History of The Helicopter in United States Naval Aviation. Part OneCAPT Vincent C. Secades, USN

Rotorcraft Pioneers. Charles KamanCAPT Vincent C. Secades, USN

Change of Command

There I WasMan OverboardLT Andrew J. Hawkins, USN

Squadron Updates

USMC Updates

USCG Updates

Book Review

Stuff

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Editors Emeritus Wayne Jensen John Ball John Driver Sean Laughlin Andy Quiett Mike Curtis Susan Fink Bill Chase Tracey Keefe Maureen Palmerino Bryan Buljat Gabe Soltero Todd Vorenkamp Steve Bury Clay Shane

Articles and news items are welcomed from NHA’s general membership and corporate associates. Articles should be of general interest to the readership and geared toward current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard affairs, technical advances in the helicopter industry or historical anecdotes. Submissions should be made to Rotor Review with documents formatted in Microsoft Word ® and photos formatted as high-resolution JPEG and/or PDF by e-mail to: [email protected] or by FEDEX / UPS on a MAC or PC formatted CD to Rotor Review / NHA, BLDG 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA, 92135. Also, comments, suggestions, critiques and opinions are welcomed, your anonymity is respected. Send to: by email: [email protected], by mail: Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA., 92178-0578, call (619) 435-7139 or FAX :(619) 435-7354 .

The Rotor Review is intended to support the goals of the association, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of information on topics of interest to the rotary wing community, and keep membership informed of NHA activities.As necessary, the President of NHA will provide the guidance to the Rotor Review Editorial Board to ensure the Rotor Reviewcontent continues to support this statement of policy as Naval Helicopter Association adjusts to expanding rotary wing community.

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Editor’s Log

LCDR Kristin Ohleger, USN Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief

Chairman’s Brief

Continue on page 5

It’s spring at last and NHA’s Centennial of Naval

Aviation Symposium is upon us. San Diego promises to be the best Symposium we have attempted. Bold statement! With the AIR BOSS presenting our Keynote address, fl ag

and captains of industry panels set, leadership workshops across the rotary wing membership spectrum assembled, we will kick off the second century of Naval Aviation with our Members’ Reunion on board the USS MIDWAY Museum Monday, 9 May. We are expecting over 1000 members at the Reunion, and a special aerobatic helicopter performance, so please make your reservations early.

Rotary Wing #112’s theme is “Evolving RW Missions.” What better way to usher in the second century of sea-based air power than to discuss how the rotary wing community will evolve and shape our Navy in the very near future. We have thoroughly covered the waterfront opining on the impact the HSC/HSM squadrons have and will make on the carrier/expeditionary strike groups. {SIDEBAR: I spoke to RADM Nora Tyson, GHW BUSH CSG

commander at the CNAL change of command 26 February. The admiral is very interested to see how the fi rst MH-60 R/S east coast R/S deployment plays out (recommendation: Get the CSG commander in the air for a few mission; powerful for the admiral’s morale and more relevant than any power point).} But now let’s talk about evolving RW missions, specifi cally Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) warfi ghting capabilities. To review, the LCS is a relatively small surface warship intended for operations in the littorals. The LCS concept emphasizes speed, fl exible mission module space and a shallow draft. Our Navy intends to buy them in numbers. LCS is “envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access andasymmetric threats in the littorals.” LCS has the capabilities of a small assault transport and boasts a fl ight deck andhangar bay large enough for two MH-60 R/S. LCS needs the warfi ghting capabilities resident in the MH-60R/S. This is an evolving mission set ripe for

innovation and strategic/tactical relevance. My opinion, without the 60 R/S to complement the deployed LCS mission module, LCS might just deploy as a “relatively small surface vessel” with an unfulfi lled warfi ghting potential. The unmanned rotary wing evolution is also another obvious topic for discussion. My opinion, operational control of this capability should reside in our HSC/HSM communities. We are the experts, period. Who else knows the CSG/ESG domain better?

Enjoy the articles in the edition. They refl ect enthusiastic professionalism that I, for one, greatly appreciate.

2011 Members Reunion at the USS MIDWAY Museum in downtown San Diego

We l c o m e to Rotor

Review 112! This issue focuses on our helicopter

community’s ever changing mission. As helicopter pilots and aircrewmen, we are trained to always be ready for whatever is thrown at us in a moment’s notice. We train for the basics so that when the time comes we are ready for what is asked of us. This has never been more evident than in recent years when squadrons and detachments have deployed with the expected mission laid before them only to be diverted and tasked with missions such as humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and anti-piracy.

Just as our mission is ever

changing, our community magazine is constantly looking for change. Each month, the editors spend hours trying to come with new and exciting ways to bring the latest and greatest of our community to you in this magazine. This particular issue has come during a big transition at Rotor Review. I am sad to say that this is the last issue for LT Julie Dunnigan Hendricks as HS/HSC/ HM community editors. She is moving on to a disassociated tour and will truly be missed on staff. I can’t begin to thank her for her time and amazing contribution to the success of Rotor Review. I would like to welcome LT Tom Murray as the HSC community editor.

In this issue you will read of

a few squadrons’ experiences on recent deployments as well as the standard squadron updates. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I have and I look forward to reading about you and your squadrons in the future.


Continued from page 4

RADM Steve Tomaszeski, USN(Ret) NHA Chairman

BRIEFING NOTES: I attended the kick-off activities for the 1. Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA) in San Diego 11/12 February. The events consisted of a VIP CoNA Reception at the San Diego Air & Space Museum; a Parade of Flight over San Diego Bay (189 a/c); and a Gala on board USS MIDWAY Museum. Each event was special and I was privileged to be a part of the celebration representing NHA. My complements to both the CNAP/3rd MAW staffs and the CoNA Foundation for their hard work and attention to detail. It was a spectacular weekend!I must mention the Gala on MIDWAY. RADM 2. “Mac” McLaughlin and his staff showcased the CoNA celebration in an unforgettable venue. It began with a reception on MIDWAY’s flight deck that ended with fireworks over the bay. Then down on MIDWAY’s hangar bay a banquet hall was prepared to host the 600 guests. Dan Fouts was the MC; we had video tributes from president G.H.W Bush and Jay Leno; we were treated to 3 superb video’s celebrating “The Spirit of, the People of, the Legacy of Naval Aviation (skipper Al Worthy, HSC 23, you were great!);” we recognized individuals who represented the “families” of Naval Aviation (POWs/WWII/Korean aviators/rescue swimmers/maintainers/Naval families, etc.); ADM Edny led us in a stirring closing toast to Naval Aviation and then Kenny Loggins capped the evening with a mini-concert. It was a proper kick-off that was all class. The 300th “common cockpit” avionics suite 3. for the MH-60R/S helicopter program was delivered to the Navy this past February. The common cockpit serves as the “nerve center” for our multi-mission helicopters and is where all activity aboard the aircraft is based. The common cockpit underwent a most demanding Naval Air Systems Command certification process and is now “the standard by which all cockpits are judged,” said NHA member CAPT. Dean Peters, NAVAIR program manager for H-60 helicopters. Four large, flat-panel, multifunction, night-vision compatible, color display screens provide crews with instant information on everything from weather to weapons to sensors, reducing workload and increasing situational awareness. The common cockpit has flown more than 334,000 flight hours in the MH-60S and more than 39,000 hours aboard the MH-60R.Update on Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC): To 4. refresh, the VLC consists of U.S. aerospace companies and OSD members whose objectives are to: (a) draft a RW technology roadmap; (b) draft an S&T plan; and (c) interface with the DoD through an “Other Transaction

Agreement” (OTA) to perform 21st century technology development for rotorcraft. The VLC is up and operating but have suffered cuts in critical budget documents. Specifically, a $55M cut ($112 to $57) in RW aviation advanced technology funding in the FY 2011 President’s Budget Proposal. That hurts. The VLC is working points A & B, but is hampered by the current economic crisis. Last January, ADM Harvey, 5. Commander Fleet Forces Command and Fleet Master Chief Stevens visited Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron FOURTEEN (HM-14). Commodore Cashman and CDR Evans accompanied ADM Harvey. HM-14 is one of two Navy Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) and heavy lift helicopter squadrons with 17 MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters and over 700 members. ADM Harvey noted that HM-14 is a self-contained squadron capable of deploying anywhere in the world, ashore or afloat, within 72 hours, for sustained operations. While you can imagine the sweat pumps were on throughout the visit the admiral had a terrific experience telling the squadron while “the MCM mission may not receive as much attention from the press as some of our other core Navy capabilities, the service they provide our nation is very much like FEDEX – when we need it, and need it bad, and it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight HM-14 showed me they are more than capable of delivering.” One unexpected highlight of the visit was the admiral walking in on a PO3 drafting inputs for his evaluation; our sailor got 15 minutes of “bullet assistance” from the 4 stars!VADM Bob Dunn, USN (Ret) has 6. stepped down as the Association of Naval Aviation’s chairman and president. VADM Wally Massenburg, USN (Ret) is ANA’s new president and ADM. Mark Fitzgerald, USN (Ret) is the new chairman. I sit on the ANA BoDs as NHA chairman.Don’t miss Senator John McCain’s 7. speech at NAS Whiting Field inside on page xx. It was delivered at his son’s winging on 28 January.

I attended Region Two’s Commodore’s 8. Luncheon at the Pentagon Conference Center on 4 February. Commodore Mike Cashman, HSCWINGLANT, gave an informative, interactive presentation on the status of his Wing. 34 NHA active / retired members were in attendance including RADMs Card and Grosklags. And thanks to LT Nick Kesler for setting that all up.Region Four is holding their annual NHA 9. Awards Luncheon in mid-March. At this writing RDML Kevin Scott will be the guest speaker at this always well attended, inspiring family function.Region One held their annual Flight Suit Formal 10. at MCRD on 01 April. All 2010 Region One NHA award winners were recognized during the event, with those in attendance receiving their plaques. Additionally, the Helicopter Officer Spouses Club raised funds for the NHA Scholarship Fund with silent auctions on fantastic basket prizes and an “Opportunity Drawing.” I have no idea what an Opportunity Drawing is (hope BUPERS is NOT involved!) but thanks to LT Justin Smith for working this Awards event.

Charles H. 11. Kaman, an aviation pioneer who founded Kaman Aerospace Corp., died January 31 in Bloomfield, CT. He started

his company to demonstrate a rotor concept he devised to make helicopters more stable and easier to fly. Many of us had met and/or worked with Mr. Kaman over the years. He was a patriot who loved the rotary wing community and Naval Aviation. He was “one of a kind” and will be missed (see article on Mr. Kaman page 52 ).

In closing, on 26 February at West Point SECDEF Gates stated: “When it comes to predicting the nature and location of our next military engagements, since Vietnam, our record is perfect: we have never once gotten it right.” What I can predict with confidence is that wherever those combat engagements happen, Naval Rotary Wing aviation will be there. Till next brief and May’s MIDWAY Members Reunion, Fly Well and….Keep Your Turns Up!


President’s Message

Fellow NHA Members,

As you are receiving this latest issue of Rotor Review, we are inside of

a month until our annual Symposium, 9-12 May, here in San Diego. The theme this year is aligned with celebrating Naval Aviation’s Centennial and CDR Derrick Kingsley (Symposium VP) and his team have been working tirelessly to make sure that it is another fi rst class event. Of note, the Air Boss, VADM Myers has agreed to both be our keynote speaker to open the Symposium as well as to lead the Flag Panel on the last day. This commitment of time on his part is a sure sign of the importance he places on our Helo Community. Another Symposium highlight is sure to be the Member’s Reunion onboard the USS MIDWAY Museum. You’ll fi nd a schedule of events and a registration form for all of the Symposium events further in this issue and on your NHA

web site. Hopefully, you have already marked your calendars and made your plans to attend.

Your magazine, Rotor Review, continues to get better and better thanks to the efforts of your editor, LCDR Kristin Ohleger, your design editor, Mr. George Hopson, and your community editors. The focus of this issue is Evolving Rotary Wing Missions, and the articles and artwork continue the same standard of excellence you have come to expect in Rotor Review.

The USS Abraham LincolnStrike Group is currently on its way home, having completed a very successful deployment to the FIFTH and SEVENTH Fleet AORs. This deployment marks a further milestone in the Helo CONOPS as CVW-2 included both a Romeo and a Sierra squadron. In my “day job” as the XO at TACTRAGRUPAC, I recently had an opportunity to review a draft of the Lincoln Strike Group’s post deployment brief. It was obvious from the brief, that having both squadrons together in

the Strike Group brings signifi cant war fi ghting capabilities, as well as opportunities and challenges. Over the coming years and deployments, the Helicopter Community will ample opportunity to embrace new missions as well as to improve the manner in which existing missions are accomplished.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, NHA is your organization and Rotor Review is your magazine. Check out the web site (www.navalhelicopterassn.org). Share your ideas on how to make NHA even better. Get involved. Contribute. Make a difference.

See you here in San Diego at the Symposium!

Warm regards,CAPT John Miley USN

NHA President

Aircrewman’s Corner

Welcome to R R 1 1 2 …

New edition — new focus, this time on “Evolving Rotary Wing Missions.Wow! Where does onestart.

W e l l , from the Aircrewmen’s perspective, we have come a long way from the old days of being really good at one or two specifi c missions — from the old H-46 and H-3 groceries and mail/logistics runs to HSL and HS hunting submarines each in their own unique ways, the good ol Hueys on “Gators” and at station SAR Units. Now, everybody from station SAR to “Hunter Killer” squadrons on Aircraft Carriers, and Air Ambulance in the desert are all fl ying the same platform (with multiple variations), and may have

several missions assigned to one crew. In other words, we, as a helicopter community, are evolving on a regular basis. Consequently, aircewmen are evolving as well.

Most likely, today’s aircrewman will be really good at several missions (NAAD, SAR, PRSAR, ASW, ASUW etc…) just to name a few. The helicopter crew will need to be profi cient at swapping out confi gurations on their platform to carry out any one of their mission requirements. It is (to say the least) a fun, yet challenging time to be an aircrewman in today’s armed services.

On that note, please remember this year’s NHA Symposium is scheduled for 09 - 12 May, and specifi cally, the Senior Enlisted Leadership meeting is for 0915 Thursday the 12th in the California

Room. There will be a host of Senior Enlisted helicopter community “bubbas” there to share and discuss all things Aircrew…

I would like to encourage all Aircrewmen to attend this panel and bring your questions/concerns. The Symposium will be at the Grand Exhibit area of Town and Country Resort and Convention Center here in the Mission Valley area of sunny San Diego. Chief Charles Ott from HSC-3 and his team are putting together an awesome Leadership meeting. As usual, I am proud to be part of the Rotor Review Editorial Team and to serve as your Aircrew Editor… So sit back enjoy and give this edition of RR a good read…

AWCM Carl T. Bailey II USN Rotor Review Aircrew Editor


Col. Howard M. Whitfi eld, USMC (Ret)NHA Executive Director

Executive Director’s Notes

A few of our members

have raised issues about the NHA Symposium. Why do

we hold the Symposium in fl eet concentration areas such as San Diego and Norfolk? Why don’t we hold the Symposium in other cities? Why do we have the schedule of events we do? Why does the Awards Luncheon cost so much? Basically, there are tradeoffs for everything involved in the Symposium that effect participation and costs.

First of all, the Symposium is a chance for the naval rotary wing community to get together once a year to, discuss professional issues, recognize excellence in our community through awards, listen to senior naval leadership, see the latest contractor equipment, compete in athletic events and socialize. Not everyone can afford the time or cost to travel to a Symposium and airlift is not assured. Having a Symposium near a fl eet concentration area allows more opportunity for attendance.

Yes, it is near the work place for some, but that is both an advantage and disadvantage. By alternating coasts for the annual Symposium NHA provides an opportunity for members on each coast to participate, particularly enlisted personnel. The naval rotary wing community is unique in involving the enlisted aircrew, including the challenging Aircrew Competition. In planning the Symposium, NHA utilizes a committee of local active duty offi cers and enlisted which exposes them to the process and gets their input. The schedule of events at the NHA Symposium has evolved over the years. The biggest change was eliminating the Awards Banquet and presenting the awards at the luncheon. NHA also eliminated the “lipsync” skits which tended to get controversial. Cost wise, unlike other conventions, NHA does not charge members a registration fee (except in 2010 when the Members Reunion was held in the exhibit hall). Also, like other large catered events, the hotel charges a service fee and taxes on top of the cost of the food. If any of you plan a wedding you are familiar with catering expenses. NHA has multi-year contracts

with Town and Country Hotel in San Diego and the Marriott in Norfolk out to 2015. Multi-year contracts have many advantages including better business terms and the hotels are a known quantity (e.g.,Tailhook- Nugget in Reno). The Symposium is also a major business event for NHA providing funds for the awards programs, year- long operations such as producing Rotor Review magazine, and managing membership, like any fraternal organization.

I have attended every NHA Symposium since 1987. From the beginning I was struck with the active involvement of the junior offi cers in all aspects of NHA. Other conventions may be larger and have more exhibits and presentations, but they don’t have the close knit sense of camaraderie and community that NHA has.

NHA Scholarship Fund

CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)NHA Scholarship Fund President

This year ’s Scholarship

cycle has fi nally come to an end and as expected, the number of applications has

nearly tripled that of last year. We also had a good turn out on the active duty side for the new scholarships we are offering this cycle. Now the hard part begins! With so many great applicants from our Naval rotary wing community, selecting the best of the best gets harder with each passing year.

We did experience a few “bugs” in the new online process but most have been corrected and we are already looking for new ways to make the process more effi cient and easier to use. Thanks to all who helped us get the word out to both active duty and family members that we have scholarship money available.

As previously noted in Rotor Review, we were not eligible to participate in this year’s Combined Federal Campaign. I am optimistic we will be reinstated for next year’s Campaign but the loss of funds has

defi nitely impacted our ability to grow the Fund. In fact, this will be the fi rst year in my tenure that we will give out more in scholarships than the Fund takes in. That said, please consider donating to our/your Scholarship Fund as you formulate at your charitable giving plan for this year. As a 501 C (3), your donations are tax deductable and will go directly back into the Naval rotary wing community.

Hold fast


By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret)

A View From The Labs... Supporting The Fleet

Evolving Rotary Wing Missions: A Modest Proposal

By the time you read this

column, the 2011 NHA Symposium will be only weeks away – maybe less. Rotor Review’s editors tell me the focus for this issue is Evolving Rotary Wing Missions. Certainly a great subject and one that will no-doubt be addressed during the Symposium, especially during the Flag Panel. And if this Symposium is anything like those in past years, the energy and enthusiasm among helo bubbas to do more with the magnificent machines we fly will be palpable. That’s why these events are so energizing – we are the show in Naval Aviation today. It’s an exciting time to be helo bubbas.

But leading into this event, I’d like to offer a modest proposal. Before we get all “liquored-up” to charge off and do more, can we take a strategic time out and ensure that what we are doing, what we think we will be doing, and what we aspire to do, is aligned with what our nation’s civilian and military leadership want us to do? I’m addressing this in general to our helo community flag officers who are serving in a wide-array of important billets, and specifically to our Helicopter Wing Commanders because you all are the ones with direct authority, responsibility, and accountability for the helo community’s success today and tomorrow.

Why is this important? Here is the bad news. As you all know (or should know), the nation’s economic troubles have compelled DoD to announce the largest and most draconian cuts in defense budgets in many years. Secretary of Defense Gates has made it clear that everything is “on the table” for potential cuts and no community, no matter how magnificently it is performing, is immune. Those programs that survive these cuts must be well-managed from a programmatic point of view and must also be aligned with what DoD and DoN must accomplish.

Now the good news. There was a time years ago when what the senior leadership in DoD and DoN wanted was opaque at best, completely hidden to most at worst. What guidance there was had proliferated to literally dozens of publications at various levels of classification. Knowing what your warfare community was supposed to do or how it was supposed to accomplish it was beyond the ken of most. Most just floundered around and took a best guess – threw a dart – at what they thought they were supposed to accomplish. That is no longer the case.

The Executive Branch and DoD have made what we must do as a military to defend the Republic abundantly clear. President Obama has issued his first National Security Strategy that tells us, at the highest level, how we will use all the levers of national power to ensure America’s security and prosperity. At the DoD level, it is crystal clear what is expected and this clear guidance is embodied is a discrete number of publications called the Gold Standard pubs, six in all, and include the National Defense Strategy, the Quadrennial Defense Review, and the National Military Strategy. All are recently-issued and reflect absolutely the most current guidance, a.k.a. “the gouge,” regarding what the military must do to ensure America’s security and prosperity. Collectively, these Gold Standard pubs can be read and digested in less than a day.

For the Navy, the guidance is even more clear. In 2007 the Navy issued its first new maritime strategy in a generation, A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower. And since this strategy was issued, successive Chiefs of Naval Operations, first Admiral Mullen, and now Admiral Roughead, have been emphatic in saying that this is what our Navy does and all else is peripheral. In fact, concurrent with issuing his first yearly guidance to build on this strategy,

Admiral Roughead said, “If you are doing something that doesn’t support this strategy and this guidance then I’m going to ask you why you are doing it.”

For those of you who might not keep a copy of A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower on the side of your desk, here are the highlights of this 16-page pub:

“The following six capabilities comprise the core of U.S. Maritime Power:

Forward Presence• Deterrence• Sea Control• Power Projection• Maritime Security• Humanitarian Assistance • and Disaster Relief”

In A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower (available on the Navy website: www.navy.mil) each of those six bullet points has a short explanatory paragraph detailing explicitly what each capability involves. And importantly, virtually every issue of Rhumb Lines, CHINFO’s highest level communications medium (also available online), literally everything the Navy is doing today is binned under one of these six capabilities.

The point is this: Today, it has never been clearer just what we as a helo community are required to do. Being aligned with what DoD and DoN expect – and will continue to fund in the wake of draconian budget cuts – is the surest way to ensure the future viability of the naval helicopter community. I’m certain that our Helicopter Wing Commanders will meet during NHA week to discuss many important issues. The modest proposal is this: Dig into these pubs and then put having a thoughtful, collective, discussion regarding how we can align our community with what big-DoD and big-Navy want from us at the top of your “to-do” list during NHA week. Each of you individually, and all of you collectively, can provide no greater service for, and leave no better legacy to, our naval helicopter community.


Long Time Coming

RR 111

Remembering Mort

If you would like write a letter to the Editor, please forward any correspondance via email at [email protected] or by mail at the following address:

NHAc/o “Letter to the Editor”P.O. Box 180578Coronado, CA 92178-0578

We Would Like to Hear From

You

Letters to the Editor is a wonderful addition and too long in coming. RR has been professionally maturing over the last few years and letters to the editor (LtE) added a new dimension that most professional periodicals use effectively. Congratulations to both of you and the RR team. I am sure you all are well aware of the gains and risk involved with LtE. Done well and it is all gains for this valuable publication.

I have written many articles for RR. Prior to “Flight Suit Culture” two of my favorites that I had hoped would generate discussions did not. LtE allows those not inclined to write a full article a chance via letter to comment. When I wrote “Romeo and Sierra What Next,” and “Single Engine Landing Checklist” I had hoped that others would comment and address. My Romeo and Sierra projections are coming true---HSC84 and HSC-85. If two helo HACs would have read the Single Engine checklist they might have better understood Pa and Pr and not dipped their two helos in Lake Tahoe. Well, we can only try.

CAPT Doug Yesensky, USN(Ret)

Thank you for the kind words. When I fi rst took over the editor job fi ve ears ago, I received many negative comments regarding the magazine, its monotony and how it wasn’t anything people looked forward to reading. Since then, it has been my goal to make this magazine better and more enjoyable for our helicopter community. The community editors and I began to seek out the desires of our fellow pilots and aircrewmen and change the magazine into what it is today. We would not have been able to accomplish this without the great feedback we received from both active duty and retired NHA members. The addition of this ‘Letters to the Editor’ section is still rather new, but we hope others speak out, like you, and give us their feedback in a more public forum. We would like to encourage everyone to let us know exactly what they enjoy about the magazine and how we cancontinue to improve it. This is THE magazine of the helicopter community and we want to ensure that it refl ects the thoughts and ideals of all ou members.

Dear Editor:I was deeply saddened to read

of CDR Mort McCarthy’s death in your Fall 2010 issue of Rotor Review. He was my detailer in 1984 when my fi rst wife died in an automobile accident. I was a mid-grade LT at the time with verbal orders to exchange duty in Canada. Mort

spent a lot of time on the phone

with me offering comforting words and

support as I tried to fi gure-out what to do with my Navy career. I

ultimately took the orders to Canada, but not after Mort arranged for the billet to be gapped so that I had a little more time so I could get my legs under me while still assigned to HS-1 in Jax, FL.

I met up with Mort 4 or 5 years later while we were both stationed at NAS North Island. I remember sitting with him at the bar in a popular Navy hang-out on main street in Coronado. He was XO of one of the HS squadrons and I was either going to take department head orders or go Reserve. We spent a good chunk of time at the bar with Mort trying to persuade me to take the department head orders. He said several times … “You’d be perfect for HS-12 in Atsugi.” I often regret not following his counseling, but things in my personal life were diffi cult at the time.

I have thought about Mort many times over the last 20 years. His concern for me touched me in the deepest part of my heart. We never served together, but I remember him as if we shared a cockpit for 200 hours and a thousand night dips.

Sincerely,David Hall


Ind

us

try

an

d T

ec

hn

olo

gy Wherefore art thou, (MH-60) Romeo?

Navies Looking For A Multi-Mission Helicopter Can Find The MH-60 Romeo At Australia’s Avalon Air Show

Sh a k e s p e a r e has nothing to do with

it this time, but Romeo is still charming audiences. The MH-60R helicopter, or Romeo, is captivating navies around the world with its many capabilities.

L o c k h e e d M a r t i n and partner Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation have already delivered more than 85 Romeos, which will replace the aging fl eet of SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters by 2013. The Navy roadmap includes a fl eet of 280 MH-60S and 300 MH-60R aircraft by 2015.

The Romeo has also caught the attention of navies in Australia, Denmark, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. In response to the Australian Navy’s RFP last year for a maritime combat helicopter, the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky team

submitted the MH-60R.“T h e c o m p e t i t i o n f o r

Australia’s maritime combat helicopter is heating up, and we recently learned that the USS Shoup, an Aegis-equipped destroyer, will accompany two Romeos to the Australian International Air Show in March,” said George Barton, director of Naval Helicopter Programs

for Lockheed Martin’s Ship & Aviation Systems. “Australian offi cials and media will have the opportunity to tour the helicopters and ship during the Avalon Air Show.”

Primarily designed for submarine hunting and anti-surface warfare, Romeos can also handle search and rescue, naval surface fi re support, personnel transport, medical evacuations, and communications and data relay.

The fondness for the helicopters is partly due to its technological

advances: The helicopters use digital screens and advanced sensor suites to provide pilots with a more accurate picture of what’s happening on and under the water than previous aircraft.

Romeos also interface with Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Combat System. The helicopters provide a ship’s crew with the data it gathers from its radars and surveillance systems, helping to validate a ship’s or sub’s friend or foe status.

Avalon 2011Avalon 2011 – the Australian

International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition – takes place at the Avalon Airport near Melbourne March 1-6. In addition to the MH-60R helicopter, Lockheed

Martin will have a number of other products on display, including:

EQ-36 Rada1. rAir Warfare Destroyer2. TPS-79 3-D Tactical Air Surveillance Rada3. r

For more information on Lockheed Martin’s activity at Avalon 2011, visit http://www.lockheedmartin.com/avalon/

Modern by DesignPress Released by Lockheed Martin Mission System and Sensors (MS2)

Press Released by Lockheed Martin Mission System and Sensors (MS2)

Few but the most devoted helicopter fans would

call the aircraft elegant. Helicopters are noisy and obtrusive, they kick up everything from dust to small dogs when they land and yet... For missions ranging from search and rescue to search and destroy, helicopters are the most elegant creatures in the sky.

The U.S. Navy is just one branch of the military that appreciates the necessity of an elegant solution. Its fl eet of MH-60R, or Romeo, helicopters

is at the forefront of anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. The aircraft is equipped with a wealth of highly advanced sensors and systems, which it has ably demonstrated in its fi rst few deployments.

The Navy has a fi ve-year contract that runs through 2013 for 131 MH-60Rs, with plans to order an additional 140 aircraft in the near future. The service is banking on its Romeos—literally—announcing $360 million in contract awards to Lockheed Martin, to

ensure the aircraft remains modern and relevant.

“The Navy’s investment in the MH-60R fl eet secures a tremendous advantage for our pilots and aircrews,” said CAPT Dean Peters, U.S. Navy MH-60 program manager. “Our fl eet should have the best and most advanced equipment for every mission. We are looking for reliable, modern aircraft upgraded effi ciently and affordably,

Continue on page 11


Industry and Technology: Lockheed Martin

and that’s why we have devoted these resources to the MH-60 fl eet.”

