Rotor Review Fall 2019 #146

Fall 2019 Number 146

Search

and

Rescue

Also in this issue:

Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In and NHA Join-Up Mentoring: What Matters Most?

Arming the MH-60R/S for Future Threats Attacking with an Eight Day Clock and a Wet Compass

In this Issue: Symposium 2019: Rotary Force Innovation and Integration New MAD Technology CRM US Coast Guard in Vietnam

Fall 2019 Number 146

Search

and

Rescue

Also in this issue:

Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In and NHA Join-Up Mentoring: What Matters Most?

Arming the MH-60R/S for Future Threats Attacking with an Eight Day Clock and a Wet Compass

In this Issue: Symposium 2019: Rotary Force Innovation and Integration New MAD Technology CRM US Coast Guard in Vietnam

Welcome Aboard Admiral Gilday!

Our New Chief of Naval Operations

FOCUS: SAR

Fall 2019 ISSUE 146

Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Zachary Moore, USN jumps from a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to HSM-74. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nick A. Grim, USN. Rotor Review (ISSN: 1085-9683) is published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. (NHA), a California nonprofit 501(c)(6) corporation. NHA is located in Building 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA 92135. Views expressed in Rotor Review are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of NHA or United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Rotor Review is printed in the USA. Periodical rate postage is paid at San Diego, CA. Subscription to Rotor Review is included in the NHA or corporate membership fee. A current corporation annual report, prepared in accordance with Section 8321 of the California Corporation Code, is available on the NHA website at www.navalhelicopterassn.org.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Naval Helicopter Association, P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

Rotor Review supports the goals of the association, provides a forum for discussion and exchange of information on topics of interest to the rotary wing community and keeps membership informed of NHA activities . As necessary, the President of NHA will provide guidance to the Rotor Review Editorial Board to ensure the Rotor Review content continues to support this statement of policy as the Naval Helicopter Association adjusts to the expanding and evolving Rotary Wing and Tilt Rotor Communities.

Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

Operating in EMCON Environments ....................................................................................24 LT Jordan Riley, USN HSC-25 Provides Urgent MEDEVAC of Chinese Mariners at Sea .................................26 Amphibious Force 7th Fleet Public Affairs Office Navy Air Station Fallon SAR Rescues Donner Summit Rock Climber ..........................28 MC1 Larry S. Carlson, USN Knights of the Islands ................................................................................................................29 Chief Joaquin Gonzalez, USN and LT Audrey Petersen, USN Carrier Strike Group Nine Saves the Life of a Fellow Sailor ...........................................31 LT Marc "ToT" Rintz, USN Black Knight Aircrew SAR ........................................................................................................33 LTJG Grady Weber, USN HSC-26 MEDEVAC ....................................................................................................................33 AWS2 Zachary Santos, USN MEDEVAC for a Submariner.....................................................................................................34 LT Andrew "Mumbles" Bush, USN and LT John "Pocahontas" Smith, USN The Grandmasters' SOLAS AWR2 Jason Seiler, USN ..............................................................................................................35 First Light .....................................................................................................................................36 LT Zach Gross, USCG Hurricane Harvey .......................................................................................................................38 LT Gregory W. Bukata, USCG Looking Back on Hurricane Harvey ......................................................................................41 AWS2 Daniel Harlow, USN Hawaii Oh-No! ...........................................................................................................................42 LT John "Brick" Fritts, USN

FEATURES

Mentoring – What Matters Most? .......................................................................................42 RDML Alvin “Bull” Holsey, USN The Case for the ATAS: Arming MH-60 R/S for Future Threats ..................................46 LT Matthew "Cheeky" Bernard, USN Frigate about It .........................................................................................................................50 LTJG Thomas Standford, USN

©2019 Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., all rights reserved 2

HISTORY Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief LT Shelby Gillis, USN shelby.gillis@navy.mil Managing Editor Allyson Darroch loged@navalhelicopterassn.org SAR / CSAR History

Was It a Crazy Stunt? .......................................................................................66

CAPT Al Billings, USN (Ret.)

HS-14 Rescues 30 Vietnamese Refugees .......................................................69

CAPT Monte Squires, USN (Ret.) Helicopter Firsts

The Truth is Sometimes Better than the Sea Story ...................................70

CAPT Steve Bury, USN (Ret.)

Rescue in a Cemetery ......................................................................................72

CAPT William C.Vivian, USN (Ret.)

DEPARTMENTS

Chairman’s Brief ....................................................................................................................6 In Review ...............................................................................................................................8 Letters to the Editors .........................................................................................................9 From the Organization .....................................................................................................10 In the Community ..............................................................................................................12 Industry and Technology ...................................................................................................18

Thermal Engines vs. Electric Motors Useful Information ..............................................................................................................21 Attacking with an Eight-Day Clock and a Wet Compass .....................................52

Awfully Slow Warfare - LCDR Tom Phillips, USN (Ret.) Radio Check .........................................................................................................................54 Change of Command ..........................................................................................................58

Copy Editors CDR John Ball, USN (Ret.) helopapa71@gmail.com LT Adam Schmidt, USN adam.c.schmidt@navy.mil CAPT Jill Votaw, USNR (Ret.) jvotaw@san.rr.com Aircrew Editor AWS1 Adrian Jarrin, USN mrjarrin.a@gmail.com HSC Editors LT Edward McCarthy, USN (HSC West) edward.j.mccarthy1@navy.mil LT Sam Calaway, USN (HSC East) samuel.j.calaway@navy.mil HSM Editors LT Chris Campbell, USN christopher.m.campbe@navy.mil LT Nick Oberkrom, USN nicholas.r.oberkrom@navy.mil USMC Editor Capt Jeff Snell, USMC jeffrey.p.snell@usmc.mil

Pulling Chocks ......................................................................................................................73

The Shark Puncher - LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

True Story .............................................................................................................................74

SAR Insurance and the "No Pick Up List" - LCDR Tom Phillips, USN (Ret.)

USCG Editors LT Marco Tinari, USCG marco.m.tinari@uscg.mil LT Doug Eberly, USCG douglas.a.eberly@uscg.mil

Off Duty .................................................................................................................................80

Hitler's Heroine, Hanna Reitsch by Sophie Jackson

Scramble the Seawolves - the Documentary

NHA Photographer Raymond Rivard

Around the Regions ............................................................................................................82 Command Updates .............................................................................................................84 Engaging Rotors ...................................................................................................................90 Signal Charlie ........................................................................................................................92

Technical Advisor LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.) chipplug@hotmail.com Historian CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret.) skrzypek@yahoo.com

Navy Helicopter Association Founders CAPT A.E. Monahan, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mark R. Starr, USN (Ret.) CAPT A.F. Emig, USN (Ret.) Mr. H. Nachlin CDR H.F. McLinden, USN (Ret.) CDR W. Straight, USN (Ret.) CDR P.W. Nicholas, USN (Ret.) CDR D.J. Hayes, USN (Ret.) CAPT C.B. Smiley, USN (Ret.) CAPT J.M. Purtell, USN (Ret.) CDR H.V. Pepper, USN (Ret.)

Editors Emeriti Wayne Jensen - John Ball - John Driver Sean Laughlin - Andy Quiett - Mike Curtis Susan Fink - Bill Chase - Tracey Keefe Maureen Palmerino - Bryan Buljat - Gabe Soltero Todd Vorenkamp - Steve Bury - Clay Shane Kristin Ohleger - Scott Lippincott - Allison Fletcher Ash Preston - Emily Lapp - Mallory Decker Caleb Levee - Shane Brenner Historians Emeriti CAPT Vincent Secades,USN (Ret.) CDR Lloyd Parthemer,USN (Ret.)

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Our thanks to our Corporate members.

Your support keeps our rotors turning.

Gold Supporter

Executive Patrons

Premium Sponsors

Corporate Members

Rotor Review #146 Fall ‘19

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Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578 (619) 435-7139 - www.navalhelicopterassn.org National Officers

Regional Officers

President..............................................CAPT Ed Weiler, USN Vice President ...............................CDR Brian Holmes, USN Executive Director...............CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) Member Services..........................................Ms. Leia Brune Business Development.............................Mrs. Linda Vydra Managing Editor, Rotor Review .......Ms. Allyson Darroch Retired / Reunion Mgr. ...CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) Legal Advisor ..............CDR George Hurley, Jr., USN (Ret.) VP Corp. Membership .......CAPT Brad Garber, USN (Ret.) VP Awards ............................................CDR Rick Haley USN VP Membership ...........................CDR Michael Short, USN VP Symposium 2019.....................CAPT Kevin Zayac, USN Secretary.............................................LT Matt Wellens, USN Treasurer ..........................................LT Kevin Holland, USN NHA Stuff..........................................LT Ben Von Forell, USN Senior HSM Advisor.............AWRCM Nathan Hickey, USN Senior HSC Advisor ......AWSCM Darren Hauptman, USN

Region 1 - San Diego Directors ..............................CAPT Matt Schnappauf, USN CAPT Ryan Carron, USN CAPT Billy Maske, USN President ...….................................CDR Dave Ayotte, USN Region 2 - Washington D.C. Directors ....……...……...............CAPT Kevin Kropp, USN Col. Paul Croisetiere, USMC (Ret.) Presidents ..............................CDR Justin McCaffree, USN CDR Pat Jeck, USN (Ret.) Region 3 - Jacksonville Director ...................................CAPT Michael Weaver, USN President ...............................CAPT Teague Laguens, USN Region 4 - Norfolk Director .......................................CAPT Shawn Bailey, USN President .......................................CAPT Kevin Zayac, USN

Directors at Large

Chairman.........................RADM Patrick McGrath, USN (Ret.) CAPT Gene Ager, USN (Ret.) CAPT Chuck Deitchman, USN (Ret.) CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret.) CAPT Tony Dzielski, USN (Ret.) CAPT Greg Hoffman, USN (Ret.) CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mario Misfud, USN (Ret.) CDR Derek Fry, USN (Ret.) LT Dave Kehoe, USN

AWRCM Nathan Hickey, USN

Region 5 - Pensacola Director ...........................................CAPT Doug Rosa, USN President ........................................CDR Lena Kaman, USN 2019 Fleet Fly-In Coordinator...LT Christina Carpio, USN Region 6 - OCONUS Director..................................CDR Dennis Malzacher, USN President...........................................CDR Justin Banz, USN

NHA Historical Society

Junior Officers Council

President............................CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) Secretary .............................CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret.) Treasurer.........................................................Mr. Joe Peluso S.D. Air & Space Museum...CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) USS Midway Museum....CWO4 Mike Manley, USN (Ret.) Webmaster........................CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.)

President ..............................................LT Dave Kehoe, USN Vice President.................................LT Arlen Connolly, USN Region 1 .......................................LT Morgan Quarles, USN Region 2 ............................................LT Ryan Wielgus, USN Region 3 .........................................LT Michelle Sousa, USN Region 4 ..........................................LT Tony Chitwood, USN Region 5 ........................................LT Christina Carpio, USN Region 6 .....................................................................VACANT

NHAHS Board of Directors

CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mike Reber, USN (Ret.) CDR John Ball, USN (Ret.) CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.)

NHA Scholarship Fund

President ....................................CDR Derek Fry, USN (Ret.) Executive V.P. ..........CAPT Kevin “Bud” Couch, USN (Ret.) VP Operations ...........................................................VACANT VP Fundraising ......................CDR Juan Mullin, USN (Ret.) VP Scholarships ........................................................VACANT VP CFC Merit Scholarship ....LT Caleb Derrington, USN Treasurer .........................................................Jim Rosenberg Corresponding Secretary......................LT Kory Perez, USN Finance/Investment ...........CDR Kron Littleton, USN (Ret.) 5

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Chairman’s Brief My Charlie Story

By RADM Pat McGrath, USN (Ret.)

O

ne of the reasons I was so pleased when I was asked if I would serve as the Board Chairman for NHA is the thought that it gives me an opportunity to connect my past career as a Navy helicopter pilot with the new generation of helicopter aviators. I retired in 2012 and had spent a few years away from the waterfront. This past six months reconnecting with NHA and the young aviators, aircrew, and maintainers was proof enough that the future of Naval helicopter aviation is in good hands and is certainly bright. instructor in HSL-41 and another sea tour as an OIC in HSL-45.

Although I now had 1000 hours as an SF-2F pilot, I also had 1000 in SH-60B. I had been a Kaman guy, but I was also a Sikorsky guy. I went to Kaman to pick up the newest SH-2G Seasprite from the Kaman factory, accept it on behalf of the Navy, and fly it from Connecticut to San Diego.

What I did not realize is how much re-engaging with NHA would bring my thoughts to my past. I spent my afternoon yesterday with the Magicians of HSM-35. It certainly was a homecoming for me. I checked into HSL-35 in November, 1981 and served three years with the squadron. I went to the squadron wanting to see the future and ran into my past. I served with many fine officers in HSL-35, including LTs Mark Storch and Kenny Ireland. I learned yesterday that both of my squadron mates have children that are now serving as Magicians.

We were told the aircraft would be ready in the afternoon. We arrived early that morning because we knew there would be a lot of paperwork to sign.

We were sent to a hangar and told to wait in an area adjacent to an office that resembled maintenance control in every squadron you ever visited. There we sat and waited. We had some time to kill, so we all took a walk around the hangar. Although the area looked very much like a series of hangars, it also resembled a campus. Lots of people walking around. Many of them were walking with German Shepherds.

My time at HSM-35 reminded me of my years as a new aviator. Learning the aircraft and the systems, finding my way as a young officer and negotiating a new career. I was learning how to fly and fight the mighty SH-2F Seasprite, a helicopter made by Kaman Corporation. It was a light, nimble, and very versatile helicopter that was well-suited to life aboard Navy frigates and destroyers. Like every aviator with their first fleet aircraft, I learned its strengths and weaknesses and eventually learned to love it.

We went back to our waiting room and waited for the helicopter to be released. A couple of hours later, the best-looking German Shepherd I ever saw walked into our waiting room. The dog was trailed by an elderly (seventies) gentleman. The gent asked us how we were doing and asked if we needed anything. We told him we were good. He spent the next thirty minutes quizzing us on our life stories. He was very interested in our background, our time in the Navy and our thoughts on the SH-2F. He made us all feel as if our personal stories could not have been more interesting and more important to him.

I spent a lot of time in the squadron asking the leadership questions, hoping to cull any knowledge that would make me a better pilot and officer. They were all very proud of flying a Kaman product, and I began to sense a current theme. When I would ask about the aircraft and its history, the ancient officers (LCDR’s) I was questioning would often ask me, “Have you met Charlie?” When I would respond with a quizzical look, they would nod at each other and act as if they were part of a secret club that I could not possibly understand because I had not met this mythical “Charlie” character. This was the time before the internet, and Googling a name did not exist. Although I often tried to pry the secrets of their “Charlie” stories from many of my department heads, I finished my first sea tour and left the squadron.

I asked him about the German Shepherds that we saw that day. He told me that he was a long-time aficionado of the breed. He related that he had many, many Shepherds that suffered from a congenital hip disease. He decided to search through the breed history to develop a strain of German Shepherds that did not suffer from the disease. He was so very successful that he suddenly had a surplus of superior German Shepherds. He and his wife had taken the dogs and

Twelve years later, I had just arrived at the Kaman Helicopter factory in Connecticut to pick up a brandnew SH-2G Seasprite. I was now a reserve pilot in HSL84. I had completed a tour in HSL-84, then served as an

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Charlie stayed with us until after I signed for the aircraft and was ready to depart. He shook my hand and told me it was a pleasure to have been able to spend time with us. The pleasure was all mine and the rest of our crew. We had the opportunity to spend three hours with a giant of aviation history. He was humble, courteous, and he made us feel as if it made his day to just be able to speak with us. Now I knew why the senior officers in my squadron would talk about “Charlie” with a knowing glance and a sense of pride.

created a training center for his dogs to service the blind.

That is what we had witnessed all around the “campus” earlier that day.

I noticed a copy of a Time magazine cover in a frame on the wall. The gent we were chatting with was on the cover. He was standing in front of an SH-2F. He had a German Shepherd at his side and a guitar in his hand. I asked Charlie Kaman what was the story with the guitar on the magazine cover? He told me that he loved to play guitar as a kid, but he could not find an acoustic guitar that had the sound he liked as an adult.

As a result, he decided to start Ovation Guitar. It had been the same with helicopters – he had some new ideas for helicopter aviation when he worked as an engineer for Sikorsky. At twenty-six years old, he decided to go off on his own and start his own company. I was about to accept his latest aircraft into the U.S. Navy fleet.

I finished my career as a Kaman and a Sikorsky guy. My very last flight as a Naval Aviator was in the HH-60 with HSC-85. I am happy to say I have flown Bravo, Foxtrot, Hotel, Romeo and Sierra. One of my favorite flights of all time was my last spin in an SH-2G with the New Zealand Navy in 2012. We flew around Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. I think Charlie would have loved to have been with us. It would have made a great Charlie story!

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In Review My Hat Is Off to You!

By LT Shelby “Conch” Gillis, USN

My dearest NHA readers,

T

hank you so much for taking the time to sit down and thumb through these pages. The staff and authors have worked hard to provide you with a look into the Search and Rescue side to our jobs, and all of the wonderful work that squadrons are doing both at home and abroad. I learned so much from the stories within these bindings, and my hat is off to everyone that was involved in the stories contained here. Your unwavering professionalism, heroism, and willingness to face tough situations, is what kept and continues to keep people safe when times get rough.

On a separate note, Fleet Fly-In is right around the corner and the events sound like they are shaping up to be a great community reunion in Pensacola. I hope that everyone available that week is able to make it to the Gulf Coast for a wonderful time. Enjoy the moments influencing young aviators and aircrewmen, reminiscing with old friends, and exploring Pensacola beach and Flora-Bama!

Until next edition my rotary-wing friends!

-LT Shelby Gillis=

NEXT RADIO CHECK QUESTION “If you could tell your command to spend their 7F funds on anything for the squadron, what would it be and why?” Send your answer to shelby.gillis@navy.mil or loged@ navalhelicopterassn.org. If requested, your replies can be anonymous.

2019-2020 Theme, Submission Deadlines and Publishing Dates

Issue Submissions Deadline / Publication SAR -Fall 2019 (#146) .............................................................August 18 / October 10, 2019 The Minesweeping Mission- Winter 2020 (#147) ...............November 18 / January 10, 2020 Vertical Lift Arriving - Spring 2020 (#148) ....................................March 10 / April 30, 2020 Staying or Going: the Retention Issue- Summer 2020 (#149) ........June 14 / August 14 2020

All submissions can be sent to your community editor via email or to Rotor Review by email at loged@navalhelicopterassn.org or mail Naval Helicopter Association, Attn: Rotor Review P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578

Articles and news items are welcomed from NHA’s general membership and corporate associates. Articles should be of general interest to the readership and geared toward current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard affairs, technical advances in the helicopter industry or of historical interest. Humorous articles are encouraged.

Rotor Review Submission Guidelines 1. Articles: MS Word documents for text. Do not embed your images within the document. Send as a separate attachment.

2. Photos and Vector Images: Should be as high a resolution as possible and sent as a separate file from the article. Please include a suggested caption that has the following information: date, names, ranks or titles, location and credit the photographer or source of your image.

3. Videos: Must be in a mp4, mov, wmv or avi format.

• With your submission, please include the title and caption of all media, photographer’s name, command and the length of the video.

• Verify the media does not display any classified information.

• Ensure all maneuvers comply with NATOPS procedures.

• All submissions shall be tasteful and in keeping with good order and discipline.

• All submissions should portray the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and individual units in a positive light.

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Letters to the Editors It is always great to hear from the members of NHA. We need your input to ensure that Rotor Review keeps you informed, connected and entertained. We strive to provide a product that meets the demand. We maintain many open channels to contact the magazine staff for feedback, suggestions, praise, complaints or publishing corrections. Your anonymity is respected and please advise us if you do not wish to have your input published in the magazine. Post comments on the NHA Facebook page or send an email to the Editor in Chief; shelby.gillis@navy.mil or the Managing Editor; loged@navalhelicopterassn.org. You can use snail mail too. Rotor Review’s mailing address is: Letters to the Editor c/o Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

From: LCDR Tom Phillips, USN (Ret.) To Editor, Rotor Review

CVN-79 to become USS John F. Kennedy. Really? Why?

USS John F. Kennedy is the ONLY US full size carrier in our history to not participate in ANY United States war. Stalwart battle-tested warriors have been passed over. Why CVN-79 Kennedy?

From our first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1) to our last before the Nimitz class, USS America (CV-67), we have had 55 fleet or light carriers commissioned (some cancelled or built and not commissioned sucked up the 12 missing numbers).

Of our first eight carriers, all were followed with another aircraft carrier named for them in various succeeding classes. Of our 24 Essex classes, the carriers which arguably won the war, four have been enshrined as museums. However, not one name has been perpetuated as an aircraft carrier, eleven names have been perpetuated as cruisers or amphibious assault ships of LHA or LHD types, and seven have had no succeeding ship named to continue the line.

The most worthy of all those has to be USS Bonhomme Richard, the only carrier to serve in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Other notable ships include USS Ticonderoga, which has five battle stars from World War II and five deployments to Vietnam, and USS Hancock, which has four battle stars from World War II, and a record EIGHT deployments to Vietnam, and USS Oriskany, which has two battle stars from Korea and SEVEN deployments to Vietnam.

We also had nine combat veteran light carriers of World War II vintage, most with nine to twelve battle stars, only two of which has been perpetuated with another carrier named for her (USS Independence (CV-62), and USS Princeton (CV-37).

Six other have been honored with cruisers or amphibious assault ships named for them.

We have a three-ship Midway class, with USS Midway a Museum, but USS Coral Sea (CV-43), with SEVEN deployments to Vietnam not being perpetuated. Nor FDR (CV-42) a LANTFLEET carrier which made one deployment to Vietnam at least. The only one of the four Forrestal-class carriers, USS Independence (CV-62), with one Vietnam deployment, has her name assigned to an LCS, which will be the sixth ship proudly bearing that name (that's good), but USS Ranger (CV-61), the seventh US Navy ship named Ranger, which had seven deployments to Vietnam, has no such continuation.

The sixth Ranger was the first US Navy aircraft carrier built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier, and the first was commanded by a sailor named John Paul Jones. Of the four ships of the Kitty Hawk class, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) made six deployments to Vietnam, USS Constellation (CV-64) made seven, and USS America (CV-67) made three, while USS John F. Kennedy (CV-66) made none.

Happily, we mostly avoided people names for aircraft carriers for the first 65 hull numbers, (going with battles and early Navy ships of distinction) except the light carrier USS Wright, the Essex Class USS Hancock, USS Franklin, and USS Randolph, the Midway class USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and USS Forrestal. We started naming subsequent Nimitz class carriers after politicians. Notwithstanding that really bad idea, how can we perpetuate the name of the only US Navy attack aircraft carrier to never make a single deployment to Vietnam while the rest of our attack carriers averaged more than four? In fact, USS John F. Kennedy is the only US full size carrier to not participate in any United States war. Is JFK then more preferable than stalwart warriors like Ticonderoga, Hancock, Oriskany, Coral Sea, Ranger, Kitty Hawk, Constellation? Is this another example where we are allowing our heritage to be diminished by politics?

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From the Organization Executive Director’s View from Pri-Fly

By CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) In the Tower In my opening column as the “new guy in the tower” in the Summer Issue of Rotor Review, I ended with … “At Symposium, I watched the execution result in a well-attended, fun, and positive gathering of uniformed personnel, civilian, and industry partners.

I took pride in seeing folks hang around well after the last event each day to socialize, laugh, reconnect, grab a liquid refreshment, roll some dice, play a few cards, talk smack, tell stories, and just be together. This is why we exist. Not a bad view from where I now sit – turning into the wind for new ways to raise the value proposition for becoming and staying a member of NHA!” Since then, I have reflected upon these words, wondering about the “why” and the “how” to generate more interest in joining, supporting, and staying a member of NHA? Our collective goal is to create a more personal experience within NHA that offers a richer connection with one another as the Rotary Force of the U.S. Navy – thus, strengthening the organization and ensuring its relevance and viability into the future.

NHA is a professional non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Rotary Wing Aviation. At its core, NHA is all about the people and the connections we make with one another.

The strong friendships made during our active and reserve duty are long lasting and enduring. Deciding to join, support, and stay only makes that connective tissue stronger within the organization. The earlier the commitment to join, the richer and more expansive the connections become over time. The decision to remain and support the organization makes the networking that much more powerful.

So, it makes sense to me to join NHA now and remain a lifetime member. Little did I know when I checked in with my good shipmate and incumbent NHA Executive Director (ED), Bill Personius, over Christmas last year that I would soon take the reigns from him as the new ED. I admit that being in the right place at the right time is a good thing but is hard to control. However, my lasting friendship with Bill and NHA connection enabled me to recognize the opportunity and accept it.

I submit that this is part of the value proposition for joining, supporting, and staying NHA. The world around us gets far smaller over time than we would ever admit or begin to comprehend. Though we live in a digital, social media enhanced world, the “who you know in life” makes a pivotal difference no matter what the circumstance. Life is a contact sport – joining and staying with Team NHA ensures that you remain on the roster and are available for any and all opportunities that life should present.

In my six years at Northrop Grumman (NG) as the Fire Scout Fleet Integration and Mission Engineering Lead prior to accepting this opportunity, I was able to influence three strategic hires of transitioning service members – all of whom came my way through personal networking and NOT through NG’s Human Resources.

My point is that camaraderie and professional networking ought to compel all of us to want to join and stay NHA. It is a smart investment whether you pursue a full career or just complete your initial contract. The connections you make over time will most assuredly open doors downstream when you least expect – whether in uniform or not.

As a result, the NHA Staff is working closely with the new Vice President of Membership, CDR Mike Short, to develop a Lifetime Membership Program that will entice active duty and reserve officer and enlisted personnel, retirees, and civilians to join the organization as Lifetime Members. Lifetime Membership provides long term stability and reduces administrative costs. More to follow in the coming months but this is a top priority for NHA and its membership!

Warm regards with high hopes, Jim Gillcrist.

P.S. Welcome aboard to our new National Vice President, CDR Brian Holmes. It is going to be great having him local to work with CAPT Ed Weiler, NHA’s National President, to lead and promote all that NHA is doing!

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National President's Message

By CAPT Ed "E-Dub" Weiler USN

there is a great team in place to move the needle.

Team NHA

I

am honored, humbled and excited to be your next National President at the Naval Helicopter Association! NHA has played a significant role in my professional development throughout my career.

I have served as the NHA National Secretary 15 years ago and as the Region One President in 2015. I am fortunate to have worked with/ learned from phenomenal past National Presidents (Captain Brent “Hollywood” Gaut, Commodore Opie, Bick, Babe Ruth, Weeman, & the Grinch) and many others and will continue to push the many efforts they have made over the years to make this organization better!

I look forward to working with our Chairman RADM McGrath, USN (Ret.), the Board of Directors, Executive Director CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.), an amazing NHA Staff (Allyson, Leia, Linda & Mike), the leaders of the Rotary Wing (RW) Communities (active and retired), and our Marine Corps and Coast Guard brethren throughout my tenure. I would be remiss if I did not mention Captain Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) who is a friend and mentor. He truly took this organization to the next level. I remember the days of wearing khakis to the Town and Country. Now, fast forward to 2019 when we gathered in Hawaiian Shirts at Viejas. Bottom line, many have come before us and

Across my RW career, I have flown three variants of the H-46D, (CH, UH and HH), both the SH-60F and HH-60H, as well as the MH-60S. I have been stationed in each of our Regions (1-6), lived in Pensacola, Norfolk, San Diego, Guam, Jacksonville and Washington D.C. This exposure gives me a clear understanding of each Region and how they relate to Symposium, GCFFI and overall communications with the NHA National Staff. I have deployed with our Marine Corps Team, flown ASW “triple dipper” TAC D&E with SH-60F/MH-60R(s) in AUTEC, worked with the mighty Raptors of HSM-71 in CVW-9, trained with our Coast Guard professionals, and served operationally with Big Iron during multiple disaster relief missions, not to mention a combat tour alongside the INCREDIBLE Active/Reserve Squadron, HSC-84. I currently serve as the Commanding Officer of HSC-3. I have previously commanded two operational squadrons (both Carrier @ HSC-14 and Expeditionary @ HSC-25) and am keenly aware of the unique challenges that Carrier and Expeditionary RW face. Bottom line, I WILL utilize my experiences across the Rotary Wing Communities to serve this great organization and ask/seek your assistance as we continue to grow.

