Military Ship & Aircraft pictures & stories

[richclover]

VA-174, Naval Air Station Cecil Field, FL

In the spring and summer of 1966, I was factory trained on The A7 Corsair II at their LTV Factory, Grand Prairie, TX. From there I reported to VA-174 for 4 years of shore duty (1966 – 1970).

We were likely there at the same time. I was a replacement pilot, in A7 training, 1970.

Back to the subject: There’s a museum at Cecil Field, at the old base chapel, with aircraft displays and POW/MIA memorials. It’s on my “list”.

Thanks for your service!

 

[richclover]

Here’s a “must see“. Wife and I visited a few years ago during a Columbia River cruise. We only had a couple of hours but could have easily spent a couple of days going through it. Everything from antique AM radios to classic cars, military vehicles and lotsa airplanes including a 1916 Sopwith Pup that still flies. In fact, most if not all airplanes and vehicles still run. Fun to see oil drip pans placed under engines on the clean museum floor.

Home - Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum

WAAAM - Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum

www.waaamuseum.org

 

[Ex-Calif]

Cool looking museum. Definitely on my wish list...

 

[LarsMac]

I spent almost my entire Navy "career" between NAS Jax, Cecil Field, and Mayport, with brief TDY to Key West after my only cruise (with USS FDR (CVA-42)
Also, as a Civilian, I was on the Reagan (CVN-76) before it was launched. (No pictures, there, either. That woulda probably got me Keel-Hauled. )

 

[Robert K]

Interesting material.

They went ahead and actually made a museum out of my ship!

Have you heard about the Sullivan's sinking. It listed away from the Little Rock so no damage to the Little Rock.

 

[Fishspike]

All good stories. 37 years Air Force as a crew chief on a C-130. By twenty one years of age was around the world one and 1/2 times. 1976-2012. one highlight got to crew a T-33. All mechanical. Fun to work on

 

[jymbee]

Have you heard about the Sullivan's sinking. It listed away from the Little Rock so no damage to the Little Rock.

WOW. No, I had not heard about that. Did some searching and came up with this. Quite a mess indeed. Thanks much for the info!

 

[FastEagle]

Naval Air Station, Lemoore, CA

This NAS is located out in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley. The base is on an exceptionally large track of land that even has tenant farming. The flight lines and air base operations area is about 7 miles from the main base. Almost everyone stationed there lives on base. There is base schooling to 8th grade. High school is a bus ride to the town of Lemoore, CA.

I was stationed there for 4 years of shore duty with the VA-125 training squadron (1973 – 1977). It’s hot and dry almost year-round with heavy fog banks in the winter months – second only to New England. Because of base closures on the west coast the base has become home to more squadrons and the newest naval attack/fighter aircraft.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Active Duty USN 1981-2005
VQ-1, NWC China Lake, VPU-1, HT-18
About 5000 flight hours in 7 different type aircraft.

 

[Rene T]

All good stories. 37 years Air Force as a crew chief on a C-130. By twenty one years of age was around the world one and 1/2 times. 1976-2012. one highlight got to crew a T-33. All mechanical. Fun to work on

When I was in Vietnam in 1969 I was in a camp 25 miles from any American. We had a landing strip and would receive supplies via a C-130 and a C-123. Twice within a week one c-130 plane was hit and caught on fire but was able to land and unload all our 105 howitzer ammo before it totally burned up. 1 week later another C-130 was approaching and was also hit by enemy fire. That one they tried to save by climbing. It went up a couple a thousand feet and just spiraled down to the ground. Lost the entire crew. I can still see it now like it was yesterday.

 

[FastEagle]

During our full time RVing years we visited Davis-Monthan AFB at Tucson, AZ. I took pictures of nearly all aircraft on display at various sites around the base and many in the “bone yard”. Here’s a picture of the awesome C-130.

 

[Contributor]

Never in the military but spent time working at different AF bases as a civilian with CO benefits. In 1981, there was a flying competition for the JSTARS development program at Holloman AFB, NM and I joined the team for 9 months. A month in, my boss got into trouble and was called home so I was promoted to Head of Airborne Operations on our flying test bed, an F-111 Aardvark. I spent nine months there.

At the time, F-15s were based there and the F-15 refurbishment line was also there. Every day there was an air show as the newly refurbished F-15 were put through their verification flights.

We had free reign of the base between flights and we rode dirt bikes all around. I remember the missile silos and the monkey farm where Ham was born and trained. I also took flying lessons while there, exciting times for a small town kid.

Because we had to relocate, Hughes would give us a flight home every 2 weeks. Back then, Hughes had a fleet of airplanes based at Van Nuys Airport so we had private flights. Friday at noon, we would board whatever plane they were using that weekend, sometimes a DC3, other times Citation Lear Jets and once I flew in 6 seater Hawker (the CEOs private ride). At home, we had chauffeurs drive us home and then pick us up on Monday morning to go back.