Common Cockpit

As Lockheed Martin prepares for a late February celebration of its 300th cockpit installation, the Navy exercised a $38 million option under the current multi-year contract to cover production and delivery of the next lot of common cockpits for MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters. The bulk of the work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Owego, NY, and is expected to be completed by April 2013.

Situational Awareness Tech Insert (SATI)

Additionally, the Navy will provide MH-60R/S crews with improved situational awareness by incorporating Lockheed Martin’s Situational Awareness Technology Insertion (SATI) aboard the aircraft, a package of upgrades and improvements to the helicopter’s fl ight management system covered under a $35 million contract. The award covers a pre-development iteration of SATI, an eight-component upgrade package. A new integrated digital map will provide pilots with a clear picture of their operating area, and an upgrade to the Identifi cation Friend-or-Foe system will ensure there is no interference during transmission and that it is interoperable with the Federal Aviation Association and other agencies.

SATI will also include the incorporation of a Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File, a valuable database that contains heliports, navigational aids, airspace, enroute and terminal data covering air routes all over the world. The fl ight information fi le is the only comprehensive digital database available for pilots.

“The SATI package make upgrades to essential aircraft systems MH-60 crews rely on every day,” said George Barton, director of Naval Helicopter Programs for Lockheed Martin. “Lockheed Martin is committed

to keeping the U.S. Navy MH-60R the most advanced maritime helicopter in the world, and that means keeping pace with constantly evolving technology by integrating upgrades like SATI.”

Automatic Radar Periscope Detection and Discrimination (ARPDD)

One of the most highly advanced systems aboard the MH-60R – Automatic Radar Periscope Detection and Discrimination (ARPDD) – received a $36 million contract award to transition the program from system development and demonstration (SDD) to production. In October 2010, Lockheed Martin and the Navy successfully completed initial fl ight tests of the system aboard an MH-60R, marking the fi rst time a helicopter has had the functionality for its on-board radar to automatically discriminate between a periscope and other small surface objects, signifi cantly improving the probability of fi nding a submarine. This recent contract award covers the infrastructure required to meet full-rate production and the fi elding of the ARPDD radar system aboard six MH-60R production aircraft to support Initial Operational Capability in 2013.

The radar is built by Telephonics and is the latest iteration of the radar currently deployed with MH-60R, but adds a new ARPDD mode requiring improved radar performance and eight times the processing power of the previous version. The processing power is required to run advanced algorithms developed by the Navy and is what gives ARPDD system the ability to distinguish among clutter.

“The results are very encouraging this early in the program,” said George Barton. “Distinguishing a periscope from fl oating debris or sea clutter requires massive amounts of computer processing. The ARPDD system draws the sensor operator’s attention to the ‘needle in the haystack’ with a high degree of reliability.”

The Navy will continue to test the ARPDD system in various environments prior to it entering

operational evaluation in 2012. Initial operational capability is expected in 2013 aboard the 150th production MH-60R helicopter. To date, Lockheed Martin and aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft have delivered 85 mission-ready MH-60R aircraft to the Navy.

Multi-Year II

Construction of the next lot of 24 MH-60R mission avionics suites and 18 MH-60S cockpits will begin under a $72 million Multi-Year II advanced acquisition contract award that covers long-lead items for the helicopters and cockpit systems. Lockheed Martin and partner Sikorsky Aircraft have delivered more than 85 MH-60R helicopters to date and are on track to reach the century mark early in 2011.

Tip-to-Tail

Lockheed Martin was also awarded a $179 million funding increment under a $1.4 billion performance-based logistics (PBL) contract signed between the U.S. Navy and the Maritime Helicopter Support Company (MHSCo), a Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky Aircraft joint venture. The “tip-to-tail” contract ensures full support to the Navy’s fl eet of 490 H-60 helicopters. The PBL contract is the largest of its kind for a fully operational naval aircraft fl eet. The PBL arrangement continues a long-standing maintenance and logistics partnership between MHSCo and the Navy, and extends the coverage of the fl eet out to January 2015.Navy, and extends the coverage of the



Industry and Technology

Sikorsky Unveils State-of-the-Art Virtual Reality Center for CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter

Press Released by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

On January 17, 2011, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

unveiled a state-of-the-art virtual reality center for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program, an innovative tool to help identify gaps in a three-dimensional digital environment prior to experimental assembly. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Through this advanced design tool, the program expects to realize cost savings and greater effi ciency that can minimize delays in fi nal assembly of the aircraft.

“The virtual reality tool allows the team to fi nd production and maintenance issues that typically only could be found during the initial build of the aircraft,”said Dr. Michael Torok, Sikorsky vice president and chief engineer for Marine Corps programs. “With this tool, we can identify these

potential problems in time to avoid them. Ultimately, this will save time and money.”

Located within the engineering labs at Sikorsky’s main manufacturing facility, the virtual reality center uses sophisticated software, along with 12 cameras, a head-mounted display headset, gloves, and a gripping tool. All devices are linked to three computers, which comprise the ìcommand centerî for operating the system.

“This tool will enhance the designer’s ability to design an aircraft that is easier to maintain. Designers will no longer have to rely on their imaginations to understand assembly and maintenance issues. They will be able to experience them long before parts are fabricated,” said Mark Miller, Sikorsky vice president, research and engineering.

Dennis Jarvi, Sikorsky vice

president, Navy/Marine Corps programs, added: “The joint Sikorsky/Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) CH-53K helicopter program team is working diligently to deliver a high quality platform that will be extremely important to the Marine Corps future heavy lift mission. The virtual reality center is the fi nal tool in the CH-53K digital design suite, as the team collaborates to use proven and mature technologies that will signifi cantly expand the fl eetís abilities.”

Sikorsky Aircraft received a $3 billion System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract in April 2006 to develop a replacement for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E heavy lift helicopter. The new aircraft program is planned to include production of more than 200 aircraft. Currently, the CH-53K helicopter is in the SDD phase with all

Continue on page 13


of the major subcontracts awarded and valued at over $1.1 billion.

The CH-53K helicopter will maintain virtually the same footprint as its predecessor, the three-engine CH-53E Super Stallion™ helicopter but will nearly triple the payload to 27,000 pounds over 110 nautical miles under “hot high” ambient conditions. The CH-53E helicopter is currently the largest, most powerful marinized helicopter in the world. It is deployed from Marine Corps amphibious assault ships to transport personnel and equipment and to carry external (sling) cargo loads.

The CH-53K helicopter’s maximum gross weight (MGW) with internal loads is 74,000 pounds, a 6 percent improvement over the CH-53E aircraft. The CH-53K’s MGW with external loads is 88,000 pounds, a 20 percent improvement over the CH-53E helicopter.

Features of the CH-53K helicopter include: a modern glass cockpit; f l y - b y - w i r e f l i g h t c o n t r o l s ; f o u r t h g e n e r a t i o n rotor blades with anhedral tips; a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head; upgraded engines; a locking

cargo rail system; external cargo handling improvements; survivability enhancements; and improved reliability, maintainability and supportability. The program is expected to achieve the Initial Operational Capability milestone in FY18. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, CT, is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, CT., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

Continued from page 12Industry and Technology: Sikorsky/CH-53K

support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

CH-53K Helicopter Assembly Line Opens at Sikorsky Florida FacilityPress and Photos released by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. offi cially opened a new

facility at its Florida Assembly and Flight Operations ( FA F O ) c a m p u s , e s t a b l i s h i n g experimental assembly line operations for the new CH-53K heavy lift helicopter. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

S i n c e 1 9 5 9 , U n i t e d Technologies Corporation has been in operation in Palm Beach County with Pratt & Whitney military engine programs and Sikorsky development and certifi cation programs that have included research aircraft such as the XH-59, fl y-by-wire aircraft and the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.

“The production of the next generation of heavy lift helicopter prototype is underway,” said Dennis Jarvi, vice president, Navy and Marine

Corps Programs for Sikorsky.“As we commence assembly

l ine operat ions at FAFO, we are witnessing the dawn of a new age in rotorcraft development and construction. The CH-53K helicopter is being digitally designed and manufactured. We have created ‘virtual tools’ that will improve the learning process and identify and solve issues before they become costly delays in manufacturing. The CH-53K helicopter stands to become a model of innovative technology and capability when it takes its role in the fl eet.”

The CH-53K helicopter Florida Assembly and Flight Operations facility consists of approximately 60,000 square feet of space. The building, originally the home of Pratt & Whitney-Rocketdyne, has been completely updated to create a modern assembly area. Overhead power and air dropdowns, new aircraft work stands, and overhead cranes have been installed to support aircraft fi nal assembly and rotor head/quality control assembly operations.

The state-of-the-art facility also provides wireless data connections to all operator plasma data screens. The

new FAFO operation will introduce the use of digital operation sheets to aid in assembly and operate a four-position fl ight line to produce the new aircraft.

“The CH-53K helicopter team has combined the new advances in technology with the learning of more than 70 years of manufacturing into a robust process that is expected to gain signifi cant effi ciencies during the build of the aircraft,” said John Johnson, CH-53K helicopter program manager.

Five System Development and Demonstration (SDD) prototype aircraft will be built at the FAFO facility, with two additional airframe test articles produced at Sikorsky’s main manufacturing plant in Stratford, CT. Once assembled, the aircraft will be delivered to the Sikorsky Development Flight Center (DFC) in West Palm Beach, FL., to undergo fl ight testing.

Mick Maurer, president of Sikorsky Military Systems, said: “The Development Flight Center has been the starting point of many storied aircraft programs for Sikorsky. From building

(photo on the left) The body frame of the CH-53K is being built on the assembly line at the Florida facility.

Continue on page 14


Industry and Technology: Sikorsky/CH-53K

the S-76® series aircraft to testing the complex CH148 helicopter and fl ying the revolutionary X2 Technology™ demonstrator, the DFC has a history that will soon have a new success story to add to its resumé: the impressive, powerful CH-53K helicopter.”

Sikorsky Aircraft received a $3 billion System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract on April 5, 2006 to develop a replacement for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E heavy lift helicopter. The new aircraft program is planned to include production of more than 200 aircraft. Currently, the CH-53K helicopter is in the SDD phase with all of the major subcontracts awarded and valued at over $1.1B.

T h e C H -5 3 K h e l i c o p t e r will maintain virtually the same footprint as its predecessor, the three-engine CH-53E SUPER STALLION™ helicopter, but will nearly triple the payload to 27,000 pounds over 110 nautical miles under “high hot” ambient conditions. The CH-53E helicopter is currently the largest, most powerful marinized helicopter in

the world. It is deployed from Marine Corps amphibious assault ships to transport personnel and equipment and to carry external (sling) cargo loads.

The CH-53K helicopter’s maximum gross weight (MGW) with internal loads is 74,000 pounds compared to 69,750 pounds for the CH-53E aircraft. The CH-53K’s MGW with external loads is 88,000 pounds as compared to 73,500 for the CH-53E helicopter.

Features of the CH-53K helicopter include: a modern glass cockpit; fl y-by-wire fl ight controls; fourth generation rotor blades with anhedral tips; a low-maintenance elastomeric rotor head; upgraded engines; a locking cargo rail system; external cargo handling improvements; survivability

enhancements; and improved reliability, maintainability and supportability. The program is expected to achieve the Initial Operational Capability milestone in FY18.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, CT., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, CT., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

This press release contains forward-looking s t a t e m e n t s concerning potential production and sale of helicopters. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes i n g o v e r n m e n t p r o c u r e m e n t priorities and practices, budget plans or availability of funding or in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies C o r p o r a t i o n ’s S e c u r i t i e s a n d Exchange Commission fi lings.

The Sikorsky Florida Facility



Fe

atu

re

sMemoirs of a FDNF LAMPS NEW GUY

Typically, going to sea is a topic that either induces

very fond or extremely negative feelings and memories. There are a lot of factors that go into shaping one’s opinion, but some preparation will go a long way towards ensuring that your fi rst cruise is a successful experience. Preparing yourself for survival away from anything resembling normal society starts as soon as you “det up.” Ultimately, there are several key concepts to success in integrating yourself into a detachment, and the ship you will soon be calling home. Hopefully, through reading some of my thoughts, you can avoid some of the common pitfalls, and plan for the experience of a lifetime.

HOW DO I FIT IN WITH THE DET?

This can be tougher than it sounds, but get to know the people who you are going to deploy with. Some of your fellow shipmates might embrace you kindly, while others might distance themselves from you until they are more comfortable with you as a peer. The friends you make during this process will make your transition to ship life a little more seamless. The effort you are making to do so, however, may not always be well received. For instance, in regular conversation, an off-hand comment struck one of my peers as a direct insult. Three weeks underway went by without remedy to the insult as the “insulter” was ignorant to the harm caused. All it took was a bit of communication and a simple apology to clear things up, and ever since, things have been great. The moral of the story is to get past any social hiccups early so your peers can help you be more successful. Don’t be afraid to be social, just remember these aren’t your age-old buddies. It’s to your advantage to learn most of what’s expected of you by observing your peers and how they interact with your boss. You, in all likelihood, will be on a tight leash and don’t have the leisure of having the

benefi t of the doubt. After all, they’ve earned the boss’ trust, and you haven’t—remember that.

I HAVE TO DO PAPERWORK?

Be prepared to learn from someone who arrived only a few months ahead of you. They are expected to train you, and therefore, they are your “go to guy” in most circumstances. This usually saves some embarrassment, and gets you off to a good start. Realize that the best, most polished, result you could put in front of any O-4 or above can only improve with critique from your peers and at least one senior member of JOPA. This is one of the easiest lessons that is often learned the hard way. Soon, you will be an expert about the fi nished product your boss expects. Ask around on what is the expected product before shooting from the hip. As an example, I remember routing a schedule, and being instructed by one of my peers to make sure the font size matched throughout the spreadsheet. I ignored the advice, and shortly after was being lectured by my boss about, “how badly it stands out on the page,” and how, “ultimately it makes the detachment look unfi nished and unprofessional.” Listen to your peers. They are trying to save you the pain of looking foolish and unprepared

Article by LT Grant Morris, USN

in front of your boss.

WHAT TO TAKE?

Pack light, but pack enough of the right things. Your home away from home is much smaller than you think. You may end up in an overfl ow berthing and have very little room to yourself. For stateroom life, try to maximize the space that you have at your disposal. At a minimum, have two weeks of underwear, undershirts, socks and a couple fl ights suits. If you like feeling human, I suggest that you pack heavy on these items, because you will be too busy to do laundry most of the time. I can’t count the times I’ve come back from a fl ight drenched in sweat. Taking a quick shower on those days to get back in the game was a luxury well worth the extra gear. Another tip: if you have a favorite type of pen, as an example, bring enough you think will last you, and then pack a few more. If you go through

notebooks, bring extra. Offi ce supplies can be a valuable commodity onboard the ship, so don’t expect the supply department to provide for all your stationary needs.

Don’t skimp on the creature comforts. A warm

Never miss a chance to promote what the detachment adds to the

ships capabilities. It’s important that they see a purpose for us being onboard, other than soaking up the crew rest that our communi ty enforces .

Continue on page 16

Preparing to land aboard USS Stethem (DDG 63) while deployed around the Sagami-Wan Bay area of Japan. Phoo taken by MC2 Chantel M. Clayton, USN


Features: Memoirs of a FDNF LAMPS New Guy

blanket or sleeping bag, coupled with a small electric fan will cover the extremes of your ship’s environmental system. A pillow that you are used to, will probably help you sleep better. Ample amounts of soap, shampoo, hygiene gear, and laundry detergent will save you an arduous trip to the ship’s store. Drink mixes come in handy when you are tired of the ships bug-juice or ultra-pasteurized milk (closer to half and half than milk). A healthy variety of your favorite snacks are also worth their weight in gold. You will miss many meals as you sit in the LSO shack or spinning on deck in the helicopter. Think back to your dorm room life; you won’t have access to much more than a microwave, and even that could be a long distance from your room (…assuming you are on good terms with the wardroom galley). Music, videos, books, or whatever your preferred media should defi nitely come along too. You can only see the same movie on closed circuit TV so many times before you need to fi re up your favorite TV series DVD’s, and catch up on what happened last season. I also highly suggest a “hydration” back pack. Our ship rarely stocked any bottled water. Think outside the box about what would randomly make your days underway just a little better. One hard and fast rule applies here: never be that guy that asks the people that work for them to help carry on board their personal gear. The on-load is hard enough on your people, never add to their burden. Oh by the way, if you want to keep all your

electronic gadgets in you room versus in the XO’s possession, stop by the electrician’s shop and have them safety checked – I am still waiting to get my

PS3 back from the XO! HOW SHOULD I ACT ON THE SHIP?

Typically, most of your shipmates on your new home expect you to be an aviation expert. You have your wings and are FRS trained, so you are an expert, right? Well, at least relative to the surface folks you are. Always, carry yourself like a professional, and draw on what you know to make your detachment look the same. The Ensigns on the boat will undoubtedly call a LTJG “Sir” on fi rst meeting, and even if they don’t, they are completely gun shy of most anyone with a higher rank. It is part of their culture and it is up to you to embrace or push past as you please. Never miss a chance to promote what the detachment adds to the ships capabilities. It’s important that they see a purpose for us being onboard, other than soaking up the crew rest that our community enforces. I remember being told about, “Air det haters,” in the FRS and shrugged it off. I can tell you fi rst hand that those “haters” might some day be the folks you are cruising with or a future ship’s XO or Captain. Why make enemies for ourselves as a community? Fall back on your military bearing and professional courtesy, as that will carry you far on the ship, especially in a fi rst impression.IS IT HARD ON THE SPOUSE?

If you’re married, it only gets harder. Remember that you are planning for yourself and your spouse. Bills

must continue to be paid, and other business previously cared for by yourself, must now be taken care of by your loved ones. Do your best to make your spouse into a

force multiplier, and refuse to settle for anything that will detract from your ability to put your life on hold for a few months. Short of a having

email to bridge the communication gap, the person you are leaving behind must be able to subsist, either because they are independent or you have provided them with a complete game plan for success. Items like a power of attorney, a “what to do if…” list, applicable points of contact, taking your spouse to the Squadron’s “Det Night” and having them participating in the Spouse’s Club or Family Readiness Group goes a long way towards setting them up for success. The last thing you want before a fl ight underway is to check your email and see an onslaught of home-front drama. It’s guaranteed something will come up, but hopefully you can mitigate the dilemma long before you step foot on the quarterdeck. Remember to keep in touch; email and other forms of internet communication will be critical to staying connected with those you leave behind. It makes maintaining relationships while you’re gone and reintegrating into their lives once you return that much easier. Oh yeah, a good ole fashioned letter every once in a while never hurt either.

WILL I LIKE GETTTING UNDERWAY?

My fi rst underway was a blast. It included port calls in Guam, Philippines, and South Korea. I’ve seen unimaginable cultures I never thought I would be exposed to. I even managed to get my SCUBA certifi cation, something that has been a lifelong goal. Being a part of Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) in Japan with HSL-51, Detachment ONE, has afforded me some great opportunities, and many of them have come while underway. I honestly could not imagine doing the things I’ve done with a better group of shipmates. They have shared many of the above insights with me, just as someone did with them. Hopefully, after reading this, integrating into a detachment and getting underway will be easier for you and you have the same great experiences that I have had so far.

Preparing yourself for survival away from anything resembling normal society starts as soon as you

“det up.” Ultimately, there are several key concepts to success in integrating yourself into a detachment, and the ship you will soon be calling home.

LT Grant Morris fl ies with HSL-51, Det ONE



Feature

Continue on page 18

NATOPS: Not Just a Navy AcronymArticle and Photos by LTJG Justin Pacheco, USN

In 1961 the United States Navy designed and implemented

a radical approach to improve combat readiness and minimize aircraft mishaps. Naval Aviation Training and Operating Procedures Standardization, or NATOPS, is more than just another Navy acronym. The concept of NATOPS is to counter the old cowboy mentality of “kick the tires, light the fires.” It is the foundation of our profession and often written in blood from those who have come before us. Every aviator and aircrew that earn wings to fly Navy aircraft are taught the same lessons and trained to the same standard. This allows crews to be interchangeable and perform missions safely and effectively regardless of how often they actually train together. Not all NATOPS has to offer however, is solely designed to protect the pilots, aircrew, or aircraft. Sometimes the program’s importance is realized when someone as unfamiliar with it as a fisherman benefits from its existence.

The Island Knights of HSC-25 do more than just train for deployments while home-ported on the tiny western pacific island of Guam. They save lives. Search and Rescue (SAR) is a 24/7 watch that HSC-25 stands with a shore-based Coast Guard station to assist. With nearly 130,000 residents and visitors exploring the deep blue sea and rugged jungles, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s loved one doesn’t come home or return from a casual morning

fishing trip off the coast. It was one such fishing trip on a Wednesday in July that went terribly wrong for two fisherman and left nothing but panic in the hearts of those waiting at home.

During the night of July 1, 2010 a call came in to the HSC-25 Quarter Deck that a small blue and white fishing boat - approximately 14 feet long - had gone missing. Guam Fire and Rescue boats already launched but with no success. LT Daniel Dolan and his PM SAR crew answered the call to help find the distressed fisherman. The senior crew searched tirelessly for hours as the sun rose over the vast empty sea.

Meanwhile, the rest of the squadron was just waking up after a late night of training flights. Most did not even realize there was a SAR in progress. The daily maintenance meeting just finished as the first call to colors played over the 1MC. I arrived with a load of books in my arms and headed straight to my office. It was the last day I had to study for my Helicopter Aircraft Commander Board so I was going to make the most of it. LT Klein, the Squadron Duty Officer, walked by my office with a serious look on his face. I knew, after spending a tour in Iraq with him, he was preoccupied with something important. He stopped and told me the

situation. The Coast Guard requested a second bird to assist in the search. Winds and seas were likely pushing the lost fishermen out to sea rapidly. They had been

missing now for about 28 hours, and the probabi l i ty of finding them was diminishing quickly. LT Klein briefly explained how there were no extra helos or crew available to assist with the mission. The fishermen’s luck, if they had any, was quickly running out.

LT Klein called the Maintenance Master Chief and told him the situation. The MMCPO informed the SDO that there was one helicopter that had just finished an Acceptance Functional Check Flight (FCF) profile the previous day. However, the book hadn’t been signed off by a Quality Assurance Officer (QAO), meaning the helicopter could not be flown yet. That’s when LT Klein pointed to me and said “Find a crew!” LT Matt Sevier, the Aviation Safety Officer, was the only HAC in the squadron that morning qualified to check the FCF book and then fly it. I found AWS2 Breitbach and AWS2 Smith who were both designated as crew chiefs and rescue swimmers. A call was then made to the squadron’s flight surgeon to assist us in the SAR. He and all of the corpsmen were unable to make it by launch time. Fortunately an Air Force Flight Surgeon, CAPT Kimball who had been designated to fly in our MH-60S helicopter, volunteered to join.

Once the crew mustered, a thorough preflight ensued. Having no

HSC-25 has been successful in hundreds of search and rescues. So what made this one different?

The rescue that occurred on July 2, 2010 was a prime example of nearly 50 years of NATOPS refining training standardization. The cowboy mentality of the past has proven to be out-dated and deadly.

Island Knights answered to the call to rescue the distressed fisherman.


Features: NATOPS — Not Just a Navy Acronym


problems on prefl ight we took the time to slow down and conduct a NATOPS brief prior to engine start. The items covered were vital to ensure our safety and complete the mission. With an assigned search area of over 200 square miles, Rescue 10 and its hastily gathered crew of fi ve were spinning and ready for launch.

As the helo fl ew at max speed towards our assigned area, LT Dolan and his crew were just returning from their search to refuel. Within ten minutes of reporting on-scene, our crew began fi nding debris. The fi rst was a very white piece of Styrofoam fl oating pointlessly on the surface of the ocean. Another piece of Styrofoam was found and reported to the Coast Guard soon after. As our parallel search continued we found more and more pieces of debris. A blue blanket was

found next followed by a round red plastic sheet. Around a half-hour later a Sponge-Bob Square Pants toy caught the crew’s attention. LT Dolan’s helo

had returned and was assigned another search area. While seemingly pieces of fl oating junk to us, the Coast Guard was plotting the coordinates of every piece and urging us to continue. Around one hour into the search, CAPT Kimball called everyone’s attention to the three o’clock position. About a half a mile away, a very small red object caught his eye. We immediately turned toward the object. As we approached, two people were standing up waving frantically at our helicopter with a red lined life-jacket. A nearly invisible blue and white boat fl oated under their feet, blending perfectly into the blue and white cresting waves. We knew that these were the missing fi shermen.

“Rescue 10 has survivors in sight!” crackled out over the radios to the Coast Guard. Within fi ve minutes, an eager LT Dolan and his crew circled

overhead providing a bird’s eye view of the situation as we pulled into a hover over the survivors. AWS2 Breitbach deployed from a hover via hoist, and within minutes both survivors were on board. The two fi shermen were shaken and thirsty but healthy and overjoyed to see us.

As we fl ew them to the Naval

Hospital, the two fi shermen told us how they lost their keys and cell phone when the container holding them was knocked overboard from a large fi sh they caught.

The men thought this a sign of bad luck and decided to call it a day. As they tried to start the engine, it would not turn. Being only a mile off shore they attempted to paddle back, but the winds and current were too much and they soon became exhausted. Slowly, Guam began to get smaller and smaller until disappearing from sight with no phone or radio to call for help. Later, we found that all of the debris strung out

over the search area was from the two fi shermen. They had torn off all the Styrofoam from the boat, tossed all of their extra gear, and threw their blankets overboard to provide a bread crumb like trail leading right to their location. They had all but given up hope when they saw LT Dolan’s rescue helicopter come and go without spotting them earlier that morning. They had drifted almost 30 hours and were fi nally found 35 miles off the southwestern tip of Guam.

HSC-25 has been successful in hundreds of search and rescues. So what made this one different? The rescue that occurred on July 2, 2010 was a prime example of nearly 50 years of NATOPS refi ning training standardization. The cowboy mentality of the past has proven to be out-dated and deadly. Most of us think of NATOPS as a book of rules that if not followed could result in damage to the helicopter, equipment, or even ourselves. It’s a headache to study and hard on the backs to carry. It’s also a book written in blood from the mistakes and experiences of those in the past. It has proven to not only benefi t pilots and aircrew but those that have never even read a page. In one hour, the squadron produced a helicopter that never fl ew an operational mission. In that same hour, the squadron produced a NATOPS qualifi ed crew to operate it safely and effi ciently. One hour later, it helped save the lives of two doomed fi shermen.

No more “cowboy mentality” when it comes to NATOPS.

During the night of July 1, 2010 a call came in to the HSC-25 Quarter Deck that a small blue and white fi shing boat - approximately 14 feet long - had gone missing. Guam

Fire and Rescue boats already launched but with no success [...] The Coast Guard requested a second bird to assist in the search. Winds and seas were likely pushing the lost fi shermen out to sea rapidly. They had been missing now for about 28 hours, and the probability of fi nding them was diminishing quickly.


Features

YOU are the HUMSArticle By LT Todd Vorenkamp, USCG. Photo taken by PO3 Charly Hengen, USCG

Returning from my annual Mardi Gras vacation/P-

course I found myself back at Humboldt Bay and on the flight schedule for a routine pattern flight.

During the aircraft start I thought that there was an abnormal and louder-than-usual sound coming from the transmission/drive train. I quickly put my mind at ease by telling myself that it had been a couple of weeks since I had flown in an H-65 and I was probably just readjusting to the aircraft. Ninety minutes into the flight, with the start noises still in my head, I started to pay more attention to a general vibration through the airframe and cyclic. In the world of tail rotor helicopters you are told that a buzzing sensation through the pedals might indicate a tail rotor problem and that it can make your feet feel like they are “asleep.” Whatever was vibrating in this aircraft was buzzing my right hand on the cyclic.

I began an internal argument. Half of my brain was telling me that something was wrong with the aircraft.

The other half (equally small) told me that helicopters always vibrate and I was just not used to it because of my time spent out of the cockpit. Finally, I voiced my concerns to the crew and we began to debate the vibrations over ICS. Our flight was almost over anyway, and by the time we landed I had convinced the crew that we should hook up the vibration analysis gear upon our return.

After a vibration analysis it was discovered that the #2 hydraulic pump was failing and could have, most likely, progressed to a catastrophic failure. Another pilot mentioned that he had felt similar vibrations the week before.

The next day, after the pump was replaced, I flew the same aircraft and realized a noticeable improvement in the level of vibration but (there is always a “but”) I still felt something was amiss. This time the other half of my brain won the argument and I credited the vibes to my

lack of recent flight time.Less than a week later, the

transmission was changed due to abnormal vibrations. The theory was that the bad hydraulic pump vibration masked another set of strange vibrations that were discovered on a subsequent analysis. It goes without saying (or typing) that in the world of rotary-wing aircraft it should not take much for one vibration to manifest in any number of components that are spinning at a high RPM.