Captain Brannon “Bick” Bickel set the bar exceptionally high. I truly appreciate all that he has done for NHA and his time spent with me during our turnover. Along with Vice President CDR Brian “Homie” Holmes, together we will make the most of next year to further demonstrate the value of the organization by ensuring each engagement provides Junior and Senior Officers along with our Enlisted Aircrew plenty of opportunity to grow professionally and personally.

There are many upcoming events throughout each of our Regions to enjoy and participate in. Region 5’is sponsoring the Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In and CDR Lena “Sparkleberry” Kaman and her Team have a great agenda in place. Besides the briefings and panels, it is an amazing opportunity to share sea stories with young and old, from shipboard landings with the new Nugget to the green ink entry of a division CLAW-ing through a microwave of operating zones to hit the target on time during a Direct Action, and even the emotion of flying a legacy airframe across the country to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB. There are so many experiences to share and just as many relationships to build. I cannot wait to embrace this incredible leadership opportunity within this fantastic organization!

All the best – Fly Safe! V/R, E-Dub

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In the Community A View from the Labs: Supporting the Fleet

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

There’s SAR – and then There’s CSAR

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any of us have been waiting a long time for a Rotor Review issue dedicated to search and rescue. I sure have. Full disclosure, I started my 30-year journey in naval aviation at Pensacola SAR Det (later HC-16). We flew the UH-2C and later the H-46. We flew plane guard for USS Lexington, then the Navy’s training aircraft carrier, as well as land and sea SAR. It was rewarding, and sometimes frustrating work. Aircraft weren't as reliable then as they are today. A good number of those training aircraft crashed during the pilot’s initial carrier quals, and it was rewarding to fish aspiring naval aviators out of the drink. But it was frustrating as well. We were part of the Coast Guard-run Gulf Coast SAR network. If a civilian ship or boat was in distress, we often got the call.

There has never been a time in history when it was good to be a POW. From the life sentence in the slave galleys of antiquity, to dungeons of medieval times, to appalling prison hulks of the Napoleonic era, to the shame of Andersonville and similar northern prisons of our own Civil War, to starvation, disease, and even cannibalism of the Japanese POW camps, or the Katyn Forest and Malmedy massacres of POWs in Europe in World War II, to the brainwashing of Korea, to the unspeakable isolation, torture, and cruelty of the Hanoi Hilton. Being a POW used to be as tough as it got. Until now. Today there may not be any POWs. Prisoners have already been tortured, dismembered and dragged through the streets, and beheaded while screaming for mercy on the internet for billions to see. For that reason today’s CSAR crews must live up to the imperative to “leave no man behind” as never before. But will they be as ready as CSAR crews in past conflicts?

So…when bubba was in his small fishing boat fifty miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, a storm came up, and bubba ran out of gas, we got the call, rescued bubba and we all felt great (and got a Kaman rescue pin). But what happened all-toooften was that, several months later, it was Groundhog Day. Big storm, same bubba, same boat, no gas. Less joy for our crew. For the rest of this column, I’d like to talk about a mission associated with search and rescue, combat search and rescue – CSAR for short.

As some of you might know, Tom Phillips and I wrote a book: Leave No Man Behind: The Saga of Combat Search and Rescue some years ago. You can borrow a copy from the NHA office or from many local libraries…or from one of us.

All of you know enough about CSAR that you don’t need a tutorial from a retired guy about how important that mission is. But I thought you might be interested in knowing why we wrote the book. It wasn’t to see our names in print, or for the lucrative royalty checks. Far from it. We had a mission in mind. Tom and I are absolutely certain that if those of you in the HSM or HSC community were asked to fly into the teeth of a waiting adversary and rescue an American who was trapped behind enemy lines in wartime, you’d salute and take the mission.

We wrote the book to tell the riveting stories of astonishing rescue missions over the years and to show how the discipline grew despite repeated setbacks, as technology, doctrine, tactics, and techniques evolved gradually into the skill sets of today’s military. The March 2011 crash of the Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle over Libya and the recovery of one of the two crewman via a Marine Corps TRAP mission was a stark reminder of the criticality of having CSAR forces always formed and ready for every military mission where our aircraft go in harm’s way over enemy territory.

But we’re far-less-certain that we are providing tomorrow’s helicopter crews with everything we can to enable them to prevail in a CSAR mission. Perhaps the best way to explain this is to share what we wrote to describe why we took on the project of writing a book about CSAR. During the 2003 NHA Symposium in San Diego we decided to write a book about the history of combat search and rescue. It became a five-year labor as we discovered the astounding ups and downs in the saga of combat search and rescue, and a rich heritage and history which completely surprised us. We wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Here is why we wrote the book:

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The most important lesson learned from Vietnam era combat rescue was the dramatic improvement in performance when Navy combat rescue units, after four years of frustration, finally shed all other collateral missions and dedicated their entire focus on the sole mission of combat aircrew rescue. Sadly, just as our book hit the shelves, USD AT&L, the then-Department of Defense’s chief weapons buyer, declared that we don't need dedicated CSAR forces: any helicopter in the area will do just fine. Astonishing.

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Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was fond of saying the department doesn’t have the money to buy what he called “exquisite weapons.” He made this point repeatedly in speeches across the country.

If the nation buys only one exquisite weapons system with a DoD budget well in excess of $700 billion a year, we believe it should be a CSAR platform that can piloted by aircrews who can snatch our warriors from the clutches of the enemy. Likewise, if our helicopter pilots and aircrews who have CSAR among many other missions achieve an exquisite degree of proficiency in only one mission, it must be CSAR. Our people deserve nothing less.

Our young volunteer Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines join up with an implicit understanding that if they get stranded behind enemy lines their nation has the best combat rescue capability possible and will stop at nothing to go get them before they fall into enemy hands. Dare we as a nation have it any other way? Those of you in flight suits: Be proud, be ready and be insistent that we give you the tools to do the job when the CSAR mission presents itself.

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In the Community You Have a Story? – When Are You Going to Write It?

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

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uring the 2019 NHA Symposium, we had our firstever NHA Writer’s Panel. The intent – and results – of the panel were captured by Lieutenant Sam Calaway in the Summer 2019 issue of Rotor Review. Lieutenant Calaway explained why the NHA staff and our Rotor Review Editor, Lieutenant Shelby Gillis, asked us to hold the panel.

Here is part of what he said:

There is so much talent in the naval rotary wing community that junior officers – in particular – are always asking: How do I break out? What makes me pack-plus?

What discriminators does my skipper use to help decide who advances in their career and who doesn’t?

As naval aviators and leaders, we’re likely to focus on those two attributes – flying and leading. They are important. But look at it from your skipper’s perspective. Most pilots fly their missions well. Sure, if one pilot in the squadron is voted by his or her peers as Pilot of the Year, and another bangs up aircraft frequently, it’s easy for the skipper to use that as a discriminator. But let’s face it, most of us are under that bell-shaped-curve and there’s not much to discriminate our flying skills.

If there was a consistent theme and one main thing the panelists conveyed it was this: There are a number of wellknown well writers who have been producing military fiction and non-fiction for decades – and that’s the problem. Most of them are former military folks who used to be well-versed in all aspects of the military, but their information has become so dated their stories are no longer as interesting – or believable – as their earlier works. But that problem creates an opportunity for all of you in flight suits or coveralls. You are living this now and can tell riveting and believable stories that will find their way into print.

It’s a similar story with leadership. If one lieutenant gets his or her sailors recognized with all kinds of awards and they excel on their advancement exams, while another lieutenant is on the frequent flier program with his sailors at XOI or Captain’s Mast, then that gives the skipper a good way to rack and stack them. But most of us are somewhere in the middle of that yawning spectrum.

Lieutenant Gillis and the NHA staff thought that a “onetime-inoculation” was a good start, but wondered if we could do something along the lines of a constant drumbeat and share some of the tricks of the trade as well as the tactics, techniques and procedures to help you get your ideas out into the world and noticed. However, Lieutenant Gillis also challenged us to not just talk about writing in our off-duty time, but to talk about the importance – and impact – of writing for all of you who are sea service professionals and still in uniform.

So what’s left to discriminate the hard-chargers from those who are less so? It’s writing! Having been on the receiving end of hundreds of officer FITREPs, thousands of enlisted evals, point papers etc. etc. I can tell you from first-person experience that the differences in quality are astounding.

And you might find it surprising that it’s not the English majors who are writing well, and the EE majors who aren’t.

It all comes down to the thought and care and craftsmanship you put into everything you write. And this goes vastly beyond being recognized as the best lieutenant in the squadron. I’ve seen a well-written white paper convince grumpy commodores or unit commanders to do something they originally said they didn’t want to do.

This is the first of several installments aimed at doing both those things – talking about writing on and off duty. These are related – but somewhat different efforts (you may have once received a FITREP that read like science fiction, but most of us haven’t). So first we’ll talk about writing with a small “w” – writing at work, and then segue to writing with a big “W” – writing for a mainstream audience. And by way of clarification, for that second area, we’re not talking about tweets or Facebook posts or the like, we’ll be talking about getting something in a respected online venue or in print.

The small “w” - writing at work. What a minute! – you might say, we’re aviators, “someone else” needs to be doing that. Well, not really. I spent my last 14 years on active duty as either CO, XO, Commodore or Chief of Staff. All that means is that I was at the end of the food chain for tons of written work: Officer FITREPs, Enlisted Evaluations, Naval Messages, White Papers, you name it. And like it or not, this material wasn’t written by a select few (those “someone elses”) but by every officer, chief petty officer and senior enlisted.

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Writing has the power to enable you to influence the course of events in your unit – and beyond. And it even has an impact when you’re a skipper. I’ve sat on selection boards and you only have to read a few FITREPs to see which skippers put a great deal of thought and care and craftsmanship into reporting on their officers and which don’t. Sadly, those in the latter category put their officers at a disadvantage, because board members can’t figure out what the skipper is trying to communicate.

This doesn’t have to be a big rock up a steep hill. There is ample “gouge” out there, beginning with the Naval Writing Guide and a host of other books. Ask around your squadron, someone likely has a copy of most of them. Practice, and don’t be ashamed to ask those who write well for some help.

Here’s another way to look at it, and, I trust, will help you understand that writing stories isn’t some odd thing that only a few people do. In “Book People” John Sutherland put it this way, “Storytelling is as human as breathing. Literature, since it emerged 4,000 years ago, has shaped the lives of most humans on planet Earth. We are what we read.”

We don’t want to make this column too long, so I’ll touch on the big “W” – writing for a mainstream audience – briefly here, and then talk in more depth in future articles.

In the interim, NHA is now communicating with all of us electronically at least monthly, so we can keep the dialogue going more than just once a quarter.

The NHA staff has been generous in providing us with an opportunity to share some of what we know about writing, so I’ll wrap this up shortly. One of the best answers to the question, “Why Write?” comes from my friend and coauthor, Dick Couch. Here’s how he put it in an article in our alumni magazine some years ago: He says: "For me, I gotta write, and it’s the adventure of it that’s hooked me. As the writer, I can do it all. I get to be the National Security Advisor who recommends the action to the President who must commit the forces. I’m the senior officer who sends his men into action and who feels the pain if they don’t make it back. I’m the enemy and the defender; logistician and staff planner. But most of all, I’m a young man again, that fresh lieutenant who must lead his men into battle.

As someone who stayed alive for thirty years on active duty by following a NATOPS checklist, what I’ll share with you over the next few issues of Rotor Review is a bit of a methodical, step-by-step approach to getting your ideas out into the world and noticed. We’ll start with what we’re doing today, “Why Write?,” then move on to “First - and Essential – Steps,” and then discuss “Non-Fiction - The Hungry Market.”

After that we’ll discuss fiction and talk about why and how you might want to write, “The Great American Novel.” We’ll also discuss “Establishing an Online Presence” and then talk about “Social Media - Challenges and Opportunities.” All the while, we’ll have ample opportunities to communicate between quarterly issues of Rotor Review.

Some men want to die with their boots on. When I cash in my chips, I want to be slumped over the keyboard. And they can plant me with my word processor. I may wake up and want to write about it."

Finally, we all recognize we live in a highly technical world.

Our aircraft are complex and we need to understand them.

But that often makes us turn to data as the king of the hill.

It isn’t. Here’s how Michael Lewis put it in, The Undoing Project “No one ever made a decision based on a number.

They need a story.”

Why write for a mainstream audience? Perhaps the best way to capture that is to quote my friend Norman Polmar, who is fond of saying, “History is what the historians and writers say it is.” Norman has published over forty books on naval history and most consider him the authoritative source on the subject. Someone has to write down what happens… and that becomes ground truth.

We need your stories. We’ll continue the journey in the next issue of Rotor Review. In the meantime, let’s keep the dialogue going and keep writing!

Secretary of the Navy Tours with Industry (SNTWI) These tours offer the service member a chance to learn from and with leading industry, partners to better improve leadership, management, and communications skills. The tour will provide valuable perspective to civilian business world about the Navy and in turn provide the service member with a unique look at civilian best practices. For information or to download the SNTWI toolkit visit https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/talentmanagement/Pages/SNTWI.aspx.

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In the Community Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society

By CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.)

Your History is Our History

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ell…another quarter has passed and we are still plugging away at NHAHS. We have a couple projects that we are working on and they always seem to take longer to complete than they should, but that is ok…they still are in work and moving along.

Funny thing happened this month as we received a delivery of a retired helo pilot's donated items to add to our collection of Navy helicopter memorabilia. We are both grateful and happy to take all your donations as you clean out your garages, attics, and storage units, etc. when you realize you don’t need your old helmet, kneeboard, plaques, patches and whatever else that you may have collected over the course of your career.

These donations take on many forms and come to us packed in different ways and often include surprises now and then. However, this last shipment was a treasure trove of several items that I was not expecting and some things that I had not seen in a while. There was the usual well-loved flight gear, some photographs, three great operating/training manuals and some other books to go into the NHAHS library.

Different subject for just a minute…NHAHS now has a dedicated space in building 654 that has been turned into a helicopter library/reference center of sorts. We have books, reference materials, periodicals, a complete collection of Rotor Reviews, aircraft introduction, establishments, disestablishments, change-of-command and retirement programs, operating manuals and scrap books. You really should stop by and see what we have on hand as the collection continues to grow. There is some really neat stuff in these two rooms. Plus it is a nice space to get away and spend some quiet time digging and reading about our rotary wing history. We have a good collection of artwork in the space as well. Come check it out!

Now back to my donation story… buried in the flight gear SV-2 Survival Vest were 14 live .38 caliber rounds of hand gun/ pistol ammunition, a morphine kit to treat pain if injured, a CBR Kit complete with Atropine, and the 2-PAM Chloride shots to treat chemical biological sickness. Anyway… this made me think about the good old days of Naval Aviation and how things used to be. Don’t worry, I was able to dispose of these items but I did save the containers to remind us of those days gone by. Thank you again for your contributions and continue to contact us if you have things you would like to donate.

Give us a call at 619-435-7139 and we can even come and pick up your donations within the local San Diego area.

Something else we have gotten involved with this month was to help provide the history behind the term “Unrestricted Naval Aviator.” I know I used the term during my entire 30 year career, and have seen it written in Rotor Review many times.

But, is it an official Navy term and can we trace the history back to its origin? Some people recently have questioned if the term is official and where it originated. I think we all know the meaning or intent of the term/phrase. It is used to indicate that helicopter pilots can fly both fixed and rotary wing aircraft instead of being limited to one platform.

Anyway… we started looking into this request and soon realized we needed some help from our retired community to determine the origin of the phrase/term as we were having trouble finding any official references or frankly anything other than the term being used in Rotor Review. As usual, our retired community came through and found a reference on the HT-8 website in the CO’s Welcome Aboard Letter using the term/phrase "unrestricted naval aviators". One of our NHA members produced a designation card signed by Sergei Sikorsky in 1970 when he received his wings stating he was an unrestricted naval aviator.

I have sent an email to Sergei to see if he can assist us with learning more about the phrase and where it originated given he signed these cards for newly designated helicopter pilots. I have yet to hear back from Sergei but I will update you with his response in my next NHAHS article. In the meantime, if anyone else has something to add concerning the definition of the term/phrase or its origin please contact me at billpersonius@gmail.com. We have linked the information that we have so far to include an image of a designation card for Ensign Tom Phillips, USN to our NHAHS Website. If the question comes up again we’ll know where it came from. Keep those cards and letters coming. Our helicopter history is interesting, important and relevant. We as a community need to continue to capture the stories and details concerning those that have gone before us. Keep your turns up and fly safe!

Regards, CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) President NHHS Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

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Industry and Technology Thermal Engines vs. Electric Motors How New Propulsion Technologies are Influencing the Next Generation of Air Vehicles From Airbus Innovation Newsletter

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he transition to electric propulsion is fully underway on a global scale, evidenced by the growing number of hybrid/electric cars and electric drones in the streets and in the skies. But how does electric propulsion – which uses electrical energy supplied by a battery pack or hydrogen fuel cell – compare to traditional, fossil fuel-powered thermal propulsion?

Depending on the machine, combustion engines can appear very different.

In large planes and helicopters, the combustion engine takes the form of a turbine. In the turbine, fuel burns in an oxygen-rich environment, creating hot air and high pressure in a confined chamber, and employing that energy to power the aircraft.

CityAirbus all-electric demonstrator CityAirbus – an urban air vehicle demonstrator designed to be fully-electric and emissions-free – is advancing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight In electric-powered vehicles, the motor is composed of a rotor and a stator. With pulses of electricity from a power electronics device, the stator produces a magnetic field around the rotor which rotates and then turns a vehicle’s drive train, rotor shaft, etc. The energy is supplied by a hydrogen fuel cell or a battery pack, which is generally powered by lithium-ion cells. These are similar to the batteries in a laptop, but multiplied by several thousand.

The limits of thermal-propulsion technology Combustion engines are ideal for long-range travel because fossil fuels produce a lot of power and energy per kilogram of fuel (power and energy density, respectively). In other words, they enable long-range missions with

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CityAirbus – an urban air vehicle demonstrator designed to be fully-electric and emissions-free – is advancing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight.

a limited mass of fuel. And fossil fuel tanks are quite lightweight, considering the fuel mass they contain.

The main drawback is the emissions (NOx, CO2, particles, etc.) they produce. In addition, a lot of fuel is consumed (or wasted) in heat. In fact, three-quarters to two-thirds of fuel energy transforms into heat or is lost via the exhaust. Advances are being made to counter these negatives, like drawing off some of the lost energy from the hot exhaust (to warm up the air before combustion), but these improvements will eventually reach a plateau.

Is electric propulsion the answer?

The performance of electric motors and power electronics has vastly improved: today, they achieve a better degree of power density than that of combustion engines. In addition to their light weight, electric motors have a greater range of speed than combustion engines, which reduces the need for gearboxes.

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Electric energy presents challenges The primary challenge of electric energy is that it cannot be stored efficiently (from the perspective of both mass and volume), at least not with today’s technology. In the simplest terms, a large quantity of batteries is required to equal the performance of fuel. This means that the battery in an electric car can represent approximately a third of its empty weight.

Compared to ground vehicles, the mass and volume needed to store energy are more critical on aircraft and rotorcraft because they may directly impact payload and/or performance.

And unlike a car’s fuel tank, a battery does not become lighter during the trip – representing another disadvantage.

Mass and volume storage also are problematic for hydrogen fuel cells.

This is because the chemical hydrogen must either be stored at high pressure, as in a gas state, or as saturated liquid hydrogen – which needs to be kept at around -253°C and requires large and heavily insulated tanks.

The current usable energy density of rechargeable batteries is approximately 120Wh/ kg, compared to fossil fuel’s 12,000Wh/kg*. In other words, the average efficiency of a motor and thermal engine can be equated to: 1 kg of fuel equals 25 to 30 kg of batteries.

Finding middle ground: hybrid propulsion Another option is to combine the best of both worlds.

This is known as hybrid-electric propulsion, which uses a combination of conventional internal combustion engine with an electric-propulsion system.

“Hybridisation enables us to Airbus’ all-electric and fully self-piloted Vahana demonstrator vehicle at the optimise,” said Luca Cossetti, 2019 Paris Airshow.

Innovative Power Solutions at Airbus Helicopters, who is a These future urban air vehicles The promise of fully-electric propulpart of a team developing a hybrid-proare designed to be fully-electric and sion pulsion solution for air vehicles. “You zero-emission.

Airbus is addressing Such a scenario is already in develcould use the thermal engine in certain this market by developing the Vahana opment for urban transport, where the phases of flight, thereby optimising its and CityAirbus, both of which are journey from an airport to a city centre efficiency and consumption for that advancing electric vertical take-off and is short, and the payload is comparable specific situation, and compensate with landing (eVTOL) flight ideally suited to the needs of a taxi.

Today, more than electrical power when the power defor intra-city transport.

150 urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles mand is higher (such as during take-off No matter the route taken, it is clear – steered by start-ups, automotive and landing for a rotorcraft).” that the methods and materials to manufacturers, established aerospace produce batteries, cells and hydrogen companies, and others – are in various The future is bright will be of paramount importance in the stages of development worldwide.

So what might propulsion look like years to come. in future aircraft? For commercial airplanes and helicopters, combustion engines powered by cleaner, more sustainable fuels is already possible: Airbus has delivered wide-body A350 XWB aircraft that use a blend of sustainable jet fuel. In parallel, hybrid-electric propulsion systems are showing great potential for use in mid-sized airplanes and helicopters. Consider Airbus’ E-Fan X. In this complex hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator, one of the four jet engines will be replaced by an electric motor. This power is roughly the equivalent to that of 10 medium-sized cars. The electric propulsion unit is powered by a generator-fueled battery and during descent, the engine blades work like small windmills to generate power and recharge the battery.

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Useful Information Navy Announces Spouse Licensure and Certification Reimbursement Policy From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

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s part of ongoing Navy Family Framework efforts to expand and improve the experience for spouses, Navy announced Sailors may be reimbursed up to 500 dollars for state licensure and certification costs of a spouse arising from relocation to another state due to a permanent change of station (PCS) move in NAVADMIN 134/19, June 24.

The spouse licensure reimbursement is the latest in a series of Navy Family Framework efforts to improve the experience for Navy spouses and families.“Under this new policy, members may be reimbursed up to 500 dollars for qualifying relicensing costs of their spouses if they meet all the required conditions,” said the Lead for Navy Family Readiness Programs Policy, Perry Christiansen.

Members are eligible for reimbursement of spouse relicensing costs if they meet the following requirements:

- The member is reassigned, either as a PCS or permanent change of assignment from a permanent duty station

(PDS) in one state to a PDS in another state

- The PCS movement of the member’s dependents is authorized

- The spouse was employed in a profession requiring certification at the PDS in the previous state

- The spouse is required to obtain re-certification for the same profession at the PDS in the new state

- Completion of the relicense or certification was successful

- For those families returning from overseas, the license from the last state held prior to the overseas tour may be

used as long as the new assignment is in a different state This reimbursement policy is effective as of Dec. 12, 2017, for PCS orders issued on or after that date. “This is part of an ongoing effort to show Navy families we are working to expand family support programs and facilitate spouse employment opportunities,” said Christiansen. “In May we released the MyNavy Family app which can be found in the Navy App Locker.”

For complete eligibility information and application procedures, reference MILPERSMAN Article 1754-040: https://www. public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/milpersman/1000/1700Morale/Pages/default.aspx. Additionally, to file a reimbursement claim members must submit an encrypted email to MyNavy Career Center at askmncc@navy.mil with claim form SF Form 1164 along with the following documents:

- A copy of the member’s PCS travel settlement voucher DD form 1351-2 indicating state to state member

and spouse relocation

- Receipts for costs incurred for license/certification

- Proof of old certification/license

- Proof of new recertification/relicense The Spouse Licensure Reimbursement policy supports the Navy Family Framework objective to expand and improve the experience for Navy spouses and families. Other efforts include improving family programs and websites, developing an official MyNavy Family website, providing ombudsman registry access to command leadership spouses and increasing the availability of live webinars and self-directed learning activities.

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More Sailor-Friendly Options for PCS Moves From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Navy Personnel Command (NPC) leaders announced today that they are expanding options and capabilities offered to further improve the Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move experience for Sailors and their families. This comes only a few weeks after the release of MyPCS Mobile and more capabilities are expected in the near future.

As part of the Navy’s ongoing pay and personnel transformation efforts, NAVADMIN 184/19 announces a new pilot program in which participating Sailors can use the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) for PCS move travel expenses. The initial pilot population includes Active Duty Sailors who are existing GTCC cardholders, executing CONUS-to-CONUS moves with less than 30 days of combined travel and Temporary Duty under Instruction, and who are single or traveling with accompanied dependents.

“We are providing Sailors with more choice and control during the PCS move process by providing them with the option to use their GTCC for PCS-related travel expenses,” said Rear Adm. Jeff Hughes, NPC commander.

“We want Sailors to have the funds necessary to support their move readily available either through use of a requested electronic funds transfer/direct deposit (EFT/DD) travel advance or by using the GTCC,” Hughes said, adding, “It’s their choice based on what works best for their particular situation.”

Participating Sailors may now choose to use either the GTCC or request an EFT/DD travel advance to support move related costs; however, both may not be used simultaneously.

Sailors who elect to participate in the pilot program may use the GTCC for temporary lodging at their old or new permanent duty station, fuel for privately owned vehicles (POVs) used as part of PCS travel, and for lodging and meals en route to their new duty station. Additionally, if the Sailor is entitled, the GTCC may be used for Dislocation Allowance (DLA) related expenses normally associated with the establish- The Navy is expanding options and capabilities offered to further improve the permanent change ment of a new household.

of station (PCS) move experience for Sailors and their families. Sailors can use MyPCS Mobile to download their lean orders and to calculate their PCS entitlements. U.S. Navy graphic.

This pilot period allows us time to evaluate the rollout through all phases of the PCS process, receive feedback from participating Sailors and commands, and fix any unknown issues prior to expansion to the widest possible population of Sailors in the near future.

Additionally, NAVADMIN 183/19 announces the release of Lean Orders and a PCS Entitlements Calculator.

Lean orders is a streamlined, simplified, and plain language orders format, providing a Sailor and family everything they need to know to execute a move on a few screens on a mobile device.

Lean Orders and the full text orders will both be available in MyPCS Mobile and on MyNavy Portal (MNP). A PCS Entitlements Calculator will also be available to provide Sailors a tool to easily determine their PCS travel entitlements. The intent is for a Sailor and their Command Pay and Personnel Administrator (CPPA) to use this tool during the initial PCS planning phase, which may influence what options the Sailor may pursue regarding advances or card use. It is also useful when a Sailor fills out their travel claim at their new permanent duty station to ensure the claim disbursement is the correct amount.

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“Simplifying the PCS process for Sailors is a priority area of effort within the MyNavy HR Transformation effort,” said Ann Stewart, Director, NPC Pay and Personnel Management Department, adding, “All of these new services are a direct result of what we are hearing from Sailors and their families during numerous fleet engagements.

We’re listening and rapidly improving processes and fielding capabilities to best resource our Sailors and reduce the administrative burden on them, so they can focus on readiness, lethality, and improving their life/work balance.”

It is vital that Sailors work with their CPPA and GTCC Agency Program Coordinator when pursuing available options for their PCS move planning and execution. The MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) Contact Center is also a 24/7 option and may be contacted via email: askmncc@navy.mil or by phone at (833) 330-MNCC (6622).

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In

Stay up to date on all Join Up information with the NHA App Schedule - Event Highlights - Exhibitor Information Join Up Details - Special Offers/ Deals

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HT-18 REUNION

NAS Whiting Field, Milton during the NHA Fleet Fly-In October 23-26, 2019 CONTACT CAPT Bill “Willy” Personius, USN (Ret.) billpersonius@gmail.com 858-538-1455 LtCol Gary “Doc” Watson, USMC (Ret.) doc.watson@dnr.ga.gov 404-556-5407 Maj Carl “Bird’ Erlandson, USMC (Ret.) carlerlandson.ctr@usmc.mil 910-381-0475 Reservations Grand Hotel Our HT-18 Group has 40 Rooms Reserved

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www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR Operating in EMCON Environments LT Jordan Riley, USN HSC-21 Blackjacks

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ith the increasing technological advancements used by our adversaries to track and locate U.S. assets, the ability to operate in an emissions control (EMCON) environment is continually increasing. Despite the restrictions operating in an EMCON environment places on its operators, mission success can be accomplished by focusing efforts on preflight planning and maximizing the U.S. Navy’s principles of Crew Resource Management (CRM).

informed that the USS John P. Murtha was located approximately eight nautical miles to the starboard side of the USS Boxer and that all ships in the ARG would maintain a base recovery course (BRC) of 270. We would be accompanied by a medical attendant who would receive the patient onboard the USS John P. Murtha and then we would precede back to the USS Boxer. Once again, it was emphasized that our crew must maintain the EMCON, with the reassurance that the EMCON training environment could be broken in the event of an emergency.

