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VFP-63
VFP-63 was a Light Photographic Squadron of the U.S. Navy. Originally established as Composite Squadron Sixty-One (VC-61) on 20 January 1949, it was redesignated as Fighter Photographic Squadron (VFP-61) on 2 July 1956. Redesignated as Composite Photographic Squadron Sixty-Three (VCP-63) on 1 July 1959 and finally redesignated as Light Photographic Squadron Sixty-Three (VFP-63) on 1 July 1961. The squadron provided a detachment of reconnaissance planes for each of the Carrier Air Wings of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The squadron was disestablished on 30 June 1982. Operational history Korean War VC-61 detachments of F4U-4/5P Corsairs served until mid-1951 when they were replaced by the F9F-2P Cougar. Vietnam VFP-63 was the only Navy combat unit with elements continuously deployed throughout the Vietnam War. Detachments of RF-8A/G Crusaders served the following deployments: *17 October 1963 – 20 July 1964 Detachment C . On 6 June 1964 RF-8A uNo 146823was shot down by anti-a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Inactive United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons
There are hundreds of US Navy aircraft squadrons which are not currently active dating back to before World War II (the U.S. Navy operated aircraft prior to World War I, but it did not organize them in squadrons until after that war). To be more accurate: there are hundreds of former U.S. Navy aircraft squadrons which have been disestablished and no longer exist and there are approximately 40 or so U.S. Navy aircraft squadrons which have been deactivated and which currently exist only "on paper" in an inactive status. These disestablished and/or deactivated squadrons are sometimes incorrectly referred to as "decommissioned" squadrons, but proper usage prior to 1998, was that squadrons were "established" and "disestablished" and after 1998, squadrons are "established", "deactivated" and sometimes "reactivated". It has never been correct to refer to U.S. Navy aircraft squadrons as being "commissioned" and "decommissioned", ships are commissioned and decommissioned, U.S. Navy aircr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donnie Cochran
Donnie L. Cochran is a former United States Navy naval aviator and was the first African-American aviator to be selected to the Flight Demonstration Squadron Blue Angels in 1986. Cochran later assumed command of the Blue Angels in 1994. He is a 2022 inductee to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Personal biography Donnie L. Cochran was born July 6, 1954, on a farm near Pelham, Georgia. Graduated from Savannah State College in June 1976, earning a degree in civil engineering technology and commission in the United States Navy. In September 1985, he was the first African-American pilot selected to fly with the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels. In July 1994, he was selected as the first African-American commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels. Military biography Training and Initial Fleet Tours Cochran completed flight school, earned his Navy “Wings of Gold” in 1978 after completing basic jet training in the T-2C Buckeye, and ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior is a jet-powered strategic bomber that was developed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed by Douglas on behalf of the United States Navy, which sought a carrier-capable strategic bomber. During July 1949, Douglas was awarded the contract to produce its design, having bested eight other aircraft companies' submissions. Unlike rival designs, which had aimed for a maximum take-off weight, the Skywarrior was developed for a take-off weight, facilitating its use from the navy's existing s. Large portions of the aircraft were produced by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, including its early Westinghouse J40 turbojet engines, which failed to meet promises and were replaced by the rival Pratt & Whitney J57 engine by mid-1953. On 28 October 1952, the prototype ''XA3D-1'' performed the type's maiden flight. On 31 March 1956, the Skywarrior entered squadron service with the Navy. Initially used in the nuclear-armed strategic bomb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, San Diego, California, about north of Downtown San Diego. The airfield has been named Mitscher Field since 1955, after Admiral M.A. Mitscher, who was the commander of Task Force 58 during World War II. The air station is the former location of Pacific Fleet fighter and Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft ( F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, E-2 Hawkeye) and is best known as the former location of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS), its TOPGUN training program and the movie of the same name. In 1996, NFWS was relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in western Nevada, 60 miles east of Reno and merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vought F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the French Navy. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955. The F-8 served principally in the Vietnam War. The Crusader was the last American fighter with guns as the primary weapon, earning it the title "The Last of the Gunfighters".Tillman 1990 The RF-8 Crusader was a photo-reconnaissance development and operated longer in U.S. service than any of the fighter versions. RF-8s played a crucial role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing essential low-level photographs impossible to acquire by other means. United States Navy Reserve units continued to operate the RF-8 until 1987. Design and development In September 1952, the United States Navy announced a requirement for a new fighter. It was to have a top speed of Mach 1.2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
McDonnell F2H Banshee
