Lone Star Flyer- October 2023

In This Issue...

LEADERSHIP

The NASJRBFTW Lone Star Flyer is an authorized monthly publication for members of the DoD. Contents within the newsletter are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the DoD, or the U.S. Navy. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Commanding Officer, NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas. Questions and concerns may be directed to the installation public affairs office at 817-782-7815 or FTWO.PAO@navy.mil

The Lone Star Flyer features base-wide news, announcements, upcoming MWR events and more. The Lone Star Flyer is open to submissions which can be sent directly to FTWO.PAO@navy.mil by Thursday of the last full week of the month. Include “FOR NEWSLETTER” in subject line. Be clear and concise, but include as much relevant details as possible: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY or HOW. Submissions may include photos, flyers, graphics, text, etc... DO NOT submit unverified information. DO NOT include personal emails, numbers or PII on any flyers or graphics.

CAPT Mark McLean Commanding Officer

CDR Clayton Johnson Executive Officer

CDR Aaron Johnson Chief Staff Officer

YNCM(AW/EXW) Natasha Livingston Command Senior Enlisted Leader

Ms. Sandy Owens Public Affairs Officer

LONE STAR FLYER STAFF

MC2(SW) Kay Richards Editor & Content Creator

VMFA-112 Pilots Locate

Crashed Aircraft

Two pilots with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112) successfully located a downed aircraft that led emergency response personnel to provide medical assistance to the injured. The incident unfolded on Sept. 23, 2023, near El Dorado, Arkansas.

VMFA-112 F/A-18 pilots, LtCol

Christopher Baker and Maj Robert Lundgren were traveling from a memorial in Beaufort, South Carolina for LtCol Andrew “Simple Jack” Mettler when they heard another pilot on the same frequency in distress.

“When we checked in with Fort Worth Center on our newly assigned frequency, we heard, ‘pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan, I have a rough running engine, I need the nearest airport.’ Initially, we were just listening unaware of the aircraft’s location,” said Baker. “In a matter of seconds, the pilot came on the radio, and said ‘mayday, mayday, mayday, we aren’t going to make it, we lost our engine.’” The civilian aircraft with engine failure was flown by pilot John Wise who was assisting plane owner Jim King to their destination in Oklahoma. Once it was apparent the aircraft was not going to

make it, Wise requested that someone fly over them, and that is when Fort Worth Center asked Baker and Lundgren to help.

“They were about 60 miles from us, I was able to find his ADS-B track on my tablet, we turned toward them and went as fast as we could. As we got close, he stopped responding to Fort Worth Center, and we could hear the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) going off,” said Baker. “We notified Fort Worth Center of the ELT, and we were fairly certain at that point he didn’t make it to the airfield. We flew over the field to verify, then asked Center for their last known radar hits. I started looking for areas where he could’ve landed and saw what looked like an aircraft in a clear cut in the woods. Within about one minute of their crash, I told Center I think I see him, let me confirm. As I got closer, I could see the aircraft, then went down low to confirm the condition of the pilots. When I flew over the top of them, I could see two people standing on the wing waving.”

Remarkably, they discovered the two souls on top of the aircraft who

U.S. Navy Story & Photos by Sandy Owens

had managed to survive the impact. Falling back on their training, the pilots generated a GPS coordinate and relayed the location back to Fort Worth Center.

“LtCol Baker and I didn’t plan on executing a search for a downed aircraft that day, but due to our training we instinctively knew how to execute a search to coordinate their location. Once he [Baker] located him, I remained up high to act as a radio relay with Fort Worth Center and flew over to mark their position. Thanks to our shared training, we were able to work together to get the coordinates back to Fort Worth Center quickly, which ultimately led to the first responders being able to find them,” said Lundgren. “It’s a terrible situation when you hear something like that happening

over the radio, and it was amazing to offer assistance to get emergency services out to them as quickly as possible. We were relieved that their injuries weren’t worse.”

In a call with the pilot who was rescued, he shared his appreciation for the pilots who found him. “Seeing the aircraft fly over was like being in a movie where the Marines save the day. You just can’t imagine the feeling. We were in a remote logging area that wasn’t easy to get to. I am just so thankful,” said Wise.

Baker and Lundgren combined have more than 33 years of F-18 flight experience in the Marine Corps.

R O U N D T H E B A S E

Above: Ombudsman Appreciation Day onboard NAS JRB Fort Worth. U.S. Navy Photo by Sandy Owens

Right: Chief Selects participate in the Chief Petty Officer Pride Run onboard NAS JRB Fort Worth. U.S. Navy Photos by Sandy Owens

Above & Right: CDR Dunston, former XO of NAS JRB Fort Worth, retires. U.S. Navy Photos by MC2(SW) Kay Richards

A R O U N D T H E B A S E

Left: CAPT McLean signs the 2023 Navy Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation. Photo by MC2(SW) Kay Richards

Right: Newly pinned Chief Petty Officers. Photo by MC2 Kay Richards

Above & Left: First responders participate in a training drill. U.S. Navy Photos by MC2(SW) Kay Richards

Bells Toll at NAS JRB Fort Worth

To honor those who died while on active duty.