On May 1st, I deployed as a member of HSC 21’s Detachment 1 aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Boxer (LHD-4). The USS Boxer, combined with the USS John P. Murtha and the USS Harpers Ferry, constituted the Boxer Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG). On May 2nd, all three ships and their associated aviation platforms entered an EMCON training exercise in preparation for deployment. Success of the EMCON exercise relied upon the ability of all members of the ARG to maintain radio silence and transit from the shores of San Diego to the islands of Hawaii without detection from friendly assets posing as the enemy. Flight operations were terminated throughout the transit west, but our detachment maintained responsibility for manning a continuous alert 60 for Search and Rescue and MEDEVAC support.

After the briefing, we proceeded to the helicopter, conducted our preflight checks, and provided the visual hand signals signifying we were ready for takeoff. After takeoff we proceed to the starboard side of the USS Boxer, conducted our post-takeoff checks, and started our search for the USS John P. Murtha. Given the environmental conditions of the day, we should have been able to locate the USS John P. Murtha immediately, but had nothing but blue water in sight. We quickly conducted a ninety degree turn to the right and realized that the USS John P. Murtha was not on the starboard side of the USS Boxer, but rather the port side. The rest of the mission unfolded without incident. We proceeded to the USS John P. Murtha, received the patient, and quickly returned to USS Boxer, safely delivering the patient while maintaining our radio silence.

On May 7th, I was the designated helicopter second pilot of a four member crew standing alert when we were briefed about the circumstances surrounding a MEDEVAC. A patient aboard the USS John P. Murtha was experiencing signs of appendicitis and needed to be transported back to the ARG’s primary medical facilities located onboard the USS Boxer. In order to meet the objectives of the EMCON exercise, it was vital that the mission be conducted without use of radio communication or navigation equipment.

Situational Awareness As helicopter pilots, we become accustomed to operating with the comforts of advanced communication and navigational equipment to build and maintain situational awareness. We utilize radar and barometric altimeters, embedded GPS and INS, TACAN, Link-16 and communications to provide a three dimensional positional fix and to build an accurate surface picture. But in the absence of these situational awareness builders, there is a greater necessity to build this geospatial picture prior to entering the cockpit. Between the time of our initial briefing and our takeoff time, the three ship formation conducted a 180-degree turn, placing the

Prior to heading to the helicopter, the crew and vital mission coordinators gathered in one of the ships spaces to discuss the details surrounding the mission. We were

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Sailors remove the chalks and chains from an MH-60S Sea Hawk assigned to HSC- 21 on the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49). U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl Jason Monty, USMC

USS Boxer on a BRC of 090 which located the USS John P. Murtha eight miles off of the USS Boxer’s port side. Luckily, the environmental conditions enabled our crew to visually identify the location of the USS John P. Murtha early, allowing us to successfully accomplish our mission without any issues. Given a more time critical medical emergency or unfavorable environmental conditions, this break down in situational awareness could have resulted in mission failure.

Communication Similar to situational awareness, an emphasis on preflight communication was obligatory in order to complete our mission. All three ships and aviation assets of the Boxer ARG operated in accordance with a predetermined set of EMCON procedures. Although crew members relied less upon external communications, internal communications between the crew members were increased. Each member of the crew was utilized to ensure that our aircraft was displaying the appropriate visual signals to the control tower aboard the USS Boxer and the USS John P. Murtha.

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Conclusion Though it was a training exercise, there can be significant consequences to breaking EMCON in a threat environment.

Preflight mission planning and prior coordination between assets becomes absolutely imperative to compensate for the lack of navigational and communication cues we rely on to build situational awareness. Even during a potential life-threatening MEDEVAC, EMCON procedures may need to be strictly adhered to, in order to prevent placing additional assets in harm’s way. By perfecting our pre-mission analysis and honing our use of the CRM principles, the U.S. Navy’s aviation and surface assets can develop and maintain the habit patterns and competency to outsmart our adversaries and accomplish a variety of missions in the EMCON environment.

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR HSC-25 Provides Urgent MEDEVAC of Chinese Mariner at Sea From Amphibious Force 7th Fleet Public Affairs

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he Guam-based “Island Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 responded to a civilian in distress aboard a Chinese-flagged vessel in the Pacific on August 6, 2019.

Within two hours of notification by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam of the distressed mariner, a Chinese national aboard CSC Brave, an HSC-25 search and rescue team led by aircraft commander LCDR Philip Pretzinger, USN departed Andersen Air Force Base.

“Despite the adverse weather and sea state, the team was able to execute a precision litter hoist from CSC Brave,” Pretzinger said. “LT Erik Kumetz and Petty Officer Kyle Bowen performed a harrowing in-flight blood transfusion, ultimately saving the patient’s life.”

The mariner was airlifted to Guam and transported to Guam Memorial Hospital for medical care.

The incident was the 18th emergency call to HSC-25 by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam this year and marks 16 recoveries during search and rescue (SAR) and medical evacuations (MEDEVAC) in 2019.

“HSC-25’s ability to launch our aircraft on a moment’s notice for a SAR or MEDEVAC is astounding,” said CDR Frank Loforti, USN, Commanding Officer of HSC-25. “Just two weeks after rescuing a distressed mariner, the team was once again able to flawlessly execute a rescue under the most demanding of circumstances. Every Sailor should be proud of the lives we are able to save and the support we provide to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”

HSC-25 provides a multi-mission rotary wing capability for units in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations and maintains a Guam-based 24-hour search and rescue and medical evacuation capability, directly supporting U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Region Marianas. HSC-25 is the Navy’s only forward-deployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron.

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LCDR Philip Pretzinger, USN approaches the civilian oil tanker CSC Brave during a medical evacuation mission by the "Island Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25. U.S. Navy photo by LT Michael Sipah, USN.

Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Preston Smith, USN, Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Dominic Thomas, USN, LT Nathan Gordon,USN, and LTJG Caleb French, USN all assigned to the Island Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25, pose for a photograph after completing a search and rescue mission. U.S. Navy photo

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www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR Navy Air Station Fallon SAR Rescues Donner Summit Rock Climber

By MC1 Larry S. Carlson, USN

“Our crew performed exceptionally tonight,” Kurzendoerfer said. “Everything went incredibly smooth, from the transit to the turnover of the patient — and it was because the entire crew was well-trained and firing on all cylinders as an effective team.”

The crew that participated in the rescue are, from left to right, LT Cary Lawson, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Glende, Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Kurzendoerfer, CDR Chris Joas, and LT Drew Bilton-Smith. U.S. Navy Photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Larry S. Carlson, USN.

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he Longhorn Helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) Team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon conducted a night rescue at Black Wall near Donner Summit on Thursday, July 12, 2019 extracting and airlifting an injured rock climber.

“The survivor had been rock climbing on a very steep cliff face when he sustained his injuries,” said the crew chief, Petty Officer 1st Class Jacob Glende. “The terrain did not afford any opportunity to land, and we quickly understood why the ground rescue crew had called the Longhorns for this kind of mission.”

After local fire and rescue personnel arrived on scene to stabilize the climber, who had multiple facial and arm lacerations as well as injuries to his back, the ground rescue team determined the cliff was too steep to carry him safely down to the ambulance in a rescue litter. At 11:00 p.m., the ground team requested helicopter extraction of the patient, and the Longhorn SAR duty crew was recalled to launch for the life-saving mission.

“The Longhorn SAR Team consistently trains to accomplish these exact kinds of rescues,” said LT Cary Lawson, the SAR mission commander. “Our crew was conducting training for situaRotor Review #146 Fall‘19

tions just like this on the very night we got the call. Our main concern was to arrive on scene as quickly as we could and get the survivor to much-needed medical attention without delay.”

A crew of five departed Fallon at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday for the 97-mile transit to the victim’s location. After arriving on scene, the crew quickly spotted the climber’s location due to flashing lights and radio communication with the ground rescuers. On the ground was the Truckee Fire Protection District and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Ropes Team who were able to free the climber suspended by his ropes 200 feet above the ground. No landing site was available due to the sheer steepness of the mountainous terrain.

Hovering 10 feet from the cliffside, the Longhorns deployed a helicopter inland rescue aircrewman (HIRA), Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Kurzendoerfer, via a 200-foot rappel to the survivor’s location at 12:40 a.m. While the helicopter circled, the HIRA performed an expedited medical assessment of the survivor with the ground personnel and prepared the climber for a hoist extraction. The helicopter returned to extract the victim and Kurzendoerfer together via hoist from a 150-foot hover.

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With the patient and HIRA safely onboard the aircraft at 12:54 a.m., the crew provided in-flight care —with the assistance of aeromedical flight surgeon CDR Chris Joas onboard — during the 31-mile transit to Renown Regional Medical Center. The aircraft was given priority handling from Reno Tower and landed in the grass at Pickett Park across the street from the hospital at 1:09 a.m. The patient was turned over to Renown's emergency room staff at 1:15 a.m.

“The hospital staff were very professional. They were ready and waiting with all hands on deck for the survivor when we arrived, leading to no delays in patient care,” Joas said.

The rescue crew consisted of T Cary Lawson, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Glende, Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Kurzendoerfer, CDR Chris Joas, and LT Drew Bilton-Smith.

NAS Fallon received a request for immediate life-saving response with military aircraft from the California Office of Emergency Service (CALOES) via the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC); the California Office had received a 911 call about an injured rock climber on Donner Summit.

This rescue, which required expert skill in helicopter mountain rescue techniques, was the second rescue of 2019 for NAS Fallon SAR and the 18th in the last five years. This Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S helicopters as search and rescue/medical evacuation platforms for the Fallon Range Training Complex in Nevada.

Knights of the Islands

By Chief Joaquin Gonzalez, USN and LT Audrey Petersen, USN

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lthough remotely located over 6000 miles away from the American promised land and generally unknown to most besides a mid-deployment port call full of blurry memories, Guam is home to one of the most robust squadrons in the Fleet. As the Navy’s only forwarddeployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 trains daily to its motto: “Island Knights, Ready to Fight.”

That’s exactly what AWS1 Juan Sarango-Castillo did when he was called upon to trade in the palm trees and paradise blue waters of Guam for the dusty deserts of Basrah, Iraq. He was thrown into an environment way out of his element and left behind the squadron hallways that are decorated with plaques denoting the crews who executed life-saving MEDEVACs, SARs, and Aerial Firefighting. The role requires us to be ready for anything and as is common with the training brief, the scenario is always “what you see is what you’ve get”. Sarango’s name now decorates the same hallways, with 49 MEDEVACs, 6 SARs, and 1 Aerial Firefighting mission - one of the few who has completed the perfect “Trifecta”.

As a part of the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance Detachment, HSC-25 helped the Army provide emergency

care and MEDEVAC during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

AWS1 Sarango spent many days on Alert 15 and Alert 60 prepared to launch to provide tactical combat casualty care. On January 25, 2010, he got the call, “MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC.” An Army unit got hit with an IED while patrolling the nearby city. One of its MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) ran over an IED that was specifically made for large vehicles but had been strategically set up to point towards MRAP windows to cause additional damage. The call came in for an urgent MEDEVAC with possible enemy in the area, multiple injured personnel, and a KIA. They launched within ten minutes of receiving the call and arrived on station within twenty, making multiple passes while an Army ground unit secured the perimeter and roved for IEDs. As soon as they touched down, Sarango and two Air Force PJ’s made the haunting trek to the flipped over MRAP. After triage, they prioritized the victims and loaded up their bird with the KIA soldier and two others. One of the wounded had a severe head laceration and the other had multiple internal burns due to the trapped explosion heat off the IED. By the time they touched down at the hospital, the soldier with internal burns had swelling in his throat and was barely breathing; his buddy was in slightly 29

better shape. They were submitted to Intensive Care and Sarango and his crew had executed the life-saving rescue of two Army soldiers.

Back on the white sand paradise of Guam a year later, Sarango gets the call for an overland SAR for a patient who fell from a cliff and was smashed by falling rocks. After taking multiple passes, the crew determined they would be unable to land and made the call to lower Sarango 100 yards for a hike and pickup. After trudging through terrain and waterfalls to get to the survivor, he started on medical attention and called for the litter. Because they were buried so deep in the jungle, Sarango was unable to get in comms with the bird and made the decision to scale 75 feet in order to get clear communication. He directed the helo to the patient and hiked back down to intercept it. The brush and branches were so extreme that the litter kept getting snagged while lowering it to Sarango and the patient. He had no choice but to ride up with the litter and clear himself and the patient from the 50-70’ surrounding trees.

After quickly assessing the patient while en route, Sarango and his crew dropped off a very injured, but still alive male with multiple broken bones on his body and head. Yet another life-saving rescue for Sarango and his crew.

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR Six years later and present time, Sarango is now leading from the front on his second tour at HSC-25. Fully qualified and heading the aircrew shop as its LPO, Sarango is keeping the squadron’s deployments stocked with eager, fight-ready rescue swimmers, and lethal tacticians. Training on a tight schedule, AWs at HSC-25 are charged with a near vertical ACTC learning curve.

While leading training on a dual ACTC event, Sarango and his section get the call to re-route the flight and execute another overland SAR for an injured hiker near Pagat Bay. Being the sole aviation Search and Rescue asset in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a SAR mission is always around the corner.

The flight crews, training for Anti Surface Warfare, Naval Special Warfare support and Combat Search and Rescue in support of our National Defense Strategy, suddenly shift their focus from tactics and test fires to tackling a nighttime, dual ship rescue in the vicinity of dangerous caves on the island’s eastern cliff line. While en-route, they get the update that the rescue requires pickup of seven injured personnel, not just one.

Due to configuration limitations, the section has to divvy up roles and decides to use dual-ship coverage and split survivor pickup. Sarango’s crew picks up the perch while lead’s aircraft lowers its swimmer to pluck the first four survivors off the edge of the cliff. The section makes the call to leave lead’s swimmer on deck to help expedite pickup of the three survivors in Sarango’s bird as environmental conditions and survivability were both deteriorating. Sarango rigs the cabin for rescue and directs his pilots into a hover over the side of the cliff and lowers the rescue hoist hook and strop to the swimmer on deck. AWS2 Spencer Kachele secured the survivors and hoisted the first two up. He makes the call to come up with the last survivor and Sarango takes charge of the now full cabin and initiates patient care while the section transits to Naval Hospital Guam to drop off seven rescued survivors.

An MH-60S helicopter attached to HSC-25 prepares to replenish a Bambi bucket to help extinguish a grass fire near Nimitz Hill in Santa Rita, Guam. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jasen Moreno-Garcia.

This fiscal year, the Island Knights of HSC-25 have launched on 43 SAR/ MEDEVAC missions, conducted 15 rescues, 10 MEDEVACs, and saved 24 lives. AWS1 Sarango and his team of professionals perform flawlessly when called; “so others may live”, executing Search and Rescue with swift precision and efficiency.

The level of professionalism exuded by the Pilots and Aircrew, along with FMC aircraft provided by the professionals in maintenance result in saved lives, families made whole again, and the injured transported to a higher level of care. Whether fires ravage the grasslands of Guam, hikers are swept away in flash floods during the rainy season, waters sweep away tourists from the reef, or civilian mariners face life-threatening injuries on their vessels, AWS1 Sarango Castillo and the professionals of HSC-25 will be there, “ready to fight”.

Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Spencer Kachele, assigned to HSC-25, is hoisted onto an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from a Mark VI patrol boat assigned to Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 1, Det. Guam, during a search and rescue exercise. U.S. Navy Combat Camera photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Stacy D. Laseter, USN.

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Carrier Strike Group Nine Team Saves Life of Fellow Sailor

By LT Marc “ToT” Rintz, USN

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t was the 31st of March 2018, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group was finally transiting home after five months in 5th Fleet. I had been a HAC for four months, so I was a relatively junior aircraft commander. My co-pilot had only been in the squadron for a month.

My crew chief was a more senior aircrewman, and our rescue swimmer was an experienced crewman who had served on NAS Whidbey Island’s SAR team prior to joining the squadron just before deployment. We were scheduled for a 0400 brief in order to set the Alert 15 from 0600 until our scheduled launch at 0930. In addition to our normal plane guard responsibilities, my crew was assigned the transportation of the chaplain to one of the destroyers in our strike group, a task known as the “Holy Helo.” We launched on time and landed without incident at the destroyer only a few miles away. The weather was clear where we were, but it looked ominous up ahead.

The chaplain was only scheduled to be on board for an hour so, by our judgment, we would land before the ship sailed into the weather and weren’t concerned. It would be the next crew’s decision on whether to fly or not.

As we were preparing to pick up the chaplain, we received a call from CVN-71 Tower telling us to execute an immediate RTB (return to base).

We switched up to our REP for further information, learned that a sailor had suffered a massive stroke and was in critical condition, and we were tasked with an immediate MEDEVAC. The Alert 30 crew had already walked to another aircraft to cover our plane guard responsibilities. REP also passed a weather forecast which included ceilings at 1000 feet, strong rain showers, visibility as low as ¼ - ½ mile, and microbursts over the next 120 or so miles to our destination in Thailand.

We landed on spot 5 and my crew chief ran inside to help carry the litter while my rescue swimmer pulled out the Digital Map Kneeboard (DMK) to build a route to Phuket. Two squadron mates hopped in to provide us with a grid for the expected hospital and some additional IFR pubs and charts. I tried to coordinate with maintenance via REP to have our M240’s and ammo removed as our SAR Medical Technician (SMT) and crew chief loaded up the litter. By the time we were all set, the ship had sailed into the previously mentioned weather, and we could no longer see the bow of the aircraft carrier. I asked our SMT if we could wait for five more minutes for maintenance 31

to remove the M240’s and see if the weather cleared up and was told, “No, the patient isn’t breathing and his vitals are crashing. We have to go now.” I signaled for the AO’s to clear the rotor arc and immediately called Tower for takeoff clearance.

We stowed the M240’s, closed the gunners’ windows and prepared for takeoff.

We launched into the storm, climbed to 800 feet, and set max torque enroute to Phuket. Shortly after takeoff, we picked up IFR routing with departure and were informed that our destination was changed to Phuket International Airport as the hospital’s helipad was unavailable. They also informed us that we would need to coordinate an ambulance to transport the patient to the hospital once we landed.

It wasn’t long before we were out of communications range with the carrier due to our low altitude. As my copilot and I were busy trying to navigate in deteriorating weather conditions our crew was fighting their own battle in the back. Our SMT was hard at work administering six different medications via IV. Our crew had to keep the patient sedated in order to intubate him and insert a catheter. They did this while continuously monitoring the patient’s airway and breathing for him. www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR We then set max range and headed towards the cruiser. About 40 miles out, I attempted to call the cruiser on their L/L. They immediately responded that they were expecting us, they had a green deck and were cleared to land as soon as we arrived. My copilot got to do her first landing on a cruiser and, after a brief stop for fuel, we were outbound for mother. We arrived at the carrier just as the cycle was starting and recovered without incident.

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the "Indians" of HSC-6 takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alex Corona, USN.

A short while later, we heard a C-2 from VRC-30 check in with Departure on their way to the carrier. I called them and asked if they would be able to relay to Phuket International that we were inbound and begin coordinating the ambulance. They agreed to do so and passed us the ATIS and additional airport information. Phuket was reporting low IFR, and the only instrument approach available was the RNAV Runway 09. Thankfully, our Rescue Swimmer had been able to make a makeshift route to the airport on the DMK. He handed it up to me as we began to navigate our way up the coast.

By this time, it had stopped raining, so visibility had improved to about three miles, but we had descended to about 300 feet in order to remain clear of the lowering cloud layer. We were less than 15 miles from the airport when we were finally able to get in contact with Phuket Approach. I informed them we were an urgent MEDEVAC unable to enter IFR and that we were proceeding visually up the coast and into the airport. They switched us to Tower, who asked the status of the patient.

“He’s critical, Sir” our SMT said. I passed the patient’s status to Tower, and they immediately began redirecting all incoming traffic to hold and cleared us to land. We landed on the taxiway next to the ambulance, and my crew hopped out to unload the patient. At the time Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

of the transfer, our SMT had stabilized the patient’s vitals but he was still not breathing on his own. I called Ground and requested a fuel truck. Ground informed us that we would have to shut down cold, and that the only fuel available was JET A-1 which is a restricted fuel in the MH-60S. I pulled up the history dots on L-16 to determine the ship’s movements over the past hour and noticed that a cruiser for our strike group had turned towards Phuket and had closed to around 70 miles while the carrier had opened the distance from us considerably over the past hour. I checked the Airplan and determined that if we attempted to fly back to the Carrier and land after the 1400 cycle, we would be cutting it extremely close on fuel. If the cycle went long, we would very quickly find ourselves in a fuel emergency.

As a crew, we weighed the hazards of shutting down cold and decided to set a bingo fuel back to Phuket and take the calculated risk of launching with the intent of using the cruiser as a lily pad.

Tower would not let us depart to the West since they were still landing traffic on Runway 09. Instead, we departed to the East, navigated low level over the city of Phuket, and flew out a valley back to the coast. A few miles out to sea, the weather cleared up significantly, allowing us to climb to 1000 feet.

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Almost a year later we found out that the patient not only survived, but made a full recovery. The success of this MEDEVAC can be directly attributed to the outstanding teamwork of the entire CSG-9 team. I would like to give special recognition to the medical staff on board CVN-71 for their timely assessment of the patient and their decision to pass the patient on to a higher level of care. I would like to thank the pilots of HSC-6 for gathering the required publications in such short order and passing my crew so much valuable information over our REP frequency.

Finally, I would like to commend the CSG-9 staff for their efforts in coordinating the lily pad and ensuring we had a safe place to land and refuel. I am thankful to our Commanding and Executive Officers and the trust they placed in a junior crew to accomplish this mission. A special thanks goes out to the pilots of VRC-30. Without them the ambulance would not have been waiting at the airport for us. Their ability to relay information and their willingness to help greatly expedited the patient getting to higher care and undoubtedly helped save the patient’s life. Lastly, this outcome wouldn’t have been possible without the exceptional medical expertise and level of care provided by our SMT and the calm professional manner with which my Copilot, Crew Chief, and Rescue Swimmer conducted themselves under pressure. It was a genuine team effort, and it was truly inspiring to see the Screamin’ Indians Team and CSG-9 pull together to save the life of a fellow Sailor.

Black Knight Aircrew SAR

By LTJG Grady Weber, USN

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avy Helicopter Rescue Swimmers save thousands of individuals in many different environments whether its overwater or overland. These individuals have to be able to think quickly and make decisions while performing challenging tasks while underwater, holding their breath, being hoisted, and being tossed around by the ocean.

HSC Aviation Rescue Swimmers are challenged in many different environments and conditions and perform at the highest level. They must maintain peak, physical fitness and have a HSC-4 MH-60s fly-by robust knowledge set when it comes to performing a rescue, medical assessments, communicating and coordinating with the pilots, and utilizing their own equipment.

Our very own AWS2 Connor Haynes here at HSC-4 had to answer this call when a F/A-18E pilot ejected in the Western Pacific. Being able to think quickly and assess the pilot that ejected was critical for AWS2 Haynes. He was doing VERTREP outside of South Korea where the outside air temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit while wearing five layers of cold weather gear. Then, three to four weeks later, AWS2 Haynes was jumping into the Celebes Sea, south of the Philippines, in 80-degree water only wearing a shirt and UDT’s to grab the ejected aviator. The ejected pilot was stable and able to communicate to AWS2 Haynes with no issues. This creates a unique dynamic while deploying with a carrier in a HSC squadron.

“I’m grateful to have seen and done some of the missions I have done in locations such as a SAR south of the Philippines.

Doing a SAR in HSC means it could be executed in very different environments.”

HSC-26 MEDEVAC

AWS2 Zachary Santos, USN

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fter serving for over 12 years, I was finally tasked on my fifth deployment with doing a mission we don’t often get to perform; a maritime search, something we train for quarterly at a minimum, but seldom perform outside of a station SAR billet. We had a unique and difficult mission; to search for a fellow squadron mate, one of our own who went overboard in the dark hours of the early morning. We ceased all other flight operations and focused solely on the task-at-hand. All pilots and aircrewmen were placed into SAR combat crews, scheduled to fly 2-3 sorties each day, scanning the gray and turbulent waters of the Gulf of Oman for our friend and fellow Sailor.

search phase. We especially don’t discuss often enough the professionalism that is required when handling the delicate situation of grieving for a fellow sailor, while maintaining a level of cognitive dissonance from the situation because you’re emotionally preparing yourself for what you may find and what you may have to perform as a professional rescuer.

As you sit in the back of the helicopter looking at the water, you start to call into question the training you have been put through. You question whether you have trained your junior aircrewmen enough, and start to realize that as a mission, we get little actual time for open ocean SAR training. During these long searches, you start to wonder, “will my swimmer know what to do when they hit the water?

Will they be able to focus on the task at hand? Will they be able to effectively communicate what they need from me?

Have I done my best to ensure they can trust my decisions as the hoist operator?”

SAR is the mission we all yearn to do from the first days of becoming a Naval Aviation Rescue Swimmer. We all believe in the motto, “So Others May Live” and we maintain our physical and vocational skills so that we are able to enter the water or run the mission as a crewchief no matter the conditions, to recover a fellow human being. We conducted our search for 48 hours and that was unfortunately where our mission ended. There was no gallant rescue, no relief at finding our shipmate safe, no finality of a mission safely accomplished. We simply ran out of time and the search was called off. We train to rescue, protect, and deliver, but something we rarely talk about organically is the amount of hours, resources, and crew coordination that you will put into the

We truly won’t know until it is time, and the best we can do is prepare our swimmers and hoist operators for the multitude of scenarios that they might encounter. Spending more time training in these environments for maritime SAR will be pivotal in keeping our fleet swimmers at the tip of the spear and ready for any mission that is thrown at them.

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Photo by MCS John.M. Hageman, USN

Focus - SAR MEDEVAC for a Submariner

By LT Andrew “Mumbles” Bush, USN and LT Jonathan “Pocahontas” Smith, USN

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T Gifford, AWR2 Geurts, AWR3 Milleson and I were tasked to conduct a search for a fisherman who had fallen overboard south-west of Oahu on March 18th 2019.

Following the patient evaluation AWR3 Milleson signaled ready for pickup, electing to use the rescue strop to facilitate a quick recovery. We reentered the overhead hover, lowered the hook, and attached the swimmer and patient to the rescue hook. Due to the subs motion, they began to oscillate as we started the raise. We stabilized the helicopter as best as possible and waited for the oscillations to slow before raising them to the cabin door. Once we secured the patient, we departed the hover and directed the aircraft for Oahu. The entire evolution took approximately 25 minutes from arrival on station to departing.

After 45 minutes on station, we got a call from Coast Guard Sector Honolulu that we were being re-tasked to conduct an immediate MEDEVAC off a U.S. submarine.

We turned towards MCBH Kaneohe Bay to fuel and were provided details of the MEDEVAC. The patient was a Sailor who had a severe cut on his left arm requiring a tourniquet and an expeditious MEDEVAC due to a significant amount of blood loss.

While enroute we determined that the patient should be brought to Tripler Army Medical Center (Level 2 medical facility) for treatment. As we raced for Oahu, the AWs provided minor first aid to the patient to manage bleeding despite having a well-placed tourniquet.

We turned the patient over to Tripler’s trauma staff at the hospital helipad and headed back to K-Bay. The patient made a full recovery with no loss of function in his arm due to the quick action and commendable efforts of the USS Nevada and HSM-37 Easyriders.

The submarine was the USS Nevada and the last known position was roughly 150NM North-East of Oahu. After refueling we departed at max range airspeed in the direction of the last known position. At 70NM we picked up the sub on radar and immediately began making calls over Maritime 16. Around 35NM out we established good comms with the sub and briefed the general plan to hoist the patient off the missile deck. The sub was surfaced and driving towards Oahu, which fortunately gave us good pitch and rolls as well as relative winds off the port side of the sub.

A Coast Guard C-130 arrived overhead as we became established on station and assisted with communications relay, keeping ATC apprised of the plan. After doing several recce passes we solidified and briefed our hoist plan; which consisted of lowering our rescue swimmer to the area on the missile deck that had been outlined in flour, having him disconnect, then conduct a medical turnover and patient condition check. We got the green light to commence hoisting from the Sub CO and efficiently lowered AWR3 Milleson to the deck without incident. We departed the hover and took a few laps while he checked out the patient.

Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

USS Nevada (SSBN-133) 34

The Grandmaster SOLAS

By AWR2 Justin Seiler, USN

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n May 25th USS Nitze received a call from the commander of CTF 55 regarding the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) from a French merchant vessel stating that one of their mariners had stroke-like symptoms and needed advanced medical attention. HSM-46's Grandmasters Detachment Four was the Air Department embarked on Nitze at the time the call was received.