Many modern helicopters like the Sikorsky S-76C+ and Eurocopter EC-135 are equipped with a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) which, in layman’s terms, is a constantly running set of vibration gear that allows engineers to see trends and notice abnormalities before they manifest themselves (hopefully) in a component failure. Some HUMS systems incorporate a continuous optical tracking system for the rotors. HUMS is appearing in Army and Navy H-60s, Royal Air Force Chinooks, and Navy and Marine Corps Super Stallions.

Where Am I Going With This?

The H-65 does not have a HUMS system. This means that you – the pilot, flight mechanic, or rescue swimmer – are the HUMS. Look, listen, feel for abnormal vibrations and noises and announce them to the crew. Someone else might be feeling it as well and they might be trying to convince themselves that it is their imagination, lack of experience, or a faulty tactile sense that is feeding them erroneous information. Talk it over. Bring the helicopter back home or stay where you are and get some vibration gear on it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The alternatives might not be very pleasant.

Half of my brain was telling me that something was wrong with the aircraft. The other

half (equally small) told me that helicopters always vibrate and I was just not used to it because of my time spent out of the cockpit.


Feature

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“Perspective from Helicopter Maintenance Professionals”

Picture yourself driving up to one of the most modern

aircraft hangars in the United States Navy. It’s 0500 on a clear San Diego morning and the day check maintenance technicians have started to arrive. You walk into maintenance control and fi nd that there are already half a dozen maintenance control First Classes, Chief’s, and Senior Chief’s feverishly putting the maintenance plan together. You’ve just had your fi rst glance at the most prestigious squadron in the Navy helicopter community. We are the Merlins of HELSEACOMBATRON THREE (HSC-3) and we operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yes, this is shore duty; but in many regards the pace is that of a forward-deployed squadron.

My name is ATCS (AW) Ryan Corcoran. I currently serve as the Quality Assurance Supervisor (QAS) here at HSC-3. My role in QA makes me the right person to put into words the staggering amount of meticulous work that happens here on a daily basis. A normal day of work means launching as many as ten aircraft at a time no later than lunch and clearing more workload before 0900 than a lot of squadrons clear in a full day. Currently, we have 17 MH-60S helicopters and might be as high as 22 by in the next couple of years. Our maintainers are the best in the business and as a previous Detachment Chief, shop LCPO, and maintenance controller, I can honestly say that our maintainers are just as passionate about mission completion as the deployable squadrons.

As I make my daily rounds around the shops and the hangar I am always amazed at what I see. Bearing in mind the fact that we operate four fully-manned shifts, one would think that maintainer burn-out would become a factor. Instead, what I see are maintainers RUNNING from the hangar to the end of the fl ight line with a tool box and an IETMS computer to fi x a discrepancy before launch. The maintainers at HSC-3 thrive on challenge and when maintenance control makes that call to get maintainers on the run, that’s exactly what they do. I can only describe our maintenance technicians as hard core professionals who the pilots and aircrewmen constantly praise for making the right call at the right time.

Probably the most unique relationship in Naval aviation exists in this command. I’m referring to the relationship between maintenance control, the maintenance work centers, and the operations department. Other

Article by ATCS(AW) Ryan Corcoran

Caption Here

Continue on page 21


Feature

Continued from page 20squadrons may have the luxury of putting off a fl ight or two in order to accommodate a function or to give the maintenance department what we like to call a much needed maintenance day. Here at HSC-3 though, that much needed maintenance day only exists between fl ights when the aircraft is only shut down for a short time. Otherwise, our student pilots don’t stop fl ying.

I’ll close this little glimpse of our squadron by writing about the life blood of HSC-3. I like the old saying that Chiefs run the Navy but the Blue Shirts make the Navy run. There is no place I have found in my 15 year career where this is more true. From the most junior Sailor to the most Senior Offi cer, everyone at HSC-3 knows the Sailors Creed and the Navy’s Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Picture walking into a work center full of helicopter maintenance technicians that are tired, dirty, and just plain beat down from the day. Just out of curiousity I ask one of the Second Class Petty Offi cer Supervisors how he manages to keep everyone in his shop motivated to keep up with maintenance on 17 helicopters. His response made me proud; “Senior, this is what we do.”His response made me proud; “Senior, this is what we do.”

Marines Rescue Downed Pilot After Fighter Jet Crashes In Libya

Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit rescued a

U.S. Air Force pilot downed in Libya March 22.

The F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in northeast Libya March 21 while fl ying in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the joint coalition enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to protect the Libyan people from the country’s ruler.

Using two AV/8B Harriers, two MV-22 Ospreys and two CH-53E Super Stallionscarrying a quick reaction force, the Camp Lejeune, N.C., based Marines conducted a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel

Continue on page 22

Press and photo released by www.usmc.mil

AT3 Andrew Gaither of HS-11, performs preventative maintenance on a Sea Hawk helicopter aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65). U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Jared M. King

The Quick Reaction Team from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit wait to board one of the CH-53E onboard USS Kearsarge.


The cause of the crash is still under investigation and the names of the pilots will be released pending next-of-kin notifi cation.

The recovery force remains on standby while aviation assets are conducting operations in any environment. All seven Marine expeditionary units are trained, equipped and ready to conduct similar missions when called upon.

Feature: Marines Rescue Downed Pilot After Fighter Jet Crashes In Libya

and ready to conduct similar missions when called upon.

mission to recover the pilot.The Marine aircraft began launching off

the the USS Kearsarge, which was roughly 130 nautical miles from the pilot - within 30 minutes of the crash - according to a senior Marine offi cer in the Pentagon.

Marine offi cials attributed the quick reaction time to the versatility of the Osprey. “Total time from launch to return - 90 minutes roundtrip. That’s what an Osprey gets you, that speed,” the offi cial said.

According to offi cial reports, the Harrier close air support element dropped two laser-guided 500-pound bombs in the area in support of the downed pilot. One MV-22 Osprey landed and extracted the pilot.

Once extracted, the aircraft returned to the USS Kearsarge with the pilot. Navy LT. Lauren A. Weber, a doctor with the 26th MEU, said the pilot returned in good condition.

Timeline:2333B 21 March: USAF F-15E goes down, pilot and WSO eject safely0050B 22 March: Two AV-8Bs launch from USS Kearsarge0055B: JFACC approves TRAP0120B: MEU KC-130J launch Sigonella IOT refuel TRAP aircraft0120B: AV-8Bs overhead downed pilots with F-16 in comm with F-15 pilot.0130B: (Quick Reaction Force) QRF two CH-53Es ready for launch with 46 Marines.0133B: AV-8B drop two GBU-12 ISO F-15 Pilot0133B: Two MV-22s overhead F-15 Pilot0151B: QRF (CH-53) launch USS Kearsarge0219B: MV-22s overhead F-15 Pilot0238B: MV-22s recover LZ with F-15 Pilot0300B: MV-22s recover USS Kearsarge with F-15 PilotWSO reported in-hands of opposition forces at safe house


Get Your Cameras Ready and be apart of 30th Anniversary Issue (RR114) Focus: “Everyday in the Naval Helicopter Community” Send your photos to Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. either via email to [email protected] or mail

to Naval Helicopter Association, Inc, P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578Please send information about your photo(s), including the photographic’s name, and squadron or unit.

Entitle all correspondence as “Photo Contest.” Deadline: August 17, 2011


Feature

WELCOME TO THE WARLORDSArticle By LT David Farrell, USN

Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) instructors at HSL

40 have always said that HSL 51 was like no other LAMPS squadron. Their message was a statement on both the use of the helicopter and the pace and variety of operations. They said HSL 51 was the only LAMPS squadron that uses aux tanks, blade de-ice, or consistently reels out the MAD. Warlord detachments deploy more frequently and with less notice than our stateside counterparts (with an average sea time of 18 months in a 3 year tour). I was eager to experience this for myself. On March 1st, 2010, I arrived in the suburbs of Tokyo at the home of Carrier Air Wing FIVE, NAF Atsugi. I joined the Warlords.

When I checked in, my squadron Flight Surgeon and Operations Officer were acutely interested in what time my flight arrived in Japan. According to Doc, 72 hours

should elapse between arrival across multiple time zones and commencement of flight operations. Even though I was still living out of my suitcase at the BOQ, I was slated to quickly deploy. As a result, Ops had me on the flight schedule exactly 72 hours later in order to fulfill pre-deployment flight hour requirements. After a mere five training flights, a weekend introduction to the Tokyo nightlife, and less than two weeks in Japan, on March 14th I walked

aboard USS Lassen (DDG 82) for my first underway.

My ship steamed straight to Pyeongtaek, South Korea in order to support a joint exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). Enroute to Korea, while conducting unit level training we were tasked to launch in response to harassment of a U.S. flagged ship by a foreign vessel. Using the SH-60B as a visual show of support, we successfully allayed further trouble

for our sister ship and provided Lassen with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) video of the offending vessel. This was my first taste of operational flying and my first experience actually using the FLIR (as no FRS helicopters were equipped with one). The underway was off to an exciting start but this was only just the beginning.

On the evening of March 26th, I was scheduled for back to back flights, tracking an actual submarine in support of the ASW

Continue on page 24

They said HSL 51 was the only LAMPS squadron that uses aux tanks, blade de-ice,

or consistently reels out the MAD. Warlord detachments deploy more frequently and with less notice than our stateside counterparts (with an average sea time of 18 months in a 3 year tour). I was eager to experience this for myself.

Warlord 717 lifts off the deck of USS Lassen (DDG 82). Photo taken by MC2 Matthew R. White, USN


Feature: Welcome to the Warlords

portion of the exercise. The fl ights went as planned but upon landing after the second fl ight, we discovered that the ROKS CHEONAN (PCC 772) had been sunk nearby while participating in the exercise. It was later determined that only 58 of the 104 crew survived. There were two ROKN exchange offi cers embarked on Lassen who took the news very hard, and made the loss more real to Lassen’s crew. The exercise was halted, and for the next ten days Lassenprovided air defense while our helicopter provided logistics support to aid in the rescue/salvage effort. We fl ew divers to and from salvage ships (anchored less than two miles from the Northern Limit Line), ROKN/USN ships, and Osan Air Base. Participation in this real life rescue effort really brought home not only the important role the U.S. Navy plays in international affairs but the reality and danger of what I signed up for. All of my training and work ups to this point had been for achievement of my next qualifi cation, now it was for accomplishment of mission and for something bigger than myself. I knew that this is what all the sacrifi ce was about and what made HSL 51 special.

Pulling out of the Yellow Sea, Lassen’s deployment was extended to support exercise MALABAR with the Indian Navy. After a resupply stop in Okinawa, we continued towards India and encountered both a Chinese and a Russian Surface Action Group (SAG). In both cases, Lassen and the other countries’ respective warships took the opportunity to take photographs and enjoy a communication exchange. As we steamed, our helicopter detachment regularly conducted training with the FLIR/Hellfi re system, crew-served weapons, and gained Functional Check Flight experience (FCF) experience. One of our rotor blades needed to be replaced on our second aircraft and I got my fi rst VERTREP experience by bringing the blade from a sister ship back to Lassen. I knew that I would gain experience quickly but this was beyond even what the FRS instructors had mentioned.

Near the end of April we arrived at our destination in Goa, India. Members of the air detachment were able to participate in a community service (COMSERV) project—painting an Indian elementary school. After aiding the community, we contributed to the local economy by pouring in thousands upon thousands of rupees into souvenir shopping, tours, and extravagant living at the Park Hyatt. The at sea portion of MALABAR consisted of joint ASW operations between the U.S. and Indian naval forces and proved to be another valuable learning experience.

On the way back to Japan from India, we steamed to Laem Chabang, Thailand (a suburb of Pattaya) for Cooperation Afl oat Readiness & Training (CARAT) with the Thai Navy. This exercise kicked off with fi ve days of liberty followed by one day at sea. We received an extensive port brief with consideration towards the violent “red shirt” anti-government protests in nearby Bangkok (which was off limits). Unfortunately, our last day of liberty was called off early due to red-shirt protests that had moved from Bangkok to outside the commercial shipping terminal where Lassen docked.

After Thailand, we steamed home and I got the nod to fl y-off Lassena day before she pulled in. I would be arriving “home” (to the BOQ) with the experience of a lifetime. What I learned in the FRS about the fast-paced operations (and the actual use of the MAD) proved true, but use of aux tanks

and blade de-ice is still legendary, even to the Warlords. The short list of stats includes: six port visits to fi ve countries, over 100 action-packed fl ight hours, interaction with naval vessels from six different nations, and a sampling of nearly every mission that the SH-60B supports. I am told this type of experience is commonplace when you are a part of the U.S. Navy’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces.

The 7th Fleet’s AOR covers 52 million square miles—stretching from the International Date Line to the east coast of Africa, and from Russia’s Kuril Islands to Antarctica. In square mileage this area is 14 times the size of the United States, and hosts over 2/3rd’s of the world’s population. It is no wonder our ships and detachments regularly cover so much ground. In one more week I’ll have been a member of the Warlords for a total of three months. God only knows what three years will bring.


Enroute to Korea, while conducting unit level training we were tasked to launch in response to harassment

of a U.S. fl agged ship by a foreign vessel. Using the SH-60B as a visual show of support, we successfully allayed further trouble for our sister ship and provided Lassen with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) video of the offending vessel. This was my fi rst taste of operational fl ying and my fi rst experience actually using the FLIR

God only knows what three years will bring.

More Feature articles are on page 75


83 Exhibits

NHA Awards Luncheon [ Honoring Excellence in Rotary Wing Community]

Sports Day [ Golf Tournament, Aircrew Competition, 5k Run, and Paint Ball]

SPecial Performance by ReD Bull tm Helo-Aerobatic Pilot

CHuck Aaron during the Members Reunion

... And so Much More.

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Rotor Review # 112 Winter ‘11 26Rotor Review # 112 Winter ‘11 26

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nThe helicopter approaches closer

than any other [vehicle] to fulfi llment of mankind’s ancient dreams of the

fl ying horse and the magic carpet.

- Igor Sikorsky

he helicopter approaches closer than any other [vehicle] to fulfi llment of mankind’s ancient dreams of the

- Igor Sikorsky



A Brief History of The Helicopter in United States Naval Aviation. Part One

Article by CAPT Vincent C. Secades, USN (Ret)

Preface

Today the U.S. Navy accepts the helicopter and its capabilities as integral and essential parts of naval aviation. This has not always been the case. The early helicopter pioneers not only had to struggle with the

formidable technical challenges and difficulties of an enormously dynamically complex machine, but they had to endure the criticism, contempt, and outright antagonism of their superiors in the naval hierarchy, who looked down at them, at best as bumbling fools, trying to do the impossible with useless machines; at worst as potential adversaries presenting a threat to the hegemony of their established communities. To those pioneers who had to endure the hardships, blind alleys, and failures of the early days before emerging triumphant, the members of the naval helicopter family of today owe a debt of gratitude and recognition. It is important for us to know our history. It is particularly so for the new aviators entering our helicopter community. They need to know where we have been, for that knowledge is the foundation for the vision of where we are going.

The goal of this article is to offer the reader a brief history of the development of helicopter naval aviation from its earliest beginning to the post-Vietnam era. Upon its foundation in November 1971, the Naval Helicopter Association, through its quarterly magazine, Rotor Review, became the repository of contemporary naval helicopter history. Because of its length, the article will be published in three parts. This is the first part, covering from the early days of naval aviation to the end of WWII. The story is presented, to the greatest extent possible, in chronological order. However, strict adherence to this scheme would sometimes render the story of events that ran concurrently too fragmented to be easily followed. Thus, frequently a particular story is followed to its logical conclusion before returning to the main stream of events.

The Early Rotary Wing Aircraft. The Autogiro.

The earliest evidence of U.S. Navy interest in the development of helicopters is found in a directive issued on 11 March 1912 by the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, authorizing the expenditure of not more than $50 for developing models of a helicopter design proposed by Chief Machinist’s Mate F. E. Nelson, assigned to the armored cruiser USS West Virginia (ACR-5). It is important to remember that in 1912 the helicopter looked like an impossible dream. Igor Sikorsky had given up on it after two tries. The Breguet and Cornu machines had taken to the air, but only a few feet. They were totally unstable and uncontrollable. It would be interesting to know what design F. E. Nelson proposed, but the writer could

not find a record of it. In the policy statement accompanying the $50 grant, the Secretary of the Navy stated, “The Department recognizes the value of the helicopter in the design of naval aircraft and is following closely the efforts of others in this direction.” The Navy continued to adhere to this policy, with a few exceptions, until the early 1940s.

During the 1910s, efforts to develop a helicopter were found mainly in Europe. The most significant attempts were those of Jacob Ellehammer’s screw plane in Denmark, and Stefan von Petroczy, Theodor von Karman, and Wilhelm Zurovec’s PKZ-2 helicopter in Austria. On 5 December 1917, following the recommendations made by the Joint Technical Board

on Aircraft, the Secretaries of the War and Navy Departments issued a policy statement encouraging the development of the helicopter. The policy, however, recognized that improvements in engine and rotor technology were necessary before a practical helicopter could be produced. It further stated that funding commitments could not be made before a builder could demonstrate a helicopter of military value.

In the early 1920s, two significant efforts to develop a helicopter were made in the U.S. by George de Bothezat and Emile Berliner. They both failed. The Navy waited a few more years before it awarded its first contract for the procurement of a rotary wing aircraft, the XOP-1 autogiro


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Centennial of Naval Aviation: A Breif History of The Helicopter...PT. 1

Continue on page 31

The early helicopter pioneers not only had to struggle with the formidable technical challenges

and difficulties of an enormously dynamically complex machine, but they had to endure the criticism, contempt, and outright antagonism of their superiors in the naval hierarchy, who looked down at them, at best as bumbling fools, trying to do the impossible with useless machines; at worst as potential adversaries presenting a threat to the hegemony of their established communities.

built by Pitcairn Aircraft Incorporated. Harold Frederick Pitcairn was

an early aviation pioneer. He attended the Curtiss Flying School at Newport News, VA, in 1916, and graduated from the Army Air Cadet School in 1918. He launched his own aircraft manufacturing and flying service business, producing the five-place PA-1 Fleetwing in 1925. In 1927, after winning a contract to carry the overnight mail between New York and Atlanta, he designed and produced the Mailwing, a plane that became standard equipment in many other airlines. In 1928 he negotiated with Juan de la Cierva to procure a Cierva model C-8 autogiro to be evaluated in the U.S. In February 1929 Pitcairn purchased the U.S. rights to de la Cierva’s patents, and established the Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Company.

On 22 January 1931 the Navy ordered three XOP-1 autogiro prototypes from Pitcairn to evaluate them for naval duty. In April 1931 President Hoover presented the Collier Trophy to Pitcairn for his work in “making practical application of the autogiro.” RADM W. A. Moffett, Commander, Bureau of Aeronautics, declared that, “There can be no doubt but that the development of the autogiro is the outstanding achievement in aviation during the past year.”

On 23 September 1931 Navy Lieutenant Alfred M. Pride piloted an XOP-1 in the first rotary wing aircraft landing and take-off from a ship at sea, USS Langley.

The U.S. Marine Corps evaluated the XOP-1 in combat conditions in Nicaragua during the U.S. incursion that started in June 1932. One OP-1, assigned to Marine O b s e r v a t i o n Squadron Six

(VO-6M), was used as scout over the rebel-infested jungles, and as a rescue vehicle flying in and out of small fields. Its evaluation revealed its limitations, mainly short range and limited payload capacity. USMC Captain Francis P. Mulcahy, in his report to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, stated that the OP-1’s chief value was as a reconnaissance vehicle, inspecting small fields that ground troops marked as possible landing areas, and ferrying personnel and evacuating “sitting” casualties. After the end of operations in Nicaragua, the OP-1 was returned to Quantico for evaluation as an artillery spotter. By the end of 1937 its use was terminated.

The Navy continued to experiment with the autogiro. On 12 March 1935 Pitcairn received a contract to remove the autogiro’s fixed wings and ailerons. The new autogiro was designated the XOP-2, the first Navy rotary wing aircraft without fixed wings. This modification was made possible by the implementation of cyclic control of the rotor blades pitch angle. Various helicopter pioneers had developed cyclic pitch control independently since the beginning of the twentieth century. Ellehammer’s screw plane in Denmark in 1912 was one of the first designs to implement a form of cyclic pitch control.

In 1920 de la Cierva unsuccessfully attempted to use cyclic pitch control to compensate for the dissymmetry of lift in his C-2. In 1930, both D’Ascanio in Italy and Hafner in Austria tested helicopters with cyclic pitch control. The Hafner single rotor R-1 helicopter used the swash plate devise to implement cyclic pitch. In 1933 de la Cierva produced the C-30, which had a form of cyclic pitch control. This was an important improvement over the use of airplane-type surfaces to control aircraft attitude at slow airspeeds.

In 1937 the Navy contracted with Pennsylvania Aircraft Syndicate to modify a Consolidated N2Y-1 tandem-seat biplane trainer (BuNo. A8602) into an autogiro. The top wing was replaced with a four-bladed autogiro rotor mounted on four steel struts. The wheeled landing gear was replaced by twin floats. The aircraft was redesignated the XOZ-1. On 9 August 1937 the contractor performed demonstration flights, including a water take-off, at the Naval Aircraft Factory facility. The XOZ-1 was transferred to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the precursor of NASA) for use as a research vehicle.

The overall results of its evaluation during the 1930s convinced the Navy hierarchy that the autogiro could not satisfactorily fulfill naval requirements. The naval services needed a hovering vehicle. It would have to wait a few more years before that need could be fulfilled.

LT Alfred M. Pride piloting an XOP-1 in the first rotary wing aircraft landing and take-off from ship to sea onboard USS Langley.

Continue on page 31


Centennial of Naval Aviation; A Breif History of The Helicopter...PT. 1


Continue on page 32

The First Military Helicopters. World War II.The seminal event that would

eventually foster a successful American helicopter industry occurred in 1938. Early that year, besieged by the decline in the autogiro market, the Kellett brothers and Harold Pitcairn approached the powerful Pennsylvania Congressman Frank Dorsey, and asked him to push a bill through Congress to fund further research in autogiro technology and the procurement of additional crafts for service testing by the armed forces. The Dorsey Bill, HR8143, went to a public hearing before the Military Affairs Committee on 26 April 1938. In his testimony, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Charles Edison, bluntly told the Committee that the Navy was no longer interested in the autogiro because it could not hover. The following witness, the Dean of NYU’s Aeronautical Engineering School, Professor Klemin, suggested that the word “autogiro” be changed to “rotary wing.” When the bill became law, the $2 million originally intended as a lifeline for the autogiro industry

was now designated for “rotary wing and other aircraft.” On 30 June 1938 an Inter-Agency Board was created to administer the program funded by the Dorsey Act. CDR William J. Kossler, USCG, was the Coast Guard representative to the Board. In the incoming years CDR Kossler would play a historical role in the development of a naval helicopter force.

During the first three decades of the twentieth century the U.S. Army had been the lead service in the development of rotorcraft technology for military use. The most ambitious project had been the George de Bothezat helicopter, launched in the summer of 1921. The Russian émigré’s self-assurance far exceeded his understanding of the difficulties involved. In 1924, after spending about $200,000 in the project, the Army had abandoned the effort. In 1939 the 76th Congress authorized the first portion

of the Dorsey Act funds, $300,000, for the procurement of a rotary wing aircraft prototype to be evaluated by the Army. Platt-LePage and Sikorsky submitted helicopter proposals. The other proposals were for modified autogiros.

The Navy was following the Army project closely. On 23 April 1940 CDR Donald Royce was assigned to represent the Navy on the Army Evaluation Board for the rotary wing project. CDR Kossler was also following the Army program very closely, representing the Engineer-in-Chief, USCG. Kossler recognized the helicopter as the anxiously sought “flying lifeboat.” He sketched versions resembling a lifeboat with a rotor attached to each end. In 1943 Frank Piasecki would propose a tandem-rotor helicopter that followed this scheme. Kossler’s recommendation weighted heavily on the Navy’s decision to award Piasecki a contract to build the XHRP-1, the first helicopter designed to Navy specifications.

On 19 July 1940 the Army Materiel Division announced the winner. Platt-LePage’s

proposal, the E x p e r i m e n t a l Rotorcraft One (XR-1), was selected, primarily because it was based on the proven technology of the highly successful Focke-Wulf Fw-61, which had gained worldwide r e c o g n i t i o n with its flight d e m o n s t r a t i o n s inside the Deutschlandhalle sports arena in Berlin in February 1938. Two small contracts were given to the Kellett brothers for their autogiro bids, designated the XR-2 and XR-3. However, the Army was still interested in the Sikorsky

O n 26 April 1938 [...] the Assistant

Secretary of the Navy, Charles

Edison, bluntly told the Committee

that the Navy was no longer interested in

the autogiro because it could not hover...

Dean of NYU’s Aeronautical Engineering

School, Professor Klemin, suggested

that the word “autogiro” be changed to

“rotary wing.” On 30 June 1938 an Inter-

Agency Board was created to administer

the program funded by the Dorsey Act.

CDR William J. Kossler, USCG, was the Coast Guard representative to

[...] play a historical role in the development of a naval helicopter force.

CDR Willliam J. Kossler, USCG




Continue on page 33

proposal, a larger version of the VS-300, the development test bed at the time undergoing flight-testing.

On 24 July 1940 the Army rotary wing project officer, Army Captain H. Frank Gregory, visited the Sikorsky plant and had the opportunity to fly the VS-300. Captain Gregory was the first U.S. military officer to become a helicopter pilot. In his report to the Army, he recommended that the Sikorsky project be sponsored in parallel to the Platt-LePage helicopter. On 17 December 1940 a contract was signed awarding Sikorsky $50,000 for the development of his helicopter proposal, designated the XR-4. Sikorsky convinced his parent corporation, United Aircraft, to finance the remainder of the cost of the project, another $150,000.

Meanwhile, Platt-LePage was progressing well ahead of Sikorsky in the development of the XR-1. Its first flight took place in 12 May 1941. However, the ubiquitous controllability problem raised its ugly head. Test pilot Lou Leavitt refused to fly the XR-1 in forward flight. After some modifications, in June 1942 Captain Frank Gregory flew the XR-1 to 100 mph.

The Sikorsky XR-4 prototype made its first flight on 13 January 1942. On 20 April Sikorsky offered an XR-4 flight demonstration for the Army and representatives of the U.S.

Navy, Coast Guard, and the Royal Navy. CDR Watson A. Burton, USCG, Commanding Officer of the New York Coast Guard Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY, and CDR Kossler, who was serving as Chief of the Aviation Engineering Division at Coast Guard Headquarters, witnessed the demonstration. They agreed that the helicopter could meet the requirements of a rescue vehicle, and proposed that three helicopters be procured for test and evaluation. Their proposal was immediately rejected.

CDR Kossler had been the instructor at the Coast Guard Academy of a very promising midshipman named Frank A. Erickson. Over the years they remained close friends. They both became Coast Guard aviators, Erickson number 32, and Kossler number 43. In anticipation to the looming threat of war with Japan, on 16 August 1941 the USCG District in Honolulu had been transferred to Navy jurisdiction. As a result, LCDR Erickson had been transferred to the Operations Department at Ford Island Naval Air Station. Around this time he read an article about Sikorsky’s helicopter development work. He immediately came to the same conclusion as Kossler;

the helicopter was the answer to the Coast Guard’s need for a better rescue vehicle. The Coast Guard officially became part of the Navy Department by presidential executive order on 1 November 1941. Erickson’s advocacy for the helicopter was deeply reinforced on 7 December 1941. He was on duty that morning at the Ford Island airfield control tower and witnessed the struggle of hundreds of sailors dying in the water. During those terrifying moments he decided to make his career’s goal to create a rescue helicopter.

Early in 1942 CDR Kossler arranged for his protégée, LCDR Frank Erickson, to be assigned as Executive Officer of the New York Coast Guard Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY. With their shared enthusiasm for the helicopter as a rescue vehicle, Kossler wanted to bring Erickson close to the Sikorsky factory.

Few people in the Coast Guard hierarchy had any faith in the usefulness of the helicopter. The Navy was even less interested. On 26 June 1942 LCDR Erickson visited the Sikorsky plant in Connecticut and inspected the XR-4 development program. Three days later he submitted a report to Headquarters recommending the procurement of helicopters for convoy

On 26 June 1942 LCDR Erickson visited the

Sikorsky plant in Connecticut and inspected

the XR-4 development program. Three

days later he submitted a report [...] recommending the

procurement of helicopters for convoy antisubmarine

patrol and search and rescue duty. Knowing that the

Navy was very concerned with the convoy losses in

the Atlantic caused by German submarines, Erickson

placed emphasis on the helicopter antisubmarine role. LCDR Frank Erickson, USN: First

Naval Helicopter Pilot


Centennial of Naval Aviation:A Breif History of The Helicopter...PT. 1


antisubmarine patrol and search and rescue duty. Knowing that the Navy was very concerned with the convoy losses in the Atlantic caused by German submarines, Erickson placed emphasis on the helicopter antisubmarine role. This time, with positive endorsements from not only CDR Burton and CDR Kossler, but also from RADM Harvey F. Johnson, Engineer-in-Chief, USCG, the proposal for the development of the naval helicopter received serious consideration.

