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.
(Aero-News salutes Journalist 2nd Class Christopher
Gethings, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs)