Milestone Reached During Change Of Command Ceremony May 31

Training Air Wing TWO (TW-2) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville marked its 700,000th training hour in the T-45 'Goshawk' aircraft May 31. They reached the milestone during an in-flight change of command ceremony for the VT-22 Reserve Squadron (VT-22R), with Marine Lt. Col. Barry Dowell turning over command of the squadron to Navy Cmdr. Gary Huss.

"Recording this milestone just happened to coincide with our Reserve Squadron change of command so we decided to combine the two events," said Training Air Wing TWO (TW-2) commander Capt. Joe Evans. "Reaching 700,000 flight hours has taken TW-2 a little over 20 years to accomplish," Evans added, "and, while I haven't looked this up in the record books, I believe that's more flight hours than any single aircraft that's been flown as a training aircraft for Navy and Marine Corps carrier aviator pilots."
 
Evans added that instructor pilots assigned to TW-2 have the serious responsibility of shaping the future of Naval Aviation, and the T-45 Goshawk will continue to play a key role. "We rely on the T-45 Goshawk to train nearly 150 student Naval Aviators every year," Evans added, "and that equates to 50 percent of the Navy and Marine jet/strike pilot production each year. The Goshawk has proven to be a very reliable training aircraft for the Navy."
 
Introduced to TW-2 in 1992 as a replacement for the T-2C 'Buckeye' and ultimately the TA-4J 'Skyhawk,' the T-45 is a stable and highly capable aircraft with an enviable safety record. As a cost-effective aircraft and overall training system, the Goshawk represents a trailblazing initiative in support of the goals of the Naval Aviation Enterprise to deliver the right readiness - at the right cost now, and in the future. To date, TW-2 has produced more than 2,700 Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation jet/strike carrier pilots in the Goshawk.
 
Dowell, a native of Lexington, KY, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1993. After completion of The Basic School, he entered flight training at NAS Pensacola, Fla. He earned his Wings of Gold at NAS Kingsville in 1997 and was selected to fly the AV-8B Harrier. In addition to several fleet assignments - including three deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dowell served two additional tours of duty at NAS Kingsville. From 2001 to 2003, he served as an instructor pilot with VT-21; from 2006 to 2008 he served as an instructor pilot and senior Marine with VT-22; and, from 2008 to 2009 he served as Training Air Wing TWO senior Marine and Operations Officer.

In September 2009, Dowell left active duty and rejoined VT-21 for Reserve duty as a flight instructor. He was also appointed to a civilian position on the Chief of Naval Air Training and TW-2 staffs as the Task Group Tactical (TGTAC) production director.
 
Huss is a native of Kenosha, WI. He earned his commission through the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995. He reported to NAS Pensacola, FL, in 1996 to begin flight training. He earned his Wings of Gold in March 1999 at NAS Kingsville and was selected to fly the F-14 'Tomcat.' While assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of Fighter Squadron (VF) 103, Huss completed two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf as part of Carrier Air Wing 17 embarked aboard USS George Washington (CVN-73). During these deployments, Huss flow contingency operations and combat air patrols enforcing the "No Fly Zone" over Southern Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch, and on-call close air support operations over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
 
Huss returned to NAS Kingsville in 2003 as a flight instructor with VT-22. He left the active Navy component in 2006 and transferred directly into the Reserve component with the squadron. In addition to his new role as commanding officer of VT-22 Reserve, Huss serves as a first officer for United Airlines flying the Boeing 737 out of George H. W. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

(U.S. Navy images from file)

FMI: www.navy.mil/local/nask