On 24 July 1942 the Bureau of Aeronautics issued a Planning Directive for the procurement of four YR-4 Sikorsky helicopters for evaluation by the Navy and Coast Guard. On 21 December 1942, RADM Stanley V. Parker, Commander, USCG Forces, Third Naval District, accompanied by CDR Kossler, visited the Sikorsky plant and observed a flight demonstration. RADM Parker immediately became a helicopter advocate. In a letter to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, ADM Russell R. Waesche, he recommended development of the helicopter in the convoy protection role. ADM Waesche decided that he needed to see this wondrous machine. He and a group of high-ranking officers visited Bridgeport on 13 February 1943. Igor Sikorsky in the VS-300, and Les Morris in a XR-4, provided an impressive demonstration of both helicopters performing precision maneuvers. ADM Waesche was completely sold. He immediately went to see ADM Ernest J. King, CNO, who on 15 February issued a letter to the Bureau of Aeronautics

directing the development and evaluation of helicopters deployed aboard merchant ships for antisubmarine patrol duty. The letter assigned responsibility to the Coast Guard for the testing and evaluation of helicopters. The very next day, 16 February 1943, ADM Waesche sent the Engineer-in-Chief a letter placing newly promoted CAPT Kossler in charge of the Coast Guard helicopter development program. Armed with his new authority, CAPT Kossler immediately began to recruit volunteer pilots and mechanics for helicopter training.

At this junction, the lines of responsibility and control became complicated. The Army chaired the Dorsey Commission and was the only U.S. service branch buying and developing helicopters. The Navy had been observing without interfering. However, with the Coast Guard aggressively moving forward to develop the helicopter for the anti-submarine mission, BuAer suddenly saw this development as its responsibility. A test

of wills ensued. After several letter exchanges between the Coast Guard and BuAer, the climate at BuAer suddenly changed. On 4 May 1943 a joint board was formed with representatives of the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet, the Bureau of Aeronautics, the Coast Guard, the British Admiralty, and the Royal Air Force. This Combined Board for the Evaluation of the Ship-Based Helicopter in Antisubmarine Warfare was later expanded with representatives from the Army, the War Shipping Administration, and NACA. XR-4s from the Army procurement contract would be used in the program.

On 6 May 1943 Captain Gregory flew an XR-4 to the newly installed flight deck of the merchant tanker Bunker Hill, at anchor in the Long Island Sound. He spent that day practicing shipboard landings at anchor and underway at different speeds. The next day, with 97 dignitaries in the guest list, Gregory put on an impeccable performance as the ship cruised at various speeds up to 15 knots. CAPT Walter Diehl, from the Bureau of Aeronautics, was deeply impressed. The Combined Board met on 18 May and formulated the plan for the development program to follow. Kossler was winning his battle.

The Army accepted its first YR-4 on 30 May 1943. It was agreed that the second YR-4 would go to the British and the third to the Navy. That created an immediate need to train helicopter pilots from

those services. LCDR Erickson, CDR Charles T. Booth, USN, and two Army officers were in the first class, trained by Les Morris, the Sikorsky chief test pilot. Morris also trained the British pilots involved in the program. In June 1943 LCDR Erickson began helicopter flight training in the XR-4 at the Sikorsky plant in Connecticut. He soloed after three hours of dual flight training, thus becoming Coast Guard helicopter pilot number 1. CDR Booth became involved in establishing a helicopter flight test facility at the Naval Air Test Center (NATC), Patuxent

YR-4 landing on Bunker Hill



Continue on page 35

River, Maryland. Thus, his training was interrupted.

The Army conducted a second helicopter sea trial on 6 and 7 June 1943 aboard Army Transport James Parker (AP-46). CDR James Russell, from BuAer, observed the trials and submitted a very favorable report. On 10 June 1943 LCDR Erickson submitted another proposal, this time placing all the emphasis on the helicopter’s antisubmarine potential and expanding its role from scouting to hunting. He recommended that helicopters be equipped with radar and dunking sonar to become “the eyes and ears of the convoy escorts.”

At this point, we need to backtrack a bit. Encouraged by his success in selling the R-4 to the military, early in 1942 Sikorsky began to work in the design of the XR-5, which was twice the size of its predecessor and could carry twice the payload. The two-seat helicopter was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985, 450 hp engine and featured a three-bladed 48-foot diameter rotor. Prototype development was performed under an Army contract signed on 21 December 1942. On 22 June 1943 BuAer placed an order for 44 R-5s, Navy designation HO2S-1. The XR-5 first prototype maiden flight occurred on 18 August 1943. However, by the time the first HO2S-1 was accepted, in December 1945, the war had ended. These helicopters were assigned to NAS New York and USCG Air Station, Elizabeth City, SC.

On 16 October 1943 the Navy accepted its first helicopter, a Sikorsky YR-4B, Navy designation XHNS-1, BuNo 46445, at Bridgeport, Connecticut. LCDR Erickson flew the one-hour acceptance flight. CDR Booth returned to Bridgeport to complete his training. It would be his responsibility to conduct aerodynamic, stability and performance tests on the new helicopters at Patuxent River. He was the first U.S. Navy Officer to become qualified to fly helicopters. He ferried the XHNS-1 to Patuxent River on 22 October. The

Army transferred two additional YR-4Bs to the Navy. In time, a total of 20 YR-4Bs from the Army contract of 100 were transferred to the Navy. According to its records, between October 1943 and December 1944 the U.S. Navy accepted 68 YR-4Bs (HNS-1s). They were powered with the R-550 radial engine, its various versions developing between 180 and 200 hp.

On 20 October 1943 LTJG Steward R. Graham, USCG, completed helicopter flight training at the Sikorsky plant, soloing after three and a half hours of dual instruction. LTJG Graham became USCG helicopter pilot number 2. LCDR Erickson was his flight

instructor.Later in 1943 Erickson was

promoted to CDR and took over command of the New York Coast Guard Air Station. On 19 November the Air Station was designated the first U.S. naval helicopter training base. Erickson began to train Coast Guard, Navy, Army Air Corps, and British helicopter pilots. Some of these pilots remained at Floyd Bennett Field training other pilots. The first U.S. Navy officer to complete training at the new school was LCDR John M. Miller, USNR, who soloed on 5 December 1943, becoming Navy helicopter pilot number 2. LCDR J. W. Klopp, USN; LT W. V. Gough, USNR; and LT William G. Knapp, USNR, were Navy helicopter pilots number 3, 4, and 5 respectively. These numbers indicate the chronological order in which these naval aviators obtained their helicopter qualification. Official designations as Helicopter Pilot were not instituted until 1948, when HU-2 was tasked

by OP-05 to come up with a listing of those qualified as helicopter pilots. The project was assigned to LT Vincent W. Collins, LTJG Robert Lynch, and LT William Dixon. They started their list with LT William G. Knapp, whom they designated U.S. Navy helicopter pilot number 1. The three junior officers assigned themselves designation numbers 62, 67 and 78 respectively. By this bureaucratic oversight, the first four Navy helicopter pilots where ignored.

With the support of ADM Waesche, CAPT Kossler and CDR Erickson were finally successful in selling the Navy the concept of using the helicopter in the antisubmarine convoy

protection role. In mid-December 1943 the Navy conducted its own test. LCDR John M. Miller flew an HNS-1 aboard the British freighter M. V. Daghestan in the Long Island Sound. U.S. Army Brigadier General Frank Lowe observed the demonstration. On 18 December 1943, based on the results of this test, the Chief of Naval Operations directed the separation of the helicopter test and development functions from the pilot training function.

He further directed that, effective 1 January 1944, the Coast Guard establish a helicopter pilot training program at Floyd Bennett Field, under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air). This directive also stated that, “It has been determined that after 25 hours of dual and solo flight time, a fixed wing pilot is qualified as a helicopter pilot.” It further stated that, as of the date of the directive, three Coast Guard and two Navy officers had qualified as helicopter pilots. These pilots were: LCDR Frank Erickson, LTJG Steward R. Graham, and LT A. N. Fisher from the Coast Guard, and CDR Charles T. Booth and LCDR John M. Miller from the Navy. These early helicopter pilots did not have a formal Navy training program to follow, or an established procedure to record and preserve their helicopter pilot qualifications. In fact, their training consisted of a few hours


These early helicopter pilots did not have a formal Navy training program to follow,

or an established procedure to record and preserve their helicopter pilot qualifications. In fact, their training consisted of a few hours of dual flight instruction, enough to make them safe-for-solo.




More Centennial of Naval Aviation articles are on page 48

of dual flight instruction, enough to make them safe-for-solo. From then on, they gained their flying proficiency while performing their assigned flying duties. A few days after his first solo flight, LCDR Miller flew an HNS-1 aboard a British freighter. CDR Booth, after soloing, ferried the first HNS-1 to NATC Patuxent River. He later continued a very successful naval career as a fixed wing pilot, reaching VADM rank and serving as Commander, Naval Air Force, Atlantic, from 1965 to 1969. He was never placed in the list of early helicopter pilots.

CDR Erickson continued to run both, the training and the test and evaluation programs simultaneously. He also conducted special missions tracking torpedoes during test firings and providing radar target for calibration of ship’s fire control systems. While performing all these functions, he continued to pursue his original dream, the development of the helicopter as a rescue vehicle. He endeavored to improve helicopter flotation systems, instrument flight capabilities, autopilot, and most importantly for obtaining his goal, the development of the rescue hoist and the rescue basket.

During December 1943 Erickson experimented with an HNS-1 configured to be used as an airborne ambulance. He suspended a stretcher about four feet below the landing gear floats and carried a 200 pound weight on it, in addition to the normal crew of pilot and copilot. Early the following year, he attached the stretcher to the side of the fuselage and performed landings at the steps of the station’s dispensary.

In 1943 the Coast Guard had acquired the old passenger ship, SS Governor Cobb. After extensive modifications, which included the removal of parts of the superstructure, the installation of a 38-foot by 63-foot flight deck, and the addition of weapons and armor, the ship had been commissioned on 20 July 1943 as USCGC Cobb (WPG-181). After a period of crew training and qualifications, in April 1944 the ship was assigned to the New York Coast Guard Station to train and serve as

a helicopter carrier, the first such vessel to enter service in the U.S. armed forces. Underway flight operations started in the Long Island Sound in June 1944. USCGC Cobb remained in service for only two years. The old vessel’s excessive maintenance costs drove the Coast Guard to decommission her on 31 January 1946.

Erickson’s efforts received a most needed shot of good press on 3 January 1944, when the destroyer USS Turner, anchored off the coast of Sandy Hook, NJ, suffered two internal explosions and sank. The hospital at Sandy Hook, where many of the wounded sailors were taken, quickly ran out of plasma. A severe winter storm in the area precluded fixed wing flights. Many roads were impassable with snowdrifts, sleet, and a 25 knots blizzard. CDR Erickson was asked if he could possibly fly plasma from a source in lower Manhattan to Sandy Hook. He realized the value of this opportunity to not only help the injured sailors, but also to showcase the helicopter capabilities. He took off from Floyd Bennett Field with his copilot, ENS Walter Bolton, flew low and slow through the blizzard and landed at Battery Park, on the south end of Manhattan. ENS Bolton alighted from the aircraft to make room for the boxes of plasma. Erickson backed out of the landing spot and flew again, low and slow through the weather to deliver the plasma at Sandy Hook. This was the first helicopter rescue mission flown in the U.S. It attracted significant attention in the media. The New York Times lavishly praised the flight in its editorial page, and predicted the wide use of helicopters for lifesaving and rescue work in the future. This event helped to reverse the perception of helicopters as impractical machines.

The first Atlantic convoy that used the new antisubmarine helicopter patrol capability sailed from New York to Liverpool, U.K., on 6 January 1944 with two HNS-1 helicopters and three pilots embarked: U.S. Navy LCDRs James Klopp and John Miller, and USCG LTJG Stewart Graham. The first sortie at sea was flown from Daghestan by LTJG Steward Graham on 16 January,

a 30 minutes flight. However, the mid-winter North Atlantic weather conditions precluded all but two more sorties during the crossing. As the result of this experience, the Combined Board for Evaluation of the Ship-Based Helicopter in Antisubmarine Warfare concluded that this capability should be developed in coastal waters until more capable helicopters became available.

On 30 March 1944 LCOL Desmond E. Canavan, USMC, serving as test pilot at NATC, Patuxent River, flew his first helicopter dual flight in the XHNS-1 BuNo 39034. After twelve dual flights with LCDR John Miller, LCOL Canavan soloed the XHNS-1 on 3 November 1944, thus becoming the first Marine to obtain a helicopter qualification. MAJ Marion E. Carl also began to fly helicopters at NATC in July 1945. As it happened to the early Navy helicopter pilots, LCOL Canavan and MAJ Carl were never listed in the Navy register of early helicopter pilots. This register shows MAJ Armand H. DeLalio, USMC, as the first Marine to be designated helicopter pilot, with date of designation 8 August 1946. At that time MAJ DeLalio was the Executive Officer of VX-3. COL Canavan retired from active duty in 1962. He died at age 92 on 30 March 2005. Major General Carl, the legendary Marine ace pilot, retired in 1973 and was killed at his home by a robber on 28 June 1998. LCOL Delalio was killed in an HRS helicopter crash in 1952.

On 17 May 1944 the Bureau of Aeronautics authorized Erickson’s unit to collaborate with Sperry Gyroscope Company in the installation of an automatic pilot in an HNS-1. On 11 August Dr. M. F. Bates from Sperry submitted a brief report on the results of the trial installation and testing of the cyclic pitch control autopilot.

CAPT Kossler completed helicopter training on 29 July 1944, becoming USCG helicopter pilot number 25.

The first rescue hoist installed in an HNS-1 made use of a bomb-loading hoist motor. On 11 August 1944 Erickson began testing the installation over Jamaica Bay. It was used to lift personnel from the water and


Fo

cu

s


Up to this point in this issue you have read of the introduction of rotary wing aviation to the Navy

and its early history. The following Focus concentrates on more current issues. Tasking and providing assets from the Secretary of Defense on down to the Combat Commander is laid out in depth. It illustrates how such tasking affects both our resources and the rotary wing community as a whole and down to the individual aircrew, and how current tasking might play into future requirements and expectations. Focus then takes a more in depth look at the many opportunities available to today’s naval helicopter aviator and, more specifically, the Naval Air Ambulance Detachment.


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NMAA_Rotor_Review_v1.indd 1 4/21/11 5:34 PM


Focus

War Fighting Requirements and Shaping Future ExpectationsArticle by CAPT Frank Harrison, USN & CDR Tony Saunders, USN

As the Commodore of HSCWINGPAC, I was often asked why the Navy wasn’t deploying

additional helicopter squadrons ashore in Iraq and Afghanistan to support Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) and Special Operations Force (SOF) missions. This reoccurring question was usually based on a feeling that naval rotary wing assets, particularly our CVW helicopter squadrons, were not being employed as effectively as possible to support the ongoing war efforts. I am certain many COs and XOs are routinely asked this same question by their pilots and aircrewmen. No doubt, Junior Offi cers often hear about the urgent need for additional helicopters from guys in-theater, and this fuels the perception that Navy CSAR/SOF helicopter support is in great demand. Given the general interest in this topic, I would like to discuss in more detail several points I feel to be germane. Additionally, I hope to better explain the process by which demand signals for warfi ghting requirements are met. For squadron leaders, it may provide a venue for further discussions in your wardrooms that will better shape the expectations of your JOs and command personnel.

How Are We Tasked To Provide Resources?

As a service, our tasking is driven by Combatant Commanders’ (COCOMs’) operational requirements. The resources required to accomplish COCOMs’ operational requirements are submitted to the Joint Staff as Requests for Forces (RFFs). An RFF expresses

the demand for a joint capability. After an RFF is validated by the Joint Staff, it is routed to US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). USJFCOM, with the support of its four service components, acts as the joint force provider and assigns the optimal forces to fi ll those requirements requested in the RFF. The USJFCOM selected force sourcing solution is then forwarded to SECDEF for approval. If SECDEF agrees with the selected sourcing solution, he signs a deployment order to deploy those forces.

To accomplish the above, the Department of Defense utilizes the Global Force Management (GFM) Process. This process seeks to provide a COCOM with responsive forces that best meet the commander’s requirements regardless of the service to which the forces are assigned. It does this by integrating and streamlining the assignment, allocation, and apportionment of forces and by providing a process to assess and mitigate risks globally. Drilling deeper into the GFM process, Fleet Forces Command (FFC) serves as USJFCOM’s Navy service component and fulfi lls the Navy’s Global Force Manager (GFM) role. FFC submits recommended Navy sourcing solutions to USJFCOM for review and approval. All sourcing solutions include an assessment of operational impact and risk to the Fleet if that sourcing solution is selected.

In determining risk our

services use several metrics when they submit their sourcing solutions. These metrics include, but are not limited to: operating tempo (OPTEMPO) which is a measure of the pace of an operation(s) in terms of equipment usage (i.e. aircraft “fl ying hours,” ship “steaming days,” or “tank driving miles”); personnel tempo (PERSTEMPO) which is the time an individual unit spends away from home station; and Dwell which is the ratio of the number of days a unit spends between deployments and the length of the last deployment in an operational cycle. OPTEMPO, PERSTEMPO, and Dwell, are key metrics used in determining the overall health of a service’s force and whether each is a viable option to fi ll an RFF.

It is important to note that the Navy may not be selected as the optimal force provider even if it has the capacity to fi ll an RFF. USJFCOM considers all provided sourcing solutions and may not select the recommended FFC solution if the impact/risk to the Navy is judged to be greater than that of one of the other services. While we often like to believe that the Navy is best suited to provide additional rotary wing assets, the GFM process often identifi es another service as the optimal force provider.

When Tasked, We Will Always Provide Resources.

We are a nation at war and will provide both rotary wing and personnel assets whenever required to accomplish our assigned

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missions. As recently as 2009, the Navy was selected as the sole provider of additional rotary wing assets in support of the Department of Defense’s Review of Helicopter Assets (RoHA) after SECDEF directed an increase in OEF Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) assets for Afghanistan. Responding to the void created in Iraq when theater assets were redeployed to Afghanistan, an additional four HH-60H Seahawk helicopters from HS-15 deployed to Balad, Iraq in support of Special Operations Force (SOF) efforts, while two additional MH-60S MEDEVAC aircraft deployed to Basra, Iraq with the Naval Air Ambulance Detachment (NAAD). The four HS-15 helos brought the total number of Navy helos in Balad to eight, joining HSC-84 assets that had been on station since the start of OIF. The two NAAD aircraft increased the HSC expeditionary footprint to eight NAAD helos in Kuwait and Iraq. Along with HS-15 and HSC-84, HSC-21, HSC-23, HSC-25, and HSC-85 also have provided helicopters and manpower to support these additional requirements.

On the CVW-helo side, there have been other instances of CVW helos providing support of NSW operations in addition to HS-15’s contribution. Additionally, CVW helo squadrons have taken on missions such as anti-piracy ops. However, the demand for CSAR/SOF support has not yet reached the point that justifies senior DOD leadership’s pulling another Carrier Air Wing helicopter squadron to rotate ashore like HS-15. In the case of HS-15, their squadron was free to deploy to Balad, Iraq only because the rest of their airwing was unavailable to deploy for an extended period of time. Additionally, support of this kind requires more time than navy leadership normally can afford to provide during a routine Carrier Strike Group deployment cycle.

How Is This Tasking Affecting Us As A Community?

To provide some context to the challenges associated with expanding the community’s current operational tasking, one need only look at the asset demand created solely by meeting NAAD requirements. This demand alone consists of eight continuously deployed aircraft, and it would normally require 2 additional expeditionary squadrons to fill. The expeditionary community is currently filling this demand on top of their present mission requirements only because detachment requirements for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) have not yet materialized since that program has been delayed. Still, the NAAD requirement has placed the west coast expeditionary community at maximum capacity. This situation though is both manageable and acceptable as every service needs to share the strain of war as equitably as possible. In this case, additional Navy helicopters have reduced the strain on Army assets and personnel and enabled the Army to shift additional helicopters from Iraq into Afghanistan, thereby providing a more robust MEDEVAC capability for both U.S. and coalition troops in-theater.

In the case of HS-15 mentioned above, squadron personnel and assets deployed to Balad, Iraq for five months in support of Special Operations Forces during the maintenance phase of their Fleet Response Training Plan (FRTP). Then, within five months of completing their mission and returning from Iraq, the squadron had to prepare for a homeport

change from Jacksonville, FL to San Diego, CA and deploy for four months in USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) as part of CVW-17. This tasking significantly increased PERSTEMPO and OPTEMPO, while decreasing dwell time. Additionally, it compressed both pre and post deployment training cycles for the squadron, placing added stress on the command as service members and their families juggled two deployments in the midst of a homeport shift.

The good news story from this example: HS-15 performed superbly despite being deployed nine out of the last 18 months and is preparing to deploy again in the near future. The Red Lions handled each challenge in stride - from providing SOF support in Iraq to earthquake relief in Haiti. However, the toll this pace takes on entire squadrons cannot be easily discounted and is very difficult to sustain over the long term without significant degradation to readiness, resources, safety, and morale. It can also have a domino effect upon other squadrons as timelines and schedules are changed causing additional flux. Can we do it? Of course we can, but while the CNO is charged with supporting these wars to the maximum extent possible, he strives also to keep these unit stressors to a minimum. He walks this difficult line very carefully, because he knows that the unintended consequences of this intense operational pace can have lasting negative effects.

The P-3 and EA-6B communities highlight the dilemma described above. Global demand for their services has greatly stressed these communities in all capacities of manning, training, equipping, and operating. Not too long ago they were holding steady above the minimum SECDEF redline of 1.0:1, but below the CNO’s goal of 1.0:2 dwell ratio. If demand were to increase for CVW Helicopter Squadrons, the HSC community would quickly find themselves in the same situation as their P-3 and EA-6B brethren. They would experience the same increase in OPTEMPO and PERSTEMPO, decrease in dwell time, and incur aircraft utilization rates beyond what have been programmed. That said, our men and women will be trained and ready to go if SECDEF determines that it is prudent to deploy these assets ashore in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As [..] Commodore of HSCWINGPAC, I was often asked why the Navy wasn’t deploying additional helicopter squadrons ashore in Iraq and Afghanistan

... This reoccurring question was usually based on a feeling that naval rotary wing assets [...] were not being employed as effectively as possible to support the ongoing war efforts...Given the general interest in this topic [...] I hope to better explain the process by which demand signals for warfighting requirements are met.

Focus: War Fighting Requirements and Shaping Future Expectations


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What Are The Risks Involved With Providing Additional Assets?

Our Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) are the centerpiece of America’s naval forces and integral to sustaining a capable force of sufficient capacity to accomplish the six core capabilities of our Maritime Strategy: forward presence, power projection, deterrence, sea control, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response. It is the forward presence of our CSGs that allows us to deter major power war, limit regional conflict, and when required, win our nation’s wars. These tremendous national assets are managed through the Fleet Response Plan, or FRP.

The FRP was designed to provide continually well-m a i n t a i n e d , properly manned, and appropriately trained naval forces that are ready both to deploy for forward presence m i s s i o n s and surge as requested. When fully resourced, the FRP enables the Navy to deploy three CSGs, surge three more in 30 days, and deploy a 7th in 90 days. (3+3+1). The FRP has allowed us to support two wars while retaining the capability to respond to emergent COCOM requirements (i.e. crises or disasters) that may arise. The CVW helicopter role in this capability is essential to its success. Consequently, deploying CVW helicopter squadrons outside of the FRP cycle may adversely impact our ability to maintain the (3+3+1) standard.

As a service, our risk is currently elevated due to challenges associated with our capacity to do those things we

have been organized and trained to do. Increasing operational requirements, along with growing manpower, maintenance, and infrastructure costs have all but eliminated our surge capacity for meeting additional operational requirements. That is a major reason why the aforementioned RFFs are not materializing as deployment orders. We do not possess “extra” CVW Helicopter Squadrons available to deploy outside of the Carrier Air Wing without impacting the Fleet Response Plan (FRP) cycle.

What about short detachments ashore?

The Carrier Strike Group (CSG) commander and Carrier Air Group (CAG) commander are often hesitant to

deploy helicopter detachments ashore for short periods of time (from a few days to several weeks or longer). One of their concerns is keeping their forces aggregated in one place to the maximum extent possible on or around the carrier, for on a moment’s notice, the strike group may be tasked immediately to depart the area or to execute the mission for which it was designed. Additionally, accomplishing tactical objectives that do not adequately support CSG/CAG operational requirements and objectives may be a poor use of resources and assets. So, while both commanders realize full well that opportunities

ashore are well within your range of expertise and experience they may not deem it prudent to send detachments ashore after weighing all of the options and risks.

Remember, in executing national security strategy requirements, our government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to place the airwing and its supporting cast in AORs it believes naval power is best utilized to accomplish national strategic level objectives. No doubt, there is an ever present need for additional helicopter requirements at the tactical level; but, CSG and CAG decision-making perspectives are far more concerned with the strategic and operational, vice tactical, levels of war. Additionally, the CSG commander knows that there are

other commanders whose concerns primarily involve forces and operations ashore. He also knows that if a mission requiring Navy helicopter support is considered important enough for the strike group to support or execute, he will be informed by higher authority. Lastly, he knows that the loss of a helicopter, whether

for mechanical or combat reasons, degrades the airwing’s ability to operate. So, unless otherwise directed, the CSG commander and CAG will be reluctant to look for missions outside of the strike group’s primary reason for being on station.

What does the future hold and what part will you play?

CNO has recognized the increased demand for rotary wing assets – particularly in the SOF arena. This led him to increase dedicated naval


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The Carrier Strike Group (CSG) commander and Carrier Air Group (CAG) commander are often hesitant to deploy helicopter detachments ashore

for short periods of time... One of their concerns is keeping their forces aggregated in one place to the maximum extent possible on or around the carrier, for on a moment’s notice [although] there is an ever present need for additional helicopter requirements at the tactical level; but, CSG and CAG decision-making perspectives are far more concerned with the strategic and operational, vice tactical, levels of war.



helicopter support to Special Operations Command’s operations and training. Under this agreement, HSC-85 will transition to a solely SOF support mission like HSC-84, providing the capacity to deploy one 4-plane detachment on a 1.0 presence (i.e. continuously 365 days/year) beginning in FY13. To meet this demand, HSC-85 will be sourced at 12 HH-60Hs. This increase represents a signifi cant commitment to dedicated helicopter assets for the SOF mission and offers Navy helicopter pilots a great opportunity to partake in this type of fl ying.

As a Naval Aviator, I understand

your desires to deploy “feet dry” in Iraq and A f g h a n i s t a n . You want to be part of the fi ght, and so do I. Yet, the best place the majority of the time for the fl eet commander to utilize our skills as Naval Aviators is at sea as an integral part of the CSG/

ESG team, conducting forward maritime operations. Despite OIF and OEF, we still need Navy helicopters - HSC, HSM, and HM - at sea in their respective roles: defending against small boat threats and low slow fl ying aircraft; providing special warfare mission support and combat search and rescue capabilities within our Strike Groups; defending against submarine and mine threats; conducting anti-piracy operations; and fl ying urgent humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions when the need arises. With the arrival of our MH-60R/S hunter-killer team capabilities,

the fl eet commander needs you at sea even more, developing and exploiting these new capabilities to the maximum extent possible in order to defend our Carrier Strike Groups and strike those who would threaten them as we operate in the maritime domain.

In closing, never forget that you are contributing to the fi ght despite the fact that you want to do even more. You have been trained well, and you will continue to make signifi cant contributions to the Joint Force structure supporting OIF and OEF just as you have in the past. Finally, remember that we need our helicopters to continue doing the things they were bought to do in the maritime operational environment. Our readiness and ability to operate and win in that arena doesn’t go away. That capability is still needed at sea today, and anything which diminishes that capability ultimately reduces not only the CSG’s ability to perform its role but also your ability to perform any mission with which you are tasked.

CNO has recognized the increased demand for rotary wing assets – particularly [...] led him to increase

dedicated naval helicopter support to Special Operations Command’s operations and training...This increase represents a significant commitment to dedicated helicopter assets for the SOF mission and offers Navy helicopter pilots a great opportunity to partake in this type of fl ying.

also your ability to perform any mission with which you are tasked. with which you are tasked.


Focus

Staying Busy in the NAADStaying Busy in the NAADStaying Busy in the NAADArticle and Photos By LTJG Tom O’Brien, USN

In recent years, three fundamental types of pilots have walked the halls of HSC-21: the Gator guys,

VERTREP Bubbas and the Desert guys. The young pilot would be slated for one of these Dets, which would determine the type of pilot one would become. As a Gator Guy, you earn your stripes as a traditional expeditionary SAR pilot in “the D”; the VERTREP pilot would fi nd an excuse to fi t a sidefl are into just about any mission set; and as a NAADster, you would be that highly tactical desert pilot that knew nothing about ships. The last few months on HSC-21’s Det FIVE, currently manning the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance Detachment (NAAD) in Kuwait, demonstrated that the lines between roles in the expeditionary world are becoming as blurred as the lines between the services in this era of joint operations.