The air department worked expeditiously to launch their Sikorsky MH-60R. While the maintenance team prepped and configured the helicopter for SAR, the aircrew was getting as much information on the particular vessel and patient as they could. The vessel was a large container ship that “Grandmasters” of HSM-46 assist with the medical evacuation a mariner from did not have any suitable landing spot the French-flagged motor vessel Jules Verne, after receiving a ‘Safety of Life at for the Medical Evacuation (MEDE Sea’ request, May 25. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Madysson Ritter, USN. VAC), so the crew decided that the most expeditious way to recover the patient was to come into a hover over the portside bridge wing of the vessel. The bridge wing was said to be 45ft long by 12ft wide, which meant that the crew chief would have to lower the rescuer from the aircraft onto the bridge wing while both the vessel and the helo maintained a course that would allow for a stable hover.

Once in the air, the crew chief and the rescuer set up the cabin for the worst possible scenario, not knowing if the patient was ambulatory. As soon as the aircrew was on scene and in a hover, about 15-20ft above the bridge wing, the crew chief was given the command by the pilots to lower the rescuer. With the rescuer successfully on deck, he began immediately diagnosing the patient’s symptoms. He realized the patient was indeed ambulatory so he decided it would be best to utilize the rescue basket as the fastest and least traumatic way of recovery. Once receiving the hand signal from the rescuer on deck, the crew chief immediately set up the basket for the recovery. On command, the basket was lowered to the deck. The rescuer assisted the patient into the basket and performed final checks. Knowing the patient was secured in the basket, the rescuer signaled to the crew chief to raise the hoist. The crew chief was able to successfully raise the patient up and bring him in the aircraft.

With the patient safely in the cabin the crew chief lowered the hoist back down to recover the rescuer still on deck and raised him up into the aircraft. With everybody safely in the aircraft, we departed back to Nitze so the medical team could do a full assessment of the patient. The patient was later flown under the watchful eye of the aircrew to the nearest friendly land based medical center with a stop at an USNS for additional medical treatment and evaluation. The enlisted Aircrew were AWR2 (NAC/AW) Seiler, USN and AWR2 (NAC/AW) McGinnis, USN.

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Focus - SAR

First Light

LT Zach Gross, USCG, Air Station Houston

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was relaxing at home after coming off duty when I received the text message that we have all become so familiar with in one form or another: “You up for a first light search tomorrow morning?” After some digging in the Nautical Almanac to find out when “first light” would be, I did some quick mental math subtracting 12 hours and I concluded that I was, in fact up for the search and started preparing to head in early the next morning. The case was a search for two overdue boaters that had gone fishing in Galveston Bay the day prior and had not returned.

I had initially been diverted during my morning trainer earlier that day to start the first of many sorties that the air station would fly on the case. By the time the Coast Guard had been notified, the two men had already been out on the water for 24 hours.

By mid afternoon the boat was spotted overturned with no sign of survivors in the general vicinity. The search area where they were reportedly fishing was relatively small and after multiple MH-65, HC-144 and small boat sorties, we had the area pretty well saturated over the course of the day and night with no luck. As I am sure most people would assume, I was Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

not getting a cheery, optimistic feeling that we were searching for survivors on that first light search. I woke up that morning before my alarm to my house shaking due to a large thunderstorm passing overhead, and any small bit of optimism that we would find the two men alive further vanished. I simply could not fathom that there was any shred of possibility that two men could make it two days without their boat, in the open water, and the thunderstorm that was making its way towards the bay seemed to be a stark reminder of that fact. Less than four hours after these thoughts crossed my mind, I would be proven wrong.

When we arrived at the air station that morning, we were delayed for about an hour to give us some spacing from the slow moving thunderstorm cell that was wreaking havoc on the bay at the time. When the weather cleared, we launched and began conducting our parallel search assigned by Sector. As we suspected, the first hour and a half of the flight proved uneventful as we scanned the now calm waters looking for any sign of the two fishermen.

Anyone familiar with Galveston Bay or the Gulf of Mexico knows that the water is strewn with manned and unmanned oil platforms ranging in size from over one hundred feet tall to 36

small wellheads barely protruding the surface and we tried to focus our efforts on those platforms as we passed them.

If there was any small chance that the fishermen were alive, they would be on or near one of these rigs. We had been searching for nearly two hours and were on the last leg of the search pattern and had used up nearly all of our fuel.

About halfway through that leg my Co-Pilot, LT Josh Scritchfield, looked over and said that he thought he saw a man waving a shirt on one of those small wellhead type platforms.

Our seemingly mundane first light search had just taken a turn towards interesting. As we marked the position and banked left to circle the platforms, Josh’s suspicion was confirmed and sure enough, standing on one of those platforms level with the water was Mike Watkins, one of the missing fishermen, waving a grey shirt flagging us down. Already low on fuel, our Rescue Swimmer, Jesse Weaver, started to get dressed out as our Flight Mechanic, Nikki Moore, started prepping the cabin. As we made our approach to the first survivor, Jesse looked right and saw Ray Jacik, the second fisherman, on another platform (which actually would be better described as a group of rusted pipes sticking out of the water) about a half mile away from Mike. In

disbelief, we began rapidly (efficiently) going through all appropriate checklists and successfully hoisted the two to safety, ultimately transferring them back to Ellington Field to awaiting EMS. We gave the two all the water we had onboard and aside from the second fisherman being moderately hypothermic (who would have though after sitting half submerged on metal pipes for two days through a thunderstorm), they were in surprisingly good shape.

We all learned a lot on that case, not only the members of the aircrew, but the air station as a whole. The first and most obvious is to never give up hope. After the countless number of first lights and searches that yield no results, this case certainly shed much needed light that even in the most grim circumstances, there is always a chance of survivors, and that hope, no matter how small it might be, is why we go out and search.

The second is picking the right search profile for the conditions in which you are searching. We recently conducted a training event at Air Station Houston consisting of a ground phase and a flight phase. In preparation for the ground phase, an aircrew flew varying

combinations of altitude and airspeed over a rescue swimmer in the water and recorded the perspective, which was played multiple times before each participating aircrew. It was no surprise that at the higher altitude and faster airspeeds, the rescue swimmer was nearly invisible, while at the lower altitudes and slower airspeeds, he was much more detectable. We then discussed search techniques and scanning procedures that are useful in searching for survivors. For the flight phase, a small buoy, “Oscar,” was anchored in the bay and different aircrews took turns conducting searches followed by rescue swimmer hoists in a simulated search and rescue case.

The event seems relatively basic and uneventful at first glance; however, the fact of the matter is that as a whole, we tend to focus a majority of our efforts and proficiency on hoisting and what to do after we have found the survivor.

Those efforts to maintain proficiency are imperative, but if we don’t practice the basic search techniques that we often overlook, we will not get the opportunity to actually locate the survivor and put those skills to use. If it wasn’t for the first fisherman waving that grey T-Shirt, we likely would have

Everything fell into place and at the end of the day, two men were able to go home to their families 37

never found either man, and this story would just be another one of those uneventful first light searches logged in MISLE as “Searched- Failed to Locate.”

I honestly did not even see him until I was on final approach, being vectored into a hover.

Mike Watkins and Ray Jacik told us after the fact that they had seen multiple aircraft and small boats around them to which they appeared invisible, which brings me to my third take away.

They had not yet been located but the presence of multiple aircraft and vessels gave them the assurance that someone was out there looking for them. Even though they were on separate platforms and were not treading water in the open ocean for two days, they had to possess a certain will to survive in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel and make it through those two days. I would venture a guess to say that even though we might not have located them on previous searches, just observing the search effort and knowing that they were still being searched for contributed greatly to that shred of hope that served as the foundation of their will to survive and make it another day.

This case serves as that “one in a million” chance that could have turned out very differently had not everything fallen into place as it did. Had we not been delayed for the thunderstorm, Josh might not have looked over at that exact time and seen the waving shirt and we may have not found them.

Had Mike Watkins, who couldn’t swim, not have floated on a cooler to that oil platform, he likely wouldn’t have been found alive. Had we been diverted on the potential MEDEVAC that we overheard on the radio during the first few legs, we definitely wouldn’t have found them. Everything fell into place and at the end of the day, two men were able to go home to their families and the lessons we learned from their survival serve as a reminder that even the smallest of chance is still a chance worth fighting for (dependent of course on a well thought out risk vs. gain ORM discussion).

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR Hurricane Harvey

By LT Gregory W. Bukata, USCG

Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphins on the flight line at USCGACorpus Christi

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his past summer, I transferred from Air Station Corpus Christi as an MH-65 pilot to ATC Mobile. A common conversation that I had with others seemed to go one of three ways; “years of no SAR,” “at least you don’t have to stand duty!”, and “please give me my instrument check while I am there.” While the prospects of working in a fantastic engineering department and having daily access to arguably one of the best galleys in the Coast Guard was all I needed to get excited for the move, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss standing duty. After only a week at the unit, check-in sheet still in hand, Hurricane Harvey began forming in the gulf, and the “SAR-less” misconception I had of ATC would be washed away as the unit transformed into a key player for the national disaster response.

The first crews were assembled, and within 24 hours, the infamous J.J. “everyone-in-the-Coast-Guardknows-me” Briggs, yours truly Greg “Lil Bukie” Bukata, Ty “First-CaseEver” Gannt, and Chris “I-ShouldBe-Hunting” Flores, along with an additional 65 crew and two 60 crews (not as good-looking to mention by name) were off to Houston. As videos from initial cases in South Texas began circulating from friends at Air Station Corpus Christi, we had the itch to get in the thick of things and seize our Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

own “Katrina” moment. Dodging some minor weather, the 6565 and the 6584 arrived to a relatively quiet Air Station Houston with tasking to stay put while other crews continued closer to the storm. As the following day progressed and Harvey made landfall, it seemed more and more likely that our crew would only support the response by augmenting the Houston duty rotation.

With our hunger for SAR only being filled by molten chocolate cake at BJ’s Brewery, J.J. received a call Saturday evening from the Houston Operations Officer. Houston’s ready helicopter was stuck behind an intense band of storms in Bay City and we were needed to cover the air station B-0 until the morning. As the weather became more of a concern, I too was concerned about spending the night at the air station without my memory foam pillow and high thread-count Egyptian linens.

At 2200L, our crew assumed the B-0 duty as the first major bands of weather arrived.

At 0200L, our crew was awoken by the SAR alarm and informed that there were over 12 different reports of families stuck in rising water, some requiring immediate medical attention. Our crew planned to slowly work our way to the neighborhood of the most critical case involving a pregnant woman and family stuck in the rising waters. 5038

foot visibility, 60 mph wind gusting to 80 mph, torrential rain, and thunderstorms greeted us as the hangar doors opened (I chose to ride brakes). As the aircraft started up, the crew briefed the plan over the radio to the Houston CO, who approved the high-risk flight.

Prior to take off, we identified some major highways on the map that could be used to navigate toward the flooded neighborhood. Once airborne, we flew at 150 feet in order to maintain visual with the highway, slowly navigating to the first case. As the only aircraft flying in all of Houston, the controller at Ellington Tower was able to guide us with radar; he tracked heavy precipitation and gave us suggested turns to narrowly avoid the most dangerous weather.

Once on-scene, the controller warned us before severe bands of weather hit our location. This was crucial in timing the hoisting evolutions.

As each band of weather hit with violent winds and torrential downpours, all we could do was hold our position as the aircraft violently jumped +/-75 feet in seconds. Hesitant to hoist at too high of an altitude to avoid inadvertent IMC, but surrounded by 75-foot trees and towers, we chose to conduct all hoists at 150 feet. During one recovery, an intense band of weather hit, causing an unprecedented amount of water

to enter the aircraft and giving me flashbacks of riding Splash Mountain in Disney World as a kid. (Disclaimer: the MH-65 is an all-weather aircraft, especially inside the aircraft.) The sheer volume of water on the hoist panel likely contributed to the following hoist failure mid-hoist. During the same severe band of weather, we battled multiple failed AFCS channels, MFD failures, and intermittent ICS/comms as water poured into the cockpit and onto the center console. Maintaining the hover became the main focus while we mitigated the multiple equipment issues.

swimmer was being lowered back to the home, the younger child entered the water prematurely and began drifting away. The crew quickly positioned the swimmer downstream of the child while simultaneously avoiding obstacles. Signaling to the flight mechanic to perform the physical grip recovery, the mechanic began clearing the helicopter down to 25 feet to minimize the risk while simultaneously executing the recovery. After squeezing the remaining black out of the cyclic, and with the child safely onboard, we recovered the mother and departed back to Ellington with a full cabin.

We elected to leave the swimmer behind to trade out aircraft. After dropping off the pregnant woman and her child, we returned and finished hoisting the remaining family members still stuck in the flooded home. We moved on to the next case approximately onehalf mile from our current location.

An elderly woman with mobility issues was stuck in her home surrounded by swift-moving water, a result of its close proximity to an engorged creek.

The entrance to the single-story home was about three feet underwater and was relatively sheltered from the swift current, however the roof overhang posed a danger to the cable. Additionally, multiple tall trees and powerlines further congested the hoisting area.

Lowering the swimmer, he entered the home and assessed the situation. He reported back that in addition to the elderly woman, a mother, child, and a man with a feeding tube were also stranded inside.

After filling up with more gas, we returned to a nearby neighborhood where we observed the most severe flooding. With the large number of people signaling our helicopter, it was obvious some families just wanted to get out of their homes but were not in immediate danger thanks to their two-story homes. We turned our attention to single-level homes where the water was at or approaching the roof line, potentially trapping families in their attics. While it was still dark, it was easy to spot families trapped as they signaled with flashlights and cell phones through their vents and attic windows. Seeing one home in particular with water above the roof line and what appeared to be a flashing light coming from the vent, we sent the swimmer to cut a hole in the roof. After the swimmer pulled out seven family members from the attic, we began the slow and methodical basket recoveries of all members, pausing midway to drop off survivors at Ellington.

For the first rescue, the swimmer carried the disabled woman outside where she was recovered with the basket. The individual with the feeding tube posed an added challenge; he informed us that his tube was unable to get wet.

Unable to sit partially submerged in the basket, a sling recovery seemed to be the most viable option. Battling strong winds, the flight mechanic carefully guided the helicopter and cable as close to the roof overhang and as plum as possible to prevent the swimmer and survivor from swinging. As the

At this point of the morning as day break neared, other Coast Guard 65s from Houston began arriving, so an added challenge was de-conflicting in extremely poor visibility, often hoisting only 100-200 feet apart in the crowded neighborhoods. We slowly worked our way from house to house, checking attics, and performing additional rescues. On the final sortie of the day and while low on gas, our crew hoisted 14 survivors (it was a little cramped with 18 in the cabin) and returned to 39

base. “Bagged out� with over 6 hours of non-stop hoisting, we returned to the hotel just in time to catch up on the Real Housewives of New York.

Over the next few days, crews continued to battle poor weather along with the added complexity of having an incredibly large amount of air assets from different agencies operating in a relatively small area. Despite this, Coast Guard crews continued to expertly respond to emergencies and aid with disaster relief. With the mass quantity of rescues and unprecedented logistical support, there were many lessons learned and take-aways from the whole effort. Here are two that come to mind: These situations are changing by the minute and it is easy to get frustrated when processes fail to deliver results.

This is where being flexible is important. During the first 24 hours of the response, Sector Houston lost all radio capabilities. Tasking and radio guards had to be relayed through a few auxiliarists and pilots manning the Air Station’s ODO room. This proved problematic for many reasons. As more crews joined the response, the massive radio congestion on one frequency caused a great deal of confusion, tasking in particular. When a case was complete, it could take as long as 30 minutes until we were assigned another task (not ideal with 1.5 hours of gas).

There also was very little communication flowing back to the command center, like when a task had been completed, or if the search failed to find the individuals in need of help.

Additionally, the quality of tasking was a major problem. For example, one helicopter may be tasked to respond to a case on the opposite side of Houston, when another helicopter waiting for tasking was already in that area but was farther down the queue to receive tasking. So how was this all resolved?

A simple shared google document developed by a Coast Guard Auxiliarist in 20 minutes. This shared document, updated in real time, with a map of the active and completed cases, eliminated much of the radio congestion and www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR passed information with a higher degree of accuracy. For example, rather than passing all of the information over the radio, the command center could just assign case B25 to 6552.

Another issue was proper asset assignment for cases. In one case, a MH-65 was tasked to pick up 40 people trapped on a roof, and at the same time a MH-60 was tasked with transporting a hospital patient in need of dialysis. The two assets, to many command center personnel, are both helicopters, but clearly the two assets could be used more effectively if they switched tasking. To solve this, someone simply suggested adding aviators to the command center duty to “dish” out cases to appropriate air and ground assets and to act as a final “QA” for tasking. There are no SOPs for each unique disaster. While Dash-1s, local SOPs, and the 3710 give us guidance, many on-the-spot practices for each event need to be defined rapidly, disseminated widely, and re-evaluated for effectiveness.

Secondly, the Coast Guard again proved that standardization is crucial for a successful and safe disaster response.

The ability to fly an aircraft from one air station with a crew from four different units around the fleet is a testament to the service’s standardization. Standardization allows a relatively small fleet the ability to “surge” effectively in moments like this and acts as a force multiplier, not only through our flying procedures, but in our maintenance practices. Any breakdown in standardization thwarts response time and fleet effectiveness. It could be as simple as addressing key topics –who holds maintenance release authority, how people are to be handled in ALMIS with respect to QA authorities, etc. – across the fleet days before a storm makes landfall. Standardizing these practices for each unique event can prevent some confusion that I observed during the initial days of Harvey.

In all, my experience in Harvey is something I will remember for the rest of my career. The Coast Guard, once again, proved that the organization can do more with less, be flexible, and get the job done.

Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

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Looking Back on Hurricane Harvey

By AWS2 Daniel Harlow, USN

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y name is Petty Officer Second Class Daniel Harlow, I am a rescue swimmer attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Seven, stationed in Norfolk, VA. The most rewarding experience I have had in the military has been my unique opportunity to be involved with hurricane relief effort during the devastating 2017 hurricane season. I was on the first Navy helicopter to land in Houston, TX while Hurricane Harvey was still at its peak of destruction. The visibility was horrendous, and the rain was worse. We were called to do a medical evacuation at a nearby church. Upon receiving the coordinates we proceeded to the location being ever watchful of nearby air traffic. The sky over Houston looked like a wasp nest and given that there was no air traffic control, helicopter crews were responsible for airspace de-confliction by calling out position over a common frequency.

Upon reaching the church, we conducted an overhead pass (SWEEP check) on the parking lot and decided that it would make an acceptable landing zone (LZ). Upon landing, along with the Air Force PJ that was assigned to our crew, I exited the helicopter. We went inside the church where there were no less than 300 people inside, all seeking shelter.

The man who seemed to be in charge looked at me and asked how many people I could take, I replied with “as many as we can squeeze in the cabin."

I radioed back to the helicopter and asked if their power was sufficient for as many as 15 passengers, LCDR Pat Dunn replied that it was. Given that the lives of these people were in danger, we assessed that the aircraft configured without passenger seats would work to our benefit, allowing us to maximize the number of passengers we could take. The PJ began to start

treating the more critical survivors.

As he began his work I assembled a passenger manifest that I thought was realistic and we packed 17 survivors into the helicopter cabin and delivered them to the nearby Red Cross station.

Immediately after drop-off, we lifted for a transit back to the church for another pickup.

While enroute I noticed a flooded apartment complex in which there were families on the second floor balconies waving white towels to get our attention. I immediately called out for a hard down and right and called out their position. I recommended a hoist recovery for the families on the balcony.

I was hoisted down, along with my Air Force PJ counterpart, into the water and we made our way to the complex.

I lost communication with my PRC149 radio and passed communication responsibilities to the PJ. While I was sending the last man from the first group up to the helicopter, he told me that there was another family at the other end of the complex that needed help. Once he reached the helicopter, we waded through chest deep water to the end of the complex and made air taxi signals to the helicopter to get closer.

We knocked on the door and found a family whose father just had a kidney transplant, and two children who had asthma and were out of medication.

As the PJ assessed them, I signaled for the rescue basket and began loading up the second family. After successfully recovering the worst-off survivors, we were hoisted back into the helicopter at which time I asked the aircraft commander to mark on top and pass the location over the common frequency to the rest of the SAR assets, and the remaining were later rescued by another unit. Although this was a terrible experience for the City of Houston, this was the best day of my

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life in the Navy as I was able to execute my training and help those in need.

In an effort to establish lessons learned, further discussion will identify some challenges the Navy rescue crews experienced, along with some recommendations. Of the 74 rescues I was involved in, 29 were via the rescue hoist. We were outfitted with a standard SAR load out in the cabin to include a rescue basket. I used the rescue basket for all of the 29 hoist recoveries. The basket is by far the quickest means to safely extract a survivor from almost any environment and I highly recommend its use.

Our biggest hindrance was our helmets, specifically the lost communication with the helicopter and overall uselessness during this type of mission. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to work hand in hand with Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs). While Hurricane Harvey was still overhead, we encountered an immense amount of rainfall. It took no more than an hour of flight time for me to lose ICS communications. I became completely reliant on the PJ I was working with to relay communications from the ground back to the helicopter during our rescues, considering our PRC-149 did not work either. Our issued helmets are extremely sensitive to water and become inoperable far too soon.

Additionally, when doing medical evacuations with a cabin full of people I found that I could not retrieve my ICS cord upon returning to the helicopter as so many people were sitting on it. I understand leadership is working these issues but I cannot reiterate strongly enough that we need to equip ourselves as our sister services have for these environments. Water proof, wireless communications are far more efficient than our current systems/equipment.

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Focus - SAR Hawaii Oh-No!

By LT John “Brick” Fritts, HSM Weapons School Pacific Public Affairs Officer

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hile touring Oahu during a Tactical Assist Visit from San Diego, California, LT Michael “HUGS” Hatch and LT Christopher “SHADY” Cady of the HSM Weapons School Pacific rescued a drowning swimmer in a deathdefying example of bravery and friendship. Their incredible actions are recounted in the following story.

At 1100 on 9 June 2018, LT Hatch, LT Cady and additional members of Helicopter Maritime Strike Weapons School Pacific (HSMWSP) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 were sightseeing in Laie, Oahu. Members of the group were swimming and jumping off the cliff at the popular tourist location on Laie Point. Laie Point has been the sight of multiple drownings in the last three years due to dangerous currents, sharp rocks surrounding the area, and inexperienced swimmers. Local medical professionals and lifeguards advise travelers against jumping into the water to assist struggling swimmers without specific training and equipment. All too often a single casualty turns into multiple casualties.

LT Hatch, LT Cady, and the other members of their group were out sightseeing at a few well-known local tourist stops. LT Hatch was very familiar with the Laie Point cliff area and discussed the dangers and techniques involved with jumping off the cliffs. The wave height that day was moderate with swells of about 5 feet.

While cliff jumping at Laie Point isn’t prohibited, it is not recommended for weaker swimmers. With strong currents, heavy wave chop, and sharp rocks and coral surrounding the exit, under the wrong conditions the area can be dangerous for even the strongest swimmers. At the onset of events, there were a few other tourists and some locals enjoying the views and Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

observing the jumpers. LT Hatch had just jumped in the water, as he had done previously, and waited for others to join him.

While still in the water, LT Hatch observed a male tourist proceed to the cliff edge, remove his shoes, and let out a bewildering scream of “YOLO, I love you” to a probably confused female companion as he jumped in the water. The male tourist sailed 30 feet into a treacherous location with only one avenue to exit the ocean and return to shore. As soon as the male surfaced, LT Hatch recognized immediately from the flailing and panicked disposition of the survivor that his ability to swim was inadequate given the surf conditions. LT Hatch swam toward the struggling survivor in an attempt to calm him following his foolhardy romantic gesture. The survivor weighed 270 pounds and was further hindered because he was wearing pants and socks, rendering him unable to keep his head above water. Assisting him proved a difficult task for the 190-pound LT Hatch. Compounding this difficulty, the survivor began drifting away from the area due to strong currents. With considerable effort, LT Hatch pulled the survivor closer to shore, but the survivor was disoriented and non-compliant. The swirling seas were too rough for a single person to conduct a rescue of a man that size without the use of survival equipment.

Understanding the peril the survivor faced, LT Hatch began shouting instructions to the bystanders on shore to assist from land. One person ran to find floatation, another ran to a nearby house to seek assistance, and another friend was advised to call 911. While all of this was occurring, LT Hatch was with the survivor, keeping him above water, and swimming furiously towards the cliffs. A local Hawaiian teenager, who was also at Laie Point, jumped in 42

the water and swam to assist. Unfortunately, the survivor grabbed onto him and due to differences in weight, he was quickly submerged. The second rescuer became frightened and, once he resurfaced and was free from the survivor, swam away.

LT Hatch was once again alone with a non-compliant, distressed, and fatigued individual. Starting to experience fatigue himself, LT Hatch released the survivor and swam to a nearby reef to regain his breath and strength. At this point, LT Hatch called for LT Christopher Cady to jump in and assist him in his challenging predicament. LT Cady, LT Hatch’s friend of over 10 years and former roommate at the United States Naval Academy, did not hesitate when called upon. With no regard for his own safety, LT Cady hurled himself off the cliff into the swells and began swimming towards the survivor and LT Hatch. Once the trio was reunited, they realized the increasing severity of the situation. LT Hatch and LT Cady were now even further down the coast and not visible to the majority of the bystanders. The survivor was physically unable to float without assistance. LT Hatch and LT Cady calmly planned their ongoing efforts in order to maximize their strength and stamina. When they reached the submerged survivor, they were able to grab one arm each, bring his head to the surface, and began swimming towards the base of the cliffs.

Due to the current, the trio had drifted far from their initial entry point at Laie and were unable to make the swim back.

After a quick discussion of options, LT Hatch and LT Cady decided to swim directly to the cliff despite knowing they would surely encounter jagged rocks and razor sharp coral. The ocean swells and size of the survivor made this physically demanding task even more

LT Hatch and LT Cady exhibited remarkable heroism and were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for their gallantry.

dangerous as they approached under crashing waves and with little area knowledge of the cliffs.

With calm determination, the swimmers found a section of cliff face that afforded a decent grip.

Although the group was able to hold onto the cliff face and regain some strength, they were continuously pounded with crashing waves from the ocean swell. Exhausted but determined to keep the survivor from being washed back out to sea and perishing, LT Hatch directed the survivor to hold onto the cliff, and Hatch endured razor sharp cuts along his body to maintain contact with the coral and cushion the survivor as a large wave smashed into their backs.

LT Hatch, LT Cady, and the survivor were picked up by the wave and dragged across the rocks into a small cave another 30 feet down the cliff face. Using one hand to protect his head from the rocks and the other to hold onto the survivor, LT Hatch was able to regain contact with the cliff wall and position the survivor in a safe area away from the crashing waves. LT Cady safely navigated the waves and quickly joined the other two in the haven found near the cave. As the next wave approached, LT Hatch directed the members to what seemed to be the safest location in the small cave.

LT Hatch and LT Cady assessed the status of the survivor and their wounds to determine if they would be able to safely escape from their location in the cave. Bleeding from multiple severe cuts along his hands, feet, knees, and legs, LT Hatch mapped out a potential route from the ocean cave up the cliff wall. LT Hatch directed

the survivor in an intrepid scaling of the 25-foot cliff face, completing their sensational rescue.

LT Hatch and LT Cady put their own lives at risk to rescue a complete stranger in extremely trying conditions that would have challenged the strongest swimmer. Both received significant medical attention following the incident, including x-rays for the deep cuts and foreign bodies experienced from the coral reef. LT Hatch and Cady’s efforts and complete disregard for their own personal safety when faced with a sure loss of life throughout the entire rescue was an incredible reflection of the Navy’s core tenets of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. LT Hatch and LT Cady exhibited remarkable heroism and were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for their gallantry.

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Features Mentoring – What Matters Most?

By Rear Admiral Alvin “Bull” Holsey, USN

RDML Alvin Holsey,USN, Commander, Carrier Strike Group One, gives a speech during an African American and Black History Month celebration in the HSM-41 Wardroom at Naval Air Station North Island.

US Navy photo by PO1 Arthurgwain Marquez, USN.

W

hat matters most when it comes to mentoring? The answer is simple: You just have to give a damn!

After 30 years in the US Navy, some thought and reflection, I am convinced we have to be better mentors.

