Forum: Military Aircraft of the Cold War

Stennis Hosts Final S-3B Viking Carrier Qualifications
Tue, 11 Apr '06 www.navy.mil

Planes Will Ultimately Be Replaced By F/A-18 Hornets
The last two Category 1 S-3B Viking pilots successfully completed their carrier qualification (CQ) aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in March, marking the last initial CQ in an S-3 aircraft.

Officers and crew members from Sea Control Squadron (VS) 41 "Shamrocks" embarked aboard Stennis during a scheduled underway period to qualify their last two Category 1 pilots, new pilots who have never flown in the fleet before. This is the last milestone in their training before entering the fleet.

"This is a significant event [for the pilots] because it basically marks the end of their training and the beginning of their aviation careers," said Lt. Josh Smith, lead landing signals officer (LSO) with VS-41.

To qualify, the pilots had to complete two day and two night sessions of flight operations, which included a combination of touch-and-gos and successful traps, or landings, aboard Stennis. Pilots were graded by VS-41 LSOs for acceptable performance in such areas as lining up the aircraft on approach and glide slope.

"I think this was special," said Lt. j.g. Michael Huntsman, one of the two last Category 1 S-3 pilots. "Being one of the last pilots to do this kind of puts a lot of responsibility on me to be a better pilot. It’s like we’re in the spotlight."

Huntsman explained that he spent the five weeks leading up to this CQ in a rigorously-paced training regimen, which included landing in the carrier box, a designated part of an airstrip designed to look and feel like an aircraft carrier. He added that it is almost as tough to land in the carrier box as it was on the carrier.

"[The CQ] went above average," said Lt. Cmdr. Carlos Monreal, a naval flight officer with VS-41. Monreal flew on board alongside one of the two qualifying pilots. "The pilot I flew with did great, rock solid. I think he’ll make a great pilot in the fleet."

Monreal explained how qualifying on an aircraft carrier is basically the biggest milestone in a young aviator’s career.

"The place to be able to land is on a ship," he said, "and these guys proved they could do it."

For VS-41 personnel, this puts them one step closer to their disestablishment, which is scheduled for September.

"This is sort of bittersweet because it’s beginning to show the end of our command isn’t that far away," added Monreal, who plans to take orders to Iraq filling a shore billet when the squadron disestablishes. Monreal explained that VS-41, the only S-3 training squadron in the fleet, will continue to work with fleet pilots for the remainder of its time.

The rest of the S-3 squadrons won’t be that far behind VS-41’s disestablishment. By 2009, the rest of the Navy’s Viking squadrons are scheduled to disestablish due to the S-3’s missions being replaced by newer aircraft. Two of its main missions, in-flight refueling and reconnaissance, are being effectively replaced by F/A-18 Hornet aircraft.

F-16.net Sponsor

Is there anything the F/A-18 can't do? Are we going to have a C/F/A-18 for cargo? That would be cool. Just stretch it out and throw cargo pods on the wings! I can see it now. A thing of........

C-130crewchief wrote:

Is there anything the F/A-18 can't do? Are we going to have a C/F/A-18 for cargo? That would be cool. Just stretch it out and throw cargo pods on the wings! I can see it now. A thing of........

Just to be safe we should make that a C/F/A/S-18 and mount sonobouys and torps onboard as well, for those contacts that are just a little too far away for the helos.

Rolling Eyes

Of course if they're too far away for the Seahawks, would a Hornet fly that far??? Rolling Eyes

Scary knowing that your only airborne ASW assets are either rotary winged (relatively slow) or land based (P-3's and 737's in the future)(and possibly far, far away...)

Mike

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

Forgot E and K! C/F/E/A/S/K-18... And how will they decide which passenger gets to ride in the back seat and which have to ride on the wings?

More than 1 pilot? Better add a T.

The T already exsists. The FT or DT. Just a D or F with flight cintrols in the back seat. Only a couple of these around at the FRS's.

C/F/E/A/S/K/T-18F sure makes for a long designation to paint on the bird LMAO

!!! While not everyone agrees that the Super Bug is the greatest thing to take to the skies since the Tomcat, I think we can safely say the the Navy's getting their money's worth out of the airframe Very Happy

!