The primary focus of NAAD combat crews is to safely execute MEDEVAC missions from points

of injury, Army bases, and Navy ships. This posture requires crews to be off deck within 5 minutes of the famed call, “MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC.” Additionally, they fl y PMC in desert environments throughout Iraq, Kuwait, and the Arabian Gulf; participate in joint training exercises, and support contingency operations for national level events. Although the NAAD is a land based detachment, its operations with ships have become a more frequent occurrence. While the pace of MEDEVACs in the region has slowed with the Iraq drawdown, the NAAD’s operations have done anything but slow down as it continues to provide capabilities for the war effort in a variety of missions.

The unit’s Army/Air Force convoy training was part of a two day exercise with Joint Logistics Task Force

7 called “Operation Honed Blade.” Four crews supported MEDEVAC training as 12 units practiced convoy security missions through Viper Towns simulating the Iraqi environment that they would soon be operating in. The scenario revolved around one of the vehicles being disabled when it came in contact with an Improvised Explosive Device. The NAAD crews provided a real-world dynamic response platform to demonstrate the complexities

NAAD aircrew undergoing crash scenario training with USAF SERE instructors.

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Focus; Staying BusyFocus: Staying Busy in the NAAD

of operating and communicating with airborne assets, in addition to setup and control of a helicopter landing zone (HLZ). The NAAD’s SAR Medical Technicians critiqued the fi rst responders on their treatment and packaging of the patient for a MEDEVAC and offered further instruction on how to better care for those types of injuries. In return, the NAAD crews saw how an Army unit would prepare and defend an HLZ. The training was a valuable piece of the task force’s preparation to push north in to Iraq in support of the continuing drawdown.

NAAD aviators and aircrew also participated in “Operation Safe Haven,” a large scale exercise which simulated an attack on an Army vessel, requiring a MEDEVAC by the NAAD and security provided by Navy patrol boats. A crew comprised of LCDR Eric Lindgren, LTJG Tom O’Brien, AWS1 Chris Downey, AWS2 Mike Giraud, and HM1 Raymond Munn launched

on a scenario generated 9-line, located and hoisted litters from two Army LCUs, and delivered the patients to awaiting EMS units. The exercise was a great success as it not only trained the boats’ crews on how a patient would be recovered from their non-air capable ship, but also increased their familiarity with helicopter operations. These exercises have expanded the NAAD’s reputation throughout the region, resulting in continued calls to participate in additional large-scale training events.

LT Rich Shiels, LT Alex Fore, and AWS2 Bobby Maher sharpened their skills in evading capture. Aviation Task Force Kuwait arranged for NAAD personnel to join them in a crash scenario that was proctored by an Air Force SERE instructor. The aircrew was tested on their ability to properly secure a downed aircraft, execute SPINS, evade the enemy, and fi nally be properly recovered by US assets. Everyone who took part in the scenario was extremely enthusiastic

and appreciative of the Army’s offer to join them in their training.

Finally, the NAAD continued to show its profi ciency in performing the traditional Army mission of Air Ambulance for the 5th year in a row. The Navy SMTs, Air Force PJs, and now Army Flight Medics continue to demonstrate their capability of providing the best patient care in theater. In addition to the normal MEDEVAC coverage, the NAAD also played an integral part in the contingency support for the Kuwaiti 50/20 celebration, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s independence from Great Britain and the 20th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation from Iraq by American forces. Coalition forces in the area can rest assured that the NAAD will always be ready to assist in any emergency.

A harsh desert environment and foreign controllers, combined with far too many Army acronyms, and an emergency-based mission require NAAD aviators show competency in the core mission of air ambulance, but also has called on the traditional skills of Naval Aviators. The NAAD’s relationships with other units in the area, as well as its diverse manning from multiple services, has made its personnel very familiar with joint operations and expanded its aviators’ skill set to include things that the Navy has not traditionally done. The NAAD will continue to provide a valuable MEDEVAC service to those units coming in and out of the CENTCOM AOR, as well as continue push the envelope and train for any scenario in which its crews could receive that 0330 call to launch and save lives.

NAAD aircrews load an MH-60S with MEDVAC personnel.


that 0330 call to launch and save lives.


Focus


FocusFocus

HSC CVW – “We have an App for that!” A Commanding Offi cer’s Perspective.

Article by CDR William “B-I-L” Cox, edited by LT Sean “Pancake” PurdyContributions by the entire HSC-9 Trident Ready Room

Search & Recscue MEDEVAC CSAR ASW

NSW CAS

Naval Rotary Wing Aviation has never been so well poised to excel and take the lead in the Naval Aviation Enterprise as we are

today. Within our community we have new platforms and areas of expertise spanning numerous primary and secondary mission areas. On any given day, Navy helicopters can be found conducting Anti- Surface, Submarine, and Mine Warfare. We also conduct Counter Piracy, Personnel Recovery, Naval Special Warfare Support, Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief, Mobility, and Logistics. We are multi-faceted pilots fl ying in a multi-mission world. When our nation calls, we answer. We make a difference in peoples’ lives and defend our country. We are the backbone in a ‘Global Force for Good.’

Today’s newest Unrestricted Naval Aviators can choose from several sub-communities and platforms when they earn their wings of gold. These are: HSC CVW (MH-60S), HSC Expeditionary (MH-60S), HSL/HSM Expeditionary (SH-60B/MH-60R), HSM CVW (MH-60R), HS (SH-60F/HH-60H), and HM (MH-53). What I hear most from Student Naval aviators who are deciding what to fl y is, “I want to do something exciting, be on the tip of the spear, but the carrier guys only fl y plane guard.” Well, I won’t try to sugar coat it and say we don’t fl y plane guard, but what I will try to convey is all the other things we are trained to do and expected to be able to do at a moment’s notice. In the case of the HSC CVW squadron, we fl y the newest helicopters with the newest equipment the Navy has to offer. The MH-60S Block III is the armed helicopter variant of the MH-60S. The Block III upgrade includes Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS, or FLIR), Link-16, HAVEQUICK II, Digital Moving Map Kneeboard (DMK), Extended Weapon System (EWS) pylons for 8 AGM-114 (HELLFIRE) missiles, a full ASE (chaff/fl are) suite, and on some airframes ROVER (live streaming video). It also includes the ability to carry two 7.62mm M240s and two .50 caliber GAU-21s. This upgrade in capabilities allows the Strike Group commander the fl exibility to leverage the lethality of the MH-60R / MH-60S “Hunter-Killer” combination to protect the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and project power from the sea. Much like the popular tablet computers and smart phones, the technologies incorporated in the MH-60S bring to the table unique capabilities to answer our nation’s call. When I am asked if I can support any mission, I can say: ‘Yes sir, we have an app for that.’

Here are just a few of the mission areas MH-60S pilots and aircrewmen train to, engage in, and the specifi c ‘apps’ that apply to the HSC CVW experience:

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Focus: HSW CVW --- “We Have an App for That”Continued from page 45

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MEDEVAC assets available in the Navy today. During our last C2X/JTFEX we conducted over 13 alert-launched MEDEVACs and on many occasions, saved lives, proving once again we have an app for that. Split Squadron / Multi-Detachment Operations

The HSC CVW squadron construct also consists of two fully manned and equipped built-in detachments. One is dedicated to logistics, and the

other is capable of NSW/PR operations afl oat and ashore. Each detachment is fully self sustainable, while the remainder of the squadron continues to support Strike Group operations from the CVN. The logistics detachment consists of two aircraft and approximately 33 personnel. This cadre of aircraft and personnel detach to and operate from the USNS/MSC ship. This ship is attached to the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) for the entire deployment. They operate in

conjunction with the CSG providing vertical lift and onboard delivery to the entire strike group and other Naval vessels. To ensure maximum exposure to all mission areas and prevent mission atrophy, our squadron rotates pilots and aircrew throughout the deployment. The USNS Master need not worry about untrained pilots arriving in the middle of a deployment, since those chosen to swap into the USNS detachment will have plenty of currency and fl ight hours obtained from operations within the strike group. As previously stated, the second detachment (also two aircraft and 33 personnel) is capable of sustained operations afl oat or ashore supporting Naval Special Warfare, Personal Recovery, or any other mission set required by the CSG Commander. Split Squadron / Multi-Detachment Operations - we have an app for that.Combat Search and Rescue

Another primary mission area for HSC CVW squadrons is Combat Search and Rescue. Pilots and aircrew

Search and Rescue Let me start by saying that

every variant of Naval Rotary Wing aircraft is capable, and expected, to conduct Search and Rescue. In the HSC CVW corner of the world, as in every rotary wing platform, we

take this responsibility very seriously. When embarked aboard the carrier (CVN), we are the fi rst to launch and the last to recover. Well almost. With the HSM squadron now aboard the carrier, you never know who will be fi rst and last, but needless to say, the plane guard helicopter must be airborne before the Hornets and Hawkeyes can begin their day. We provide rapid rescue response, in all weather conditions, day or night. We train to a variety of swimmer deployment methods and rescue scenarios ranging from immediate response to a downed aircraft, to long term search for a mariner in distress. In the end, SAR is like the popular game ‘Angry Birds,’ (everyone has it)………. we all have an app for that.Medical Evacuation

In addition to being airborne anytime the fi xed wing are fl ying, our crews stand Alert 30, and Alert 60: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while on board the CVN. These alert crews are ready

to respond and launch within 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, to accomplish any mission the Strike Group needs. This includes medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions supporting the strike group and civilian vessels in distress. To enhance our MEDEVAC and emergency response prowess, the HSC CVW manning document includes two SAR Medical Technicians (SMTs). Unlike a traditional corpsman, SMT’s graduate from the FRS, get NATOPS qualifi ed, then report to the squadron where they qualify as utility crewmen. In our squadron, they have the opportunity to become a Crew Chief and designate as a Level III (Mission Competent Crew Chief.) These corpsmen are highly trained medical professionals who provide emergency medical services in fl ight and on the ground to patients that require immediate treatment and further transport to the higher level medical facilities on the CVN or a trauma center located ashore. The SMT, capable of riding in the aircraft and also performing as a member of the crew, makes the HSC CVW squadron one of the best

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Focus: HSW CVW --- “We Have an App for That”Continued from page 45

are trained to operate together with the entire carrier air wing to covertly or overtly locate and recover downed pilots and aircrew behind enemy lines. The mission requires numerous combat skill sets ranging from strike package integration with the entire airwing, NVG “lights out” section tactics, low altitude terrain fl ying, and degraded visual environment (DVE) landings. HSC CVW aircrews are highly trained in multiple combat recovery techniques as well as combat medicine (battlefi eld fi rst aid). This training and capability allows the carrier air wing to operate autonomously without the need for external rescue assets as required by joint doctrine. As a squadron, we were able to complete the fi rst Airwing Fallon with all helicopters up Link 16 to enhance our ability to fl y Combat Search and Rescue, showing that we unequivocally have an app for that.Naval Special Warfare

Arguably one of the most popular ways to affect low-intensity confl ict is working with Special Forces personnel in missions ranging from overland support, including Vehicular

Interdiction, Escort Operations, and Overwatch support, to overwater support, such as HVBSS, GOPLAT defense, and Mine Neutralization. The MH-60S Armed Helicopter has the ability to provide overwatch for personnel on the ground, and in some airframes can even transmit live FLIR footage via our ROVER system to enhance the situational awareness of the Ground Combat Element. By providing this support, we can ensure the best routing and defense against attacks of opportunity from terrorists or other enemy combatants against our ground forces. At night we can highlight enemy positions and mark targets to shoot using our “Laser Target Marker,” a high-intensity laser that is visible on NVGs. Even transmission of images from High Value Targets by our Link 16 to an Assault Force Commander can aid in decisions which affect mission

accomplishment. When it comes to NSW, we absolutely have the best apps for that.Anti-Surface Warfare

In the Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) role, the MH-60S can provide updates to the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) working with the CVN surface module. The MH-

60S is able to visually identify, track and report real time contact information using MTS and Link 16 within the CVN inner zone and beyond. When called upon to do so, the crew can engage, disable or destroy targets with the eight AGM-114 variants carried. The crew served weapons include 7.62mm M-240 and .50 caliber GAU-21 machine guns. These weapons provide self protection and small craft deterrence during Strait Transits, Counter Piracy operations, Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection, and a variety of other combat operations. In these roles, the HSC CVW squadron has high powered, deadly accurate apps for that.Close Air Support

Another highly skilled mission is close air support (CAS). MH-60S pilots and aircrew spend a substantial number of hours training and working

with Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and Maritime Air Controllers (MACs) acquiring and attacking shore and sea based contacts. The ability to work with a JTAC in the CAS environment is crucial on the battlefi eld or in the maritime environment. The training an HSC CVW squadron receives in this mission area ranges from local range work with local JTACs to NSAWC detachments in Fallon, Nevada, working with multi-service JTAC’s going through the joint service school. We are “cleared hot” with apps for that.

Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief

Recent world events continue to demonstrate Naval Rotary Wing Aviation’s ability to quickly respond and make a difference in Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief

(HA/DR) operations. During Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of DOD helicopters from every service and community assisted in rescuing citizens from rooftops and carrying food and supplies to distribution centers. When an earthquake hit Haiti hit in early 2010, HSC CVW aircraft, along with HSC EXP, HS, and HM were dispatched within hours aboard aircraft carriers and amphibious ships to provide lifesaving services for the millions affected. For over 80 straight days, these assets carried wounded to medical services, water and food to the people, and workers to remote areas to provide relief to a grateful country. Most recently, the earthquake and follow-on Tsunami in Japan provided yet another opportunity for naval helicopters to do what they do best: save lives. I could go on and on about the scores of world-level newsworthy events where Naval Rotary Wing Aviation has made a difference in relieving pain and suffering. Needless to say, when it comes to Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief – we have an app for that.

HSC CVW will always support our fi xed wing brethren through the plane guard, enabling them to launch, fi ght, and return safely, day or night, in any weather. When needed, we will bring them home. However, Plane Guard typically requires only one aircraft. HSC CVW squadrons deploy with eight. Six of those aircraft are always confi gured as Armed Helicopters. Make no mistake about it, the value of Rotary Wing Naval Aviation is undergoing an exponential increase. The dynamic environment in which carrier aviation operates demands diversely trained and highly motivated aircrews. If you’re looking for the cutting edge of Rotary Wing aviation, HSC CVW has an app for that.



Continued from page 35to transfer personnel to and from boats underway. After four days of testing, its feasibility was clearly demonstrated, but the electric motor proved to be too weak and slow. Erickson switched to a hydraulic motor that could lift 400 pounds at two and a half feet per second. During new testing six weeks later the hydraulic system performed very satisfactorily, leading to its adoption for service use.

As the Navy geared up for the final push to win the war, support for the helicopter program began to wither. By the end of 1944, the Navy stopped sending students to helicopter training. It deemed that the helicopter could not reach enough maturity to make a real contribution to the war effort before WWII ended, and it needed more fixed wing pilots. By the end of 1944 the British moved all helicopter training back to England. The sixth and final class of helicopter pilots graduated on 6 February 1945. CDR Erickson’s school was closed after completing the training of 97 helicopter pilots, including 71 U.S. Coast Guard, 7 U.S. Navy, 11 British, 4 Army, 2 civilians, and 2 CAA pilots. Six students dropped from training. Additionally, the school trained 255 mechanics. With the school closed, CDR Erickson concentrated his efforts to achieve significant advances in helicopter search and rescue, shipboard operations, and antisubmarine warfare. In March 1945 CDR Erickson was relieved as C.O. of the New York Coast Guard Air Station by CDR Arthur J. Hesford, USCG. However, Erickson did not receive a new assignment, as is customary. He relocated to a small office and continued working in the sonar project. He got along well with Hesford, but his relationship with the headquarters staff was rather hostile.

On 7 March 1945 CDR Erickson reported that a dipping sonar suspended from an XHOS-1 helicopter performed successfully. LT Steward Graham, who soon became the principal test pilot developing helicopter antisubmarine equipment and tactics, conducted the test.

On 2 May 1945, LT August

Kleisch, USCG, flying a HNS-1 helicopter, completed a three-day-long rescue of eleven Canadian airmen marooned by a plane crash in northern Labrador. The event brought worldwide attention to the novel new aircraft with a unique capability.

CAPT Kossler died of natural causes on 16 November 1945. ADM Waesche also passed away. CDR Erickson had lost his main supporters within the Coast Guard. The new command hierarchy believed that seaplanes were the way of the future. On 18 June 1946 CDR Erickson was transferred to the Coast Guard Station at Elizabeth City, NC, where he continued leading a much reduced and poorly equipped helicopter development effort. With a small group of dedicated personnel in a small, old hangar, one HNS-1, and two HOS-1 helicopters, he continued pursuing his goal of making the helicopter a great search and rescue vehicle until his unit was decommissioned on 31 March 1950. Although he was later promoted to CAPT, he never again held a command position or flew Coast Guard aircraft.

Turning back in time to the Platt-LePage helicopter story, on 4 July 1943 the XR-1 lost a rotor blade in flight and crashed. The following October the second model, XR-1A, made its maiden flight. It flew better than the XR-1. In June 1944 the XR-1A made a cross-country flight from Eddystone, Pennsylvania, to the Army test and evaluation facility at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. It flew through a dangerous mountain pass and through a long stretch of bad weather, flying over a grounded Sikorsky XR-4 along the way. By August of 1944 the first XR-1 had been repaired and was flying with an improved control system. However, in March 1945 the Army Air Corps cancelled all contracts with Platt-LePage, including the acquisition of seven additional YR-1As. But the history of the twin side-by-side rotor design did not end there. In mid-1942 McDonnell Aircraft Co. had made a small investment in Platt-LePage Aircraft in exchange for the opportunity to have its engineers learn helicopter design at the Platt-LePage plant. Platt-

LePage was working on a new design, the PL-9 twin-engine, twin-rotor helicopter, to meet Army heavy lifting requirements. In June 1944, in return for an increase in its investment, McDonnell obtained the license to initiate the parallel development of the twin-engine, twin-rotor concept. McDonnell proposed this design to the Navy as a research vehicle and as an ASW platform capable of carrying an adequate load of detection gear and weapons. On 15 May 1944 the Bureau of Aeronautics gave McDonnell a letter of intent for the construction and testing of one prototype. Construction began immediately. When the actual contract was signed on 23 March 1945, the project was well on its way. The XHJD-1 Whirlaway first flew on 27 April 1946. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-985, 450 hp engines, the helicopter could carry a 3,000 pounds payload. Each engine could drive both rotors and maintain level flight at maximum gross weight. The USAF considered the XHJD-1 for the Artic rescue mission. The Whirlaway flew some 250 hours without a serious mishap. However, as helicopter technology was rapidly advancing, the XHJD-1 was never put into production. In 1951, at the completion of its trials program, the Whirlaway, the first twin-engine, twin-rotor helicopter built in the U.S., was donated to the National Air and Space Museum.

The HOS-1. Returning to the Sikorsky story, early in 1942 the military services expressed interest in a light observation helicopter that would be more capable than the YR-4 and could replace it. Sikorsky launched a development program in parallel to the just started XR-5 project. The XR-6 was a two-seat utility helicopter with a 38-foot diameter rotor, powered by a Franklin O-405-9 engine rated at 240 hp. On 20 April 1943 a Navy-Army contract was awarded for five test prototypes, three for the Navy and two for the Army. The XR-6 first flew on 15 October of that year. It encountered severe control and vibration problems that took several months to correct. The Navy accepted its three prototypes, designated XHOS-1, in September 1944. Under Sikorsky license, Nash-Kelvinator in Detroit began production of the R-6 in 1945. The Navy accepted 36 helicopters from Nash-Kelvinator before all war production contracts were cancelled shortly after V-J Day, 2 September 1945. A number of HOS-1s already completed at the Detroit plant when the contract was cancelled were later accepted and placed in storage, never

Continue on page 49



to be used. The HRP-1. A problem

suffered by all the early single rotor helicopters was the center of gravity travel with changes in loading. All these helicopters needed to use ballast, which had to be repositioned as loading conditions changed to maintain the center of gravity travel within limits. For example, the HO3S-1, as a matter of routine, was equipped with two iron weights, one of 25 pounds and one of 50 pounds, each carried in a separate canvas bag. Flying with no passengers both bags were placed forward, next to the pilot. With three passengers both bags were moved back to the baggage compartment. However, at high altitudes or in hot days, when the helicopter was underpowered, the weights had to be jettisoned and later replaced with rocks or other improvised weight. A young helicopter designer named Frank Piasecki proposed to the Navy a new design that would solve this problem, the tandem rotor helicopter. On 1 January 1944 the Navy signed a contract with P-V Engineering Forum, Frank

Piasecki’s emerging enterprise, for the building of a single XHRP-1 prototype. This was the fi rst twin-rotor helicopter in the tandem confi guration built in the U.S. It was designed specifi cally to Navy mission requirements. The XHRP-X, a technology demonstrator, fi rst fl ew on 7 March 1945, with Piasecki at the controls. The XHRP-X could carry a 1,800-pound payload, either internally in a spacious 400 cubic feet cabin, or externally. Its fl ight control characteristics were very satisfactory. This concept of fi rst fl ying a stripped technology test bed made it possible to improve the design of the XHRP-1 prototype that followed. The XHRP-1 evaluation was very successful, and the Navy quickly ordered production of twenty HRP-1s, nicknamed the “Flying Banana.”

On 6 August 1945 the fi rst atomic bomb devastated the city of Hiroshima. Three days later a second nuclear bomb did the same to Nagasaki. The afternoon of 15 August in Japan, 14 August in the U.S., Emperor Hirohito made the announcement of acceptance of Allied conditions for the end of

hostilities contained in the Postdam Declaration. Although the Japanese never used the word “surrender,” then, or ever thereafter, on 2 September 1945 the representatives of the Japanese government signed the documents stipulating the conditions of surrender on board USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. The Japanese offi cial name for that day is, “The day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace.” In the U.S. it is known as V-J Day. That day signaled the end of an era of big military contracts for the development and production of the helicopter as a military aircraft. Nevertheless, the helicopter industry grew at a phenomenal rate, with several new players joining the game to exploit the emerging commercial and military markets. That story will continue in Part Two.

Sources: Books and Pamphlets:

1. Helicopters and Autogiros. A History of Rotary-Wing and V/STOL Aviation. By Charles Gablehouse.J. B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia and New York. 1969

2. Vertical Flight, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 1984. 3. A Brief History of HELTRARON EIGHT, by CDR Hans E. Sholley, USN

Google Books:1. Association of Naval Aviation. Turner Publishing Company, 2003. Chapter titled U.S. Coast Guard Aviation History Highlights, by Barrett Thomas Beard. Pages 27 & 28. http://www.books.google.com/books?isbn=15631188742. Marine Corps Aviation Association. Chronolog, 1912-1954. By Berry Craig. Turner Publishing Company. 1989. Page 83. E. Canavan.http://www.books.google.com/books?isbn=0938021397

Web Sites:1. Department of the Navy. Naval Historical Center. United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995. http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/usna1910.htm 2. U.S. Coast Guard Aviation history. The Coast Guard Aviation History Timeline, 1915-2008. The Growth Years, 1939-1956. http://www.uscg.mil/history/AviationIndex.asp 3. Global Security organization. http://www.glovalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/4. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5. Platt-LePage Aircraft Co. Archives. http://www.plattlepageaircraft.com/6. Fortitunide. Newsletter of the Marine Corps Historical Program. Volume 16 number 4, page 11.http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/Fortitudine%20Vol%2016%20No%204_1.pdf



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HSC-26Chargers

CDR Jonathan P. Kline, USN relieved CDR H.M. Howell,

USN on March 17, 2011

HMH-466Wolfpack

Lt.Col Joseph K. Decipite, USMC relieved Lt Col M. E Cassell.. USMC on December

2, 2010

CHSMWL

CAPT Douglas J Ten Hoppen, USN relieved CAPT Carl .F. Bush,

USN on February 3, 2011

HT-28Hellions

LtCol Mark Thompson, USMC relieved CDR Matthew Frost, USN on

March 4, 2011

HSL-46Grandmasters

CDR Michael Burd, USN relieved CDR Brad Garber, USN on February 18, 2011

HSC-8Eightballers

CDR Monroe M. Howell, USN relieved CDR Eric A. Soderberg,


LtCol Mark S. Levor, USMC relieved Lt Col L.E. Dobers, USMC on

November 17, 2010

HMH-363Red LionsCNAL

RADM Ted N. Branch, USN relieved RADM. Richard J O’Hanlon., USN on February 23,

2011

HMH-463Pegasus

Lt Col Peter Gadd, USMC relieved Lt Col C.C. Abrams, USMC on

March 26, 2011

HS-10Warhawks

CDR William J.P. Murphy, USN relieved CDR Patrick V. Foege,

USN on March 25,2011

HS-11Dragonslayers

CDR Edgardo A. Moreno, USN relieved CDR Maximillian Clark, USN,

April 7, 2011

HSC-12Golden Falcons

CDR Anthony C. Roach, USN relieved CDR Patrick E. Keyes,



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Centennial of Naval Aviation

Rotorcraft Pioneers. Charles KamanA Classical American Success StoryArticle by Capt Vincent C. Secades, USN Ret.

In the spring of 1943, at age 23, Charles H. Kaman stood on the

marshlands surrounding the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Connecticut, observing the first Sikorsky helicopter, the VS-300, hover and air taxi around the small airfield. At the time Kaman was employed by Hamilton Standard, a division of United Aircraft Corporation. Vought-Sikorsky was also a division of United Aircraft. As the chief of aerodynamics for Hamilton’s helicopter activities, Kaman was in charge of the rotor blade development efforts in support of Sikorsky’s helicopter project. He observed the little machine move unsteadily over the field with a mixture of awe and frustration.

He a d m i r e d S i k o r s k y ’ s achievement, but he felt to the core of his soul that he could build a better helicopter if he would get the opportunity to implement his own ideas. The story that follows is one of dogged determination, i m m e n s e pe r seve rance , and indomitable courage of a small group of men that braved daunting odds and ventured into uncharted t e c h n i c a l c h a l l e n g e s , working under u n b e a r a b l e p r e s s u r e s , c o n s t a n t l y skirting financial disaster to finally see Kaman’s dream become a reality. This is

the story of many dedicated, intelligent, and hard-working men and women that stuck to the task through ups and downs, successes and failures, often returning from other jobs, as circumstances improved, to make possible a strong Kaman helicopter building enterprise.

Charles Huron Kaman was born in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 1919. His father, a German immigrant, was a construction supervisor who managed work on the Supreme Court building and Union Station. From an early age young Kaman demonstrated a keen interest in aviation. As a teenager, he competed in the city’s model aircraft

design contests. Flying balsa wood and paper models with rubber band motors, he set unofficial records for time aloft. On one occasion, tired of spinning the propeller by hand to wind the rubber bands, he used an eggbeater. The bands snapped and the plane imploded. This incident, instead of discouraging him, reinforced his desire to become an innovator in the budding field of aviation. He also showed an enthusiasm for music. As a teenager, Kaman became an accomplished guitar player. On one occasion he turned down an offer to play with the Tommy Dorsey band for a tempting $75 per week. His ambition to become a professional pilot was shattered when, after a tonsillectomy, a severe infection left him deaf in one ear. He decided that, if he could not fly aircraft, he would build them. Kaman graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree in 1940 from Washington’s Catholic University. Upon graduation, he obtained a position with United Aircraft Corporation, in its propeller development division, Hamilton Standard.

At the time, early helicopter development was confronting a multitude of very difficult technical challenges. Even after Juan de la Cierva had developed the fully articulated rotor head, a myriad of difficulties remained. Engines lacked sufficient power to provide for practical payloads. Inherent helicopter instability made control difficult and pilot’s workload exhausting. Components were subjected to enormous dynamic stresses that limited their working life. Bearings in particular were a major problem. Kaman had his own ideas on how to solve many of these problems. Despite the long workdays he had to put at Hamilton under production pressures generated by war requirements, on his own time Kaman began to pursue the implementation of his ideas. To reduce the stress in control mechanisms and improve stability, Kaman embraced the idea first explored by Corridion D’Ascanio in Italy in 1930. The D’Ascanio helicopter used a “tail elevator” near the tip of each

Charles H. Kaman (1919 - 2011)

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Centennial of Naval Aviation: A Tribute to Charles Kaman

rotor blade, which could be controlled by the pilot to change the pitch angle of the blade. D’Ascanio’s helicopter provided valuable information on control and stability, but its complexity prevented it from being successful. Kaman’s initial design of D’Ascanio’s concept, which he called “servo flaps,” consisted of two flaps, one in front and one behind each rotor blade at the 75 percent radius point. To maximize the use of engine power to produce lift, he adopted the intermeshing rotors design used in Germany by Anton Flettner in 1937. The concept used two counterrotating rotors set side by side in diverging shafts. The two rotors intermeshed similarly to the blades of an eggbeater. To secure needed priorities from the War Production Board to obtain necessary materials, Kaman founded the Kaman Aircraft Laboratory. Working in his mother’s garage and basement in West Hartford, he began the process of translating his drawings and ideas into a working model. To get his project going, he bought a wrecked 1933 Pontiac at the local junkyard for $50. He used its frame and engine, coupled to the differential from an old Dodge truck with one axle mounted vertically, to build a test rig. He used bathroom scales to measure lift, and wooden boards from the local lumberyard to build test rotor blades.