Throughout history, successful leaders across numerous fields have said that a mentor or two, maybe more, helped them along the way. Admiral Nimitz credited Rear Admiral Samuel S. Robison, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. credited Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg credited a former college professor, Larry Summers. Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Army General, Colin Powell, credited his father, Luther Powell. Powell goes on to say, “All… of us have the ability to serve as a mentor – to step forward and say, I’m going to be a mentor, because I want this next generation to take America to a higher level, a better place.” These mentors provided guidance, words of encouragement, reinforcement and perhaps even some stern criticism at times. Bottom line – they gave a damn!

Mentoring requires leadership, yet we continue to struggle with this simple nurturing concept that can make our Navy better. So why do we struggle? We struggle, in part, because we get lost in minutiae: Should mentoring be formal or informal? Should we assign mentors? Should they be male or female? But frankly, all of that doesn’t matter. What matters is a leader’s willingness to engage. Successful engagement at any level in a Sailor’s career makes a difference. It just has to be genuine. Don’t tell me who I can or cannot mentor. I should be able to mentor a seaman, a chief petty officer, a female, or a surface warfare officer – regardless of my designator or title. True leaders engage, and part of that engagement is getting to Know Your People and making a positive difference in their lives.

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Throughout my career, I have had several folks that I would call a mentor. Some have been there from day one and others only a few years, but their influence endured.

They made an impression. Some preferred to watch from a distance and engage only when necessary to keep me on glideslope. There are varying degrees of engagement where mentors can provide just the right impact at the right time.

It doesn’t have to be all consuming. I think the role of the mentor should be: C-L-E-A-R: • Counsel • Listen • Example • Assess • Reinforce My first Navy mentor was the professor of Naval Science at my NROTC unit. I have reached out to him a few times over the years, and he was always there to share insights and provide Counsel when needed. He has been an important part of my life and career. He even attended my winging ceremony and my change of command ceremony some 25 years later. I never asked him to be my mentor, but years ago he took an interest, and I felt comfortable enough to reach out when I needed advice.

I met my second mentor when I started training in the fleet replacement squadron. He just walked up and introduced himself, coincidentally, he was headed to my fleet squadron as a department head. It may be worth noting, that he was a test pilot, which I aspired to be one day, and we shared the same racial background. I am sure he felt compelled to engage since I was one of only a handful of minorities or maybe because I looked shocked in my new

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surroundings. Hands-down, he was the best pilot in the squadron and he spent time to make sure I knew what it meant to bring your “A-game” every day. I haven’t spoken with him in a few years, but he was there in the beginning to help Reinforce what “right” should look like for me as a junior officer.

the years, I have attended various conferences or have heard young folks ask about finding a good mentor. The initial connection can be quite awkward for both mentor and perspective protégés. So, what’s the answer? I would ask young folks just starting out to do three things:

I met my third mentor at an affinity group function when I was a young flight instructor. That was over 20 years ago and he has been there ever since. He was a great example and played an active role in my career at a distance and sometimes up close. He did not pull any punches and he kept challenging me to push ahead. We have often heard that there are no defined career paths, but I probably followed mentor number three’s path the closest. It has been said that, “imitation is a catalyst of achievement”. When you are a role model or mentor, young people take note and follow your lead. You just have to set the right Example.

1.

Learn everything that you can

2.

Accept criticism

3.

Seek constant improvement

Those are not things to get you noticed, though they will.

They are key elements in defining who you are and are essential to shaping your professional growth and development.

I think the majority of the mentoring connection lies with seniors who should reach out and engage. You know what is required in your field, your community and our Navy. You have seen the pitfalls and you know the challenges. For me, it was those leaders at all levels who noticed my work ethic, saw something special or knew that curve was in the road and sought me out to provide honest feedback. They were authentic, and I was quickly put in a place where I felt comfortable asking more insightful questions about myself and my career. A conversation started and we found common ground. Yes, I guess I felt like they gave a damn!

Mentor number four – the Great Tuntini. My mother and father taught me the value of hard work, and I always thought that I gave the proverbial “110 %.” In fact, I naively believed that everyone else did the same. How could they not? Mentor number four was quite refreshing as a commanding officer because he challenged the entire command to give more and he did not tolerate oxygen thieves. Of course, I felt great because of my “110%.” He was the first leader who asked me to give more, “115%,” like that was even possible. He set the bar higher and helped me to Assess my own potential. In doing so, I realized there was nothing like “120%,” especially when you are having fun. He also helped me to realize I had a lot more to offer the Navy.

Mentoring Self-Assessment: 1) How many mentors have you had in your career? (My answer - 15 plus) - List them out and reflect on the impact they’ve had on your life and career.

Mentor number five was my detachment senior chief who retired a few years ago as a Master Chief from the world’s greatest Navy. First impression, we could not have been from more different backgrounds or beliefs. We were products of small town Georgia, born in the sixties and yes, different races. I think we both learned to Listen and embrace our differences to lead our team. We shared several talks about family, growing up, life, dreams and more. Ironically, we had more things in common than we had different which is probably true for most of us. Every Sailor has a story, and that story is what brought them to the Navy. Our team excelled because of friendship built on personal trust and my ability to grow as a leader.

2) How many folks have you mentored from different backgrounds? (officer, enlisted, warfare communities, gender, racial, etc…) If it helps, write out a list. (My answer – 30 plus, maybe more) - If all your protégés look like you or your numbers are limited, you need to expand your reach.

3) What are you waiting for? Go Lead!!

Those were only five mentors, but my list of mentors is easily over 15, maybe more. No, they didn’t all look like me.

No one was ever formally assigned, but all took an interest.

We did not all share the same likes or dislikes, but I think we all believed in our Navy, opportunity and achievement. Over

What are you waiting for? Go Lead!!

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Features The Case for the ATAS: Arming MH-60R/S for Future Threats

By LT Matthew “Cheeky” Bernard, USN

I

n June 2017, a United States Air Force F-15E shot down a Shahed-129 over Syrian airspace as it approached U.S. and Syrian allied forces. The Iranian made and armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), similar to the USAF MQ-1 Predator, which posed a significant threat to coalition forces, was destroyed in an act of self-defense near the Tanf IraqSyria border crossing. This engagement was quickly eclipsed later that month by the shoot down of a Syrian Su-22 by a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet deployed on the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). The excitement of the first U.S. air-to-air engagement since 1991 rippled throughout the Department of Defense, sparking memories of yesterday’s wars. The momentous encounter and destruction of the Su-22 demonstrated the United States’ conventional symmetric warfare capabilities, however, the future of warfare is not just symmetric, but asymmetric as well. Warfare pitting complex manned aircraft against simple unmanned weapon systems is increasingly the norm, and countries like Iran are on the forefront of UAV use. As the Department of Defense develops future carrier strike groups, comprised of USS Gerald Ford Class carriers and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, we should not discount the significance or effectiveness of developing low-cost alternatives to counter low-cost threats. The U.S. Navy’s MH-60R and MH-60S, which are deployed on both CRUDES ships and aircraft carriers, encounter these Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

UAVs every day and should be armed with the battle-proven and cost effective Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) missile to counter the growing threat.

UAVs are a key component of Iran’s asymmetric warfare doctrine. This doctrine is not a new concept, but dates back to the 1980-1998 Iran-Iraq war. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) implements a strategy that utilizes large quantities of lowcost weaponry, such as small boats, mines, and anti-ship cruise missiles; an example of this was seen during the Tanker War (1984-1988). Their successes demonstrated the importance of asymmetric tactics in the maritime environment. Since 1988, Iran has continued to heavily invest in similar capabilities, such as anti-ship cruise missiles, proxy forces, a guerrilla navy, and UAVs, to police the Strait of Hormuz. The first instance of Iranian UAV utilization was during the mid-1980s with the Ababil, but the aircraft was limited in both range and capabilities.

The development of larger and more versatile UAVs, which mirror and rival the United States’ own, began in earnest during the mid-2000s under the cognizance of the state-run Iran Aviation Industries Organization. Iranian UAVs, such as the Fotros (2013), H-110 Sarir (2013), Hamaseh (2013), Karrar (2010), Raad-85 (2013), Sadeq (2017), Saeqeh (2016), Shahed-129 (2012), Yasir (2012), and the Mohajer-6 (2017) were all developed in the last decade and represent the bulk of Iranian UAV forces.

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While much smaller, less effective, and less expensive than their manned counterparts, UAVs pose a very real threat to U.S. ships and aircraft that needs to be addressed. The cumulative effects of U.S. sanctions on Iran have limited their ability to upgrade their conventional forces in a meaningful way, further cementing their asymmetric warfare doctrine. This has resulted in the proliferation of more advanced asymmetric threat technologies, such as the UAV. With the prevalence of UAVs in the Gulf, their interactions with helicopters are increasingly more common. The proliferation of these small and sometimes difficult to detect aircraft poses a threat to both safety of flight and the security of the carrier itself. In 2017, the U.S. Navy reported a collision between a Sadeq (a UAV capable of carrying air-to-air missiles) and an F/A-18 based on the USS Nimitz.

Though the event was not catastrophic, it does demonstrate the threat that UAVs pose to the security of ships and aircraft operating in the Gulf. The U.S. carrier strike group, which is at the forefront of all U.S.-Iran interactions, is the most visible threat to Iran’s regional hegemony. It is the basis on which the Iranian military develops their anti-access/area-denial strategy. The IRGCN released a video of a surveillance drone flying over a U.S. carrier, ostensibly demonstrating their precise targeting capabilities, as well as their ability to proceed over a U.S. high value unit unimpeded. The truth of the video was much more benign: a Navy helicopter

was trailing the UAV the entire time and determined it was unarmed. The spokesman for Fifth Fleet deemed the flyover “abnormal and unprofessional” despite the UAV flying unarmed Without question, the air wing organic to the carrier strike group has the ability to defeat such UAVs, but the addition of the ATAS missile to MH60R/S armament could neutralize the threat with greater ease and efficiency, without any additional burdens to the taxpayer.

Department of Defense leaders should consider a more cost effective means of protecting our multi-billion dollar carrier assets and our Sailors from the UAV threat. The carrier strike group, as it exists today, has the ability to destroy these threats with its current arsenal of jets and helicopters, but the battlefield is changing rapidly, and they may soon lose this edge. Arming MH-60 Sierras and Romeos with the ATAS as a primary means to protect the fleet against the increasing UAV threat could be implemented with minimum financial impact and result in a readily deployable, highly effective weapon system. The capability gap between the United States and its near-peer adversaries in the Middle East is rapidly expanding, but at great expense. The biggest threat to U.S. military supremacy is the cost of the U.S. weapon systems themselves, compared to their counterparts. While decrepit Iranian combat aircraft sit aging on the tarmac under the weight of perpetual sanctions that restrict Iran’s ability to update their Air Force, the future Ford class carrier ($13.1 billion), equipped with the fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 ($137 million), will push into the Gulf at the largest price tag in military history.

Economically speaking, this represents a disproportionate use of force, which needs to be addressed.

This disproportionate use of force is highlighted in the 2017 shoot down of a several hundred-dollar quadcopter by an Army launched Patriot missile, which is valued at $3 million. This example is certainly at the extreme end

of the economic spectrum, but it underscores the larger issue at hand.

Additionally, several major news outlets broadcast this unnecessary use of top dollar missiles, detracting from the military’s positive image, especially at a time when budget fights in Congress were growing increasingly contentious.

Today’s carrier force should not employ a $3 million missile in response to a drone or UAV. There is still room for improvement in terms of economic weaponeering.

As the threats exist today, naval aircraft would most likely employ the AIM-9X air-to-air missile against an armed UAV. The highly capable AIM-9X missile, launched from an F/A-18 or F-35 at the unit cost of $604,000, is relatively inexpensive, but employing it would require diverting scarce manned resources away from vital missions in order to handle pop up UAV threats. A capable and cost effective alternative missile already exists and could be integrated quickly.

Enter the ATAS missile. The ATAS, worth only $38,000 (a fraction of the AIM-9X), is one of the many variants of the original Stinger missile and is the cost-effective solution needed to counter the UAV threat. Originally a man-portable-air-defense-system (MANPADS), the Stinger employs infrared seeking technology with deadly accuracy to bring down even the most capable air threats. The Stinger’s use dates back to the Falklands War, where it was used by the British Special Air Service to bring down an Argentinian Pucara, although it gained its notoriety for its use by the Mujahideen fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. The Stinger has since evolved and has been modified to fit a multitude of platforms, to include the M2 Bradley, the MQ-1 Predator, and most importantly the AH-64 Apache, making it one of the most versatile anti-aircraft weapons in use. The United States maintains an arsenal of approximately 13,400 Stinger missiles, providing an easy solution

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to counter the UAV threat: arm the carrier helicopter force with the perfect counter-UAV weapon that the military already owns The use of the ATAS on U.S. helicopters dates back to 1988, when the Army succeeded with the Apache’s initial airworthiness evaluation. The concept of arming helicopters with the ATAS continued to gain traction when, in November of 1996 at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, an OH-58D Kiowa of U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) tracked and destroyed a QUH-1 drone.

The Kiowa used its mast mounted sight (MMS) cueing system to orient the ATAS in the general vicinity of the small drone so that when it was fired, the ATAS could easily acquire and make short work of the drone (Global Security, 2019). For a weapon that reliably took down Russian Hinds, it is incredibly overpowered and very effective for use against smaller unmanned aircraft, despite being a fraction of the cost of the AIM-9X. The newest variants even use the guidance technology of the AIM-9X, but have a smaller footprint and per-unit cost. Since then, the ATAS continues to serve as a reliable armament for helicopters and has advanced beyond the “proof of concept” stage.

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Features Other allied nations have acknowledged the effectiveness, both economically and militarily, of this weapon.

For instance, the Japanese Defense Force ordered 55 AH-64DJP Apaches, all armed with the Stinger. Perhaps the most definitive evidence of the effectiveness of the ATAS’ use against UAVs, comes from its use in the Syrian conflict. In February of 2018, the Israeli military employed an AH-64’s ATAS missile to shoot down an armed Iranian Qods Force UAV (launched out of Syria) as it encroached Northern Israel airspace. This is important for several reasons. First, the ATAS was successful against a real-time threat in one of the most undefined battlegrounds war has ever seen. Second, it continues to highlight the importance of UAVs in Iran’s asymmetric warfare doctrine in ongoing conflicts. Finally, it validated the weapon-to-threat pairing so that further testing is not required on behalf of the Navy.

Arming the MH-60R/S with the ATAS would be comparatively inexpensive to do because the physical hardware and inventory to support this innovation already exists. The ATAS, as it is configured on other helicopters, can already communicate with the MIL-STD-1760 data bus of the Navy’s MH-60s, eliminating any requirement for major development. The toughest challenge developers will face is the integration of the ATAS with the current software and to develop a user-friendly target acquisition process. In the 1980’s, testing of the ATAS on the AH64 validated this hypothesis. In the final testing and evaluation of the ATAS, the missile did not affect the handling of the aircraft due to its small size and weight (34.5 lbs), but they did identify the lack of sufficient symbology and sighting capability in regards to aiming the missile (Lawrence, 1988). This is crucial, as the homing guidance of the ATAS is internal to the missile and will lock onto the first infrared source in its field of view, which may not necessarily be the intended target. The OH-58D resolved this lack of discrimination with the MMS line-of-sight cueing system, which allowed the MMS to Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

initially guide the pilots to fly the aircraft to the heading it needed in order to lock the target, reducing the chance of inadvertently acquiring the wrong target. Integration of the ATAS software should not be a major hindrance as the Navy could use a similar plan of action from the MH-60 integration of the APKWS rockets. Due to the operational requirements, the Navy acquired a weapon system that was in use on the AH-64, and several other airframes, and configured it to be compatible with the MH-60. With the challenges identified, the Navy should reallocate existing resources towards this program, and it has a good reason to do so. If even one $137 million F-35 were lost to a missile employed by a UAV, it would more than justify the cost of upgrades to the MH-60.

The Navy should shift its existing resources to the MH-60 platforms to more effectively counter the growing UAV threat. Iran lacks a formidable airto-air capable aircraft requiring use of the F/A-18 and F-35, and will for the foreseeable future. Iran’s more than 330 combat aircraft piloted by the Iranian Air Force (IRIAF) consist of mostly old F-4s, F-5s, and F-14s and exist mostly in a defensive role, with their secondary roles being maritime and land strike.

In Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, the nation’s growth has been stunted due to economic sanctions. The detrimental effects have manifested in a number of ways, one being the withering of the IRIAF and its combat aircraft. Their inability to acquire new aircraft in arms deals from other countries forces Iran to rely on preventative and corrective maintenance on older airframes to extend service life. The bulk of their current inventory are aircraft the United States produced and sold to the Iranian Government during the 1960s and 1970s, augmented by some Soviet aircraft from the 1980s. The U.S. Navy’s fifth generation fighters (both onboard carriers and those that will be sold to our allies in the region) significantly outmatch Iranian aircraft and arma48

ment. Sanctions position Iran’s military decades behind the United States. Iran has acknowledged this handicap and has begun to take measures to compensate for it. In 2018, the United States left the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and in response, Iran increased its defense budget 40%.

Only a third of these funds went to the Artesh—the regular military—who maintain combat aircraft, with the remaining two thirds going to the IRGC, who maintain the UAV force. The Iranians understand it is more financially effective to invest in their asymmetric capabilities and to fund proxy wars rather than confront conventional U.S. forces. These inexpensive guerilla tactics have proved their worth in multiple conflicts. Should the U.S. Navy launch a $137 million F-35 to employ several $604,000 AIM-9X missiles against a much small and slower moving Mohajer 6 UAV carrying two laser guided munitions advancing towards the carrier? Perhaps. But the better option would be to task one of the constantly airborne MH-60R or MH-60S helicopters to engage the threat with a $38,000 ATAS. The Navy will see an incredible return on investment by shifting funds from current air-to-air munition programs to the ATAS and will realize a greater effectiveness on neutralizing the Iranian UAV threat, which will stretch the U.S. taxpayer’s dollar just a little bit further While Iran may be the most visible and important adversary that will leverage the benefits of the low-cost UAV, they are not the only force that employs UAVs as a part of their conventional military strategy. Non-state actors such as ISIS, which outfits UAVs with explosives, to peer adversaries like China and Russia, are already using

UAVs in some capacity. Additionally, the carrier is not the only unit who will benefit from arming the MH-60 with the ATAS. There are independent deployable units, such as destroyers and cruisers, surface action groups, and amphibious ready groups, who all carry some variant of the MH-60 and will be

able to use the ATAS in some capacity.

Providing the MH-60 with the ATAS is not a stop-gap decision to simply solve a one-off regional threat, but is rather an innovative application of existing technologies to neutralize the growing global threats of today and tomorrow.

The United States has the ability to

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show the world that it is not only able to continually field the most powerful military, but also the most efficient and cost effective one too. The United States Department of Defense should act quickly to allocate the funds for the ATAS to gain the proverbial high ground in this area of warfare and bring the fight to the enemy.

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Frigate about It

By LTJG Thomas Sandford, USN HSC-22 Public Affairs Officer

H

elicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 landed on the German Sachsen-class frigate Hessen for proficiency, but stayed for the German hospitality.

Hessen’s commanding officer, Fregattenkapitän Olliver Pfennig, invited HSC-22’s aircrew aboard his warship for practice deck landings with a dinner in between approaches.

The Aug. 12 visit helped HSC-22’s MH-60 Sierra Knighthawk helicopter pilots gain landing experience on a allied vessel, learn about Hessen’s mission in the Mediterranean Sea, and gave Hessen’s newest bridge officers the opportunity to practice guiding helicopters in for a landing.

“I have so many junior operators who need to practice helicopter flight procedures, and I’d like each one of them to do it at least five or ten times,” Pfennig said to LCDR Joseph “Weeman” Navarre, HSC-22 detachment 1 officer-in-charge, over a shared plate of traditional cheeses, meat, and bread in the warship’s dining hall.

After taking off from Military Sealift Command’s dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13), near the coast of Greece, the HSC-22 helicopter delivered Navarre to Hessen for dinner. The crew then took off for four hours of day and night practice approaches and landings guided by Hessen’s junior officers.

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Meanwhile, the Medgar Evers completed a simultaneous underway replenishment at sea alongside the Hessen.

“This visit allows us to practice and foster the strength of our bonds,” Pfennig said.

Navarre agrees.

“I think it’s important to foster a relationship with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and seize every opportunity to train and operate together while forward deployed,” Navarre says. “I even spoke German with the commanding officer and his crew, which was a highlight of the visit.”

Hessen has spent the last four months of a six-month deployment patrolling the Mediterranean Sea on behalf of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and the NATO Aegean Sea Activity, searching for refugees in need of assistance who have lost their way at sea.

“It’s not a typical mission,” Pfennig says. He says there is always one NATO ship assigned to this task yearround response to a sea-borne migrant crisis that peaked in 2015. In that year, more than 1 million people made the daunting journey across the Mediterranean Sea, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

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Since the beginning of the year, 38,000 refugees have arrived by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta, per the UNHCR. Many of the makeshift vessels refugees use are of questionable seaworthiness, and at least 800 people are estimated to have died or gone missing this year during the same journey.

Hessen’s crew uses the ship’s powerful electro-optical and infrared sensors to detect these migrant vessels in need of assistance, and alert the coast guard of the nearest country so the vessel can be intercepted and aided if necessary.

“We have liaisons from different countries onboard the Hessen who show up on our bridge to help us,” Pfennig says. “That way we have capable forces on both sides.”

Hessen is capable of carrying two German helicopters. However, the refugee mission didn’t require the helicopters to embark on the ship, so Pfennig looked to HSC-22 to help his bridge officers gain confidence in directing helicopters to Hessen’s deck.

“The landings were great and provided invaluable experience not only to the crews of HSC-22.1, but to the flight deck crew embarked on Hessen,” Navarre says.

HSC-22’s pilots gained confidence in their landings, as well, including HSC-4 guest flyer LT Taylor “T-Dawg” Minor.

“I thought Cmdr. Olliver Pfennig was very professional and had an exceptionally gracious crew,” Navarre says.

“Going from a big-deck oiler to a small German frigate gave us a challenge,” Minor says, “but the precision of our aircrew combined with the professionalism of the German flight deck team gave us the seamless glideslope we needed to nail every landing.”

The visit allowed Navarre and the HSC-22 aircrew to meet Captain Joachim Brune, the leader of Germany’s Commander Task Unit 1100.02.01, who was also embarked on Hessen.

Hessen’s large flight deck makes an excellent landing area for new German pilots, and has served to qualify at least 70 percent of all the helicopter pilots in Germany’s Navy, Pfennig says.

“It’s a small community,” Pfennig says, with a laugh. “We’ve gotten to know almost all the helicopter pilots in our Navy.”

Minor says she enjoyed getting to know the ship’s crew, who matched her eagerness to learn.

“The chance to cross-pollinate with our NATO allies allows us to be more capable and experienced pilots and aircrew when it comes to multinational missions,” she said.

Navarre says he has conducted cross-deck evolutions to various foreign vessels during this deployment, but this was his first time working with a German frigate.

“Captain Brune was pleased with our willingness to train his team for all of the day and night evolutions,” Navarre says. “Reputation is everything, and by continuing to work with our NATO partners we continue to demonstrate that HSC-22 can be on time and on target for all mission tasking, 100 percent of the time.”

HSC-22 Detachment 1 embarked on a seven-month deployment in February to support operations onboard USNS Medgar Evers and missions on behalf of the Commander of Task Force 63. Since deploying, HSC-22 has executed four multi-national integrated exercises, including Flag Officer Sea Trials (FOST), Joint Warrior, Formidable Shield, and Baltic Operations (BALTOPS).

German Guided Missile Frigate Hessen hosts HSC-22 for a cultural exchange and cross-deck landings.

HSC-22 also completed two land-detachments to Lossimouth, Scotland and Ansbach, Germany, and is homeported out of Norfolk, Virginia.

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Attacking with an Eight-day Clock and a Wet Compass Awfully Slow Warfare Episode One

By LCDR Tom Phillips, USN (Ret.)

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SW is tough It is tougher if you are stupid It is IMPOSSIBLE if you are stupid and don’t know it.

I once worked for a naval aviator named Terry Halm who, when asked if he could fly the P-3, replied: “Hell, I can fly the box it came in.”

Humility notwithstanding, this comment provides insight into a mindset which is fading. He was saying, in essence, he knew his fundamentals and with them he could get the job done no matter what junk pitch the job threw at him.

We have modern aircraft which are computerized marvels (to some) of technology designed to do your thinking for you and which are so complex that most of the post-transition portion of the FRS syllabus is spent teaching the software instead of more critical things (like the enduring fundamentals underlying the tactics for instance, fundamentals which remain while technology comes and goes).

Today it seems we can not get out of our own way and are impeded by integrated computer systems which are designed to help but are in the way instead. Comic artist and commentator on the condition of life, the immortal Walt Kelly, famously remarked through his comic series character Pogo: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

To err is human: To really foul things up, requires a computer Way back just past the middle of the last century, the P-2 and the P-5 patrol planes had a “computer” navigation systems, designated the AYK-2. It was for both transit navigation and keeping the tactical picture. Those patrol planes had multiple crew stations distributed beyond sight of each other, all making their separate inputs to the navigation computer and receiving the wisdom of Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

the computer in return. Our Navy, in its frugal way, chose to install that system, UNMODIFIED, in its Gucchi new SH-3A Sea King ASW helicopter, which hit the Fleet in the very early sixties.

Now the SH-3A was not an improvement over its predecessor the SH-34, it was a VAST improvement. Not an evolutionary step but a REVOLUTIONARY step, an advancement unmatched before or since. Yes, before or since. Yet the unmodified SH-3 AYK-2 computer system required four black control boxes just below the nav display plotting board, all necessary for the operation of the navigator by one This is the famous James H. Flatley Jr., about to man (featuring inefficient duplication man his F6F with his plotting board under his arm. of function switches and knobs and indifferent, switching scales without buttons, all to save redesign). warning, (it had a mind of its own) and, worst of all, it sucked up way too Its BEST feature was the pleasant much time doing what you hoped it scent of something burning, as a might consent to do for you. That mobile spark marked points and tracks on the heat-sensitive mylar paper of the was the AYK-2’s WORST feature, the time it sucked up when time was of the plotting board (its name, but call it the essence. display). When the burned marks and lines, etc. became too cluttered (nothing was erasable), you simply scrolled the mylar to the takeup roll and started clean. (It rivaled that other wonderful scent of schools in the last century: the fresh ink inhaled with pleasure from a mimeograph machine copy of the test you were handed by Mrs. Migillicuddy. Likewise, the best-remembered or appreciated feature of Mrs. Migillicuddy’s class.)

It’s most USEFUL feature for most of us was as a handy flat place to lay the Air Force Checklist, replete with every possibly remotely helpful kneeboard card known to man, and also a handy place to set your horsecock sandwich (no mayo, mustard, spread or salad) from your “tasty, yet filling, in-flight box lunch.”

A few actually used it, although no one trusted it or loved it because it was evil: obtuse, ponderous, unreliable, 52

As a result, most solid tacticians preferred the Mark-6 manual plotting board, a slightly more compact version of the flat, square, boards you see under the arms of Navy pilots as they run out of the base of the island to man their planes in the awesome Edward Steichen World War II film easily found on youtube and elsewhere today. Those WW II flat, square, boards, the wiz-wheel, and a grease pencil, WERE the nav systems of World War II carrier pilots.

H-3 ASW pilots became wizards with the Mk-6 (well, competent anyway). The good features of the Mk-6 were: - it was simple, - it was fast, - it was not subject to software problems unless the Mk-1 Mod-OH “computer” serving it - the one between your ears - the best computer in any aircraft - went tharn.

Mark-6 manual plotting board

If the Mk-1 Mod OH ain’t programmed correctly, well, you can’t fix stupid.

ATTACK, Don’t Track We didn’t need no stinking computer to attack.

The Three-Minute Rule With the Three-Minute Rule, you could quickly calculate speed of the target in your head. Everybody who was any good at ASW tactics knew it like they knew their middle name – LANE - (something at speed A goes A times 100 yards in three minutes. So if your target went 300 yards a minute, it was going 9 knots, and if 1000 yards per MINUTE, it was booking along at 30 knots – not uncommon at all once you were in contact with a live nuke). We quickly learned to round up to a speed easily divisible by three; 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36… so we could do the math in our heads and not be delayed by needing the wiz-wheel, to save TIME. Quickly rounding was good enough – not precise, but GOOD ENOUGH. Precision is the enemy of GOOD ENOUGH and dangerously lets the enemy have time to find a way to defeat you.

The Presetter With the Mk-6 there was one other essential component item; the weapon presetter.