So, the point of all this, is that there is an amazing little museum in the town of Alamogordo (where we lived). It has a lot of the Von Braun early stuff as Alamogordo was where he and his team did a lot of their development.

Home - New Mexico Museum of Space History

Discover the Cradle of America’s Space ProgramExploreExhibitions Celebrating the History of Space ExplorationExhibits GalleryExperienceThe New Horizon Dome Theater & Planetarium ATTENTION PATRONS! The John P. Stapp Air and Space Park […]

www.nmspacemuseum.org

 

[tlmgcamp]

New England Air Museum is north of Hartford CN, almost to the MA border. A nice collection

 

[Let’s Roll]

Retired Navy Chief, 24 years. I was an aircrewman on H-60 helos and one of the ships I deployed on was the USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60) in the late 80’s and it was undoubtedly the worst ship I ever deployed with. The CO was a complete A-hole and his attitude trickled down to the entire crew.



Well, to my surprise (and pleasure) while cruising through my military news feeds I see that ship was offered up to be a target and sunk out in the Pacific.

A perfect ending to a crappy ship…on it’s way to davey jones locker.

 

[FastEagle]

Laughlin AFB, Del Rio, TX

Being retired military we have stayed at a lot of different military RV parks, CGs and FAMCAMPS. Once while traveling down the west Texas border from El Paso to Brownsville We used three military CGs; One USA, one USAF and one USN. Our middle stop was for 7 days at the smallish USAF training base at Del Rio, TX. The FAMCAMP provided us with a large drive through site with privacy fencing. The base had a lot of different aircraft on display at the main gate and a couple at well used sites around the base such as the golf course and entrance to base housing.

Here are some pictures I took while there.

 

[whiteva]

My first duty station was Barksdale AFB In 1975. it was a B52 base. My wife and I were driving abreast of the flight line and saw several B52’s pocked from nose to tail with holes. A few days later I was talking with a crew chief and I asked him what happened to those plane. He said they were bullet holes. Asked him how they got the planes back to the states. He said they flew them back, no problem. Anybody ever been in a B52? It looks terrible inside. Don’t know how those things fly.

I was stationed at Barksdale 1970. Enjoyed the base and local area. 9 months there before PCS to Thailand for 2 years because we would fly the BUFF almost every day with an occasional double mission day thrown in.

 

[udidwht]

Naval Air Station, Lemoore, CA

This NAS is located out in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley. The base is on an exceptionally large track of land that even has tenant farming. The flight lines and air base operations area is about 7 miles from the main base. Almost everyone stationed there lives on base. There is base schooling to 8th grade. High school is a bus ride to the town of Lemoore, CA.

I was stationed there for 4 years of shore duty with the VA-125 training squadron (1973 – 1977). It’s hot and dry almost year-round with heavy fog banks in the winter months – second only to New England. Because of base closures on the west coast the base has become home to more squadrons and the newest naval attack/fighter aircraft.

Served in the Navy from 86-96 (AD-1) been to Lemoore many times. As well as 3 world crusies and countless east & west PACS. Most of my time in Japan.

 

[FastEagle]

USS Independence (CVA-62)

During the Vietnam years I made three long deployments to areas in the South China Sea. The first was a bit historical because it was aboard the Indy which was at that time home ported at Norfolk, VA. The year was 1965 and I was with Navy Fighter Squadron 41 (F-4B aircraft). The Indy was the first carrier deployed from the 6th fleet in the Atlantic Ocean to deploy to the 7th fleet in the Pacific Ocean since WWII. For that deployment the Indy had the first all jet powered air wing aboard.

Because of low level bombing missions, the air wing lost a number of aircraft and those crew members that survived ejections over Vietnam were captures. One of those captured was RADM Jeremiah Denton who became well known for his determination to honorably survive his nearly 8 years in the “Hanoi Hilton”.

Coming Soon

As a member of VF-41 I worked as an airframes flight deck troubleshooter – later years known as “final checker”. I worked in that position for the entire cruise.

 

[jackiemac]

Lots of fantastic info and photos.

We recently visited a fairly new museum in Dubois Wyoming. Your ticket gets you entry for 2 days. It was extremely interesting and all of the exhibits were pristine and well laid out. Highly recommend it if you're in the area.

Military History Museum in Dubois, WY | NMMV.org

Visit the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Wyoming. See our antique military vehicle collection from World War II and more. Plan your visit now.

nmmv.org

 

[Jayflight]

Lots of fantastic info and photos.

We recently visited a fairly new museum in Dubois Wyoming. Your ticket gets you entry for 2 days. It was extremely interesting and all of the exhibits were pristine and well laid out. Highly recommend it if you're in the area.

Military History Museum in Dubois, WY | NMMV.org

Visit the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Wyoming. See our antique military vehicle collection from World War II and more. Plan your visit now.

nmmv.org

Thats a great place to visit. Great stories Fast Eagle,, I can remember as good as today when the men were released from captivity. That was a memory etched in the mind forever.