End Of An Aviation Era

Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 returned home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana on Halloween from a five-month Western Pacific deployment with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).

As part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14, the squadron became the last to fly F-14 Tomcats over the skies of the Pacific Fleet.

"Over 30 years, it's been performing an essential mission for the fleet," said Cmdr. Aaron Cudnohufsky, VF-31's commanding officer. "It's been the backbone, the workhorse of the fleet, and it continued that tradition right up to the last day on the West Coast. We'll continue it here on the East Coast."

When NAS Miramar (CA). was transferred to the Marine Corps several years ago, all of the West Coast squadrons were moved to NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach (VA). Since then, California and Washington-based carriers have deployed with Virginia-based Tomcats.

VF-31 will now join the other F-14 squadrons still in commission at NAS Oceana to continue operating in the Atlantic Fleet until the aircraft retires from the Navy in 2006 after more than 30 years of service.

Before the final Tomcats can be laid to rest, the pilots need to be retrained to fly the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The East Coast's fleet replacement squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, started training its instructor pilots in October.

"We'll train ourselves for a little bit," said Capt. Steve Brennon, VFA-106's commanding officer, "we'll grow our own instructors. We got 12 crews coming out from Lemoore...and they will help us train ourselves through about this fall until we start training students in January."

Rear Adm. Denby Starling, commander of Naval Air Force, US Atlantic Fleet, was in the Navy before the F-14 era began.

"The F-14's been a great airplane and it's done a great job; and the F/A-18, and now the Super Hornet, followed up with the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) - better airplanes, more capability; and Oceana will still be here flying."

(ANN salutes Journalist 1st Class Donald P. Rule, Naval Media Center Fleet Support Detachment, Norfolk)

FMI: www.news.navy.mil/local/nmcnorfolk