The SH-3 conventional weapon presetter was a black-faced box on the center console with ALL the settings on the box face for both types of homing torpedoes we had: no endless cascading menu windows to negotiate. (The H-3 also had an independent nuclear

weapon presetter - recall from “Before the Mk-54 Was the Mk-54” in RR Issue #XX, that we were nuclear depth charge capable). The presetter talked to the torpedo and nothing else – fast, easy, simple, reliable. Did the necessary only. No computer delayed or blocked, for heaven’s sake, the attack when we gained contact. No feeding the computer target data to beg the computer to approve your decision and give consent for you to release the weapon.

TIME was CRITICAL and the attack opportunity would slip away if any delay in attacking was encountered. (Remember, back in the day, real ASW was done against a live submarine, which would punish you post-haste if you played with your food). The pilot is the brains, NOT the computer, because he is FASTER than a computer. We are fatally too slow today and held back by the computer trying to get a solution to the nth degree, when all you need is GOOD ENOUGH. After all, you are not throwing darts at the center circle of the dart board. Hitting the board is good enough. The Bloodhound is just that, a bloodhound.

If you were in contact and solo, usually the case initially, your Mk-6 had the gyro set options on it, so a quick glance at the contact posit relative to the nose, and course and speed and you went to the presetter, put in the gyro, etc. and fired. Stop the problem, stop the clock (although we considered we were in the attack PHASE, and a reattack was a given) The Ninety-Knot Rule If you had a buddy, and he was to attack, he listened to your bearing and range as he immediately zorched in to mark on top of you. Here now comes in the OTHER ASW math every pilot knew: the 90-Knot Rule. The 90-knot rule told us how far we went at 90 knots in one second by application of the Three-Minute Rule. The derivative is left to the reader. Go ahead, figure it out. Use a calculator if you must. I’ll wait…..

So now your dipping pal gives you the latest as you approach MOT. You take the range, double it knocking off the right two numbers and THAT is 53

your time to fly in seconds at 90-knots to where the target is right then. Add the number of additional seconds to get to the splash point relative to the target, and SUBTRACT the number of seconds to account for the ballistic travel for your altitude and speed. We flew at 400 ft and 90 knots so we knew that distance (and the number of seconds we did NOT have to fly because the weapon was going to do that when released) like we knew our middle name – LANE. Now a quick mental note of how far the target will go at HIS speed in the seconds we will take to get to his posit at On Top. Convert that distance we must fly to seconds of travel at 90 knots, and add it to the previous number. Sounds complicated, but if you think it through, it is simple logic and easily done using most versions of the properly-trained Mk-1 Mod-OH computer.

Now being smart, you reset and restarted the eight-day clock when you marked on top, turned to the outbound heading (using the wet compass if you needed to), then did the math, and simply waited for the seconds to count down. At zero, release the weapon and… Miller Time…., uh reattack.

So you see, you could attack a target whose course and speed was calculated using the Three-minute Rule and a Mk6, with a wet compass and an eight-day clock, and the 90-knot Rule, and I’ll lay you odds your attack is as good as one which today takes several minutes for the computer system to help you by doing your thinking for you. Why would I take the odds? Because the results of thousands of attacks done by HS against live submarines that way are proof that this works just fine for the curious explorer.

Am I advocating ignoring the computer? NO but you MUST be smarter than the computer, faster than the computer, and smarter than the submarine and if the computer slows you down, you better find another way or you will lose to a real submarine in the real world.

NGASAEB

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Radio Check This issue’s Radio Check question is:

What was your worst aircraft emergency and looking back would you have handled it differently?

Winter Rotor Review's Radio Check question is: “If you could tell your command to spend their 7F funds on anything for the squadron, what would it be and why?”

From: AFCM Bruce Browne,USN (Ret.)

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his wasn’t my worst one but it was very close, I have 5 or 6 more.. While stationed at Sangley Point in the Philippines in the early 60's, the base decided to have an open house for the locals. We were tasked to fly over the city and drop thousands of leaflets inviting the locals to the open house.

So, off we went in the HH-43 Kaman helicopter and proceeded to throw the leaflets out of the plane. After flying in an aircraft, you usually get to know how everything sounds. After a few minutes, the sound I was hearing was not what I was used to hearing. Then, I realized the leaflets were not all going to where they were intended. The HH43 has a float updraft carburetor that is located underneath the engine in the rear of the cabin. What was happening was my leaflets were being sucked into the carburetor and we were losing manifold pressure and lots of power. I told my pilot to land ASAP (used a little different language) and he said where and I said here and right now. As soon as we touched down in the street and lowered the collective. All those leaflets were released and went everywhere.

From: John Hyde e were flying from Clark AFB in the Philippines to Cubi Point, when the H-2 began to vibrate, very bad. The instruments began to fall out of the instrument panel. Declared a emergency and put it on a ridge line in the mountains.

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Upon further inspection, we found that we were missing about 5 inches of one tail rotor blade. It had gone through the horizontal stabilizer and deflected forward into the left auxiliary fuel tank, knocking a hole in it. The H-46 from Cubi flew us up another blade and it was changed. We flew out in time to catch the ship, after a quick stop at HC-7 to pick up a new fuel tank. Found out later there was a bullet hole through the spar that caused it to break. Didn’t make a big deal of it as it would have created a incident that was not needed.

From: CDR Richard Barr, USN (Ret.) n 1975, I was the pilot of an H-46 flying out of HC-3. I was assigned to fly a group of 20 out to one of the carriers operating off San Clemente Island. When nearing the ship and cleared for landing, we experienced a very severe vibration. I declared an emergency and requested an immediate landing. We touched down and I instructed the Crew Chief to disembark the passengers before shutting down. We did a shutdown but did not engage the rotor brake. As the blades were coming to a stop the last four feet of one of the forward blades dropped about five inches. It was determined that one of the blade weights from an aft blade had separated and struck the forward blade in the leading spar. I believe we did the correct procedures, declaring an emergency, disembarking the passengers, and shutting down without the rotor brake. I suggested to the Crew Chief that we strap a couple of boards to the blade to hold it up and fly back to North Island for Happy Hour. He didn't want any part of that and did not think it was funny. If we had been airborne another 30 seconds, we probably would have suffered a major wreck. We ended up riding the ship back to North Island and being craned off.

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From: LCDR Adam "Shredman" Shreders, USN

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ingle engine failure (loss of oil pressure) in an MH-60R transiting from AUTEC to West Palm. In retrospect, I wish we diverted to Bimini, and spent a few days there instead of landing at KPBI.

From: Stew Latwin

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hile conducting a local area fam for a new check-in to our squadron, we had an engine flameout 2 hours into the flight. We immediately completed the checklists, although we did not attempt an engine restart, and set up for an RTB, since homefield was the closest runway, although that meant flying over water instead of over land. Despite criticism from my CO for that decision, it is one I would have made again.

From: Scott Bruce t was 1 a.m., north of Norway, above the Arctic Circle, in February, with 100% overcast and no visible horizon.

We were tasked off of the Dutch Oiler HMS Olmeda, and I was a U.S. Navy H-3 pilot flying as Aircraft Commander in a Westland Mk5 Sea King with the Royal Navy. We safely arrived in our first dip, with the sonar at depth, 250 ft. After confirming the aircraft was holding a solid 40 coupled hover, I commenced troubleshooting a Master Caution Light that would not latch any of the Caution Lights that had been plaguing this aircraft for weeks. I was convinced that it was one of the Engine Anti-Ice systems, so asked my co-pilot to reach up and turn off the Number One Engine Anti-Ice.

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There was an immediate download in the collective simultaneous with numerous Caution Lights. The Brits did not have a free-stream recovery procedure, but my U.S. Navy training instantly kicked in and I pickled the Rad Alt Height hold, pulled in a couple of inches of collective, beeped the nose down two clicks, when suddenly...all of the lights in the cockpit went out, with the exception of about half of the Caution Lights on the Master Caution Panel. Man it got dark. I did not immediately associate the Engine Anti-Ice as causing the malfunction, but my mind raced as to what to do. I gave the cyclic a couple of more beeps forward, added some more collective to keep the climb going and added a bit of left rudder - all the while trying to figure out what happened. I was literally flying by the seat of my pants, with no autopilot (ASE). Meanwhile the ICS was silent as I was task saturated and unable to talk. Had I been able to talk I would have ordered the dome guillotined, but that was not my mental priority.

Finally, I figured it out, and tried to calmly tell my co-pilot "turn the switch back on, turn the switch back on..." Fortunately, he was able to find the switch and the lights came back on at 500 ft, 60 KIAS, and 90 degrees out of windline. I was so tight in the loop flying the aircraft that it must have been 5 minutes before I realized that I was flying with the AFCS off.

We bingo'd early that night!

In the Mk5 Sea King, the Engine Anti-Ice is NOT a dual-concur switch. But in the aircraft they are identical lever-lock switches one row above the generator switches. My co-pilot turned off the No. 1 Generator. The load switched to the No. 2 Generator, and then about 1-2 seconds later, the No. 2 Generator Control Unit sensed an undervoltage and took the second generator off line - leaving me with no AFCS, no lights in the cockpit, but fortunately we had an ICS. There was no time to "think" or to decide in this particular emergency. The response was entirely autonomic, as it was for the only engine failure I ever had (in a single-engine helicopter). As it was the time I got into Vortex Ring State (it IS possible in an H-3) during a practice free-stream recovery where I had to take the controls from the XO (since he was under the hood) and we bottomed out at approximately 30 feet before hitting the water.

Aircraft technology keeps getting better and aircraft keep getting more reliable, but that does not preclude us from training, training, training. Know the immediate-response items and train until they are automatic. For many emergencies, the first procedure should be "Wind the clock" - in other words know the problem and respond the correct way without exasberating the situation. All immediate action item emergencies should be autonomic - you respond without even thinking.

You never know when you will need that response!

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Radio Check From: CAPT Mike Middleton, USN (Ret.) t was a hot day in the South China Sea 5 miles out on the starboard side of Enterprise. We were back up SAR and were completing a HAC Card that allowed the H2P to conduct Hover Trim orientation in the aft station with the 2nd Crewman in the left seat up front. The operation was almost complete when the First Crewman reported smoke coming from the #2 engine. I broke hover, initiated dumping, climbed to 300’ and had the copilot return to his seat. A sister aircraft 3 miles away reported over pri-fly that it looked like I was “on fire”. I shut down the #2 engine as the copilot was buckling in and declared an emergency. The Boss replied “request you extinguish the fire prior to landing”, which made me feel somewhat less than confident.

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There was no indication in the cockpit of a fire so I confirmed that and asked for maximum wind across the angle, and a running landing with no LSE. We touched down at 10 Kts, with an OK 3 wire call from the LSO and shut down. Post flight revealed a 6 inch crack in the hot section of the engine with a lot of charring around it.

As a result of the emergency, the Airboss authorized one run on landing practice per HAC during the cruise. In retrospect, we should have briefed the Air Department on the need for running landings with a single engine in the hot days in the South China Sea. Was real lucky that day that something didn’t ignite in the engine compartment, or it would have been a real Hot Day in the South China Sea.

From: CAPT Bret Gary, USN (Ret.) (HS-15 1981) ain transmission and engine failure in the middle of the Indian Ocean with 3 pax, just after dropping off the Chief of Naval Chaplains (Holy Helo). Told the Indy Air Boss I’m landing NOW. He thought I meant on the carrier, I meant in the water. I landed in the water just before the rotor head seized, and lived to tell about it. I wouldn’t have done anything different. First ever open ocean salvage of an SH-3 and flew the same helo 13 days later after complete rework.

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From CAPT Jim Ellington, USN (Ret.) t was a dark and stormy night!....Actually, it wasn't stormy but it was night and that was scary enough. My co-pilot, Joel Shugars and I were in the process of lifting off spot 3 and Joel was at the controls. Joel lifted our H-3 into a 15 ft hover for the instrument check prior to transitioning to forward flight and at that point we experienced this incredibly loud ripping metal sound and severe, nasty vibrations. It was then that I exercised my pilot-in-command prerogative and calmly suggested Joel land the thing immediately. Actually my voice had reached near soprano pitch and the words may not have been in the correct order. Joel, who probably didn't need any sage advice at this point, did a great job getting us back on deck without mishap and after shutdown we found a 12 inch long 2 inch wide crack in the transmission casing. If this transmission failure had occurred even seconds later I hesitate to think what would have happened but we all would have most certainly gone for a swim and lost one of Uncle Sam's H-3s.

Having described this emergency, I still have to think the H-3 was a very reliable machine thanks to Sikorsky and our outstanding maintainers. With over 4,000 flight hours in the H-3, my only other emergencies were one lost engine and one hydraulic system failure. If I remember correctly, I think we used to average about 45 maintenance man hours per flight hour back in the good old days and that's a lot of maintenance but what a great plane to fly!

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Rotor Review #146 Fall ‘19

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From RADM Bill Terry, USN (Ret.) lost probably a dozen engines over the years I flew the H-3. This was the most memorable. We flew the flight on June 27, 1977. Thom Bernsen and I had both arrived in the squadron (HS-8) a short time before and were scheduled to fly a training flight. We took off in the late afternoon and landed a couple of hours after sunset. Those flights were pretty much freelance. Following some basic ASW work in the offshore operating area, we flew to Imperial Beach to conduct basic emergency training.

I was flying in the left seat, and operating off one of the practice pads. We had completed a single-engine approach to the spot, and Thom restored the engine. I picked up in a hover and started my climb out. At two-hundred feet, Thom took number two engine off-line. A loud bang followed, the helicopter shuttered, and the rotor RPM dropped like a rock. Number one engine had failed, and we were coming down like it or not.

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I pushed the collective to the bottom and simultaneously yelled, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! We're going into the slew.”

From two hundred feet, it was almost impossible to shoot a successful autorotation at night, one that we could expect to walk away from and not destroy the helicopter.

Almost immediately, the tower tried to ascertain who had made the call, but only one helicopter was plummeting toward the swampy area between the runway and the beach. I was too busy to answer.

"Don't land! Don't land! You've got power on number two. Take it around," Thom yelled.

He had brought number two engine back on-line, and the rotor RPM was building rapidly with the collective on the bottom. I stopped our descent at about fifty feet.

Without asking for permission from the tower, I banked to the right toward the runway and landed, headed in the wrong direction. I think the entire event took no more than about forty-five seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.

The freewheeling unit of number one engine failed. That disconnected the engine from the transmission and caused the engine to overspeed and shut down. It did what it was supposed to do. Had it not automatically shut itself down, the engine would have disintegrated due to the excessive rpm. At that point, it didn't make much difference whether it was running or not. Once the freewheeling unit failed, it no longer drove the transmission. A pilot only needs one of those in a lifetime. On second thought, one is one too many.

From: CAPT Stephen Arends, USN (Ret.)

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vividly recall landing an SH-3H in what was a swamp somewhere in the Carolina’s many years ago. Navy was then having blade pocket separation issues on the main rotor blades. That’s what happened in flight from home base at NAS Patuxent River in VX-1 to AUTEC on Andros Island in the Bahamas. Peeled back blade pocket became like an aileron on the main rotor blade that shook the aircraft violently. Immediately descended before main gear box felt like it was being ripped out of the airframe. Used a roll of high speed tape to reattach the peeled back blade pocket, restarted, and flew to a nearby military base to replace the main rotor blade.

Retired CAPT Sandy Clark was my wingman on that fateful flight. We were both LT’s in VX-1 back then in the mid70’s. I have cc'd him on this email, as he might have more to add to this true sea story! And also squadronmates, British Royal Navy pilot Rick Bull and retired CAPT Jim Ellington, who might have been on that flight of two SH-3H’s. Recently deceased CAPT Bob Hanke was aboard the H-3 that had the emergency, too. May Bob rest in peace.

Would not have done anything differently when this in-flight emergency happened. Luckily, it was over an unpopulated area and had a flat area to land without hitting any trees.

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Change of Command CHIEF OF NAVAL AIR TRAINING

USS San Diego (LPD 22)

RADM Daniel W. Dwyer USN relieved RADM Gregory Harris,USN July 26, 2019

CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt, USN relieved CAPT John Barnett,USN August 5, 2019

HSM-35 Magicians

CDR Gregory Nery USN relieved CDR Arik Edmondson, USN August 15, 2019

Rotor Review #146 Fall ‘19

HM-12 Sea Dragons

CDR Patrick Murphy, USN relieved CDR Patrick Gendron,USN August 8, 2019

VT-2 Doer Birds

CDR Wesley Barnes, USN relieved CAPT Mark Jackson,USCG August 9, 2019 58

HSC-4 Black Knights

CDR Jason Budde USN relieved CDR Ryan Hayes, USN August 16, 2019

Naval War College

Joint Region Marianas

RDML John Menoni relieved RDML Shoshanna Chatfield July 23, 2019.

RADM Shoshanna Chatfield, USN relieved Lewis Duncan, PhD August 1, 2019

NWS Seal Beach -Navy Munitions Command Pacific, (CONUS) West Division.

CAPT Jason Sherman, USN relieved CAPT Noel Dahlke July 28, 2019

Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity (NETSAFA)

CAPT David W. Stallworth, USN relieved CAPT Mark Truluck August 9, 2019 59

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Change of Command USCG Air Station Borinquin

CAPT Tina J. Peña, USCG relieved CAPT Keith Overstreet, USCG June 6, 2019

USCG Air Station Clearwater

USCG Air Station San Diego

CAPT Joseph Buzzella’s, USCG relieved CAPT Timothy Barelli, USCG June 26, 2019

CAPT Joseph McGilley, USCG relieved CAPT Edward Sandlin, USCG June 27, 2019

USCG Air Station Miami

USCG Air Station Houston

CDR Marcus Canady, USCG relieved CAPT James Spitler, USCG June 28, 2019

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CAPT Shawn Koch, USCG relieved CAPT Michael E. Platt, USCG June 20, 2019 60

USCG Air Station San Francisco

CAPT Thomas Cooper, USCG relieved CAPT Kent Everingham, USCG June 28, 2019

USCG Air Station Sacramento

USCG Air Station Atlantic City

CAPT John McCarthy, USCG relieved CAPT Carola List , USCG July 12, 2019

CAPT Sean O’Brien, USCG relieved CAPT Eric Gleason, USCG July 25, 2019

USCG Air Station Traverse City

CDR Chuck Webb, USCG relieved CDR Nathan Coulter, USCG July 8, 2019 61

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Change of Command RDML Shoshana Chatfield, USN is Naval War College's First Woman President

By Ben Werner, USNI

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DML Shoshana Chatfield, USN was selected to become the new president of the Naval War College, the first woman to lead the 135-year-old institution. Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced Chatfield’s selection just as the Navy is undertaking a massive restructuring of how its academic institutions are organized. Chatfield, a helicopter pilot, was Commander of Joint Region Marianas and the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Marianas. She took command on August 1, 2019.

The Navy’s Education for Seapower (E4S) Report, released in February, included a lengthy list of recommendaRDML Shoshana Chatfield, USN sits at a mission crew work station during tions for the Secretary of the Navy to a tour of a P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist consider, including the creation of an 3rd Class Daniel Willoughby. accredited Naval University System.

The Naval War College president is expected to play an integral role in establishing this system, according to the report.

“RDML Chatfield is an historic choice for the Naval War College. She is the embodiment of the type of warrior-scholar we need now to lead this storied institution as it educates our next generation of leaders,” Spencer said in a statement. “As our Education for Seapower (E4S) Study noted, our capacity for critical thinking in an age of increasing complexity will be our most important strategic advantage. RDML Chatfield will play a pivotal role in leading the War College as it integrates into the new Naval University System we are now establishing to foster a culture of continuous learning in the naval services.”

Chatfield’s selection came less than a week after her predecessor, RDML Jeffery Harley ,USN, was removed from the position following reports the Navy’s Inspector General was investigating allegations of financial mismanagement and unprofessional behavior. The IG investigation stemmed from an April 2018 complaint filed by Naval War College staff and first revealed in a June 7 report by The Associated Press.

Harley was removed from his position at the Naval War College and was reassigned to the Director of Navy Staff at the Pentagon, according to a statement released by the Navy. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, downplayed the notion Harley’s departure was related to news reports of the IG investigation, telling the AP the timing was coincidental.

“Their investigation is not complete,” Richardson told the AP on Wednesday. “But there was just enough actionable information at that point that I made the decision that I did.”

Chatfield joined the Navy after graduating from Boston University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French Language and Literature. She received her commission through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1988 and earned her wings of gold in 1989. As a helicopter pilot, Chatfield flew the SH-3 Sea King, CH-46D Sea Knight and MH-60S Seahawk. Chatfield, a bronze star recipient, deployed in helicopter detachments to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf supporting Carrier Strike Group and Amphibious Ready Group Operations, according to her official Navy biography.

Chatfield was awarded the Navy’s Political/Military Scholarship and attended the Kennedy School of Government, earning a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1997. Chatfield was as assistant professor of political science at the United States Air Force Academy from 2001 to 2004. She earned a doctorate in Education from the University of San Diego in 2009, Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

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Dwyer Takes Command as Chief of Naval Air Training

By LT Michelle Tucker, USN

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DML Gregory “Hyfi” Harris, USN relinquished command as Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) to RDML Daniel “Dozer” Dwyer during a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, July 26.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work with the professionals here at CNATRA,” Harris said. “I never cease to be amazed by your dedication and perseverance, despite the obstacles we’ve had to overcome. I remain grateful for your efforts to produce the finest Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, and Naval Aircrewmen the world has ever seen. I wish you all the best in your pursuit of this important mission.”

Dwyer, a native of Alameda, California, takes over as CNATRA following his command of Carrier Strike Group 9, which consists of more than 7,000 Sailors across nine ships including USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), six guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 23, and 80 aircraft of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11.

“I am very honored to serve as our Navy’s Chief of Naval Air Training,” Dwyer said. “I look forward to the challenges ahead, working with the nearly 7,000 dedicated professionals that make up CNATRA. We are Naval Aviation.”

CNATRA, headquartered in Corpus Christi, trains the world’s finest combat quality aviation professionals, delivering them at the right time, in the right numbers, and at the right cost to a naval force that is where it matters, when it matters.

The aerial change of command took place with both Dwyer and Harris flying in T-45C Goshawk jet aircraft from Training Air Wing 2 in Kingsville, Texas.

Harris and Dwyer read their orders and Dwyer’s aircraft moved ahead of Harris’ to take lead of the formation, signifying his assumption of command. Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Vice Adm. John Alexander, who flew with Harris, welcomed Dwyer aboard while colleagues, friends, and family listened to the exchange from the ground. Alexander also served as guest speaker during the ground ceremony afterward.

Harris is a native of Yarmouth, Maine, and has been in command as CNATRA since July 2018. He is an F/A-18 pilot with more than 4,200 flight hours, 1,045 arrested landings, and has flown more than 100 combat missions in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

Harris will move on to his next position in Washington, D.C. as director, Air Warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N98).

The aerial change of command took place with both Dwyer and Harris flying in T-45C Goshawk aircraft.

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Change of Command Change of Command for “Legendary Black Knights” of HSC-4

By LTJG Zack Homerda, USN

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he “Legendary Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 (HSC-4) held a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California on August 16th. During the ceremony, Commander Jason “Focker” Budde relieved Commander Ryan “Gassy” Hayes as HSC-4’s Commanding Officer. “I am honored to be a part of this historic squadron, and shall do my utmost to meet this responsibility.”

Commander Hayes has completed fleet assignments at HS-15, HS-14, and Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW 14). He served as the last Executive Officer at HSC-15 Red Griffins before the squadron’s deactivation. Shore duty assignOutgoing CO, CDR Ryan "Gassy" Hayes, USN ments include instructor duty in the MH-60S at HSC-3 and staff assignment to Commander, Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He earned a Master of Science in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego’s School of Business Administration, Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I through the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and is a graduate of the Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Instructor (SWTI) Course. He was the 2005 Naval Helicopter Association Pilot of the Year.

While at HSC-4, Commander Hayes led 240 squadron personnel during two Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployments, the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, and multiple detachments to USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), NAS Fallon, NV, and other locations in support of Strike Group and joint forces combat readiness. “I am very proud to be a part of this Legendary squadron. My grandfather was a Black Knight pilot in the 1960s, and to see this squadron continue the traditions of operational excellence and tactical development is the highlight of my professional career. The Sailors at HSC-4 are dedicated patriots and have made my command tour very rewarding. I look forward to seeing HSC-4 continue to flourish under the leadership of Skipper Budde.”

Incoming Co CDR Jason Budde, USN

HSC-4 provides Anti-Surface Warfare, Special Operations Forces Support, Personnel Recovery, Search and Rescue, Vertical Lift, and Logistics capabilities for Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW 2) and Carrier Strike Group 1(CSG 1).

CAPT Gregory Newkirk, USN Commander Carrier Airwing 2 and guest speaker CAPT Chris Hayes, USN (Ret.)

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Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Holds Change of Command

By Gregg Smith, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Public Affairs

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aval Weapons Station Seal Beach held a dual change of command ceremony July 26 at the installation’s parade grounds.

CAPT Jason Sherman relieved CAPT Noel Dahlke as commanding officer of both Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and Navy Munitions Command Pacific, continental United States (CONUS) West Division.

A career officer and naval aviator with over 20 years of service, CAPT Sherman brings with him a wealth of operational experience, including over 3,200 flight hours in multiple aircraft types.

Incoming Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Commanding Officer CAPT Jason Sherman, USN salutes outgoing CO CAPT Noel Dahlke, USN during the Change of Command ceremony. U.S. Navy photo by Gregg Smith.

His previous assignments include flight instructor for San Diego based HSL-41, flying the SH-60B Seahawk; lead planner for the Theater Campaign Plan at the U. S. Southern Command; and commanding officer of HSM-72, flying the MH-60R Seahawk.

Sherman’s most recent tour was as operations officer of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).

“Today is really a celebration of CAPT Dahlke, his extraordinary leadership, and a reflection of all the accomplishments that he and his team have achieved over the past three years,” said Sherman.

During Dahlke’s tenure, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach received a number of Navy wide awards for environmental stewardship, energy and water conservation, and housing operations. The base also garnered back-to-back awards as best small installation in the region, and in 2017 won accolades as the best small installation in the Navy.

“For as long as our nation has had a Navy, the change of command has been done in roughly the same manner, so there is never any question about who is in charge,” said RADM Bette Bolivar, the Commander of Navy Region Southwest. “For the last three years, there’s been no doubt that CAPT Dahlke has been in charge. His accomplishments have truly reflected our mission to ‘enable warfighter readiness.’ Everything he’s done has been directed at living up to – and supporting – that mission.”

“My time to pass my commander’s guidance, vision, and expectations are over,” said Dahlke. “I can only reflect, pass on my thanks and gratitude, and offer some parting words to the outstanding Sailors and civilians who make Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and Navy Munitions Command Pacific CONUS West Division truly the greatest places and organizations my family and I have been a part of.”

“I could not be more excited and honored to lead both the weapons station and the munitions command in this capacity,” said Sherman. “I feel extremely blessed to be back in Southern California and call the community of Seal Beach our new home, and I look forward to writing the next chapter in the history of this storied weapons station.”

Commencing operations in 1944 as a U.S. Naval Ammunition and Net Depot, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is the Pacific Fleet’s premier munitions loading and storage installation.

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Was It a Crazy Stunt?

By CAPT Al Billings, USN (Ret.)

This is a rescue from when I was in HA(L)-3 1968 as a young JG you might find interesting:

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got ambushed up the T-Ten area. We immediately launched and headed inbound to provide support. We could hear the gun fire when the petty officer keyed the radio desperately asking for help. He was a young sailor and you could tell by the tone and the excitement in his voice he was in a desperate situation. If you have ever been in a combat situation, you understand that these situations can really get your heart racing. You’re flying inbound to help, and some guy is on the radio pleading for someone to come in and help his wounded buddies that were dying right in front of him.

He continued to orbit overhead, apparently waiting for something to happen.

The petty officer came up over the radio again with another gut wrenching plea for help. The other boat was making high speed gun runs trying to provide protection for the stricken PBR.

oward the end of my tour things seemed to be slowing down.

I was sitting in the Seawolf Hooch when the Ops Officer asked me where I wanted to sit on the next day’s flight This was about all I needed, we were schedule. Since I had been there the not going to sit there and do nothing longest, I got to pick with the exception while these guys bled to death. There of the new OIC what seat I wanted. was only one way to get them out, and The junior pilots were all getting their if the Army wouldn’t do it, someone quals and were chomping at the bit to had to. I don’t know what triggered get some actual aircraft commander my next reaction, maybe it was still time. The new OIC had just made the promise I made myself when I lost FTL, so I said I would take the nugget my roommate on the Bon seat. That meant I would Homme Richard. Or the "This was about all I needed, we be flying in the most junior pilot I tried my best to spot in the Fire Team, which were not going to sit there and do save. There was just somedidn’t bother me. Although thing inside me, driving nothing while these guys bled to most the officers thought I me. Nobody was going to death." had an ego, they were wrong. die on my watch.

