Lt. j.g. Robert Woods of Northlake, Ill., walked off the stage at the Lassen Auditorium as the Navy’s newest helicopter pilot. He joined 22 other students in achieving the designation. The plaque he received is typical of the wit displayed by naval aviators.
"Through no great effort of your own and by no selection means other than being near the bottom of the alphabet during your winging class, you are hereby selected as the 35,000th rotary wing aviator. Congratulations, this number should be easy to remember."
It’s funny, but the true achievement is the number itself. In the 76-plus years of naval helicopter training, for the last 46 years that training has been done at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Fla.
Woods will go on to fly the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter with the Airwolves of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Forty in Jacksonville, Fla. (Post)
-- Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Chris Grove, a special tactics combat controller assigned as the 720th Special Tactics Group based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., was awarded the nation’s third-highest medal for gallantry against an armed enemy, the Silver Star.
He was originally awarded the Bronze Star in October 2008, but due to a review of awards within the 24th Special Operations Wing, he was upgraded to a Silver Star.
The action occurred in November 2007 during a reconnaissance patrol in Afghanistan. Grove was able to call in air strikes against the Taliban that had taken uphill positions. delivered thousands of pounds of munition, securing the safety of his joint and partner forces. Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presented the medal during a ceremony, November 15. (Post)
-- The "Sabrehawks" of Training Squadron (VT) 86 held a change-of-command ceremony Nov. 14 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where Cmdr. Eric Reeves relieved Cmdr. Joshua Fuller as commanding officer.
During his tenure, Fuller saw 224 Naval Flight Officers received their Wings of Gold and together accumulated more than 19,000 hours in the T-45C Goshawk jet trainer. Fuller, a graduate of Samford University in Alabama, earned his wings in December 2001. Reeves is a native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., and a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate earning his commission through the Navy ROTC program. He earned his wings in 2003 as a naval flight officer.
Cmdr. George Zintak, a native of Chicago, will assume the role of executive officer. VT-86 graduates complete follow-on training with fleet replacement squadrons to prepare them for future fleet aircraft including the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler. (Post)
Contracts
United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney Engines, East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $762.5 million to a previously awarded contract. This modification exercises options for the Lot 14 production and delivery of 48 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Air Force and 10 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Connecticut, Indiana, and the United Kingdom and is expected to be completed in April 2022. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is home of the F-35 integrated training center. … Raytheon Missiles Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., was awarded a $72 million contract for advanced medium range air to air missile (AMRAAM) technical support. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2025. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. … Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., also was awarded an $11 million modification to a previously awarded contract for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Production program. Work will be performed in Tucson and is expected to be complete by Dec. 15, 2021. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment