What Is "Old?" (was: NAVAIR's F/A-18 Program Celebrates 25 Years of Flight)

Woody,

What is "old?"

1) You don't know what "old" is (or feels) until you see a bird whose BuNo
adorns several of your logbook entries sitting in a museum somewhere.  In my
case:  KA-6D, BuNo 152910, now sitting forlornly in the back lot of the
Western Aerospace Museum at Oakland airport.  Just a bunch of aluminum held
together by a bazillion coats of paint.  Tanker package still installed,
though.

2) When I went through VT-10 as a SNFO in 1969, the flight syllabus
consisted of several low-level visual nav hops about the south Alabama
countryside in the squadron's fleet of venerable C-45 / SNB "Bugsmashers."
The VT-10 CO had the following painted above the pax hatch on each of these
birds:  "NFO Trainer - Built 194X," with the "X" variable indicating the
exact year of manufacture.

Oldest "Secret Navy Bomber" in his fleet was one built during the third
Roosevelt administration.  All of these tired birds were older that the
students using them, and in many cases, the instructors teaching in them
too.  The Skipper always made sure that this fact was explained to each
visiting Poo-Bah - especially anyone from Washington or having anything to
do with Naval appropriations.

Owl sends.
-- 
Mike Kanze

"I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back."

- Zsa Zsa Gabor


"Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On 11/30/03 5:01 PM, in article
[EMAIL PROTECTED],
> "Otis Willie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > NAVAIR's F/A-18 Program Celebrates 25 Years of Flight
> >
> > (EXCERPT) Story Number: NNS031125-01 Release Date: 11/25/2003 6:42:00
> > PM
> >
> > From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs
> >
> > PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
> > F/A-18 program commemorated the first flight of the Hornet aircraft
> > flown 25 years ago Nov. 20. Alumni members of the "Hornets Nest"
> > gathered at NAVAIR Patuxent River for a day of memories and
> > celebration.
> >
> > "The last 25 years of flight by F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets have
> > established an unmatched record of performance, survivability,
> > reliability, maintainability and affordability for the U.S. Navy,
> > Marine Corps, and our foreign partners," said NAVAIR F/A-18 Program
> > Manager Capt. B.D. Gaddis. "The men and women who have designed,
> > developed, produced, enhanced, maintained and flown these remarkable
> > aircraft can be very proud. They have set the chinning bar pretty
> > high. But I'm convinced that the next 25 years will be even better."
> >
> > Naval Aviation was forever changed 25 years ago when Jack Krings, test
> > pilot for then-McDonnell Douglas Corporation, had the honor of taking
> > the new fighter on a 50-minute flight from St. Louis o...
> >
>
> What is it about me and old airplanes?  |:-)
>
>
> > U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
> > copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
> > cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
> > in full today, 30 Nov 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
> > the following lines into your web browser.) The
> > subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
> > viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
> > for your information and discussion.
> >
> > http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=10773
> >
> > ---------------------------
> >  Otis Willie
> >  Associate Librarian
> >  The American War Library
> >  http://www.americanwarlibrary.com
>