There is a difference between All I heard was the young sailor had knowing what you can do and having I grabbed the controls and took the two seriously injured shipmates and the helicopter away from the pilot and confidence in your abilities. To me that PBR commander was dead, the others was much different than someone with shouted, “I have the aircraft.” He were all injured. The Army was called an over-inflated ego. My not being didn’t hesitate to relinquish the conto MEDIVAC the badly wounded sail- trols; I had trained him since he arrived the FTL bothered the crewmen more ors, but could not pick them up withthan it did me. They enjoyed the way in country. I keyed the radio and told out a Landing Zone (LZ). The PBR I handled the team and the way I flew. the FTL that we had to get down there was floating helplessly downstream I was always able to find something to and help them. The FTL said there with the current and could not get to get us into. was nothing we could do. I had heard an LZ. When we arrived overhead, the that too many times before. That was fire team leader cautiously stayed above it. I was going down to get them off That duty day as luck would have 1500 feet over the spot of the attack. it, we had just refueled and were the PBR and told the lead aircraft I was starting to take off when two PBR’s going in. The OIC came back over Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

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the radio in a defiant voice, “You’re not going down there. It’s too hot. That is an order.” I don’t remember what I said next. I was too busy assessing the situation and what my options were, but I was sure it was colorful. As a pilot I couldn’t just circle overhead while I listened to someone tell me over the radio his buddies were dying. Pilots are a different breed; at times they have to make a conscious decision to go down into harm’s way. There are always hundreds of reasons to justify why it can’t be done. I had to try.

I rolled in and came up over the radio telling the FTL to keep continuous fire on both banks. I radioed the other PBR and told him that I wanted him to make some coordinated high speed gun runs when I gave the word. I leveled the helicopter and lined up on the right bank of the river, we fired off half of the rockets along the bank where the other PBR was returning fire. I then rolled the helicopter up into a rotor over and emptied the remaining rockets into the other bank. The door gunner and the crew chief were focused and keyed into my every move. Not a word was said.

They had flown with me on hundreds of missions and anticipated my every move. I told them to get rid of anything they didn’t need and then pulled the helicopter up into a tight turn and headed for the stricken PBR. The adrenaline was beginning to peak. Everything was in a hypersensitive state. The bullets were flying through the air in every direction. I could feel every vibration of the helicopter as we maneuvered into position.

We felt heavy. I told the crew again to get rid of anything we didn’t need. I began to focus on the patrol boat. I could see where the winds were coming from by the smoke, but it eventually didn’t make any difference. I told the fire team leader I needed him to keep a continuous stream of fire on the bank when I reached the PBR. He circled overhead and remained well above the skirmish but did what I said. In our favor was the 50 Cal the lead ship had.

If you have ever seen the destructive power of 50 Cal it is very impressive.

With the 50 CAL raining down from above I’m sure Charlie was looking for cover. At least I hoped he was.

This was going to be a very tricky maneuver. The PBR was 31 feet long; the UH-1B was 53 feet long tip to tip and the fuselage was about 42 feet.

The rotor down wash on the fiberglass PBR was going to be 80 knots plus in a loaded gunship. The damaged PBR was drifting freely with the churning current of the stream. When I came around for my approach, I told the other PBR to start their run and to make sure they kept Charlie’s head down.

Despite the renegade Seawolf, everyone did their job. The lead ship was circling overhead and the door gunners kept continuous fire on the banks.

Power was going to be critical on this rescue, so I told the pilot (now co-pilot) to give me a continuous update on the power settings as I came into the hover.

I placed the left skid of the helicopter on the bow of the PBR. The entire cabin area had been blown off along with the antennas. Those days we flew with the doors off. They weren’t much good for anything and they cut down on the visibility. The rotor wash from the helicopter started to blow the PBR around. I had to somehow make sure I kept contact with the PBR in order to make the transfer. The crew chief kept the twin 30 CAL’s going continuously, keeping Charlie’s head down. He could really make them sing, switching out one can at a time when the ammo ran out. He never stopped firing. I then instructed the door gunner to get down into the boat and grab the wounded.

I don’t think the door gunner was ever given the credit that he truly deserved. This man, without hesitation climbed down into that stricken patrol boat with bullets flying everywhere with no concern for his own safety and picked those men up and put them into the helicopter. Not once did any crewman ever let me down, and he knew I would never leave without him.

I had to completely focus on maintaining contact with the PBR as it was being blown around in the water. I 67

kept the skid on the side of the boat. It took total concentration; I could not move my eyes away to check the instruments. Too much pressure and I could sink or slide off the boat, too little and I would lose contact and have to chase the boat. The other PBR continued to make high speed gun runs with their 50 CAL’s and M-60’s blazing away, as the lead ship poured their machine gun fire into the banks. The amount of fire power that was poured into the jungle was impressive.

I thought to myself, "If this transfer took longer than 60 seconds our chances would decrease dramatically."I had picked the right person to get the injured out. Smithen was built like a tackle. Within seconds he had both the injured in the helicopter. The crew chief helped pull them in while he continued to fire the 30 CAL’s. As the second one came aboard I hollered at the pilot to give me my power. I told him to give me continuous updates on my power setting and had not heard anything from him during the entire rescue attempt. I really needed to know what the power settings were. As the door gunner started to climb back into the helicopter I turned toward the pilot and as I did, I looked across the instrument panel at the power settings. We were fluctuating around 6,100 RPMs every time I moved the rudder pedals, normal was 6,600 RPMs. The RPM warning light was starting to flicker.

The torque meter was reading around 41 lbs of torque, again well over the engine topping of 37.5. That meant we were well past the limits of what the engine had to offer.

I knew we couldn’t get out of there the way we were. If I tried to fly it out and we lost anymore RPMs we could stop flying at any minute, so I slid the helicopter down off the PBR holding in as much power as I dared to, hoping to get some help from the ground cushion off the surface of the water. It didn’t help. We continued to settle right into the water before the ground cushion took effect.

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SAR /CSAR History We were not going to stay there. I had no idea what Charlie was planning. He could be setting up for a better angle away from the current gun fire that was going into his position. I headed downriver with the current.

The helicopter was sitting in the water and I was holding as much power as I could. The chin bubble quickly filled with water.

As we moved forward, water was sloshing around and inside the chin bubble mixing with blood from the wounded. I told the crew to get everything out of the helicopter they could.

We emptied the helicopter and I pulled in power trying to pull the helicopter out of the water. It didn’t work, with the additional weight of the water the RPMs dropped off too fast. We got rid of some more equipment. I pushed the nose forward to pick up as much ground speed as possible in hopes that I could get to translational lift where

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the helicopter didn’t require as much power. I pulled in the collective and held the nose where it was, the water slowly started to drain from the aircraft.

Going with the current helped with the forward speed. I was able to break the suction from the water as the RPMs started to slowly decay 6500, 6400, 6300. I eased the nose slightly over and dropped the collective, in a slight milking action to hold my RPMs. I had done it hundreds of times, trying to get airborne off the short runway during the summer months; only this was a bit more challenging.

It worked; we were airborne and we were flying, the RPMs were at about 6,400 and slowly starting to build back.

The helicopter wallowed out of the river as the water drained from the chin bubble. When we had enough airspeed and altitude, we headed directly to the Army field hospital near Saigon. The two sailors were badly wounded. The blood covered the floor of the cockpit

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and the chin bubbles. I hated that smell; it was something you would always remember. I could still smell it from USS Forrestal and my first rescue. We got both of the men to the hospital and I found out later they both lived, which made it all worth it. The door gunners performed flawlessly. I wouldn’t have had a chance without them.

HS-14 Rescues 39 Vietnamese Refugees

By CAPT Monte Squires, USN (Ret.)

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n August 3, 1989, the HS-14 “Chargers” were “east bound and down” aboard the USS Ranger (CV-61).

In the South China Sea, 100 miles west of the Philippines, they were completing a successful 6-month Western Pacific/ Indian Ocean deployment. An A-6E from ATKRON 145 was returning to “Mother” from NAS Cubi Point, RP, when the crew spotted what appeared to be an adrift fishing barge.

615, and a motor-whaleboat ride from our battlegroup, had 39 cold, tired, wet and hungry refugees safely in the Ranger’s Medical Department.

CV-61 translators discovered that the barge had been moored ten days earlier near a small island off the coast of Vietnam with 10 men aboard. The barge had broken loose from its mooring during heavy weather. Twenty-nine other refugees from another sinking refugee boat had climbed aboard the barge as they all drifted eastward, out to sea. After examination by RANGER medical personnel, all 39 (men, women and children) were flown to NAS Cubi Point for further processing at Cubi and NS Subic Bay.

Two “Charger” SH-3Hs were airborne at Ranger at the time. “Lightning 615” was performing plane guard duties and “Lightning 611” was on a Battle Group logistics run.

611 and crew, Ltjg Walt Beck, AW1 Mark Klausmeier, AWAN Felix Wyatt and myself, were dispatched to investigate. Twenty minutes later, the barge was observed to be foundering in Sea State 4-5 and taking on water. Waving “survivors” were soon met by our wet swimmer, Airman Wyatt, who confirmed the personnel were in dire need of assistance. Weather was overcast with winds and near monsoon rain (would it be any other way as I relate our story 30 years later?). Following coordination with RANGER, survivors were begun to be hoisted aboard. As 611 departed for Homeplate, 615 was already on-station and beginning to hoist additional personnel. Another round trip by 611 and

What happened to the barge?...it was classified as a “hazard to navigation” and sunk by our EOD Team. What happened to our 39 survivors?...let’s see…don’t have a clue…a couple have possibly passed away in the last 30 years; some grew up, married and had children of their own; maybe a doctor or two, teacher, mechanic; or one might be your neighbor.

God bless the USA. FLY NAVY, the best always have!

Page from USS Ranger's Cruise book of the crew the day after the pick up are; back row left to right; AW3 M.Byrnes and LTJG M. Baxter, front row; left to right; AW1 D. Steward and LT T. Pocklington.

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Helicopter Firsts Truth is Sometimes Better than the Sea Story

By CAPT Stephen Bury, USN (Ret.) The Truth Yes! This is a true story so good that is hard to believe it was not crafted by an “Old Salt” at the local bar in front of fellow shipmates…

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n 11 February 1991, an EA-6A Intruder from VAQ-33 was on an electronic aggressor mission piloted by LCDR Stan Parsons with a bombardier/navigator (B/N) when it suffered a total failure to the emergency backup hydraulic system bleeding out the system. The aircraft was heading to NAS Cecil Field for an emergency arrested landing when it crashed southeast of St. Augustine, FL. The pilot later reported the aircraft had violently snap-rolled into a rapid, nose low, diving spiral from ~ 15,000 feet.

While calling for the B/N to eject, he kept applying full right rudder and full aft right stick trying to counter the violent departure from controlled flight until the ejection. With no control, he then reached for his lower ejection handle and pulled. The crew survived the ejection under less than optimum conditions.

Meanwhile on the seawall at NAS Jacksonville, Valkyrie 611, an SH3H Sea King from HS-17 Neptune’s Raiders was preparing for a planned VFR round robin. CDR Stephen Bury, CO of HS-17, was the plane commander and CAPT Mark Vanderberg, Commander HSWING ONE was the copilot seated in the right seat. Making up the rest of the crew, AW3 Charles Littlefield was the First Crewman and AW2 Steven Wishoff the Rescue Swimmer.

It was a nice day with a slight overcast and light winds from the Northeast. The air temp was 58° with water temp forecasted 57°. Now for the rest of the story…

The Story “Sealord, Valkyrie 611. Interrogative do you have SAR in progress? We are SAR capable requesting permission to Rotor Review #146 Fall‘19

enter the warning area to assist.” That was how the rescue began for us that day.

I had invited the Commodore to visit HS-17 to fly and to address the squadron upon our return. The usual VFR round robin route was chosen…

St. Augustine, Disney World, Cedar Key and return. (I was pinged-on by my peers that it was really a “day diddle around” to boost my fitness report since the route could be performed by following the interstate highways.)

how AW2 Wishoff was chosen that day, he was sure glad he lugged out his gear.

The survivor had been in the water about 25 mins now. We didn’t know it then but we were only 18-20 miles from our survivor.

When we came up on the SAR frequency, there was so much chatter and confusion on the radio that we needed a scorecard. Aircraft were all over the place. There was a Coast Guard helicopter, Seahorse 442, a SH-60B Seahawk from HSL- 40, two P-3s and possibly one E-2C monitoring from the Just before taxi to take-off, we offshore battlegroup. The EA-6A aviobserved Seahorse 442, an SH-3H Sea ators were lucky to have ejected into a King from HS-1 (the east coast FRS), target rich environment for SAR assets making an expedited running take-off and rescue hungry helo crews. While from Spot 4 and a non-standard course there were so many SAR assets looking, rules departure – an obvious clue that it created confusion and worked against something was up. We didn’t know it finding the second survivor for a period then, but they were on a rescue mission of time. and the survivors were in the water about 10 mins at that time.

About 5 minutes after both ejections, JAX approach diverted LY141, a reserve Taking off we proceeded down the P-3 from VP 92 DET 1, commandSt. John’s River towards the beach. ed by LCDR Smedberg, to assist in Like any helo pilot, we started thinking the search. On detachment to NAS of joining the search. We knew you Bermuda, they were on a logistics run needed to get to the survivors fast since to NAS JAX. They were steered to an through the canopy ejections are never oil slick flown over by another EA-6A perfect and the water temperature was who was the first on-scene aircraft but not optimal. As “Old Salts,” we had departed due to low-fuel state. LY sea experiences that might make the 141 soon reported having sighted both difference. The Commodore had 32 survivor rafts. When LCDR Parsons, rescues. My three night sea rescues the first survivor, was in the process were pale in comparison. We were SAR of being picked up by the Seahawk, capable. So we requested permission to only LY141 remained on top of the join the hunt. other survivor South of that position.

It appeared that the search and SAR Cleared to enter the search area, assets were concentrated to the area to AW3 Littlefield rigged for rescue and the North, but who was the on-scene AW2 Steven Wishoff dressed out. commander?

With few exceptions, it was my policy to fly all missions SAR capable. Almost That’s when I transmitted in a all crewman maintained swimmer cur- booming and frustrated voice on the rency. It was a pain to lug the 50 lbs. frequency…Ninety–Nine all aircraft, of SAR gear to the aircraft every flight. interrogative who is on-scene comSeniority was not a determining factor mander? Now there was TOTAL SIas to who would be the wet swimmer. I LENCE. I then asked if LY 141 would mused at the sometimes used selection assume on-scene-commander which methods to include: rock-paper-scisthey did. (The best option with a crew sors, coin flip, or lost bet. No matter of 10…lots of eyes and good navigation capabilities.)

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Experience kicked in. We determined that most of the assets were under another circling P-3 call sign 448 to the North thinking it was LY141 with the 2nd survivor in sight. That’s when I transmitted…Papa 3 with survivor in sight turn on your landing light!

Flying on the same easterly heading since we went feet wet, we saw the P-3 landing lights on the horizon. What luck-we had been heading straight to the survivor!

Having worked sub prosecution with P-3’s, I asked LY141 to mark datum with a smoke, and a sonobouy. Since they were not configured for ASW, they instead provided datum Lat/Long and the range and bearing from NS Mayport’s TACAN. They still had intermittent contact mainly on the green dye in the water from the sea dye marker.

The survivor had been in the water now about 60 minutes. Arriving on datum heading east, we started an expanding square search with the first turn to the North. On the 2nd left turn, I sighted orange smoke and directed the Commodore to the survivor and prepared the cockpit for the approach.

As trained, AW2 Wishoff checked her over for injuries while reassuring her of her condition. LT Heid suffered a cut on her chin. Her knuckles had been sliced open during the ejection.

She was suffering from the onset of hypothermia and shock having been in the water about 75 mins without a dry suit. As she got out of the raft, AW2 Wishoff sank it and swam her to the hoist. Before hook up, he performed the parachute cord clearing procedure and “spinal highway” physical check to see if she was capable being hoisted and clear of anything that might drag her down into the water. Hooking up, a thumbs up was given and they were hoisted aboard.

LT Heid still showing signs of hypothermia and shock, the crew helped her out of her torso harness, sat her in the seat (as requested), got her a blanket, treated her for shock, and requested the heater as she was still shivering. H-3 heaters were notorious for not working-but it worked that day! (Thank you HS-17 maintainers.)

Concerned about leaving without her shipmate, we told her they had picked him up. We were ready to depart the warning area. Despite the many offered suggestions on the radio where to take her, we chose NAS Jacksonville since it had hospital medical facilities and we were just as close to NS Mayport. We arrived in about 25 mins.

Sometime on the flight to JAX, the Naval Aviation rescue tradition from unknown origin took place. AW2 Wishoff takes the aviator’s name tag and gives his to LT Heid which she still has today.

As we walked from the aircraft, AW2 Wishoff pulled me aside, concerned he might be in trouble about the checks he performed during the rescue. I told him he did what he was trained to do… "He rescued the Naval Aviator!"

(NB: the Commodore was impressed but no boost to my fitness report.)

Approaching the survivor, the Commodore skillfully brought the aircraft to 10 feet and 10 knots. With low wind that day, it was like driving the aircraft through a car wash, we had to turn on the wipers to see. I remember seeing the raft close up when the call to jump was executed. AW2 Wishoff was tapped on the shoulder and deployed into the sea, on his way about 40 feet to the raft.

Approaching the raft, he gave “thumbs up” and receiving one back he was surprised and not prepared to find a woman aviator. His first reaction was “Oh …you're a woman!”

To which LT Linda Heid replied “I hope this doesn’t preclude my rescue.”

(Unbeknownst to her at the time, she had just become the first woman to successfully eject from an aircraft in a Martin Baker seat and second to eject over water.)

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Helicopter Firsts Rescue in a Cemetery

By CAPT William C Vivian, USN (Ret.)

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fter HC-7, my next tour of duty was helicopter flight instructor in HT-18 at Ellyson Field in Pensacola.

I was teaching Navy and Marine students to fly the H-1 aircraft: the "Huey." Even there in a training environment, one could anticipate being called to perform spur of the moment SAR missions, although that was very rare. However, I actually flew such a mission on September 2, 1971.

I had just briefed for a training mission, signed for the aircraft and had engaged the helicopter on its parking spot. I had my student on board and we were preparing to lift and air-taxi to the runway for a routine training hop. Tower came up on the radio and said there had been an accident, and a helicopter had gone down in the Whitmire Cemetery which was not far from Ellyson Field where we were.

Tower asked if anyone was available to proceed there and transport injured crew from the accident to the hospital at NAS Pensacola, about 10 miles away.

Having recently come from HC-7, a combat search and rescue outfit, I believed I could do this, so I came up on the radio and volunteered. My student co-pilot’s last name was “Collignon.” I believe he was a USMC 2 LT. We had a full bag of fuel, so we were very heavy

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There were no rescue aircrewmen in the after station. It was all on me.

Now… it was a hot day in Florida.

That affects power available to lift. Helicopters are not anti-gravity machines.

Cool days and light weight are better conditions. Weight is important for being able to take off safely. But this was an emergency and I had no time to plan this mission properly, and the Huey could not dump fuel. We took off from the taxiway and proceeded post-haste to the Whitmore Cemetery.

When we got there, we could see the wreckage of the helicopter, lying on its side in the middle of the cemetery.

It was surrounded by gravestones and trees with a few clear areas and lots of headstones. None of this was ideal for an easy landing. The crashed aircraft was one of our training helicopters so someone I knew was involved. I surveyed the site to determine the best place to land and landed my orange and white TH-1L in a clear area. At this point, I recall a medic came on board and they loaded two injured pilots in the back on the deck of the after station. The Huey had plenty of room. But would it have enough power to take off?

The take-off was going to be a problem because my helo was heavy,

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and there were trees to contend with; and I could see powerlines right at the end of the corridor I wanted to use for my escape-takeoff route. I would need some forward speed, then fly between trees and pop over the powerlines to exit the cemetery.

There is something about flying out of a cemetery that focuses your attention. Now we were loaded and ready to go. I lifted into a hover, roughly gauging my power available for this escape maneuver, and decided it was possible. From the hover, I pushed the cyclic stick forward and we flew the 100 feet or so, tilting the tip-path plane of the blades to fly between trees and then popping over the power lines.

Finally in the clear and gaining altitude and airspeed, we breathed a sigh of relief. We continued to NAS Pensacola landing near the tower where ambulances took our rescuees to the Naval Hospital there. It was a dangerous mission, as I look back on it. But we were fortunate. On our return to Ellyson, we expected some words of recognition for a job well done. Instead, the squadron maintenance officer was not happy with me, because he found green stains on the tips of the rotor blades showing I had actually brushed the leafy branches of the trees on the way out of the cemetery.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Pulling Chocks The Shark Puncher

By LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

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f you were lucky enough to snag one of the T-Shirts from the 2019 Symposium’s Aircrew Challenge you are the proud owner of a pirated but wonderful piece of art. The inspiration for the shirt is a painting titled “The Shark Puncher." It is the work of retired Navy SAR Swimmer, Michael Simonetti. Mike is now working as a San Diego based artist, inventor and counselor. His Navy career saw him transition from Naval Aircrewman to Navy Diver. As an Aircrewman, he was stationed at NAS North Island with HC-1 in the SH-3 and with HC-3 in the CH-46 deploying aboard both aircraft carriers and supply ships. He also served as an instructor in the HC-1 SAR School and HC-3 FRAC School. As a Diver, he served with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (SVDT-1) and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One (MDSU-1) in Pearl Harbor and SEAL Team One (ST-1) and the Deep Submergence Unit (DSU) at NAB Coronado. While with the DSU, he was able to participate in the recovery of the Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor.

His career in the Navy just scratches the surface of Michael’s expertise. Following his time in the Navy, he enrolled at San Diego State University. He graduated from SDSU with a BA in Painting and Print Making and an MS in Rehabilitation Counseling and a passion for helping amputees. Mike is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with a vision to research, develop and make easy to use, affordable prosthetic devices while awaiting an opening for a Counselor position at the VA. His unique vision came about while working with the Matching Person to Technology Project during his SDSU Master’s degree program and has resulted in the formation of his company AmpuTech, Inc. AmpuTech is a design and manufacturing firm which provides personalized prosthetics for individuals and businesses. His business mission statement is to manufacture devices with “increased safety, efficiency, mobility, reliability and operational simplicity over its competitors.” But even more than that, Mike wanted to bust the outrageously high cost of these devices to keep the price as low as possible. To do this, his company is building a green-compliant clean-room facility and researching methods to use recycled components and making parts from recycled plastic bottles and automobile tires.

AmpuTech has already developed Mike’s inventions of the Shower-Safe Foot and Quick Disconnect Lightning Release System to help amputees take a shower. Something as simple as taking a shower is a thing which we take for granted but which is a major and often unsafe and painful project for someone who has lost a leg or a foot.

You can see more about Michael, his company and product at http://ampu.tech .

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True Story SAR Insurance and the No-Pickup List LCDR Tom Phillips, USN (Ret.)

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t was a dark and moonless night, No, really. Somewhere at sea off the coast of southern California. The Constellation Battle Group was putting the finishing touches on workups prior to deployment for what would prove to be it’s last Vietnam War cruise.

“CRASH ON THE FLIGHT DECK! CRASH ON THE FLIGHT DECK! . . PLANE IN THE WATER, PORT SIDE! MEN IN THE WATER PORT SIDE! . . . . . . NOW LAUNCH THE ALERT SAR HELO!” The HS-6 Ready Room boiled over into pandemonium. Only seconds before, there had been boredom. The duty alert crew and assorted other off-duty pilots and aircrew lounging in the chairs, and mechs sprawling on the deck, holding down the prime locations, waiting for the last recovery of the night to end so the late evening movie could begin. With the ready room being located on the O-3 level just under the flight deck, all the way forward on the angle by the water stops for the waist catapults, there could be no hope of showing a movie until flight ops ended, and the noise ceased.

The chilling crash alarm, punctuated by the dreaded call of the Air Boss on the 5-MC, galvanized everyone into motion at once, triggering the adrenaline rush in the alert crew and the launch crew that only the real thing can produce. There ain’t NOTHING like

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the real thing! The results, which Mack Sennet’s Keystone Cops would have appreciated, were predictable: flight deck crew racing for the door, pulling on their flight deck cranials. . . . the duty crew propelled to their feet, slinging on their LPA-SV-2's and looking around for their helmet bags. . . mechs milling about, pushing the projector out of the aisle, pushing for the exit, trying to get out of the way, and failing. . . everyone staring in awe at the Ready Room PLAT monitor. Over the din of the crash alarm came the roar of jet engines which would not go away.

The PLAT camera up on the bridge was recording an unbelievable sight.

Twin pillars of white flame, pointing up in the air at a 45-degree angle, from the engines of an F-4 which WAS HANGING OVER THE PORT SIDE OF THE SHIP. The PLAT image was quickly confirmed by the flight deck launch crew pouring back through the hatch leading in from the catwalk under the overhang of the angle deck.

They ran full into the face of the alert crew trying to crowd through the light trap and out the hatch in the opposite direction.

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“The ladder’s blocked! A Phantom is hanging over the side with the engines in burner! The crew has ejected!”

Another Mack Sennet scene for an instant, quickly sorting itself out, as the cooler heads pushed through the melee and sprinted down the passageway leading to the interior of the ship and to the hated Circular Zebra fitting (a vertical manhole in the bulkhead about waist high) connecting our little world out under the angle with the heart of the ship. Men bent double in a classic hurdler’s form to most rapidly slip through the fitting, barking shins and scraping backs on the knife edges of the hatch in their haste. Once through the Zebra fitting bottleneck, they raced athwartships to the starboard side, up the ladder to the island, and out to the flight deck, to the alert helo, folded up, nose to the island in the helo-hummer pack.

Those of us not involved in the launch took turns at the door, peering cautiously along the gallery under the deck edge at the roaring fighter plane, hands over ears, and mouths agape trying to counter the terrible din. The plane was poised nose-down, hanging

over the side of the ship, held precariously by one landing gear lodged in the catwalk. First one, then the other engine flamed out as the afterburner consumed the remaining fuel, mercifully ending the ungodly roar. From our vantage point, we couldn’t see that the fighter was really held by the arresting gear cross deck pendant pulled out to its limit and still attached to the tail hook.

The fighter had landed in a left drift and left of centerline, engaged the arresting wire with the hook, and continued right over the side. As the plane rolled left and nosed over the edge, the crew ejected. The RIO’s seat went first, as advertised. The fighter was at about 30 degrees nose down and 45 degrees left wing down when the seat fired. He got separation and a chute, and maybe a swing or two before water entry. The pilot was not so lucky. His seat firing last, the plane was already at 70 to 80 degrees wing down and about the same nose down when he went out, skipping across the water a couple of time while still in the seat, and finally separating from the seat while perhaps submerged; he doesn’t remember. Nor does he remember anything else pertaining to his rescue that night.

The plane guard helo, (Indian Gal 710), piloted by Lieutenant “Pete” Peterson, and LT(jg) Terry Huff, was quickly on the scene from starboard delta. What they saw was about as vertigo-inducing as anyone could conjure in his most dreaded SAR rescue nightmare. First, the profound blackness of a moonless overcast night far at sea.

Landlubbers can only try to imagine the total absence of light. It is impossible to duplicate outdoors ashore. A windowless basement at night comes close, but absent is awareness of the vast emptiness of the sea. Then, the absolute contrast of stark white from the afterburners, lighting up the flight deck and a little sea surface right around the ship, providing no useful illumination but only serving to intensify the darkness of the night itself. The white light from the afterburners obliterates the carefully cultivated night adaptation

for the helicopter crew as they swing around the stern of the carrier and into the SAR area.

Dozens of flashlights undulate in the gentle swells, cast over the side by the flight deck personnel to mark the area as they realize people are in the water.

They carpet the wake of the ship for a mile in an uneven highway of tiny firefly specks. Then the afterburner flames out, plunging the now nightblind helicopter crew into blackness.

Finally, searchlights snap on from the plane guard destroyer nudging into the carpet of flashlights. Well-intentioned sailors sweep the searchlights right and left, looking for signs of the downed airmen. Their beams are lost in the darkness. There is no wind and the sea is flat except for the huge lazy swells, originating from some distant storm, well beyond range to have any other influence on the proceedings except to provide the complete overcast responsible for the darkness. It’s the kind of sea that causes Doppler navigation radars to spend most of their time in “memory” unable to get a useable return from the smooth water. Without the Doppler, the automatic hover equipment of the SH-3 has no reference, and the helicopter cannot perform its unique technological miracle, maintaining a stable hover without any visual cue for the pilots. Pete Peterson had previously reported that his Doppler is inoperative in the smooth sea. . . . too late, unfortunately, to launch a replacement before the scheduled night recovery time, which will wait for no man. The ship decided to go ahead without delaying the recovery, after all, there is the backup alert helo, the plane guard destroyer, and what are the chances. . . . .