The first unforeseen obstacle he encountered was the discovery of unstable flutter. The first time he tested the full-scale rotor, when it reached about 40 rpm it went into such a severe flutter that it scared Kaman and his helpers out of their wits. The blades began to flutter through an amplitude of about four feet. It was a miracle that they did not rip off the rig. Kaman was not sure of what caused this flutter, or what to do about it. His first step was to modify the servo flap design. He removed the flap in front of each blade, which seemed to him as a logical step to aerodynamically stiffen the rotor and increase its natural frequency. This step delayed the onset of unstable flutter to

about 150-160 rpm. In time he learned that the torsion inertia added to the blade by the servo flap would drastically lower the natural torsion frequency, inducing the unstable flutter. His next step was to add weights in the outer portion of the blades. With this addition of centrifugal stiffness he reached 190-200 rpm.

One Saturday afternoon in 1945, Erle Martin, manager of engineering at United Aircraft, showed up at the Kaman’s driveway driving his motorcycle. After witnessing an impromptu demonstration of the model rotor and rig, he said to Kaman, “Charlie, we have our inventor at United Aircraft and his name is Igor Sikorsky. We don’t need another one.” Kaman was irked by Martin’s remark and replied, “If I weren’t under contract with United, I would give Sikorsky one hell of a run for his money.” Martin resented the challenge and proceeded to release Kaman on the spot from his contractual agreement with United, after which he roared away in his motorcycle. This incident would prove to be the seminal event in the birth of Kaman Aircraft Corporation. By the end of 1945, with his incorporation papers in hand, Kaman cast his die and ventured on the path of his dreams, a path that would prove immensely difficult and equally immensely rewarding.

Kaman’s i n i t i a l c a p i t a l c o n s i s t e d of about $5,000 worth of rigs and laboratory materials, and $2,000 from two close friends who invested

$1,000 each in the new enterprise. He moved his operations to an old gymnasium at Bradley Field, north of Hartford. In that old, dilapidated wood structure, with walls crumbling and the cold New England winter wind blowing through the cracks, Kaman began to build his first experimental helicopter, the K-125. He enlisted a few enthusiastic young employees, who worked tirelessly seven days a week for shares of stock in the company and very little money. As the K-125 began to take shape, Kaman was able to obtain a little venture capital, mainly from New Enterprises, a Boston-based financial group. With the money running out, he had to give the jittery investors a promise of a first flight by January 15, 1947. Otherwise, they would cut their losses and withdraw further financing.

The 15th of January arrived, the company was out of money, and the K-125 had not flown yet. The weather was miserable that day. At 05:00 that morning, the biting cold turning the rain into ice, Kaman and his employees set out for Bradley Field. Traveling in the dark over slippery roads, they arrived in the field at 07:00. They realized that they had a long and difficult day ahead. They had not been able to get the rotors up to speed yet. They were having clutch problems. The centrifugal clutch that connected the engine to the gearbox, designed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute, would not engage properly.


As a teenager, he competed in the city’s model aircraft design

contests. Flying balsa wood and paper models wi th rubber band motors, he set unofficial records for time aloft.

Kaman stands by his first test rig, built with parts from a wrecked 1933 Pontiac in 1945.


Centennial of Naval Aviation: A Tribute to Charles KamanContinued from page 52

The clutch shoes would grab and let go intermittently, jerking the rotor blades around violently and threatening to rip them off the heads. By 09:00 they had the bird out on the ramp and ready to be cranked up. On the first attempt the clutch repeated its erratic behavior. Kaman called the clutch designers at Worcester Polytech. Their suggestion was to change the size of the springs that held the clutch shoes in place. Kaman sent one of his men to Worcester to pick up a new set of shoes and springs. When the man returned they were ready, the old clutch already disassembled, to install the new shoes and springs. By noon they were ready to try again. The clutch performance was even worse. The rotor blades nearly tore loose from the heads from the impacts of the clutch grabbing and releasing. The sleet turned to rain, and the men on the ramp were drenched, cold, shivering, and deeply frustrated. They reassembled inside the gymnasium to warm up a little and to figure out what to do next. Kaman called Worcester again. Worcester figured that they had gone the wrong way, that they needed stiffer springs rather than looser ones. The morning evolution had to be repeated, and by 16:00 they were ready to roll the K-125 back to the ramp again for another try. Now they were in a race against the sun, slowly descending to the western horizon. The temperature was dropping and the icing conditions were worsening. The wind was picking up, dropping the chill factor to a brutally cutting cold. Men felt miserably. On this try the clutch held enough to accelerate the rotors. As the rotors came to speed, the clutch engagement became stronger, and soon the rotors were turning at flying speed. However, this first full engagement was strictly a ground run up, the controls not rigged for flight. After shutting down they rushed inside the gymnasium to warm up with coffee or tea. With the hot drinks unfinished, they rushed back out into the cold. As the sun was setting below the horizon, they tied the three wheels of the little bird with heavy rope to stakes driven into the ground, leaving enough slack to allow a few inches of lift. On the next turn up they

encountered a new problem. Ice had accumulated on the rotor blades, and the clutch was again having difficulties keeping engagement to overcome the increased rotor inertia. After a few excruciating grabbings and releasings, the rotors gained enough speed to shed the ice. As the ice flew off in all directions, the rotors accelerated and reached flying speed, 2,100 rpm engine speed. Jack Rohr, a former Sikorsky test pilot, added power as he slowly raised the collective pitch control. One observer stood by each of the three wheels. The nose wheel lifted off the ground and the nose observer crouched down and cried, “It is

off.” But it wasn’t; the two main mounts had not lifted. Jack Rohr lowered the collective thinking that flight had been achieved. Darkness had descended over the land and it was dreadfully cold. The men were frozen, but now they were too excited to feel any discomfort. They had to try again. This would be the last try of the day. The whole future of the Kaman dream hung on this last try in the midst of the gathering blizzard. Kaman had observed the coning angle of the rotors and decided that an adjustment of the servo flaps was needed to increase collective authority. Using flashlights for illumination he completed the task. On the final try the rotors came up to speed and Jack Rohr raised the collective. All three wheels came off the ground. The K-125 was flying! The men by the wheels were hollering and

crying. Jack held the machine in the air, a few inches off the ground, for about two minutes, and then he set it down. Kaman told Rohr, “Jack, you have to do it again.” And he did it again. Despite the miserable weather conditions everybody on the Company was now on the ramp. And then it was over. The cold, dark brume engulfed the group of gallant men that had achieved the impossible. After they had put the bird back inside the gym, the significance of what they had done finally hit them. They broke down and cried. A stronger emotional event they never experienced. Charley Kaman had to be driven home that night. For nearly a day he could not speak,

or eat, or sleep.Following its first flight, the

K-125 began its formal flight-testing and design refinement. Lead-lag hinges were added to the rotor heads. The airframe was rebalanced to eliminate hitting the blade flapping stops. Soon the Kaman team began to realize that they had a winning design in their hands. The K-125 became a smooth, easy to control, maneuverable and agile aircraft. However, as 1947 unfolded, no buy orders materialized. To maintain the company alive, Kaman began to give Sunday barnstorming demonstrations. Flying the K-190, an improved version of the K-125,

Bill Murray, Kaman’s chief test pilot, would buzz the main roads in the vicinity of Hartford and lure the curious to Bradley Field. There he conducted flight demonstrations while Kaman employees, all registered as stock sales representatives of a local brokerage firm, solicited potential investors. If an individual investment reached a designated amount, the investor received a photo of himself in the helicopter. The K-190 proved to be a very stable and docile machine, as helicopters go. In November 1948, Kaman pulled a public relations coup at Bradley Field when Ann Griffin, a young housewife with virtually no flying experience, was able to maintain a steady hover for about ten minutes before an amazed group of spectators. In April 1949 the K-190 received a Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) Type 1H-1

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At the time, early helicopter development was confronting a multitude of very difficult technical challenges [...] the

fully articulated rotor head, a myriad of difficulties remained. Engines lacked sufficient power to provide for practical payloads. Inherent helicopter instability made control difficult and pilot’s workload exhausting. Components were subjected to enormous dynamic stresses that limited their working life... [But] Kaman had his own ideas on how to solve many of these problems.


Certificate for commercial use. A little later the K-225, similar to the K-190 but with a 225 hp engine, was also certified. Kaman completed eleven K-225s in the old gymnasium at Bradley Field. He sold one to Turkey and another to Mississippi State University to be used in geological surveys. The other nine aircraft were leased in 1949 for use as crop-dusters. Lacking any military contract, the company barely managed to stay alive. The cash-starved company survived on the lease revenues and the repair work generated by the crop-dusting operations. Almost weekly a helicopter returned to the factory because the pilot had hit a tree or the chemicals had corroded the machine. This was not a good state of affairs for Kaman Aircraft, and Charley Kaman knew it. He knew that he had to break into the military market to succeed. He made an appointment to see RADM Alfred M. Pride, the Commander, Bureau of Aeronautics, the predecessor of NAVAIRSYSCOM. By then the crop-dusting leases had expired and Kaman was absolutely desperate. He managed to convince RADM Pride to buy two K-225s, at $25,000 each, for

Navy evaluation. He also sold another to the Coast Guard to be used as a trainer. Those three orders kept Kaman in business, but just barely. Those were lean times indeed. He had to lay off

many of his workers. In 1949 the Navy

issued a request for proposals for an observation and rescue helicopter for the Marine Corps. Sikorsky and Bell submitted proposals for what shaped as a two-way competition. In the winter of 1949, working well into the nights inside the shell of his house, then under construction, Kaman developed a proposal for a new helicopter. With the help of two of his engineers, he was able to put together a state-of-the-art proposal at a very low cost. His proposal generated great interest. However, he was handicapped by the fact that his company was deemed to lack the production capability for what would be a very large order. In March 1950, the two K-225s were ready for delivery to the Navy. Bill Murray flew the first one to the Naval Air Test Center (NATC), Patuxent River, Maryland, for demonstration and to train the Navy’s test pilots. After a cool reception, Murray took the helicopter up and, before a large group of naval aviators, performed a loop. He became an instant hero among the naval helicopter pilots. Successful K-225 evaluation results moved the Navy to award Kaman a contract for the Marine observation helicopter acquisition. However, concerned with the small company’s ability to handle a fifty-aircraft procurement, the Navy limited the contract to four units, to be designated HOK-1. The rest of the contract went to Sikorsky. Kaman had to swallow the bitter pill and continue struggling. The gap between the delivery of the three K-225s and the production of the first HOK-1 created a potentially ruinous situation for the fledging and already lean company. Kaman made his case with the Navy, and in September 1950 secured a contract for the production of a trainer, a refined K-225, designated HTK-1, to be used in Pensacola. The first HTK-1 was delivered to NATC in April 1951. Kaman produced a total of twenty-nine HTK-1s between 1951 and 1953. The Navy used them as utility helicopters at stations all over the world

before they were assigned to their original purpose as trainers in Pensacola, where they remained in use until 1957.

While the HTK-1s were being produced, Kaman worked in the design of the all-new HOK-1. His first design to military specifications rather than to his own ideas, it demanded a leap forward in technology and rigorous testing to verify compliance with the rigid specifications. Flight-testing commenced on 21 April 1953. The aircraft was a success from the very beginning. Experience gained in Korea proved that the Sikorsky version of the HO competition was underpowered and could not meet the payload requirements in the hot and humid summer days on the Korean Peninsula. The Navy turned to Kaman to produce the rest of the ever-expanding acquisition program. Within eighteen months of receiving the new contract, Kaman Aircraft grew from 25 employees to 750 workers in a new 155,000 square feet factory in Bloomfield, Connecticut. At last Charles Kaman had achieved the goal of his dreams! He was widely recognized as a talented innovator and inventor who had created by sheer willpower a major helicopter building enterprise. Kaman built 81 HOK-1 helicopters and 24 units of the utility version, the HUK-1, between 1953 and 1958. These aircraft remained in service in the Navy and Marine Corps until 1964.

Kaman soon cemented his reputation as a technology innovator. In 1951, to demonstrate the potential of jet-powered helicopters, he replaced the reciprocating engine in a K-225 with a Boeing 502-2 gas


Continue on page 56

The K-125, Kaman’s first helicopter, flew in January 1947.

This modified K-225 was the world’s first turbine-powered helicopter. It is now at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.



turbine, this becoming the world’s first turbine-powered helicopter. While testing this craft, Bill Murray discovered the principle of droop compensation. As the helicopter climbed higher and higher, Bill had to keep reducing power to slow the ever-increasing rate of climb. At 10,000 feet, with the throttle all the way back to idle, the helicopter was still climbing. He was forced to shut the turbine down and enter an autorotation. As Kaman and his team watched, the speck high in the sky began its powerless descent, culminating in a soft touch down on the ramp. This helicopter is now on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia. In 1953, he modified a HTK-1 to become the world’s first pilotless helicopter, controlled by radio from a remote station. The drone was designated the HTK-1K, nicknamed the “Yellow Peril.” The Army used these drones for several years as targets at White Sands proving grounds. In March 1954, an experimental HTK-1 was fitted with two Boeing 502-2 turbines to become the world’s first twin-turbine-powered helicopter.

In 1956 the U.S. Air Force issued a request for proposals for a helicopter to meet the local crash rescue operational requirement at airbases. The helicopter would have to maintain a “ready alert” condition indefinitely, respond immediately to a crash alert, proceed to the crash site carrying rescue personnel and equipment, help suppress fires, and evacuate injured personnel. After an industry-wide competition the Kaman proposal for an improved version of the HOK-1 design was selected. The following year Kaman was awarded the

contract to build the H-43. Deliveries of the H-43A commenced in 1958. A total of eighteen H-43As were built between 1957 and 1959. These helicopters were basically HOK-1s with additional equipment for the crash rescue mission. They were powered with the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine. The delivery of the last H-43A in July 1959 marked the end of production of piston-engine powered helicopters at Kaman Aircraft. The company became the first helicopter manufacturer to switch

entirely to gas turbine power. The follow up aircraft, the HH-43B, although of similar appearance to the H-43A, was a craft completely redesigned to meet Air Force specifications. It was powered by a Lycoming T-53-1B turbine engine. In 1964 the engine installation and other internal arrangements were changed. The new helicopter was designated the HH-43F. Kaman delivered a total of 202 HH-43Bs and 37 HH-43Fs between 1958 and 1968. In 1961 a HH-43B carrying 1,000 kilograms payload set a helicopter altitude record of 26,369 feet. Later that year another HH-43B climbed to 32,840 feet. Nicknamed “Pedro,” these helicopters saw extensive combat duty in Vietnam, where they rescued thousands of downed flyers. They were also used at Air Force bases in the U.S. and around the world, where they

gained great appreciation for their fire-suppression capabilities during airfield crashes. The HH-43F that was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland flew plane guard for each take-off and landing of Air Force One, the president’s airplane, until 1975. Upon its retirement, the helicopter was donated to the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, for permanent display. The HH-43B/F accrued the best safety record of any helicopter in the military inventory, with an accident rate lower

than the Air Force fixed-wing average.

In 1956 the U.S. Navy developed an Operational Requirement (OR) for a new search and rescue helicopter. The craft would be able to navigate up to 200 miles from its base over water at night, pick up eleven rescuees from a hover, and then proceed another 200 miles to a recovery platform. RADM William Schoech, Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer), asked Charles Kaman to meet him in Washington. He wanted to ask the helicopter manufacturer with the greatest reputation

as a technology innovator if the new OR was realistic and doable. Kaman response was that it was doable, but would be extremely difficult and expensive. The Navy issued the request for proposals; all major helicopter manufacturers, Sikorsky, Bell, Vertol, and Kaman submitted proposals. In fact, Kaman submitted two separated proposals, one with a syncromeshed rotors configuration and another with a single main rotor and tail rotor configuration. During a visit to BuAer to discuss other issues, Kaman had a conversation with RADM Russell, BuAer Commander, during which the Admiral asked Kaman which of his two proposals he would prefer? Kaman replied, “The single rotor version.” When asked why, he responded, “Because with the advent of


In 1956 the U.S. Navy developed an Operational Requirement (OR) for a new search and rescue helicopter [and] issued the request

for proposals; all major helicopter manufacturers, Sikorsky, Bell, Vertol, and Kaman submitted proposals. Kaman had a conversation with RADM Russell, BuAer Commander, asked ... which of [the] two proposals he would prefer? Kaman replied, “The single rotor version.” Because with the advent of the turbine, power is cheaper, and the single rotor design requires less deck space, is more streamlined, and can go faster, an important criterion in a rescue mission.” Early in 1957... Kaman’s single rotor proposal had been chosen

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Continue on page 58


the turbine, power is cheaper, and the single rotor design requires less deck space, is more streamlined, and can go faster, an important criterion in a rescue mission.”

Early in 1957 the Navy announced that Kaman’s single rotor proposal had been chosen, and awarded his company a contract for production of the UH-2 Seasprite series. The first prototype made its maiden flight in June 1959. After completing evaluation at NATC, Patuxent River, the Navy began to accept deliveries of the UH-2A and UH-2B models in December 1962, these two models only differing in electronic equipment. Deliveries of the single engine helicopters continued until 1965. Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance directed the Army to evaluate the UH-2 as a gunship in a close air support of ground troops role. Upon completing the evaluation, the Army decided to acquire 220 UH-2s in a procurement that received congressional approval in 1963. Five days after the assassination of President Kennedy and the ascension of Lyndon B. Johnson to the presidency, the Army dropped the procurement of UH-2s from Kaman and initiated the purchase of UH-1s from Bell Aircraft in Texas. Navy procurement of UH-2s was also curtailed, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara deeming this helicopter too expensive. These events could have destroyed Kaman Aircraft has it not been for the diversification efforts that Charles Kaman and his executives had initiated in the mid-1950s, efforts that made Kaman Aircraft more independent from Pentagon sales. Although he continued to seek a place for his helicopters in national defense, he endeavored to pursue three business paths concurrently: defense, industrial, and commercial. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the company expanded its aerospace subcontracting and parts manufacturing business and advance

research in the nuclear and electronics fields

The UH-2A/Bs were powered by a single General Electric T58-8 turbine. This was a relatively new engine design that initially proved to be unreliable. Helicopter losses due to engine failure at sea were too high. Between 1967 and 1972 all the UH-2A/Bs in service, plus a few partially completed units still at the factory were modified to a twin-engine configuration with the improved T58-8F turbines. The helicopters new designation was UH-2C. Further improvements in rotor head design and engine model produced the UH-2D. Late in 1969 the Navy decided to replace the UH-

2s with the Sikorsky UH-3As for the utility and search and rescue mission. At the same time the LAMPS MARK-I program was taking flight. The small Seasprites were ideal for operations from the small decks of frigates and destroyers. The helicopters were again modified with the installation of the new mission equipment and redesignated SH-2F. The LAMPS concept became a rotund success. Surface commanders were eager to fill their small decks with the new capabilities that the LAMPS system brought to bear. The demand far exceeded the supply of SH-2Fs. In April 1980 the Navy contracted with Kaman to reopen the H-2 production line, the first time in the history U.S. military aircraft procurement that this happened.

In the early 1960s, partly because of his own vocation for playing the guitar, Kaman had ventured into the musical instruments business. When his attempt to acquire Martin, the Pennsylvania-based acoustic guitar manufacturer, had failed, he had founded his own company, Ovation Instruments, which grew to become Kaman Music Corporation. Drawing on his knowledge of harmonics and composite materials, he developed the Ovation guitar, a top industry seller distinguished by its semi-parabolic back design. By the early 1990s Kaman Music had become the largest independent distributor of musical instruments in the U.S.

Witnessing the improvement in the quality of life that a guide dog provided to one of his boyhood friends who was blind,

Kaman became enthralled with the idea of breeding the best guide dogs possible, and providing them to as many needed persons as feasible. In 1960, he and his wife, Roberta, created the Fielco Guide Dog Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that breeds and trains dogs for the blind. In 1981 the Kamans opened their own school to match dogs with owners. The school provides dogs to recipients at a small fraction of the training cost.

With the acquisition of over thirty industrial companies, Kaman Corporation grew into a Fortune 500 enterprise by the 1980s.

In 1986 the company received a $8.5 million contract to build an electromagnetic coil gun that used synchronized magnetic waves to fire a projectile a 2.5 miles per second. By 1989, Kaman Corporation employed nearly 6,500 people in a billion dollar enterprise that included eight major subsidiaries: Kaman Aerospace; Kaman Diversified Technologies; Kaman Sciences; Kaman Instrumentation; Kamatics; Kaman Electromagnetics; Kaman Industrial Technologies; and Kaman Music.

In March 1992, Kaman’s K-MAX, a single engine, single seat, light lift helicopter completed its first flight. The aircraft received FAA certification in 1994. The company’s latest entry into the helicopter market was specifically designed for repetitive external cargo lifting. It can lift 6,000 pounds, more

The Kaman UH-2 Seasprite produced 1962 t0 1982



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than its weight. It is particularly suited for logging, fi refi ghting, construction, agricultural work, and equipment transportation. In 1995 the U.S. Navy evaluated it for the vertical replenishment mission. By 2004, twenty-seven K-MAX helicopters were in service with civil and military operators in more than a dozen countries.

In 1990, at age 71, Charles Kaman stepped aside as president of Kaman Corporation, but remained as chief executive and chairman of the board. Nine years later, after suffering a stroke following surgery, he fi nally retired after a 54-year amazing career. This extraordinary man has received innumerable honors throughout his career, including: Honorary degrees by the University of Connecticut, the University of Hartford, and the University of Colorado. Inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2003. Received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 1997. Received the National Medal of Technology in

1996. Inducted in the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in 1996. Was awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1995. Became Honorary Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1995. Received the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laurel in 1995. Received the Navy League’s highest honor, the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award. He and his wife, Roberta, were named Lions Club International Melvin Jones Fellows in 1996 in recognition of their many years of service to the blind community.

Roberta, Kaman’s dear wife of forty years, died on June 19, 2010. At age 91, Charles Huron Kaman, philanthropist, inventor, musician, technological genius, the iconic entrepreneur who embodied the promise and the realization of the American Dream, passed away the 31st of January of this year, 2011. He is survived by two sons, C. William Kaman II and

Steven W. Kaman; a daughter, Cathleen Kaman Wood; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Sources:1. Evolution of the Helicopter, by Charles

H. Kaman and R. H. Jones, published in the book Vertical Flight, The Age of the Helicopter, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 1984. Kaman Corporate History on websites: 2. h t tp : / /www.kaman.com/his tory /history_p.htmlhttp://www.fundinguniverse.com/3. company-histories/Kaman-Corp-Company-History.html

Kaman Wood; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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s “Man Overboard!”Article By LT Andrew J. Hankins, USNOn August 21, 2010 while conducting routine plane guard operations in our HH-60H Seahawk helicopter, our crew successfully rescued a sailor that had gone overboard from the USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70). Proper training, effective crew resource management (CRM), and standardized procedures were directly responsible for the safe and timely rescue.

Things had settled into a rhythm on TSTA (Tailored

Ship’s Training Availability) after a week of plane guard for the jet carrier qualifi cations and cyclic operations. HS-15 had been fl ying regularly, and

I was looking forward to another fl ight where I could get some of my HAC PQS signed off. For this particular fl ight, I was in the right seat as the pilot at the controls (PAC), the helicopter aircraft commander (HAC), LCDR Ryan “Dex” Dexter, was sitting in the left seat, and the crew chief, AWR2 Terence Seymour, and rescue swimmer, AWR3 Nassor James, were in the cabin.

We were about fi ve miles out from the ship and had decided to head back closer when we received a call from tower.

Tower: “615, we have a man in the water off our starboard stern. What’s your position?”

Red Lion 615: “615 is fi ve miles out and inbound.”

Time: 1905LI nosed over the aircraft to gain

airspeed, and told my crew, “Automatic approach checkl is t . Crew rig for

HS-15’s HH-60H fl ies along the southern coastline of Chile towards USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)


There I Was: Man Overboard

Continued from page 58rescue.” The HAC started the checklist as we bustered in, and I saw the low haze from two smokes burning in the water.

Tower: “615, say position.”

Red Lion 615: “615 is two miles off your 090, two smokes in sight.”

Tower: “Roger 615, he is near the second smoke.”

Red Lion 615: “Roger, second smoke.”

Tower: “615, he is between the two smokes.”

Red Lion 615: “Roger, between the two smokes.”

I slowed down about a mile out and told the aircrew, “Passing 70 knots, cleared to open cabin door.” We slowed to 60 knots and marked on top of the far smoke. “Do you guys see anything?”

“No,” replied the crewmen.

“Okay, I’m going to head toward the other smoke, keep looking.” I turned the bird right and we crept forward at about 100 feet above the water. As we approached the other smoke and scanned all around, tower called again.

Tower: “615, he is near the far smoke.”

Red Lion 615:“Roger, far smoke.”

I turned left back toward the far smoke, and I almost immediately saw a strobe in the water behind it. “I have a strobe dead ahead, just past the smoke,” I said over ICS.

Tower: “615, he is at the far smoke!”

Red Lion 615:“Roger, 615 has survivor in sight.”

We crept in, and I could now make out a man clutching an orange rescue ring with the strobe attached. At

this time we were in a 100 foot hover almost on top of him and I checked my power. “ P o w e r ’ s good; I’m going to come down to a 15 and 0. Are you guys okay with that?” “Yes, sir,” replied the crewmen, and I started my descent. The HAC called out my altitudes as I scanned back and forth between the survivor and my gauges. “70 feet, 60, 50, 40, 30.”

“Standby to deploy swimmer,” I announced.

The rescue swimmer got positioned in the doorway with his helmet and gunner’s belt removed. “Swimmer’s ready,” replied the crew chief.

“20 feet, 15, 15, 15…”

At 15 feet over the water, I gave the command for the rescue swimmer to enter the water: “Jump, jump, jump.”

The rescue swimmer now made the jump from the helo to the water, and the crew chief responded, “Swimmer’s away.”

“Roger, coming up, back, and left.” I pulled up into a 70 foot hover with the survivor at my 2 o’clock outside the rotor arc.

The HAC selected “hover mode” putting the helicopter into a coupled hover at 70 feet and completed the first hover checks. “Hey Andy, can you bring the nose around into the wind. That should help us stabilize,” he said.

I made a little half circle in the sky as I turned into the wind while keeping the swimmer visible on the right side of the aircraft.

My crew chief called, “Swimmer is requesting a litter.”

“Roger, I have the swimmer in

sight. Rig the litter.”As I watched him, I saw the

rescue swimmer out in the water holding onto the survivor, waving his arms, and then shooting his left arm straight up in the air giving me a “thumbs up.” I informed the crew chief: “James is giving us a signal. I think he’s calling for a pick-up.”

“Yes sir, that’s a pick-up signal. He doesn’t need the litter.”

“Roger, you have verbal control,” I said, and we started moving in for the pickup with the crew chief telling me where to best position the helicopter.

Meanwhile, the HAC had been updating tower with our status. The seas, about six feet, were moving James and the survivor around a lot. We danced around a little trying to get into position. I passed the crew chief “crew hover,” which gave him the ability to maneuver the helo while in a hover, and he moved us in closer to the rescue swimmer and survivor. He lowered the rescue strop, and the rescue swimmer got the survivor strapped in. We hoisted the two up and quickly got them secured in the cabin.

Tower: “615, you have a green deck whenever you’re ready.”

Red Lion 615:“Tower, 615 has survivor onboard.”

As we continued to update tower, the crew chief wrapped the

Things had settled into a rhythm on TSTA...after a week of plane guard for the jet carrier qualifications

and cyclic operations. HS-15 had been flying regularly, and I was looking forward to another flight where I could get some of my HAC PQS signed off [until] about five miles out from the ship and had decided to head back closer when we received a call from tower.

Continue on page 60


wool blanket from the SAR curtain around the survivor, who appeared to be slightly hypothermic. The crew chief also reported that the rescue swimmer was doing fi ne. He then checked the survivor for injuries, reporting the sailor’s approximate age, size, and condition.

Tower: “615, you are cleared to cross my stern. You have a green deck, charlie spot 6.”

Red Lion 615:“Roger, 615 cleared to land spot 6.”

I nosed over, rounded the stern, and made my approach to spot 6. After landing, the rescue swimmer and the survivor left the helicopter with medical personnel.Time: 1919L

We took back off again with a fresh, dry rescue swimmer and fi nished our time in plane guard. An hour and a half later, we turned the bird over to the next crew, and we returned to the ready room to debrief our fl ight.