U.S. Navy Photos by MC2 Kay Richards

NAS JRB Fort Worth School Liaison Honored for Granbury ISD Purple Star Achievement

School Liaison Heather Jaynes from Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth was honored on Sept. 18, for her efforts in helping all ten schools within Granbury Independent School District (ISD) attain the Purple Star Designation. The Purple Star Designation is awarded to schools that provide outstanding support to militaryconnected students and their families.

Jaynes, a champion for military-connected students, expressed her gratitude for the recognition.

“It has truly been a remarkable privilege to collaborate with such an extraordinary team of dedicated professionals, all of whom share an unwavering commitment to serve our military children and families. I am genuinely appreciative of this enriching experience,” she said.

The Purple Star Designation not only acknowledges Jaynes' dedication but also highlights Granbury ISD's commitment to supporting militaryconnected students. Assistant Superintendent Tammy Clark commended Jaynes for her efforts.

“Heather was critical in reviewing/ analyzing what we had in place, brainstorming ideas for connecting and celebrating our military connected families for our campuses, and even for training some of our campuses on the unique challenges and needs they have,” said Clark. “She was available to idea share and give constructive feedback for us to make our plans as complete as possible.”

This achievement was the result of the collaborative efforts between NAS JRB

Fort Worth, Granbury ISD, and key community stakeholders. Acton Middle School Campus Liaison Tiffany Biggs acknowledged the importance of the collaboration.

“Heather was an integral part of the district's success in achieving the Purple Star Distinction. She provided many resources and websites with ideas on how to support and celebrate our military connected families,” said Biggs. “She also helped connect schools with guest speakers from the military base, and provided staff with professional development over the challenges military connected students can face. We couldn't have achieved this distinction without her guidance.”

Jaynes' recognition showcases her dedication and passion to providing exceptional support to military-connected students. Granbury ISD's achievement in receiving the ten Purple Star Designations highlights their commitment to nurturing an environment that ensures the academic and personal success of all militaryconnected students.

U.S. Navy Story & Photos by Sandy Owens

Oktoberfest

Courtesy Photos by MWr

301st patriot games

the 301st Fighter Wing hosted the seCond annual Patriot gaMes sePt. 10. the Patriot gaMes Was a Fun-Filled, Morale event held by the resilienCy training CoMMittee. the day gave reserve Citizen airMen the ChanCe to reFleCt, shoW unit Pride and sPend the day With their WingMen. (u.s. air ForCe Photos by sra WilliaM doWns)

Training Air Wing 2 lands at NAS JRB

Fort Worth

Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth served as a detachment training site for Training Air Wing 2 (TW-2), from Sept. 5-Sept. 30. The training included 40 student jet pilots, 20 instructor pilots, and 10 T-45C Goshawk aircraft.

The impetus behind the training detachment are to avoid the seasonal bird migrations in Kingsville, Texas that often disrupt training opportunities and the use of NAS JRB Fort Worth’s newly acquired Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (IFLOLS). Lieutenant Joseph Jackson, an instructor pilot with TW-2, shared his experience with the detachment.

“We are testing out Fort Worth as a detachment base, to see if it can be used for our training during the Fall and Spring due to heavy bird migrations in Kingsville,” said Jackson. “The influx of birds becomes such a challenge that we are often unable to fly. Our hope is to mitigate the disruption caused by the birds by supplementing our operations with flights here.”

TW-2’s mission is to prepare jet pipeline Student Naval Aviators for subsequent operational and combat instruction. The T-45C aircraft is used to teach basic tactics such as weapons delivery, close formation flying, air combat maneuvering, and carrier qualification.

“The detachment has been going really well, we have not had any issues. Working with the Air Force and Marines within the air space has been really smooth,” said Jackson. “Our focus right now is fundamental training activities, including takeoffs, landings, aerobatics, and formation flying. A big focus is Fuel Carrier Landing Practice, which is critical for us getting ready to go to the aircraft carrier. In order for us to practice this we have to have the IFLOLS, which there are very few that exist in the Navy, so it’s a big deal that NAS JRB Fort Worth has one.”

During a visit to NAS JRB Fort Worth on Sept. 18, RDML Richard Brophy, Chief of Naval Air Training, emphasized the importance of the IFLOLS in the training of jet Naval Aviators.

“IFLOLS is a critical system that is essential for every tailhook Naval Aviator to master. The availability of a shore based system at NAS JRB Fort Worth provides our training air wings with an opportunity to pursue elevated training for Student Naval Aviators prior to their initial qualification at sea,” said Brophy. “NAS JRB Fort Worth is an ideal location that offers flexibility and reduced risk from bird strike. We are looking forward to the training progress that we will complete here in the coming weeks.”

Coordinating the detachment from NAS JRB Fort Worth was LCDR William Husky, Operations Officer. As a result of this training detachment, Air Traffic Controllers on the installation were able to obtain qualification hours and Transient Line personnel were given hands-on experience setting up the IFLOLS.

“Hosting TW-2 has been a great opportunity for Air Traffic Controllers and Transient Line personnel to receive training. Our Air Traffic Controllers have been able to accumulate qualification hours, and our Transient Line personnel have been able to refine their skills in setting up the IFLOLS,” said Husky. “This experience is contributing to their future success in supporting aviation operations here on the installation and beyond.”

U.S. Navy photos by Carl Richards

U.S. Navy Story by Sandy Owens

School age care emergency preparedness fair

U.S. Navy Photos by Sandy Owens