The McDonnell F2H Banshee (company designation McDonnell Model 24) is an American single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft deployed by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps from 1948 to 1961. A development of the FH Phantom, it was one of the primary American fighters used during the Korean War, and was the only jet-powered fighter deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy.Mesko, 2002, p.48 The aircraft's name is derived from the banshee of Irish mythology. Design and development The Banshee was a development of the FH Phantom, and planning started before the Phantom entered production. McDonnell engineers intended the aircraft to be a modified Phantom that shared many parts with the earlier aircraft, but it soon became clear that the need for heavier armament, greater internal fuel capacity, and other improvements would make the idea infeasible.Mesko, 2002, p.10 The new aircraft would use much larger and more powerful engines, a pair of newly developed Westi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grumman F-9 Cougar
The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar is a carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Based on Grumman's earlier F9F Panther, the Cougar replaced the Panther's straight wing with a more modern swept wing. Thrust was also increased with the installation of a newer, more powerful engine. The Navy considered the Cougar an updated version of the Panther, despite having a different official name, and thus Cougars started off from F9F-6. Design and development Early development Rumors that the Soviet Union had produced a swept-wing fighter had circulated a year before the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 first appeared at air shows in 1949. Despite the level of activity taking place with swept-wing aircraft, the Navy was not initially focused on the development of such aircraft. This was largely because the Navy's focus at the time was defending the battle group against high speed, high altitude bombers with interceptors, as well as escorting medium-rang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Klusmann
Charles Frederick Klusmann (born 7 September 1933) is a retired United States Navy combat pilot who was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and later escaped captivity. Military career Shootdown, capture and escape He was a navy Lieutenant (O-3) when he was shot down over the Plain of Jars, Laos () on 6 June 1964 flying an RF-8A Crusader aircraft from the VFP-63, . He was the first airman shot down and captured by the Pathet Lao and the first to escape three months later on August 30, "First in, first out". He was rescued two days later by CIA Officer Terrence Michael "Terry" Burke. This is notable because the United States government never negotiated for the release of any prisoners held in Laos, and so, not one American held in Laos was ever released. Awards and decorations Klusmann's military awards and decorations include: - Distinguished Flying Cross - Prisoner of War Medal His Distinguished Flying Cross Citation reads: Personal life and retirement Klus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathleen Paige
Rear Admiral Kathleen Koehler Paige (born August 30, 1948) is a retired United States Navy officer. She was the Program Director, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), the sea-based element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) under development by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Rear Admiral Paige retired on 22 November 2005 after 34 years of active service. Early life Paige was born in Schenectady, New York, on August 30, 1948, and raised in Scotia, New York. Her grandmother, Mary Tobin, was a chief yeoman in World War I. She is a 1970 graduate of the University of New Hampshire and was commissioned into the United States Navy in 1971. Naval career Paige's first tour of duty was at VFP-63, San Diego, California. Subsequent tours of duty included Fleet Combat Direction System Support Activity, San Diego; Acquisition Manager in the Navy’s Standard Embedded Computer Resource Office, Arlington, Virginia; Aegis C3 Warfare Officer and Combat Systems Baseline Manager, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VF-124
Fighter Squadron 124 or VF-124 ''Gunfighters'' was a fleet replacement squadron (FRS) of the United States Navy. Originally established on 16 August 1948 as VF-53, it was redesignated VF-124 at NAS Moffett Field on 11 April 1958 due to a need for an increased number of flight training squadrons, itself necessary because of introduction of swept wing fighters into Navy service. In 1961, the squadron relocated to NAS Miramar, California, which would become the U.S. Pacific Fleet's Master Jet Base for fighter aircraft. The squadron's task as an FRS was the training of pilots for the F-8 Crusader, and later the training of pilots and radar intercept officers for the F-14 Tomcat. The squadron was disestablished on 30 September 1994 and its F-14 FRS mission consolidated with its U.S. Atlantic Fleet counterpart, VF-101, at NAS Oceana, Virginia. History Korean War VF-53 equipped with F4U-4B Corsairs was assigned to Carrier Air Group 5 aboard from 1 May to 1 December 1950 and was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thanh Hóa Bridge
The Thanh Hóa Bridge (Vietnamese: Cầu Hàm Rồng, Hàm Rồng Bridge), spanning the Song Ma river, is situated northeast of Thanh Hóa (), the capital of Thanh Hóa Province in Vietnam. The Vietnamese gave it the nickname Hàm Rồng (''Dragon's Jaw''). In 1965 during the Vietnam War, it was the objective of many attacks by US Air Force and US Navy aircraft which would fail to destroy the bridge until 1972, even after hundreds of attacks. The bridge was restored in 1973. As of 2016, the bridge still stands. Originally built by the French during the colonial era in Vietnam, the Thanh Hóa bridge was sabotaged by the Viet Minh in 1945. From 1957, the Vietnamese started rebuilding it. Allowing the passage of both road and rail traffic, it was a vital link between different regions of North Vietnam, and when the war started, became a strategic passage for supplies and reinforcements sent to the Viet Cong fighting in South Vietnam. In their first air combat, a small force of see ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of its active battle fleet alone exceeding the next 13 navies combined, including 11 allies or partner nations of the United States as of 2015. It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage (4,635,628 tonnes as of 2019) and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, two new carriers under construction, and five other carriers planned. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the United States Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 2,623 operational aircraft . The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