There were a number of factors that made this rescue a success. Most importantly were excellent crew resource management (CRM) and the use of standardized procedures. Because we practiced search and rescue and were profi cient, everyone in the crew was completely clear on what their assigned duties were when we were called into action. By using standard NATOPS terminology and plain language when needed, there was no confusion among the crew during any stage of the process. We kept open communication while the PAC made a quick approach to a 15 foot hover, allowing us to expedite swimmer deployment. The HAC monitored and called out altitudes, while the PAC fl ew the approach. This allowed the pilot to focus more of his scan on precise placement of the rescue swimmer near the survivor. By coordinating all external communications, the HAC allowed the right seat pilot to talk freely with the crew chief so that there was no confusion back and forth between the cockpit and the rescue station. We passed crew hover early, which enabled the crew chief to position the helicopter over the swimmer and survivor quickly, expediting the positioning for pick-up. Because we had practiced the rescue scenario hundreds of times before, there was a high level of poise and confi dence among the crew. All of us remained extremely calm throughout the entire scenario. If a recorder had been placed in the cabin, an outside observer might have thought we were in the middle of a casual conversation rather than an actual rescue. The smooth and methodical fl ow of communication and procedures allowed us to complete the entire recovery and have the survivor back on the carrier only 14 minutes after the initial radio call. As the rescue swimmer said after everything was over, “It happened just like training.”

Continued from page 61There I Was: Man Overboard

initial radio call. As the rescue swimmer said after everything was over, “It happened just like training.”

We crept in, and I could now make ou t a

man clutching an orange rescue ring with the strobe attached. At this time we were in a 100 foot hover almost on top of him and I checked my power. “Power’s good; I’m going to come down to a 15 and 0 ... The HAC called out my altitudes as I scanned back and forth between the survivor and my gauges. “70 feet, 60, 50, 40, 30.”

There were a number of factors that made this rescue a success. Most importantly

were excellent crew resource management (CRM) and the use of standardized procedures. Because we practiced search and rescue and were profi cient, everyone in the crew was completely clear on what their assigned duties were when we were called into action.


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HSC-22 UpdateArticle and Photos courtesy of HSC-22 Public Affairs and LTJG Josh Press

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO TWO

(HSC-22) proudly continued its vigilant support of fl eet operations through the New Year. Earlier this fall, HSC-22 provided aviation support to SEAL Team TEN in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Muscatatuck, Indiana, in preparation for the Team’s deployment to Afghanistan. Just prior to Thanksgiving, HSC-22 again worked with SEAL Team TEN and conducted the community’s fi rst High Elevation Assault Training (HEAT) Full Mission Profi le (FMP) operations in Las Playas, New Mexico. Additionally, the

Sea Knights transported an MH-60S for the fi rst time inside a US Air Force C-17 to and from the remote mountain training site. The training evolutions went well, and HSC-22 was honored to continue its aviation support of Special Operations Forces.

HSC-22 Det THREE has been deployed in USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) since August 2010 and is currently operating off the coast of Libya. Detachment FOUR got underway in January onboard the USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) and is currently providing logistics support in the CENTCOM

Area of Responsibility. The Navy Visual News Service fi lmed Detachment FOUR in action with quality VERTREP footage available on You Tube!

On March 22, the Sea Knight fl ight line was visited by a Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation CH-148 Cyclone. The CH-148 is being by purchased Canadian Forces and is equipped with a fully digital, fl y-by-wire system designed to improve the aircraft’s maneuverability, safety, and effectiveness. The CH-148 leverages existing commercial S-92 capabilities and is designed to be a multi-mission, shipboard aircraft capable of performing Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Search and Rescue, and logistics roles. The Sikorsky test pilots graciously provided an a static tour of the aircraft for Captain Cashman, Commander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic; Captain Esposito, Deputy Commander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, and numerous other Wing squadron Commanding Offi cers, Executive Offi cers and squadron personnel. More importantly, Captain Cashman, HSC-22 Skipper Brendan Murphy, and HSC-22 CWO3 Michael Adams were able to take a few laps around the pattern in the CH-148. Though the fl y-by-wire system took a little getting used to, all three were impressed with the smooth fl ight characteristics and capabilities the CH-148 had to offer.

The Sea Knights are also enjoying their new digs at a recently completed hangar at Chambers Field Heliport. HSC-22 will share LF-66 with HSC-7 as they relocate to Norfolk from Jacksonville. Though slightly smaller than its previous LP-33 location, the new hangar is state of the art and will undoubtedly serve HSC-22 well as it continues its mission supporting the Fleet!

Photo (on the left) HSC 22 Det Three loading a Hellfi re missile on armed 60S.

MH-60S and C-17 in the New Mexico desert.


SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC-9 / HSL-37

Trident Fever

The Tridents of HSC-9 have completed workups

and are getting ready for the maiden deployment of the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). Throughout 2010, we spent most of our time away from home on various tasking. From Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief supporting Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE in

Haiti to supporting training squadron and FRS carrier qualifi cations, we have been at sea or on detachment every month since December 2009. We ended 2010 with Airwing Fallon, and then quickly started the New Year embarked on the nation’s newest aircraft carrier for C2X/JTFEX. During this time, we actively participated in Large Force Exercises (LFEs) and Personnel Recovery (PR) events while completing thirteen MEDEVACs, 315

passenger transfers, and an ammunition crossdeck from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

HSC-9 has excelled in all mission areas during the Inter-Deployment Readiness Cycle (IDRC). We performed exceptionally well during our HARP, TSTA, and Airwing Fallon.

Not only are we ready to support carrier operations, we will also embark a two helicopter detachment on the USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) to assist in the replenishment of the entire battle group. Through commitment and focus, the Tridents have completed all tasks set before us. Although our spring 2011 deployment is quickly approaching, the Tridents of HSC-9 can look back on their recent accomplishments and feel prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Article by LTJG Harrington, USN

Not only are we ready to support carrier operations,

Article by LTJG Harrington, USN

Ending a day of Large Force Exercise aboard the USS Harry S. Truman. Photo courtesy of HSC-9 Public Affairs.

EasyRider Tailbird RebornArticle by LTJG Henry Morgan, USN

If you were to make a list of the most breathtaking and

picturesque bases in the Department of Defense, Marine Corps Base Hawaii would be near the top. Situated on the Mokapu peninsula that separates Kailua Bay and Kaneohe Bay, the base offers postcard-ready views at every turn. But for the past 12 years, there’s been something missing.

The EasyRiders of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light THREE-SEVEN (HSL-37) moved to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, located aboard Marine Corps

Base Hawaii (MCBH), from Naval Air Station Barber’s Point in 1999. Since the move, HSL-37 has been an active participant in MCBH activities, but due to budget and space limitations, an SH-60B static display aircraft was absent from the base’s front gate. Over the summer of 2010, the stars aligned for the squadron as three events fell into place: an aircraft received a strike date, an extremely talented Sailor returned from deployment, and a static display spot opened amidst the many venerable MCBH aircraft already on static display.

EasyRider 52, built by Sikorsky in September 1983 and accepted into the Naval Inventory with Bureau Number

161563, fl ew most of its life with HSL-41, based out of NAS North Island, California. Following the transition of HSL-41 to newer MH-60R aircraft in 2005, 161,563 was transferred to HSL-37. Over her 25-year service life she accumulated 10,399 hours and 43,870 landings. At the conclusion of her service, EasyRider 52 was chosen to receive a new paint job and represent the EasyRiders for years to come.

Petty Offi cer Brandon Scaramazzo of Page, Arizona joined the Navy in 2007 as the economy declined and his work doing independent contracts as an airbrush artist slowed.

Continue on page 63


SQUADRON UPDATES: HSL-37 / HSC-3

Petty Offi cer Scaramazzo incessantly painted or sketched since he could hold a pencil. He graduated from Page High School before attending the Art Institute of Phoenix for a year. “I decided what I was doing, computer animation, was not my cup of tea,” says Scaramazzo. Instead he bought an airbrush kit and taught himself to use it. “I got good enough at it that I got hired to paint motorcycles for the Swift Motorcycle Company. I did that for a few years then decided to go solo and work for myself,” says Scaramazzo.

Petty Offi cer Scaramazzo’s talent was originally utilized by his last detachment to paint the sonobuoy launcher cover and design the patch for a 2009 deployment. Painting an entire helicopter was a much larger task. “The job started with having to wash and scuff the entire surface of the helo, which ended up taking me two solid days,” says Scaramazzo. “Next came the fi rst stage of paint, which included having to paint the entire helo, blades and all, the original grey color. Then came the most drawn-out process where I had to mask and map every part that was going to stay grey. That took three days due to the fact that it’s not easy trying to tape up long pieces of masking paper with nobody to hold the other end. I found out yelling at the helo helps.”

The fi nished product took over a month to complete and featured maroon and gold highlights on panels and equipment, the HSL-37 and COMHSMWINGPAC logos, and a

EasyRider 52 is placed on its pedestal at the front gate to Marine Corps Base Hawaii Photo by: LCPL Jody Smith, USMC

glossy fi nish. The tail cone and sonobuoy launcher cover were masterfully airbrushed with hand-painted renditions of a Polynesian warrior fending off a hammerhead shark with Oahu’s Ko’olau Mountains as a backdrop. “The ideas I felt that had to be displayed here were the ideas and infl uences around me; what I see every day and that this island encompasses,” says Scaramazzo of his inspiration. “How do I sum it all up in a few pictures but still give respect and appreciation to this island?”

EasyRider 52 was moved to its new home at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii main gate on December, 13 2010, where it greets base visitors and tenants. Petty Offi cer Scaramazzo’s artwork refl ects the squadron’s pride in its mission and embodies the military’s


respect for the people and cultures it defends. “I got a great response from my peers. It seemed to me that people really enjoyed the creative side of it, which meant a lot, because that was the main focus and the most enjoyable part,” says Scaramazzo.

In addition to painting EasyRider 52 for the main gate, Petty Offi cer Scaramazzo designed and applied a more subdued version of the tail bird paint scheme to EasyRider 64. It replaced EasyRider 60, the previous tail bird, which was stricken in November and delivered to the Pacifi c Aviation Museum located on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Together, all three show birds will demonstrate the pride and professionalism shared by HSL-37’s Sailors, aircrew and pilots.

International Military Flight Training at HSC-3Article by LT Mike Silver, USN

Inside Seahawk Squadron Two’s conference room at

U-Tapao Airport, Thailand it looked like a broadcast from CSPAN. On the U-shaped table before the 20 or so members of the Program Management Review (PMR) team sat a bristling array of microphones, computers, and documents that assisted in the discussion

of what was being projected before us. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was represented from the rank of Captain (of which there were several) to the most junior enlisted personnel. Throughout the week-long PMR conference we had extremely amicable RTN hosts who ensured that the PMR team was comfortable for the duration of our stay

in their country. It was no secret that Thailand’s purchase of Sikorsky’s MH-60S and their international cooperation with the US Navy was a big deal.

The fl ight to Thailand was over 19 hours long from San Diego, CA. The process that strengthened an international partnership in helicopter aviation

Continue on page 64


Believe me, this is easier said than done and if I didn’t have the distinct pleasure of working with such competent and capable personnel at the FRS it would have been near impossible.

While attached to HSC-3 the Thai pilots and aircrew were instructed on aircraft systems, basic maneuvers, search and rescue (SAR), night fl ight techniques to include the use of night vision devices (NVD’s), instrument fl ight, terrain fl ight and landing zone techniques, deck landing qualifi cations aboard a ship, and vertical replenishment (VERTREP). They were also introduced to the way in which US fl ight crews

institute crew resource management (CRM) and operational risk management (ORM). They have taken many of our safety procedures back to Thailand to implement in their own squadron. Instructor Pilots (IP’s) and contract simulator instructors (CSI’s) taught ground school utilizing Thai specifi c publications and computer aided courseware. Once the fundamentals were understood, the RTN students proceeded to the simulator to apply procedures in a simulated aircraft environment. After successful completion in the simulator, the procedures were then applied to actual fl ight time in the airframe. This process was repeated for each phase of fl ight until the RTN students completed with the deck landing portion of the syllabus in December. On 15 December, 2010, the RTN members were recognized for their hard work in a syllabus completion ceremony held in HSC-3’s wardroom. HSC-3’s Commanding Offi cer, CDR Herschel Weinstock and CDR Ryan Carron, the Executive Offi cer, presented a plaque to CDR Kasidi, the senior most RTN member. In attendance were the Commodore and Deputy Commodore of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Pacifi c, CAPT Michael Horan and CAPT Shoshana Chatfi eld.


SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC-3

between two nations was considerably longer. Nine months prior to my arrival in Bangkok, I was serving time as the Student Control Offi cer at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Three (HSC-3) when my boss, CDR Jeff “Angry” Nolan informed me that I would take on a collateral duty as the International Military Student Offi cer (IMSO) for the squadron. In order to fulfi ll this role, we would need to be prepared to work with a foreign country and with foreign students. There are a tremendous amount of considerations that arise with such a task and the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM), located at Wright Patterson AFB, provided us with the tools to appropriately undertake our assignment. While we were taught how to deal with the administrative and logistical challenges that our squadron would soon face, I became aware of the scope of this project.

Foreign Military Sales (FMS) takes years of hard work and requires the coordination of various organizations from each participating country. For this case, there were signifi cant efforts from both nations and a considerable amount of time dedicated from the Joint US Military Advisory Group Thailand (JUSMAGTHAI) and Seahawk Squadron Two in Thailand, and PMA 299 and PMA 205 in the United States just to name a few. Along with purchasing two MH-60S helicopters, the RTN had also purchased the training needed to operate them safely and effectively. Before their arrival in beautiful Southern California, Thai pilots and aircrew had to be selected, sent to the Defense Language Institute (DLI) for English language profi ciency training, pass a scrupulous medical exam and undergo water survival training in Pensacola, Florida. The fact that all of their prerequisite training fi ts into a neat

sentence should not take away from the mountain of hard work and dedication that the RTN pilots and aircrew put in to accomplish it, nor should it diminish the efforts of the various organizations from both countries that made it possible.

Having successfully jumped all the hurdles on their way to the starting line of MH-60S fl ight training, four RTN pilots and one RTN crew chief arrived at San Diego International Airport in late August 2010 to begin the fi nal phase of their journey. As the point of contact between the RTN and the squadron, I had a lot of questions to answer on both sides of the fence. The instructors were excited to train RTN students, and the RTN students were eager to get in the aircraft as soon as possible. The H-60 (SQDN 2 operates S-70’s in Thailand) experience of the four pilots ranged from approximately 900 hours for the most junior to approximately 3000 hours for the most senior of the group. These were not typical replacement pilots coming from the HT’s, nor were they pilots coming through a refresher syllabus headed to a DH or CO tour. This was a new challenge altogether and presented some unique considerations. A syllabus was designed to address the transition to the MH-60S and the specifi c needs of the RTN crews based on the missions they would perform back in Thailand and off of their carrier abroad. The instructors were briefed on cultural differences and security measures were taken to ensure that all of our procedures were in accordance with governing directives.

HSC-3 and RTN personnel in front of Landslide 07


SQUADRON UPDATES: HSC-3 /HS-11Continued from page 64

With RTN fl ight training at its successful completion in the US, the mission analysis phase is here. There is much that I have personally learned from this experience and much that HSC-3 has taken note of to implement in the future. The relationships that were established continue on a professional and personal level now that the RTN members are back in Thailand. While

HSC-3 prepares for its next wave of FMS students, Squadron Two in U-Tapao prepares to accept its fi rst two MH-60S helicopters in March of 2011. Lessons-learned will prove to be invaluable to the many organizations involved and will certainly be implemented in the future, as the H-60 FMS program seems to be taking off. With 14 countries purchasing approximately 200 H-60 variants in

the near future, the Navy helicopter community is rapidly approaching an exciting time for building positive international relationships that have the potential to last for years to come.

Since deploying with the ENTERPRISE Strike

Group on January 13, 2011, the Dragonslayers of HS-11 have been extremely busy. Our deployment started with carrier qualifi cations (CQ) for Carrier Air Wing ONE, and after completing CQ the Strike Group began to steam across the Atlantic Ocean. Upon reaching the Azores, which are islands a couple hundred miles to the west of Portugal, the air wing began cyclic ops and HS-11 participated in an Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise. The exercise involved coordinated operations with P-3 aircraft, HSL aircraft, and surface assets in the area. The target of the operation was a U.S.

submarine, which was attempting to gather intelligence on the USS ENTERPRISE. Upon completion of the exercise, the Strike Group headed for its fi rst port, Lisbon, Portugal. The Dragonslayers provided Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP) for the USS Enterprise as it pulled into port.

After a successful port call in Lisbon, Portugal, the Strike Group headed for the Strait of Gibraltar. The Dragonslayers were again in the middle of the action providing ATFP for the Enterprise. After proceeding through the Strait of Gibraltar the USS Enterprisebegan operations in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Air Wing conducted cyclic operations. The ship also made a stop in

Marmaris, Turkey. In this vacation city the ship and Air Wing personnel were able to get some much needed rest and relaxation.

After leaving Marmaris, the Enteprise and Carrier Air Wing ONE headed for the Suez Canal. Soon after the transiting the Suez Canal, the ship entered the Gulf of Aden. At this point the Dragonslayers are now taking part in counter piracy operations. We are here to support any ship that may need the assistance of the U.S. Navy.

The Dragonslayers deployment has been a busy and exciting time for the squadron thus far.

HS-11 2011 DeploymentArticle by HS-11 Public Affairs Officer


SQUADRON UPDATES:

HSL-51 “Warlords” Relocate To Misawa

3.11.11 at 2:46 p.m. Japan was hit with a 9.0 earthquake approximately 231 miles northeast of Tokyo. Recorded as the largest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history and fi fth overall in the World, it caused total destruction along the eastern coast of Japan in Miyagi Prefecture. Within an hour of the quake, a 30 foot massive tsunami reached six miles inland leveling everything in its path leaving approximately six million people without electricity and a death toll in the tens of thousands. About 50 miles to the south of the epicenter, the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant, damaged and without power struggled to cool its nuclear reactors. In response to Japan’s tri-disaster earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant crisis, the Warlords of HSL-51 and their sister squadron, the HS-14 Chargers, were mobilized to support the largest helicopter relief effort in the Pacifi c. The Warlords were prepared to undertake the mission marking what would become the fi rst ever full deployment of the expeditionary HSL squadron.

The mission was dubbed Operation TOMODACHI, which

loosely translates to “friendship”. The job was to help our friends in the Pacifi c by delivering food, clothes, and needed supplies. Immediately following the earthquake and tsunami, HSL-51 was ready to support Operation TOMODACHI with fi ve shore-based aircraft and crews. Within 72 hours after the natural disaster, HSL-51 had safely embarked four detachments aboard Yokosuka based ships and was poised to support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) efforts with a total force of 12 HA/DR confi gured shore-based and deployed aircraft and crews. The fi ve Warlord aircraft and crews remaining onboard NAF Atsugi were initially placed on 30 minute ready alert to support any SAR and/or HA/DR operational tasking.

Deployed at sea, Detachments TWO, FOUR, FIVE and SIX expeditiously completed any remaining Ship/Air Integration requirements and made preparations to conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) and HA/DR operations as their ships made way towards the East coast of Japan. Meanwhile, the already deployed Detachment ELEVEN onboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) was

in full gear supporting relief efforts conducting Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) moving 85 pallets of critical HA/DR supplies from USNS Rappahannock (TAO 204) to USS Blue Ridge for further transfer to the affected region.

Over the next few days both the deployed detachments and the remaining aircraft and aircrew at Atsugi transitioned from SAR operations to HA/DR operations and began delivering much

needed supplies to the local Japanese communities. With the arrival of relief

supplies on 14 March, the fi rst two Warlord aircraft launched from Atsugi and made the near 350 mile transit over 8,000 ft mountains to Yamagata airport to re-fuel and then proceeded north of Sendai in search of displaced personnel. Soon after takeoff from Yamagata, the aircrews spotted hundreds of people and skillfully landed in various fi elds and school yards to determine the needs and medical condition of the local population. After several hours, the crews returned to Atsugi to avoid the decreasing temperatures and forecasted icing conditions in the mountains. The following day, the HA/DR mission was interrupted with a recall of all aircraft over concerns of an explosion in the third reactor at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. The Warlords stood fast and maintained aircraft on HA/DR alert and a two hour Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) alert.

3.17.11 As events in Japan unfolded, the Commander In Chief signed the Military Assisted Voluntary Departure and families in Atsugi arranged to leave. As word arrived that families would be departing, both HSL-51 and HS-14 were directed to make preparations for relocation to Misawa Air Base (approximately 378 miles north of Atsugi). It was decided that both squadrons could better support the HA/DR efforts from Misawa rather than from Atsugi by avoiding the two and a half hour transit over the mountains. On Friday, 18 March, at 1725 JST, one week after the earthquake and tsunami, and with only 14 hours notice, HSL-51 departed Atsugi and headed to Misawa, Japan.

With the transport of 180 personnel and equipment via C-9, C-40, and C-130, and the arrival of fi ve SH-60B helicopters from Atsugi, HSL-51 was reestablished in Misawa at 1013

Article by LTJG Angela Nakkula., USN

Unloading food and supplies for earthquake victims. Photo courtesy of HSL-51 Public Affairs Offi ce


SQUADRON UPDATES: HSL-51

JST on Saturday, 19 March. It was from Misawa that all future joint HSL-51 and HS-14 shore operations would take place.

Eager to help our Japanese allies, the work force of the Warlords and Chargers began setting up shared maintenance shops and offi ces. The usual banter between on HSL/HS community differences was nonexistent. Warlord and Charger aircrews formed together to share information and begin the mission planning while maintenance technicians readied aircraft for what would be the largest combined HA/DR helicopter force in the Pacifi c. As the squadron received word from their families that

the voluntary evacuation process had begun, the focus was strictly on the mission. Within 24hrs, both HSL-51 and HS-14 were united in Misawa delivering much needed help to our friends from the “Land of the Rising Sun.” Just two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami, HSL-51 fl ew over 250 hours delivering and VERTREPing more than 200,000 pounds of relief supplies to the people of Miyagi Prefecture.

Today, both HSL-51 and HS-14 continue to operate from Misawa Air Base providing support to our long time allies.

HSL 51 Maintains Helicopters While Supporting Operation Tomodachi

Article By MC1 Jose Lopez Jr., NAF Misawa, Japan, Public Affairs

Sailors attached to Helicopter Antisubmarine

Squadron Light 51 (HSL 51) performed routine maintenance on the squadron’s SH-60B/F helicopters March 27 at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Misawa, Japan.

The Sailors, who normally operate from NAF Atsugi, Japan, are performing the maintenance to ensure

that the helicopters stay ready to perform the tasking the squadron receives in support of Operation Tomodachi.

“Maintenance is an on-going need,” said Chief Aviation Electronics Technician Andrew Clay, attached to HSL 51’s Maintenance Control Department. “We have to do maintenance, and we’re supporting the

humanitarian assistance effort. We’re getting into a routine now as everything returns a little bit back to normal.”

HSL 51 relocated to NAF Misawa after the earthquake March 11 that caused a devastating tsunami on Japan’s eastern coast.

“It was chaotic at fi rst, but we plan for these situations,” said Clay, a native of Ironton, Ohio. “We went from training and routine work, to assisting with a humanitarian and disaster relief effort.”

For the fi rst time since arriving in Misawa, HSL 51 was able to perform a strictly routine maintenance fl ight. The functional check fl ight is performed after a helicopter has received service in

the shop. This is done to make sure the helicopter functions as needed.

“After 175 hours of fl ight time we must inspect the helicopters,” said Clay. “Once the helicopter is inspected, we conduct the functional fl ight check We make sure that everything is functional, that the helo has no excessive vibrations.”

HSL-51 landing in one of the damaged areas due tsunami that swept through on March 11th.


Setting in operations at NAF Misawa.



Loosefoot 610 Visits Los Angeles Article by LTJG Stephen DeFazio, USN

Recently a crew from H E L S E A C O M B AT R O N

EIGHT Eightballers fl ew Loosefoot 610, an MH60S Knighthawk, to the Compton Woodley Airport Airfair. It was an incredible experience to share the Sierra with the local community. The arrival of Loosefoot 610 was a highly anticipated event attracting approximately 1500 people to the small general aviation airport in the middle of the Los Angeles basin. It provided the neighborhood a chance to interact with HSC-8 pilots, aircrew, and Sailors and to learn about naval aviation and the various missions of Navy helicopters. The event was also a unique opportunity for our crew, most whom were born and raised in the Los Angeles area, to share our experiences with family members who were able to attend this event at an airport close to home.

It was a crisp fall Saturday morning and Loosefoot 610, piloted by LCDR John D. Castillo and LTJG Stephen DeFazio, both born and raised in Los Angeles, was enroute to the Compton-Woodley Airport for the annual Compton Air Fair. Having received our clearance, we initiated our descent as the storied Queen Mary passed down our port side at nearly eye level. We continued up the Los Angeles River at 130 KIAS and 350 feet, passing over the Port of Long Beach and the

Palos Verdes foothills at our 9 o’clock. Two minutes later, we had Compton-Woodley Airport in sight and began our turn westbound direct to the airport. With our landing checks complete, Loosefoot 610’s aircrewmen AWS3 Yanofsky and AWS3 Reed made fi nal preparations to the cabin and to our passengers. They prepared our passengers CDR Daryl Walker, ENS Amy Sojo, and IT2 Micah Hargress, each of whom were born and raised in the cities in and around Los Angeles County, for our arrival. As we approached the numbers, our crew looked down to a cheering crowd and could see our own families. With the helicopter shut down, we stepped onto the tarmac to greet the crowd. With the assurance from her mother, an elated two year old squeezed by the fl ightline barriers and sprinted up to the helicopter towards her father. She was greeted with awaiting arms and a giant hug from an equally thrilled father, for this was the fi rst time that LCDR Castillo’s daughter had ever seen her father fl y. This moment would set the tone for an incredible trip to Los Angeles.

After we landed, our morning was full of answering questions about

the MH60S and sharing our experiences of Naval Aviation. The majority of people in attendance that day were young kids interested in general and military aviation. AWS3 Yanofsky and AWS3 Reed, both Naval aircrewman and rescue swimmers, were eager to give cabin tours to these kids who were excited to climb aboard, try on fl ight gear, and explore the Knighthawk. They shared personal stories and answered questions about the versatility and variety of Knighthawk missions, the Naval helicopter community, and the Navy in general. Our entire fl ight crew posed for pictures and shared stories with the visitors. It was an honor to see the impact that we, as a Navy and as a helicopter community, have on these children.

The rest of the day was spent with families and friends of our crew who were able to attend the air fair. ENS Amy Sojo, another Los Angeles native from HSC-8, was surprised by cousins that she hadn’t seen in years. “It was an incredible experience for me to see my family and share my Navy experience with all those in attendance” said ENS Sojo. For fellow Eightballer, IT2 Micah Hargress, who grew up in Compton, this trip was a special experience. Upon arriving, he was greeted by his aunt, cousins, and friends. He enthusiastically shared his Navy experiences with them and what it was like to overfl y the streets, neighborhood, and house of his childhood. For the entire crew, it was something rare and very special to bring our “offi ce” into our old neighborhood; to show our families exactly what we do when we “go to work”.

After the last cabin tours and a fi nal goodbye to our families, we were ready to go. With the rotors turning and a salute to the Compton-Woodley Airport ground crew, Loosefoot 610 taxied away from the static displays to the active runway and was airborne. Hovering over Runway 26L facing the Palos Verdes Peninsula, we pedal turned to face a cheering crowd. With a nose dip salute from our aircraft to the crowd we were climbing away into the afternoon skies over Los Angeles.

Loosefoot 610 displayed at the Airfair in Compton, CA. Photo courtesy of HSC-8 Public Affairs Offi ce



HSC-25 provides support, departs Iwakuni

The Navy’s fi rst and only forward-deployed

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, has resided in Iwakuni during the past few months to take part in training and maintenance of its aircraft as the squadron before heading out to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 7.

“We have been training to keep our qualifi cations up so that we can be ready for search and rescue when we go on a boat,” said Seaman Curtis Worrell, aviation electricians-mate with HSC-25. “We just keep fl ying everyday, make sure pilots get their hours and keep everyone up to date.”

Since late April, HSC-25’s approximately 40 personnel, have been occupying their time with fl ying, qualifying with weapons, training, maintaining the aircraft, and conducting tedious inspections to keep its service members at peak readiness to carry out its mission.

“It’s defi nitely a big mission for us,” said LT Patrick Murphy, helicopter pilot with HSC-25. HSC-25’s main missions are vertical replenishment and search and rescue.

Additionally they provide vital logistical support during special operations, which include Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

“We’re mainly a support role,” said Murphy. “We conducted MEDIVAC and SAR in Kuwait and southern Iraq. That freed up other squadrons to be able to push to Afghanistan.”

