One More Sad Reason Proving That 'Freedom' Is Never 'Free'
An F/A-18A Hornet pilot involved in a mishap June 26 aboard USS
Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) has been listed as deceased.
Marine Capt. Franklin R. Hooks II, 32, of Dade City, Fla., was
assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 115, Marine
Aircraft Group 31, which was conducting flight operations off
Truman in the eastern Atlantic Ocean approximately 60 miles south
of the Azores. Search and recovery efforts for Hooks were
unsuccessful.
The world continues to be a hazardous place in which to fly...
as evidenced by the tragic loss of a United Nations Mi-8 helicopter
(file photo, below) over Sierra Leone. All 24 people...
peacekeepers, civilians, aid workers and crew were
reported lost. The aircraft was crewed by Russian pilots and no
immediate cause was announced by UN officials.
A group of UH-60 Blackhawk pilots from the Army’s 4th
Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment flew aboard four Navy ships in
the Gulf of Alaska June 4-5 to practice their shipboard landing
skills. After coming aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake
Champlain (CG 57), battalion commander Army Lt. Col. Randy Rotte
said landing on ships is “high adventure” for the Army
helicopters pilots.
Note: While normally not a newsworthy event,
VX-9... formerly VX-4, was pivotal to the success of many of
today's naval aircraft including the F-18 and the F-14 with the
Pheonix launch system. Furthermore, many of the most famously
painted aircraft belonged to VX-4....
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