It's strange for me - all the aircraft I grew up with on Miramar are slowly sinking into history. The A-6, A-4, F-4, and F-14 are all gone now or will be soon. Now the S-3's going away and all I'll be left with is the E-2 Shocked

!

Last edited by MKopack on Apr 12, 2006 - 06:38 PM; edited 1 time in total

parrothead wrote:

It's strange for me - all the aircraft I grew up with on Miramar are slowly sinking into history. The A-6, A-4, F-4, and F-14 are all gone now or will be soon. Now the S-3's going away and all I'll be left with is the E-2 Shocked

!

...and thats just until we can figure out a way to stop the rotodome from flying off when the Hornet hits MACH...

Mike

MKopack wrote:

parrothead wrote:

It's strange for me - all the aircraft I grew up with on Miramar are slowly sinking into history. The A-6, A-4, F-4, and F-14 are all gone now or will be soon. Now the S-3's going away and all I'll be left with is the E-2 Shocked

!

...and that just until we can figure

out a way to stop the rotodome from flying off when the Hornet hits MACH...

Mike

-----

130cc .... I brought up the Super Hornet cargo idea some time back. Wouldn't be suprised if someone thought of it at least for some high priority small supplys considering all the drop tanks it can carry.... Shocked

It sounds like at this rate the F/A-18 will be the only jet operating on US carriers, is this right? No Vikings, no Tomcats, no Intruders, just Hornets?

outlaw_nz wrote:

It sounds like at this rate the F/A-18 will be the only jet operating on US carriers, is this right? No Vikings, no Tomcats, no Intruders, just Hornets?

Nah. Once the F-35C goes into production, those should start replacing the F-18A and F-18C's that are currently in service aboard carriers. There will be 4 VFA squadrons per carrier....should be 1 squadron of F-18E, 1 squadron of F-18F and 2 squadrons of F-35C.

I am not sure how the S-3B's and EA-6B's will be replaced. They could just replace the 8 S-3B's with a variant of the Super Hornet in the VS designated squadrons. Same for the 4 EA-6B found in the VAQ designated squadrons. Or perhaps they'll just make the VFA Super Hornet squadrons larger, do away with the VS and VAQ designated squadrons. I am not sure how that will be handled.

So there will be at least 2 different types of jets on carriers in the future.

Fox1 wrote:

outlaw_nz wrote:

It sounds like at this rate the F/A-18 will be the only jet operating on US carriers, is this right? No Vikings, no Tomcats, no Intruders, just Hornets?

Nah. Once the F-35C goes into production, those should start replacing the F-18A and F-18C's that are currently in service aboard carriers. There will be 4 VFA squadrons per carrier....should be 1 squadron of F-18E, 1 squadron of F-18F and 2 squadrons of F-35C.

I am not sure how the S-3B's and EA-6B's will be replaced. They could just replace the 8 S-3B's with a variant of the Super Hornet in the VS designated squadrons. Same for the 4 EA-6B found in the VAQ designated squadrons. Or perhaps they'll just make the VFA Super Hornet squadrons larger, do away with the VS and VAQ designated squadrons. I am not sure how that will be handled.

So there will be at least 2 different types of jets on carriers in the future.

Replacing the A/C Legacy Hornets will be the primary concern for the JSF when it comes on line. The oldest Rhinos are the newest fixed wing aircraft in the Navy. Its the Legacy Hornets which are starting to hit trap limits to the point that the Navy has been trading out low-hour Marine Hornets for newer build but worn out C model Hornets.

The Prowlers will be going away shortly after the Viking with the addition of the new EA-18G. Which will start hitting the fleet within the next 5 years or so if the program stays on schedule.

The S-3B's retirement will not be a big hassle as far as ASW goes. The Navy hasnt relied on the S-3 as the primary ASW capability for some time. With Aircraft like the new P-8 which can range from shore basis and will have a much better up time then the aging P-3, and the new SH-60R (my god that thing has legs for a helo) as well as the new VA class attack subs the Carrier groups will have more plenty of ASW capability.

Basically this means that there has never been a better time to be selected for Jets in the Navy.