Participating in special operations allowed the squadron to break out and test its readiness against new situations.

“It was a great opportunity for us,” said Murphy. “It was a different

environment from what we are used to operating in because it was in the desert instead of over the water.”

Tasked with supporting the Seventh Fleet units in the Western Pacifi c, Indian Ocean, North Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf, HSC-25 also provides search and rescue, medical evacuation and vertical replenishment to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

“It’s one of the unique aspects of our mission,” said Murphy. “There is no Coast Guard in the Mariana Islands, so the mission to provide SAR and MEDIVAC falls on us.”

HSC-25, established on April 21, 2005, sports an emblem meant to represent the legacy of HSC-25’s predecessor HC-5, which developed a reputation for providing service and support to the Fifth and Seventh Fleets and Northern Marianas Islands.

The Fifth and Seventh Fleet territories are represented by the globe in the logo, and the eagle carrying the trident symbolizes the logistic support HSC-25 provides to those territories.

Above the globe is a black sky, which symbolizes the squadron’s night capabilities, and within the sky are fi ve stars.

“The fi ve stars is homage to our last squadron, which was HC- 5,” said Murphy. “The trident is supposed to represent new missions being presented to us.”

HSC-25 fl ies the MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, a multimission naval helicopter made to carry out two main missions: troop support and vertical replenishment.

“It can sling huge loads between boats,” said Murphy. “When you see it happen, it’s just really amazing because these aircrafts can move a lot of weight in a very short amount of time.”

The MH-60S has an armed confi guration, which allows the squadron to conduct anti-surface warfare in addition to combat search and rescue.

“We’ve got a lot of really cool gear on it that our guys are excited to play around with,” said Murphy. “It’s also got a lot of extra power. As a helicopter pilot, you always want extra power.”

HSC-25 is manned by aviation structural mechanics, aviation mechist-mates, and aviation electricians-mates who regularly maintain the aircraft to keep it in peak condition.

“The guys have been ripping through inspections,” said Murphy. “If anything happens with the aircraft, they get it fi xed, and we haven’t had any pauses in training.”

Seamen who regularly maintained the helicopter used a special aircraft cleaning compound Mil-C-85570, a strong chemical cleanser primarily used to clean naval aircraft.

“We are always in a salt-water environment, and maintaining the aircraft is very important,” said Murphy. “Our guys do a bang-up job and we couldn’t do anything without them.”

With their aircraft maintained and inspection ready, HSC-25 will continue their mission to provide logistics support to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Artile and Photo by LCpl. Jennifer Pirante, USMC

Island Knights in fl ight.



Mark Goggins rarely has occasion to buy

paint that isn’t gray. He heads a team of civilian contractors who work on helicopters for the Navy. Their job is to search for corrosion, then get rid of it and paint over their tracks. In keeping with military regulation, every MH-60S in their squadron looks the same: mute gray with black lettering. Except for one.

To mark the 2011 centennial of naval aviation, a handful of Hampton Roads air squadrons are breaking their typical paint schemes. They’re each repainting one aircraft - a helicopter or a fi ghter jet, depending on what they fl y - to honor a particular period in their 100-year history.

One squadron has chosen to pay homage to the Vietnam era, another to the Cold War.

For the unit that Goggins’ team works with, Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron 2 at Norfolk Naval Station, it’s the Korean War.

This week, the team is putting its fi nishing touches on a once-gray chopper that’s now a shiny blue.

“This is very different for us,” said Goggins, who is employed by the government contractor DynCorp. “This is like art. There’s a lot of detail, a lot of creativity. We don’t get to do this every day.”

The helicopter’s new look is the product of collaboration. The squadron’s commanding offi cer, CDR Shelby Mounts, was the fi rst to suggest a theme related to the Korean War, to which the squadron traces its roots. He also suggested working in elements to honor one of the squadron’s most decorated members, CAPT John W. Thornton, who fl ew in Korea.

Thornton, a Philadelphia native, is best known for volunteering in 1951 for a dangerous mission to rescue a key intelligence unit trapped in a mountainous region behind enemy lines. The attempt ended with Thornton’s

CoNA Bird and PainterArticle by Corinne Reilly, The Virginian-Pilot Staff

capture. He spent 2-1/2 years as a prisoner of war and was later awarded the Navy Cross.

After he died in 2004, Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron 2 helped scatter his ashes off the coast of Norfolk.

“CAPT Thornton is a very important piece of our history,” Mounts said.

With their theme decided, others in the squadron contributed specifi c ideas for incorporating Thornton’s legacy into the helicopter’s design. Besides his name, the aircraft bears images of his medals and the “prisoner of war/missing in action” seal.

Others helped track down photos of helicopters from the Korean War era, which also inspired the fi nal design.

The body work began about a month ago. Goggins’ 10-person team started by cleaning and sanding the helicopter and removing corrosion. Then they taped it to be spray painted. The details were added with stencils and a little bit of freehand work.

“It’s more complicated than it

might look,” Goggins explained. “Because the squadron is still going to fl y this helicopter, there’s a lot of rules to follow. We have to be precise in the amount of paint we use because of the weight.”

The exact amount used? Eight gallons, or 60 pounds.

Mounts said some local squadrons chose not to repaint aircraft for the centennial because such alterations mean those planes can’t be fl own in combat missions. For Mounts, that wasn’t an issue because he heads a training squadron.

“We’ll still be able to use this helicopter all the time, so it made sense for us,” he said. “It’s going to be a real point of pride to see it in the sky.”

Freshly-painted MH-60S in honor of CAPT John W. Thornton


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s‘Thunder Chickens’ Ready For Road Ahead

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (REIN) is

the aviation combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

In multiple aspects of the air and ground task force, they provide close air support, assault support and logistics support, and are responsible for keeping their own members combat ready. While many fl ights have one specifi c mission, there are some that encompass multiple tasks within the same fl ight.

Capt. Samuel A. Richard and Maj. Billie D. Morton, pilots with VMM-263, started their fl ight Feb. 15 with multiple destinations and objectives. Aboard the USS Bataan, 25 miles off the coast of North Carolina, 14 Marines required a lift to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Before the two Ospreys took off for the ship, they practiced their landing techniques on a designated training strip aboard New River.

It is important that the pilots get all the practice they need to be able to perfect a landing aboard ship, said Sgt. Corey E. Lapotsky, a crew chief with VMM-263.

After landing and taking off multiple times to prepare for landing aboard the ship, the Ospreys headed to the Bataan. The moment the two aircraft hit the fl oating deck, the ship’s crew members quickly began loading cargo

and personnel to be transported.The Osprey crew chiefs worked

to ensure all passengers were safely strapped into their seats before taking off over the Atlantic Ocean. At MCAS Cherry Point air strip the Marines were safely off loaded and the pilots took off for their fi nal mission of the day.

Down in Stone Bay, the Special Operations Training Group awaited the arrival of VMM-263 to support a tactical evacuation course.

“The purpose of this course is to give corpsmen experience treating Marines in the fi eld,” said Petty Offi cer 1st Class Guy T. Ambrose, an instructor with SOTG. “When people get hurt on the battlefi eld, we need to get them transported so they can receive surgery and be treated as fast as possible.”

Corpsmen of the 22nd MEU scattered across Landing Zone Vulture were tending to mock wounded Marines when the Ospreys fl ew overhead preparing to land. As the dust settled from the aircraft touching down, corpsmen raced to get their “cherry pickers”, the term used for mock patients on litters, and carried them to the Osprey.

Inside the bird, the corpsmen continued treatment of the mock casualties. To provide medical care, the corpsmen have to move even in fl ight. Instead of being strapped in a seat, they are tied to the fl oor with a gunner’s belt.

The belt secures them to the Ospreywhile still giving them the ability to move. The takeoff and turns of the aircraft can make it diffi cult for corpsmen to work because they are tossed around frequently.

“It’s important for the corpsmen to experience fl ying now, so when they go into a tactical profi le, there are no surprises,” said Ambrose. “They know what to expect from the fl ight and are prepared to continue doing their job regardless of the circumstances.”

The service members still left on the ground continued providing treatment, learning the best methods of handling diffi cult conditions in a high stress environment.

“This exercise helps train our corpsmen to treat trauma victims in combat situations,” said Lance Cpl. Ryan W. Hawkins, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines. “They need this training to prepare them for actual deployments.” After four trips with the simulated injuries and combat life savers, the crew completed all their tasks for the day. As the sun went down, the aircraft returned home to refuel and prepare for the next fl ight as the 22nd MEU continues training and preparation for deployment.

Press Released by the VMM-263 Public Affairs Offi ce


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s Kodiak-based pilot recognized as Pilot of the Year by Helicopter Association International

The H e l i c o p t e r A s s o c i a t i o n

I n t e r n a t i o n a l announced the Salute to Excellence award winners for 2011 recognizing a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilot for the Pilot of the Year award which will be presented

at the HAI Salute to Excellence banquet March 7 in Orlando, FL.

LT Audie Andry, a Paoli, Indiana resident, won this award for demonstrating exceptional airmanship and decisive action in landing a Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter safely aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy near Kodiak after it suffered a main-transmission input failure while in a 40-foot hover 100 feet from the ship at night Sept. 30, 2010.

“We were at a hover waiting for the green light to land on the cutter and we heard a loud howl in the aircraft,” said Andry. “It sounded like wind coming thru a vent, but it was louder than it should have been. It lasted for two to three seconds maybe and by the time I was thinking, what is that noise, it turned into a high pitched squeal.”As the aircraft yawed, the rotor began to droop and the plane started to descend. Andry directed the nose of the aircraft toward the shipís deck.

“I reduced the collective a little bit to try and get the rotor rpm back,” said Andry. “As I was doing this, the other pilot was transmitting to the ship to clear the deck. Once the deck was clear, I was able to concentrate on landing.”

The aircraft moved forward and gained some momentum, but it was very sloppy due to the low motor rpm according to Andry. There was a fairly

strong wind which helped in moving the aircraft forward, but the winds coming across the ship’s super structure caused a lot of turbulence.

“We started losing tail rotor effi ciency as we came over the deck of the aircraft,” said Andry. “And at that point, it was happening so fast, there was no chance of changing our decision. As we hit, which was a little bit sideways, there was a second or two we all paused to make sure all three wheels were on the deck.”

The Pilot of the Year award honors an outstanding single feat performed by a helicopter pilot during the year or extraordinary professionalism over a period of time.

“I look at this award and think the organization was looking at this one event, this one time and saying to me that I did a good job,” said Andry. “I respect the organization and itís nice to see something positive come out of an event that could have had a much more negative outcome.”

The Salute to Excellence awards program, now in its 50th year, recognizes outstanding achievement performed by individuals or companies in the international helicopter community. For information about the 2011 Salute to Excellence awards banquet and ceremony, visit www.rotor.com.

Andry is receiving the Helicopter Association International (HAI) 2011 Salute to Excellence Pilot of the Year award for landing HH-60J safely aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy after it suffered a main-transmission input failure while in a 40-foot hover 100 feet from the ship at night. U.S. Coast Guard photo.


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Tales from the Cockpit“Inside the President’s Helicopter”Book Review by Marc Phillip Yablonka

Gene Boyer and Jackie Boor, Inside the President’s Helicopter: Reflections of a Senior White House Pilot, (Brule, WI: Cable Publishing, 2010).

In 2005, I strode up to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots

Association’s booth during the Wings, Wheels and Rotors Expo at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California, to let the pilots manning the booth know that I had written about their organization for Stars and Stripes. One of them motioned to his left, “Well, you oughta write about this guy!” he said. “This guy” was U.S. Army Lt. Col., ret. Gene Boyer. Write about him --and his years of service as Presidential pilot for the Executive Flight Detachment’s Army-1 -- I did, for American Veteran magazine.

Now Colonel Boyer has

written about himself in Inside the President’s H e l i c o p t e r : Reflections of a Senior White House Chief Pilots, with Jackie Boor. Readers will be fascinated by the inside scoops on many of Gene’s 580 f l i g h t s with P r e s i d e n t s Johnson, N i x o n , and Ford between 1964 and 1975.

A l l 4 1 6 “ a i r b o r n e ” pages of Inside the President’s Helicopter regale readers with Boyer’s historical perspective on the Executive Flight Detachment (Army One), for which

he flew between tours in Vietnam, and HMX-1 (Marine One), the two helicopter units responsible for flying the Presidents of the United States. The personal anecdotes in the book are both humorous and angering.

Once, while flying President Nixon to an event in New Jersey, Nixon needed to use the on-board commode. Seconds later, turbulence occurred and he emerged having sprayed himself. He was lucky that an overcoat was on board, allowing him to cover up. Boyer and Boor reveal that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, heavily

influenced by Chief of Staff Dick Cheney, convinced President Ford that only the Marines were needed to fly the Presidents. The two relied on cooked books leaving out crucial years where Army One’s performance outdid that of Marine One, and Ford accepted their recommendation.

Throughout the chapters devoted to the Nixons, Boyer and Boor praise the entire Nixon family, who, Boyer once told me, always kept t h e pilots in mind when they were flown to this event or that. It was not unlike Mrs. Nixon to make sure the pilots were well-fed at events whenever food was in the picture, he said. Nixon was 360 degrees opposite his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson.

Boyer and Boor wrote, “In 1960, an ally at Brown and Root (prior to its merger with mega-defense contractor Haliburton in 1962) loaned Johnson a plush white Convair CV-240 airplane for use on the campaign trail with Kennedy. After the inauguration, Johnson bought the plane at a bargain price and hired pilots Howard Teague and Charlie Williams. Both men were in their late thirties and highly skilled. On a foggy February 19 night in 1961, Johnson ordered the plane to fly from Austin to his ranch 60 miles away. Although there was a paved and lighted runway, there were no ground control instruments or communication [at the ranch]. The lead pilot checked with Austin tower and was advised against making the flight. when Johnson learned this, he is said to have exploded and demanded the pilots get the plane to the ranch because that’s what he was paying them to do. Teague called his wife to let her know Johnson


Book Review:


had ordered them into the air and they might not make it.

“The plane crashed into a hillside

near the ranch, killing both pilots. Not

a word hit the airwaves until three

days later when the news reported a

plane was `overdue’ at the ranch. Ru-

mors swirled regarding who actually

owned the plane and what role John-

son had played. Word was Austin’s

tower records got lost and insurance

payments were accelerated. One thing

we all knew for certain, two widows

buried their husbands and Johnson

went on about his business.”

At our second meeting in 2006, at the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, Calif., Boyer was consumed with having a Presidential helicopter he and Marine One pilot Dave Pirnie had reconstructed at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, transported for permanent display. As we walked the grounds, a family from Indiana was taking in the sights. I asked them whether they would like to meet one of the men who had fl own President Nixon. Gene’s gentle admonishment for having outed him followed ohs and ahs, and pictures were mandatory. The Indianans were quite taken with Gene and what he had done in his life. Readers will be too once they read Inside the President’s Helicopter. A more fascinating book on the Presidents and the men who fl ew them you will not fi nd.

Marc Phillip Yablonka is a military journalist whose work has appeared in the Stars and Stripes, Army Times, American Veteran, Vietnam magazine, Military Heritage, Soldier of Fortune and many other publications. The second edition of his fi rst book, Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, will soon be published by Navigator Books.


Feature

Navy Units Work Together To Save A LifePress released by CNAL Public Affairs

C o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d c o o r d i n a t i o n across

multiple naval units is being credited for the rescue of a civilian scuba diver who was injured Thursday evening off the coast of Mayport, FL.

At around 5:00 p.m., while conducting a standard training mission, a P-3C Orion aircraft from Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP) 30 heard a distress call from a civilian vessel that had a “drowning diver” aboard. They immediately relayed the message to the local Coast Guard station, turned toward

the vessel which was about 25 miles away, and began coordination with the closest surface ship, USS Simpson (FFG 56), guiding them toward the pleasure craft.

Once overhead, the P-3 crew observed two civilians on the deck of the boat, performing CPR on a third.

Since Simpson did not have any helicopters aboard, a call was made requesting helo support. CAPT Clay Conley, the Commanding Offi cer of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 40, had just launched from

Mayport when he received the call to assist and quickly proceeded to the location. With no crewmen aboard, he was unable to conduct a rescue; however he was able to coordinate getting other helicopters to the scene.

“When I made the radio call requesting helo support, I received an immediate response from multiple helicopters operating in the area,” said Conley. “Since I’d been in direct communication with the P-3, I was able to determine exactly who had the best crew composition to affect a rescue.”

He was joined by CDR Michael Steffen, the Commanding Offi cer of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 60, who was fl ying that day conducting a training mission with multiple air crewmen. Steffen’s co-pilot was LT Chris Stuart, a reservist and Jacksonville resident who had taken the afternoon off from his job at Allstate Benefi ts to conduct routine reserve fl ight training.

“I assumed this would just be another routine training day to help keep the crew’s skills profi cient,” said Stuart. “Instead, 45 minutes into our training, we had to change gears, going to a real-world rescue scenario. The training we’d received kicked in and we were

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able to fl uidly shift missions in mid-fl ight and do what we could to help.”

After determining the best course of action, Simpson’s Rigid Hull Infl atable Boat (RHIB) was launched and sent to the civilian boat to recover the diver. “This was the quickest I’ve ever seen a RHIB launched,” said Steffen. “That says a lot about the level of training that has been going on aboard Simpson.”

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF) Christopher Tilley, stationed aboard Simpson, was sent over to assess the diver’s medical condition.

“When I got on board the boat, he was semi-conscious and had minor disorientation,” said Tilley. “I’d been briefed that he was unconscious at 110 feet, and had been brought back to the surface.”

That, along with his condition, caused Tilley to determine that the diver was possibly suffering from decompression sickness, an extremely painful and potentially lethal condition caused by gasses expanding in the blood stream from surfacing too rapidly. He would need to be taken to the nearest decompression chamber as quickly as possible.

“I administered oxygen, and we immediately loaded him onto our RHIB and headed back to the ship,” said Tilley.

Within fi ve minutes of the time the RHIB returned, Stuart was able to land his helicopter on Simpson’s fl ight deck, so the crew could load the patient. While this was going on, another helicopter, this one from HSL-44 arrived on station and checked in with Steffen.

“There is a lot that goes on as part of a rescue like this,” said Steffen. “When the HSL-44 helicopter arrived on scene, we were able to divide that effort. This allowed us to focus on treating the patient, and preparing for transport; while they concentrated on the communication and navigation responsibilities.”

The HSL-44 pilots, LT Russel Coble and LTJG. Mark Kummer determined that Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville would be the best treatment option, due to their available hyperbaric chamber. They also coordinated ground transportation from NAS Jacksonville to Baptist; and assumed navigation responsibilities to put the rescue helo on the most direct route to the air station.

“By taking care of the communications side, that allowed the crew from HSL-60 to focus on taking care of that diver,” said Kummer. “We planned out the shortest route and then fl ew escort for them, handling the communication with the tower, and ensuring the ambulance was on scene for our arrival.”

The patient was transported to the hospital, where he was treated and is recovering. The quick and coordinated efforts by the Navy assets are being credited with possibly saving this diver’s life.


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The Definition Behind the Evolving Mission of the Wings of GoldSenator McCain’s remarks at NAS Whiting Field’s Winging Ceremony

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks at NAS Whiting Field. Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa newspaper.

When one speaks of the “Wings of Gold, “ one of many naval aviators comes to mind... Senator John S. McCain

(R-AZ). His remarkable record as from Navy pilot to U.S. Senator has embodied more than 50 years of leadership and unwavering commitment to service. A true American patriot.

As the son and grandson of two illustrious Navy admirals, Senator McCain deeply valued the essence of duty, honor and service to country. On January 28, 2011 during a winging ceremony at NAS Whiting Field, FL., he didn’t come as an American patriot, nor as a U.S. Senator. He came a proud father.

McCain legacy grew as the senator and his lovely wife Cindy witnessed their sons Jimmy McCain pin on the “Wings of Gold” on ENS John S. McCain IV amongst 16 flight school graduates.

Also Senator McCain addressed the audience with the following remarks:

“Thank you, Colonel Coakley. Captain Vandiver (Commander of Training Wing Five), Colonel Richard, Captain Montellano, LT Henderson, my fellow aviators, your families and friends. Congratulations.

“Over the years, I’ve given a good many speeches commending young men and women for successfully completing a rigorous course of instruction, and I’ve always begun by expressing appreciation for the graduates’ families, who I believe deserve an equal share of the credit for the accomplishment. That would seem a little boastful on my part today, since I am one of the parent’s here. I guess I can avoid immodesty by appropriately crediting my wife, Cindy, for our son, Jack’s many fine qualities, and taking responsibility for any minor flaws he might possess, which we won’t mention today. But I will say that I am as proud as any parent here, and as blessed.

“I remember being in similar circumstances many years ago. Obviously, none of you were born when I earned my wings in Pensacola. Many of your parents weren’t alive then either. It was a time when the Greatest Generation were in their thirties, buying their first houses, having children. America was led mostly by men

who had been born in the 19th Century. It was before the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam; before the great civil rights advances. People still sent telegrams

and placed telephone calls through switchboards, and listened to music on the radio and on scratchy vinyl records that were recorded in mono. Elvis was still in the Army, and no one had ever heard of the Beatles. Men wore hats because their father’s had, not because

they thought it was ironic.“As I said, it was quite some

time ago. In many ways it often seems to me another world entirely. But not today. Not as I look at you, and imagine how you must feel. I think I know how you feel. I think I once felt the same. I was pretty certain back then that I was very lucky to be me.

“Back then, I drove a Corvette and flew A-1s. I loved the thrill of flying; the challenge of it. I loved testing myself and the very expensive machinery the government generously allowed me to operate. And because I assumed in my twenties that I would live forever, I wasn’t even very distressed when I found myself in my airplane sitting on the bottom of Corpus Christi Bay one fine day. I swam to the surface, went to my quarters, changed my clothes, took a couple aspirin and headed out for another night’s entertainment with

my fellow bachelor officers. “Kick the tires and light the fires.” I loved the image of a naval aviator. I loved the life. It was fun. So much fun, I don’t know how I survived it.

We are blessed to be Americans, not just in times

of peace and prosperity. We are part of something provident ia l : a great experiment to prove to the world that democracy is not only the most effective form of government, but the only moral government.

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NAVAL HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION, INCThe Navy Helicopter Association, Inc was founded on 2 November 1971 by the twelve rotary wing pioneers listed below. The bylaws were later formally written and the organization was established as a nonprofi t association in the State of California 11 May 1978. In 1987 the bylaws were rewritten, changing the name from Navy to Naval to refl ect the close relationship of the rotary wing community in the Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy, from initial training to operating many similar aircraft. NHA is a 501 ( C ) (7) nonprofi t association.

Objectives of NHA Provide recognition and enhance the prestige of the United States Naval vertical fl ight community.

Promote the use of vertical lift aircraft in the U. S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Keep members informed of new developments and accomplishments in rotary wing aviation.

CDR D.J. HayesCAPT C.B. SmileyCAPT J.M. PurtellCDR H.V. Pepper

CDR H.F. McLindenCDR W. StaightMr. R. WallochCDR P.W. Nicholas

CAPT A.E. MonahanCAPT M.R. StarrCAPT A.F. EmigMr. H. Nachlin

NHA Founding Members

Continue on page

“My memories of that time are happy ones for a reason. I enjoyed every single moment of my life in Pensacola, from learning to fl y to blowing my pay at Trader Johns. But I was sent here for more serious purposes than that, and it would take me a while to understand that.

“Subsequent experiences taught me that military service was more than an adventure for people with vivid imaginations and a measure of audacity. It offers admission into history, possibly a big part of history, a much more daunting enterprise than proving one’s mettle and with much greater things at stake than personal reputation or even the life and death of soldiers.

“I loved my country then and now. I was r e a s o n a b l y well-read in history, and c e r t a i n l y grasped the u n i q u e n e s s of America, a country not rooted in land and blood, but in an idea, an inspiring and noble idea. But, as A m e r i c a n s often do, my appreciation of America was more

focused on the many advantages and opportunities of American life. Yet the experiences I had as a young naval offi cer, among them serving in a carrier task force during the Cuban Missile Crisis, gave me a greater perspective on what I had truly committed myself to, even as a very junior offi cer.

“The defense of our country is important not only to the security of our countrymen and the blessings of life in America. It is important to the world: to the peace and stability of the world and to advancing in a hostile world

those ideals we believe are universal. I was part of that great cause, a small and unessential part, but a part nonetheless. And to serve it as well as it deserved I would have to learn to subordinate personal ambitions and conceits, even parts of my nature that I prided myself on, to a much more important good. Of

course, I didn’t grasp the full import of this revelation until some years later, when my time at war fi nally arrived.

“In the upheaval of war, that great leveler of ego and distinction, things change. Countries change. History changes. And people change. Life is more precious and more vulnerable, and less your own. You develop as strong a bond, as deep a concern with those who serve beside you as you will ever have with anyone outside your family. And you will discover an insight that many people never will. That your life is bigger and more satisfying the more that it is part of something beyond your self interest.

“When I left Pensacola, America was at peace. They were dangerous times. The Cold War threatened the world with mass destruction should it turn hot. The Cuban Missile Crisis would occur a little more than two years later. But World War II and Korea were behind us. And but for a few military

An U.S. Senator’s “Wings of Gold “ Perspective

McCain, the Navy Pilot. Photo courtesy of unknown


McCain’s meeting with President Nixon in 1973 after returning home from a North Vietnam P.O.W. camp. Photo courtesy of unkonwn

But your mission is the same as it has always been.

You are the defenders of our freedom, the caretakers of our most vital interests, and the custodians of our values, and you will protect us f rom al l threats wherever they originate.


The Next Issue of the

focuses on 2011 Symposium Highlights

All photo and article submissions need to be no later than May 16, 2011 to your Rotor Review community editor or NHA Design Editor. Any further questions, please contact the NHA National Office at 619.435.7139 or [email protected].

Continued from last pageAn U.S. Senator’s “Wings of Gold “ Perspective

advisors deployed there, Vietnam was a little known, far off problem for most Americans.

“As you leave here America has been at war for nearly a decade. After much terrible sacrifi ce, and many mistakes, our war in Iraq has reached a more successful conclusion than we might have hoped for a few years ago. But we will be involved in combat operations in Afghanistan for at least a few more years. And the prospect for our success there, while better than it was two years ago,is still uncertain.

“I expect many of you will at some point be called to duty there. I have every confi dence your service will more than meet the high expectations your country has for you.

“This is a challenging time in our history and the history of the world. The world is much changed since I served in the Navy. In the Cold War, we faced a powerful enemy with the means to destroy the entire world. But despite the wars we fought during it, and the cruelty the Soviets infl icted on the captive peoples of its empire, it was a more stable and more predictable world than the one we live in now.

“We face different and more various threats today. From Islamic extremism to the rise of China to cyberterrorism to the depletion of water and fossil fuel supplies to the unique vulnerabilities of a globalized economy, the tasks facing the world’s statesmen are many and complex and daunting. History has accelerated, and we must race to keep up with it.

“But your mission is the same as it has always been. You are the defenders of our freedom, the caretakers of our most vital interests, and the custodians of our

values, and you will protect us from all threats wherever they originate. We are grateful to you. We admire you. We are indebted to you. And I envy you, the honor you have.

“What we have achieved in this country is very much worth defending. The thought that any American wouldn’t believe that saddens me. And we are so invested in this world. Our prosperity, our safety, cannot be protected by retiring from a troublesome world, and building imagined walls to the progress of history. It was our founding belief that America and the world would be far better and more secure were the natural and inalienable rights of life and liberty, the principles of free people and free markets, to be possessed by all humanity. And we have sacrifi ced greatly to secure those rights for people we never knew in places we had never heard of before. We have done so in defense of our interests as well as our ideals, but we have done so. Very few other nations can make that claim.

“We are blessed to be Americans, not just in times of peace and prosperity. We are part of something providential: a great experiment to prove to the world that democracy is not only the most effective form of government, but the only moral government. And through the years, generation after generation of Americans have held fast to the belief that we were meant to transform history. What greater cause than that could we ever fi nd?

“What I wish every American understood is, despite its attendant risks and sacrifi ces, military service even for one or two enlistments or for a career

is one of the most rewarding experiences you could ever have. Make no mistake, those risks and sacrifi ces are great and daunting even in peacetime. But few other occupations so completely invest your life with importance, even historic importance, and so well develop your character along lines of excellence. It is an advantage and a satisfaction you will always have that others will never know.

“The global advance of our ideals is not the fi rst responsibility of our military. Our military is not always the best instrument of that cause, though it has certainly served it of necessity and at great sacrifi ce. But the defense of our possession of them is your responsibility. And no other profession has done that so admirably, so selfl essly as the United States Armed Forces. I wish all Americans could have the experience of such sublime service to a greater good that you will now have, and which I was very lucky to have once had, and which began in practice, here, in Pensacola.

“Good luck to you all. May God protect you. And thank you. On behalf of our country and for myself, I can say I am certain we are in good hands.”


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