First stop: Point Mugu Naval Air Station,aka Pacific Missile Test Center,and now called Naval Base Ventura County.The landing pattern was right over our house and I had a large bedroom window and saw nearly every aircraft that flew in to the base(thats NOT my view in the pic).I attended many-a-airshow and numorous visits sitting outside the base fences watching takeoff and landings.
One of the types I saw lots of and miss seeing was the "billboard" P-3 Orions.
It was alwas a great site when these ex-Japanese Blue Impulse Sabre Drones came over the house.Sadly these classic jets would be shot down for missle testing.
And I can not talk about Mugu without mentioning VX-4 the "Evaluators".My grand father worked for Sperry Gyroscope in the fifties along side VX-4 developing the Sparrow I missile.During the eighties the F-14 Tomcat was modified and tested by VX-4 with a air-to-ground capability and called at that time the F-14A Plus "Bombcat",later to be changed to F-14B.Sadly F-14s no longer fly with the United States.
Another mainstay of Mugu and a memory I will always cherish was watching the birds of VAQ-34 the "Aggressors".They flew the A-3 Skywarrior or affectionately called "the whale".Again,sadly no longer in service.
The other aircraft VAQ-34 flew was the TA-7 Corsair II and looking at the red Russian star markings kinda gives you a hint to why they where called "Aggressors".The TA-7 is no longer in US service and VAQ-34 is no more.
Last but far from least a very fond memory was "Vandy 1".This was VX-4's flagship and very popular.I was there at the Mugu airshow when this F-4 Phantom accidently broke the sound barrier at very low altitude in front of the crowds,"BANG!"Another memory was seeing a target drone F-4 flying over my house with no pilots in it,really!It was on remote control.Oh ya,that is a Playboy bunny on the tail.The great F-4 is no longer a combat active aircraft in the US and is now a target for missile testing.One is even flown in private hands for airshows.For me it was a sad day when I heard VX-4 was absorbed into another squadron making VX-4 no more.
I hope you liked this little flight down memory lane and thanks for reading.
Image credit goes to those who created them,not me.I just "web-surfed" them.
5 comments:
Ya want me to make some of that air traffic disappear? ;)
Great post -- can't wait to see more!
All those old planes of the 80's. It's a shame to see the tomcat go especially for the super hornet. I guess the Navy no longer wanted to keep them fueled and that's why their gone their terrible gas mileage besides it's an old airframe 40 years this year. I guess it's time to make room for the F35. Isn't Pt Mugu where they tested the Phoenix missle system or was it China Lake?
Anonymous: From what I understand it was Mugu where the Phoenix was tested.As for the Tomcat yes it was a fuel hog.Basicly every time they would fire one off of a carrier it had to mid-air refuel.Its age thought is about the same as the F-15 and that bird is still going stong.But the 14s fuel and maintenance,ouch!
I still wonder how Iran keeps them flying.
I think Iran keeps them flying by caniballizing other F14s as for the F15 it's days are numbered too with the F22 coming online. I still think the super hornet is a stop gap hunk of junk and a inferior plane to the tomcat. What ever happened to the concept of the F5 a pilots plane fast nimble and without all those bells and whistles that our government thinks our planes need we really should start looking at the sukhois and following their example cheap fast nimble and a true pilots plane
Lol on "Super Hornet is a hunk of junk".I agree completely.Chuck Yeager said of all the aircraft he flew(and thats alot!)the F-5 series was his favorite.What I have seen of the F-22 I'm not too imppressed.But I would love to see what a Sukhoi pilot could do with it.
And sadly the F-35 was matched and possibly outdated last year by the first flight of the newest Gripen model the NG.
Areed,the SUs are some damn fine birds and thats why some many countries now(or will when the orders are processed)fly it.
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