Off to the side of the carpet of flashlights is a single strobe light. No sign of a second light. No radio call on Guard. No beeper. There’s no wind and the ship is coasting to a stop a mile from the scene, trying to secure the fighter hanging over the side, and clear the deck to launch the alert helo.

The alert launch is not going quickly enough. The extended arresting gear cross-deck pendant, under tension 75

holding the fighter from falling over the side, is blocking the movement of aircraft. No time to wait. There is one man to be rescued for sure. Go for him!

Pete conducts a no-horizon, no-Doppler, manual approach to the strobe, using all the skill and experience the crew can muster. The approach to the strobe is a little long in the absence of the normal headwind, with the helicopter achieving a serviceable hover about 75 yards beyond the man in the water.

“Survivor’s in sight, five o’clock, seventy-five yards.” reports AWC Gary Davey, the first crewman.

“Roger, you have verbal control.

Terry, switch on the flood and hover lights" said LT Peterson.

LT Peterson and Chief Davey were the nucleus of a seasoned crew. LTJG Huff had been flying with them for a couple of weeks during the ORE now in progress. They had been racking up a lot of time together and had been practicing for just such a scenario as they now faced. With the notoriously poor performance of the APN-130 Doppler Navigation Radar in low sea states, Pete had been exercising his crew in no-Doppler verbal control on day flights, and on recent night hops when the moon had been full and the Doppler had been working to provide backup. They had used the flood and hover lights effectively, when there had been a dim horizon to help. They had confidence that they could accomplish a night no-Doppler pickup in an emergency.

When the lights flicked on. . . instant white-out! The recirculating vortex of rotor wash droplets reflects the light back into the pilot’s faces, and there isn’t enough wind to move the rotor wash away from the helicopter. The helicopter is immersed in a cloud of spray.

The pilots are unable to see the water.

“Cut the lights!. That’s not going to work tonight! Chief, you’ve got it.”

So much for that technique. Usable with some horizon and a little wind, but no good tonight.

“Roger, easy back . . . easy back. . . five o’clock, seventy yards . . “ www.navalhelicopterassn.org

The pilots are on the gauges, their only reference for flight, the words of Chief Davey. The hover indicator bars are dead, crossing at the center of the hover indicator gauge, falsely indicating a stable hover, mocking the pilots. The urge to glance outside at the seductive and deadly miscue of the rotor wash radiating out from under the helicopter is strong.

A searchlight sweeps by the cockpit.

They seem to be trying to illuminate the water under the helicopter. Trying to help, but the moving shadows, and the blanche of light on the instrument panel, and the constantly changing reflection off the plexiglas cockpit windows does nothing but harm. Vertigo City!

“Boss, secure the g’*#&@*m searchlights! They’re not helping anything and they are giving us vertigo!”

“Roger 710, we’ll get right on it, but it’ll take a minute.” replies the Air Boss.

“Easy back . . . Six o’clock, forty yards. . . watch your altitude. . . You’re a little low. . . easy back, drifting left. ..: Chief Davey calmly keeps the verbal control flowing in a slow, regular cadence. Direction, bearing, distance, pause, direction, bearing, distance, pause. A low growl, slow, careful enunciation. NATOPS standard phraseology, no extraneous words, no creative excursions. Sticking with proven procedures to ensure the words are clear, the meaning unmistakable.

No inflection. Nothing to transmit tension, agitation, excitement, or panic.

Soothing. Chief Davey’s technique is proven over the countless hours as the best method to get through the ICS noise, occasional distortion, and the interference of external radio calls. With his technique, J.O.’s believed that Chief Davey could tell a pilot that his flight suit was on fire, without alarming him.

“We’re low, watch altitude. Stop back. Steady, steady, steady.”

The voice is still calm, but hours of practice as a crew allows the slight inflection difference and cadence change to transmit a clear message to the pilot.

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unsteadily, corrections are diverging, and increasing in magnitude ever so slightly, heading for trouble. Catch it now is the admonishment, unstated, but clear to Pete. Vertigo is reaching out, with one cold clammy fist in the pit of the stomach, twisting, and the other’s hot fingers digging into the temples from inside behind the eyebrows.

“Roger Chief, we’ve got it now.” replies Pete to the Chief ’s subliminal message. “Terry, forget the throttles, take the collective, keep us at forty feet no matter what happens. If an engine fails, the throttles won’t make any difference, we’ll go into the water anyhow with these light winds so forget them.

O.K. Chief, you’ve still got it.”

“Roger, Sir, easy back . . easy right . . . Four o’clock, thirty yards, altitude is good. . .”

ten yards. . . Stop forward, easy right, looking good. . . Swimmer going down . . . Easy right, three o’clock, five yards. . . swimmer half way down. . . five yards . . . five yards, easy right. . .

Three yards, one yard . . . stop right, on top, steady, steady, steady.”

“Swimmer in the water . . . Swimmer O.K. . . . steady, steady, steady . . .”

“Mr. Pete, he’s swimming AWAY from the survivor. Steady, steady, steady.”

“What? O.K. Stay on top of this guy, Chief. Gibson’s a SAR swimmer, and he has his float gear. We’ll get him later.”

This unusual technique of splitting the control, practiced under better conditions, works better than the flood and hover lights gambit.

“Indian Gal 710, Tower, we’re having some delay with the launch of your playmate because of the foul deck. Do you need anything we can provide?

Over.”

“Boss, I’ve got my hands full right now, don’t call me, I’ll call you. Out.” On the ICS, Pete mutters, “Dammit, forgot to switch off the mixers before the approach. Get the mixers, Terry.”

Just what was going on with Airman Gibson, anyway? As Gibson was descending on the hoist, he caught a reflection off something out in the dark. Not sure what it was, and unable to talk with the helicopter to explain this unusual situation, he took the initiative himself. Seeing immediately that the RIO was apparently unhurt, he swam off in the direction that the reflection had been seen, rather than risk losing the bearing while tending to the RIO first. Out in the black, beyond the range of vision of the men in the helicopter, he found the missing pilot, unconscious, injured; a broken arm and broken leg, and held only partially clear of the water by a half inflated and slowly deflating LPA.

To his everlasting credit, the Air Boss, a Commander and a man in a position of huge power, instantly realizes his mistake, and takes immediate action to make sure no one else makes it too.

“Ninety-nine, War Chief Tower, switch button six alternate, now. Will advise SAR progress. War Chief out.”

Every Constellation aircraft airborne gets the message. No talking on Tower frequency until the SAR is complete.

“Stop back. . . easy right, survivor in sight three o’clock, twenty yards. . . easy right. . . swimmer ready. . . . permission to lower the swimmer.”

“Roger, lower the swimmer.”

“Roger, easy right. . . two thirty. . . fifteen yards. . . drifting back a little. . . stop back, easy right. . . easy forward, 76

Pete flashes the flood and hover lights, the signal to recall Gibson, the swimmer. . . To no avail. He swims out of sight.

The RIO hooked himself up to the rescue hook without incident and was hoisted safely. As the RIO was being brought into the cabin, Gibson, some 75 yards away, pops his day-night flare, marking his position and indicating his readiness for pickup. The hover over to his position and pickup was relatively easy within the context of the conditions for THIS night. After all, everything is relative. The whole rescue had taken just 17 minutes from plane in the catwalk to survivors on the flight deck.

The No Pickup List There is an aviation tradition in the Navy, which is certainly politically incorrect in this day and age. It is that an aviator who, in a time of life-threatening need at sea, avails himself of the services of one of the fleet’s angels, be it HS helicopter, LAMPS helicopter, or VERTREP helicopter, obligates himself to provide to the pilot and rescue swimmer of said angel, a fifth of the alcoholic spirits of their choice. This is a healthy tradition, and, in these times of improving safety, does not potentially threaten the health of fleet angels as much as it has in times past when the mishap rate was such that an active career helicopter pilot, honor bound to drink the health of the life he saved, with the savee’s own liquor, could seriously damage his liver and become a burden to the health care system in later years.

In the case described above, the RIO, who shall remain nameless, declared that HIS ejection seat had worked perfectly, HIS chute had deployed in time, HIS LPA had inflated properly, HIS strobe had flashed correctly, etc, etc, and that all the helicopter did was give him a ride back to the ship! He had no intention of buying anyone any liquor.

The RIO’s refusal to acknowledge the rescue, not only of himself, but of his pilot who would not be alive today had it not been for the rescue helicopter crew, became a cause celebre within HS-6. We took our rescue business seriously, and as helicopter pilots, we took justifiable pride in the fact that part of our mission was to SAVE lives directly, not just to bomb, strafe, or torpedo the enemy. It has always been a strong facet of the helicopter community which sets us apart from most of the rest of carrier aviation.

Never mind that the RIO had a point about being merely picked up versus being rescued. Let’s face it, the vast majority of “rescues” are merely pickups. Very few are actual saves in extremis, as much as we would like to classify them as such.

Heresy you say? Easy now. This heresy is backed up by studies from

the Naval Safety Center which has statistical proof that the time for the helicopter to arrive overhead, is not a determining factor in the probability of rescue. In other words, we usually make pickups of survivors who have saved themselves for us to “rescue.” Of course, a timely rescue preempts all manner of unknown dangers from ever happening out there in the deep blue sea. AND there are just enough rescues in extremis to make the word rescue fit, even if statistically insignificant (except to the rescuee). The RIO’s pilot was certainly one of the few.

To continue, shortly after the “rescue”, several of us fleet angels were assembled in the dirty shirt locker, enjoying some auto-dog and sliders at mid-rats. We were in the informal wardroom up forward where aviators and flight deck personnel, in “dirty shirts” could eat without the requirement to “dress up” or use good manners like the snipes, chops, docs, and various other “shoes” and captive airedales doing their disassociated ship’s company tour. We were dining on soft ice cream from the automatic dispenser, and on hamburgers during the midnight meal.

Who should walk in but the RIO of the above incident.

“There he is.” said one of us, pointing him out to the others, so there would be no mistaking him.

“That guy’s on my no-pickup list,” growled one of our number, whose identity is, sadly, lost to posterity.

“What’s that about a no pickup list?” asked a Corsair pilot nearby. We fleet angels looked at each other for a moment and shared complete and unspoken understanding of the serendipity which was unfolding.

“There’s no such thing as a no pickup list.” one of us declared slowly and perhaps a little too loudly. Too quickly, though, for the satisfaction of the A-7 pilot who had asked.

“Yeah? What were you guys just saying about a no pickup list then?” Other restricted aviators nearby stopped

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their conversation and shamelessly eavesdropped.

“Nothing,” two of us protested together.

“Never heard of such a thing,” declared another jet jock.

“That’s because there isn’t any such thing,” we assured them, quite truthfully. Alas, sometimes the truth will not be heard, no matter how earnestly it is proclaimed. We tried our very BEST to convince those guys that there is no such thing as a no pickup list, but the more we protested its non-existence, the LESS we were believed. Finally, we left the restricted aviators to themselves, and retired in silence.

The next day, I was approached by an old college acquaintance of mine, who was in the A-6 squadron.

“Tom,” he inquired, after beating around the bush with a hail fellow well met salutation, a solicitous inquiry into my health, and the observation that he hadn’t seen me in a while, and that was certainly going to change, and how was I anyway?

“What’s this about a no pickup list?”

“No such thing,” I assured him with all sincerity.

“Come on, we’re old classmates, tell me about it. Who’s on it, anyway, LT RIO for sure, anybody else? How do they get on it?”

“There’s no such thing shipmate.

You’re in no danger of being on it. . if there was such a thing, which there isn’t. You’ve never crossed a helo pilot before, so don’t worry about it. Listen, gotta run, don’t worry about it, ole bud.”

I hurried to the ready room to fill in my fellow Raunchy Redskins about this interesting encounter. That day, and over the next few, there were similar conversations between acquaintances around the air wing and various Redskins. One of us was approached by a J.O. from the electric A-6 squadron with a fifth of Jack Daniels (sealed properly, from the squadron’s admin ashore stock, no doubt). We were to consider it a demonstration of support for the great traditions of aviation, which they were proud to uphold, and www.navalhelicopterassn.org

please accept their apologies for the fighter RIO. Before long, we had collected fifths from J.O. groups representing every squadron in the air wing, including the fighter squadron in question.

That was not enough for that squadron’s C.O., who visited our ready room and formally presented a fifth of Pinch, in velvet bag, on behalf of his squadron, his entire squadron. A cut above the ordinary stuff. How interesting.

Soon after though, it all came to an end with a visit from CAG. He entered the ready room to address the J.O.’s and came right to the point.

“Guys, you’ve had your fun. Its all been pretty funny and I’ve really enjoyed it. But it’s time to knock it off. Some of the tailhook J.O.’s are really believing this stuff about a no pickup list and it’s starting to affect their morale. The senior officers have reassured them that there’s no such thing as a no pickup list and that it’s all a con. But some of the J.O.’s still aren’t buying it. So knock off all this no pickup list stuff and tell them the truth.”

We protested our innocence, and tried to tell him that we never told anybody that there was such a list. To no avail.

He reiterated his direction to us and turned to go, venturing over his shoulder as he stepped through the door, “There’s no such thing as a no pickup list and the J.O.s have to be convinced of it, right?”

“Right CAG,” we chorused.

He gave us a confident smile. We smiled back. His smile turned into a funny, quizzical grin as he disappeared through the door.

SAR Insurance Shortly afterwards, there appeared very official looking forms for SAR Insurance from Calumet Casualty and Life, (copies of which have not survived. possibly because of the dim view taken by CAG and his staff). Small stacks found their way to every ready room. The form featured varying levels of coverage beginning with the basic coverage (Day-VFR), more comprehensive coverage (Night-VFR), and premium coverage (Night-IFR). Special coverage consisted of night-no Doppler.

Payment was in multiples of fifths of spirits - in advance. Additional installments being paid during every port of call. The amount of installments depended on the level of coverage the insured wished to retain. Successful SAR, said the fine print, was underwritten and guaranteed to conscientious premium payers and subject to automatic cancellation should the insured find himself on the no pickup list.

We were visited by CAG again…..We had a good cruise, never lacking for good spirits and good camaraderie, but drinks at the bar are not good SAR insurance. The real premiums are paid by the angels every time one more simulated rescue is practiced on a dark night in starboard delta, when the crew expands its performance envelope just a little more, with just one more simulation of adverse conditions under proper training conditions, when it would be a lot less hassle to take a few more laps around delta at a comfortable safe altitude instead.

Author's Note The RIO bought Pete a beer at happy hour in the Cubi O-Club later in the cruise. Must have cost him ten whole cents, maybe fifteen. A class act to the end. We never had occasion to pick him up again. Good thing for him, because, if there was such a thing as a no pickup list, he’d be on it. But, of course, there is no such thing as a No Pickup List.

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Off Duty Hitler’s Heroine Hanna Reitsch by Sophie Jackson Reviewed by LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

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irst, don’t judge the book by its cover, I think Jackson picked this photo and title for its sensationalist edge. This is a biography of Hanna Reitsch, as written by British biographer and historical author Sophie Jackson (not the romance novelist). Hanna was a female aviator at a time and in a place where women were not pilots. Yet, Hanna Reitsch was an aviator of equal renown to Amelia Earhart (see RR 141 pp 66-67) but without the publicity. She was the female helicopter pilot of the first successful operational helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw-61 (also Focke-Achgelis Fa-61). In light of her time and place in aviation history, one question has always been was Hanna a Nazi and was she a member of or working for the Luftwaffe. The answer is no and yes as she was working for but not a member of the Luftwaffe. Jackson does research and presentation to lay out the answers to these question and many more.

Sophie Jackson takes the reader from Hanna’s birth and childhood, through her education and into her flight training, work as a test pilot and beyond. Of note is her pioneer status, even though she doesn’t feel that way, she is. She is young, immature, small of stature and out of place. As the only woman in the man’s world of German aviation, she is harassed and bullied at every turn with only her head strong determination to fly seeing her through. The author seems determined to fault Hanna for not noticing the political turmoil and adversity of the Nazi regime around her without noting that young people in any time or place, imbued with a tunnel vision and overwhelming passion to achieve their dreams, fail to notice the politics about them. Jackson does not whitewash nor implicate Hanna but rather holds her feet to the fire, telling her story against the backdrop of Nazism and Hitler’s rise to power and ultimate fall.

Hanna achieves her glider pilot license in 1935, at 23 years old, and lands a position as a test pilot for a German glider company. From 1935 to 38 her flying career blossoms with trips to France, Spain and America promoting glider aviation and culminating in flying aerobatics over the stadium for the 1936 Olympic games being held in Germany. By this time she has flown a variety of powered aircraft as a test pilot resulting in an almost accidental opportunity to fly the world’s first successful helicopter, the Focke-Wulf Fw-61. A tribute to her inherent aeronautical skill is her ability to go from gliders to powered single and multi-engine fixed wing, including jet and rocket aircraft, to the helicopter. Hanna test flew a wide range of aircraft including the Gigant, a glider aerial tanker, an observation plane that could land on the back of a destroyer, the Do-17 barrage balloon cable cutter, Fw-61, Me-163 and a piloted V-1; all of which keeping the reader busy on Google or Bing.

She did end up stuck in the Fuhrerbunker with Hitler and Goebbels and his family through a series of unplanned events.

Her harrowing flight in and out of the center of Berlin over Russian lines is a story in itself. After the war she was a POW of the American army, interrogated and imprisoned. She refused to come to America as other Germans such as Wernher Von Braun had done, desiring to stay in Germany to help her country recover. She was, after all, no Nazi, but rather a patriot who loved her country. Because of this decision, she was vilified by press, researchers and authors and eventually by her own people as a Nazi sympathizer and Hitler apologist; neither of which was true. For the rest of her life, she traveled around the globe lecturing about gliding and flying whenever she could and even starting a gliding school in Africa.

Hanna Reitsch was indeed a pioneer in women’s aviation and a world renowned aviator. She went on to establish several aviation records after World War II, in gliding and helicopters up into the 1970’s. She was named Whirly Girl number one, made an honorary member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and even set a world record for high altitude glider endurance when she was 66. She was a pioneer, innovator and somewhat of a firebrand who told it like it was and did not hesitate to speak truth to power. She could not, however, escape the skeletons of her past making her story bitter sweet. Hanna Reitsch is not a light summer read, it is inspiring at times and depressing at others, but always a provocative and enlightening kaleidoscope of many more parts than I have the room to mention here. If you are interested in this remarkable first woman of rotary wing aviation then check it out. Also consider books by Hanna Reitsch: Flying is My Life and The Sky is My Kingdom.

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Scramble the Seawolves Reviewed by CDR Mitch Brown, USN (Ret.) (Seawolf – 94 Apr 1970-Apr 1971) and CDR Tim Wright, USN (Ret.) (Seawolf – 92 Dec 1969-Feb 1971)

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cramble the Seawolves, is an award-winning documentary film which recounts the history of a unique Navy Squadron, Helicopter Attack (Light) Three (HAL-3) that operated in the Mekong Delta of South Viet Nam. The documentary is narrated

by Mike Rowe, however the history is told by many of the actual participants. Viewers will come to understand several aspects of human interaction when under constant, and sometimes extreme stress, what is needed to accomplish the mission or goal, and how that can help write or re-write a person’s "life script." Former US President Ronald Reagan is purported to have said that: "there are few limits to what can be accomplished, if you don't care who gets the credit." The Seawolf Brotherhood, both enlisted men and officers of HA(L)-3 epitomized this leadership approach to accomplish their primary mission, conducting quick reaction flights to provide close-air support for both US and Allied forces under attack day or night, good weather or bad, HA(L)-3's nine Helicopter Fire Teams were always ready to "Scramble" (launch ASAP) in order to "get on-scene" as quickly as possible.

In combat, delays can cost lives, and no member of HA(L)-3 ever wanted to stand in front of an American mother and tell her, "your son died because we didn't do our job." HA(L)-3 never turned down a mission, no matter the weather, no matter the danger and never left anyone behind. To accomplish this, all members had to learn a unique blend of single-mindedness, mutual trust, based on a balance of self-reliance, boldness, risk management, ethics, loyalty; and finally preparation to develop the skills needed to rapidly adapt, make split- second decisions to keep the fire team safe, while accomplishing the mission.

Aggressive tactics and courage were required, but always based on professionalism and judgment, not false pride or bravado.

Viewers of the film should learn about; leadership, team building, the importance of communication between all levels, personal sacrifice, morality, ethics, handling stress, friendship, camaraderie and loyalty. All are attributes that help make for a successful life.

During the five years that HA(L)-3 operated in the Mekong Delta, flying old "hand-me­-down" Army UH-1B gunships, HAL-3 utilized the aforementioned skills to become the most decorated squadron in Naval Aviation history. Improvisation and creativity were often the keys to readiness and success - in combat, necessity becomes the mother of invention. The squadron had nine detachments with two aircraft each, spread throughout the Delta. The fact that they were closeby and always available, probably deterred many attacks from transpiring. Although protecting both the Navy Riverine Forces and Army units were important missions, the Seawolves and Navy SEAL brethren developed a special bond of camaraderie and operational effectiveness, often with great success. War is Hell, so one had to maintain a sense of humor and camaraderie to cope with stress. The documentary also addresses the challenges from moral injury, which can lead to PTSD. Not everything goes well, or as planned, and sometimes the objective can't be accomplished. No matter how hard people try to save others, to MEDEVAC, support children in orphanages, or other good intentioned efforts, things can go astray. Active duty military, Veterans, and first responders of "all stripes” will probably relate to the themes and interviews depicted in this film.

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Around the Regions Rotorhead Rumble Reunion in Jacksonville Attention on Deck!

All HS pilots who served at NAS JAX in the 70's, 80's and 90's The Rotorhead Rumble Reunion will be at NAS JAX, April 18-19, 2020 For more information, visit the website: www.rotorheadrumble.myevent.com.

Golden Gater Reunion in Alameda HS-85 Reunion is scheduled for August, 2020 aboard the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California. Make your plans now. Join the HS-85 Facebook group for more information.

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World Famous I-Bar Reopens - I-Bar: Full Mission Capable

By CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.)

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On Friday, 12 July, CAPT Tim Slentz, Commanding Officer, Naval Base Coronado, reopened the “World Famous I-Bar” at a ribbon cutting ceremony on the front steps leading into the I-Bar. The I-Bar had been closed since mid March for major renovation most particularly for plumbing repairs and rotted flooring.

As news of the planned renovation filtered across the base, the big concern was whether the I-Bar would look the same or lose its naval aviation charm. This concern became even more acute when squadrons had to come collect their memorabilia from the walls and ceiling prior to the renovation kicking off. And yes, all the precious models that hung from the ceiling had to be taken down, wrapped, and packed up.

At the ribbon cutting, CAPT Slentz said that the combined MWR / PWD / NAVFAC Team had worked hard to preserve the look and feel of the I-Bar. This effort even involved taking multiple photographs to ensure that what came down went back up in the same place. He also emphasized that the I-Bar is a place … “where naval aviators congregate and talk – not a place to sit down with a smart phone or tablet and communicate digitally. The I-Bar is where we go to tell the stories of Naval Aviation.” In fact, placing a hand-held digital device on the bar buys an immediate round.

Upon entering the I-Bar after the ribbon cutting, I was most surprised to see that it had retained the original look and feel.

Squadron memorabilia and the models had been returned to their roosts while the u-shaped bar had been removed, replaced, and reoriented 90 degrees counterclockwise. Instead of facing toward the garden and fountain in the quad, the u-shaped bar now faces toward the double doors that open onto the lobby.

The popcorn machine remains anchored in its rightful place, the new bar offers plenty of space to roll dice, and most importantly, the six new beer taps deliver a variety of cold beer on demand. Well done to CAPT Slentz who championed the renovation and to the MWR / PWD / NAVFAC Team which executed it.

Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning Deborah “Deb” Stoneman who has worked graciously behind the I-Bar for the last eighteen years – always with a keen eye toward bar fine offenders. She played a major, behind the scenes role in preserving the bar’s allure to include hand wrapping and then unwrapping and hanging every one of the 200+ models that hang from the ceiling. Deb, you are dearly appreciated by all of us rotor heads who have come to know you as our Bar Keep. You are the mainstay there and we remain indebted to you for always making our regular visits pleasant and memorable. We thank you for your selfless service to Navy Rotary Wing Aviation!

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Command Updates HSMWSL "Honey Badgers" Conduct Historic Missile Exercise in Bahamas

By LT Colin “Geisha” Price,USN

HARP Class 19-02,

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n March 5th, members of Helicopter Maritime Strike Weapons School Atlantic (HSMWSL) boarded a C-130 bound for the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) at Andros Island, Bahamas. During this detachment, HSMWSL successfully conducted the last phase of Helicopter Advanced Readiness Program (HARP) Class 19-02. While every class requires detailed planning and integration across all participating personnel, HARP Class 19-02 was special. With support from personnel from Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations in Norfolk, VA, HSMWSL conducted the first missile exercise at AUTEC in over four years.

HARP Class 19-02 was comprised of Sailors from all ranks from the Naval Station Mayport-based HSM-48 “Vipers," the “Spartans” of HSM-70 from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and the HSM-51 “Warlords” from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Training includes classroom instruction, academic testing, and simulator evaluation. These simulator events provide valuable teaching moments, where the staff from HSMWSL, comprised of Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Instructors (SWTIs), is able to provide detailed, one-on-one guidance to each member of the class, with the ability to pause training at any moment to focus on a particular learning objective.

Once each crew has passed their simulator events, they begin the flight portion of the curriculum. The last graded flight event culminates with a complex, multi-aircraft scenario involving all aspects of MH-60R tactical integration. For HARP Class 19-02, this event also included support from the VP-8 “Fighting Tigers” from Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

However, it was the missile exercise that made HARP Class 19-02 historic. During this day-long event, HARP 19-02 crews successfully and safely launched six ATM-114 missiles at various surface training targets.

In coordination with these three commands, HSMWSL facilitated the execution of 207 flight hours and 91 sorties. In total, HARP Class 19-02 launched 11 torpedoes, over 250 sonar devices, and shot over 4,500 rounds of ammunition. Now that HARP Class 19-02 is complete, each squadron has returned to their primary duty station for further integrated training in preparation for future operations around the world.

HSMWSL is located at Naval Station Mayport. Point of contact is the Public Affairs Officer, LT Colin “Geisha” Price, colin.r.price1@navy.mil.

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HSC-7’s Early Combat SAR Heritage

By LT Hans "Boba" Fett, USN, (Ret.)

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elicopter Sea Combat Squadron Seven celebrates a milestone 50th anniversary this year. Before receiving their current HSC designation in 2011, the Dusty Dogs’ combat SAR heritage goes back to its days as Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Seven. I joined HS-7 in 1970, narrowly missing being a plankowner, but in time to assist in standing up the brand-spanking new outfit.

After having completed a North Atlantic and Mediterranean deployment, HS-7 was ordered to Westpac and a combat deployment to Vietnam, onboard USS Saratoga (CV-60). Things had escalated in Southeast Asia and our mission had been changed from ASW to combat SAR. No more hunting, identifying, and tracking enemy subs, but hunting, identifying, and saving friendly aviators in a combat theater.

Our aviators literally had to learn their new mission on the fly, and did so with the assistance of the pros from Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron Three, and Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Seven. The new mission also required retrofitting our Sea King helicopters with armor plating, self-sealing fuel tanks, and M-60 machine guns.

Nearly every day on deployment I would walk through the hangar bay to survey the embarked aircraft as they returned from their missions. These aircraft often showed signs of extensive battle damage. I would marvel at how these seemingly completely unflyable craft routinely made it back to the ship, and often in the pitch black darkness of night. It was a great source of comfort and pride to know that the steely nerved flyers who did this day after day were the best in the world, and better than that, they were on our side. This pride extended to HS-7 pilots as well. It was very obvious why self-sealing fuel tanks, armor plating, and M-60 machine guns were required in the business of combat search and rescue.

While on “Yankee Station,” during takeoff for a mission, one of our helos experienced a catastrophic explosion of one of its engines. Raining debris within the aircraft produced shrapnel just as deadly as if caused by an enemy shell. The challenge immediately faced by the crew was survival, while minimizing damage to the aircraft and potential damage to the ship itself.

After quickly assessing the situation, the aircraft commander decided that further damage could best be contained by ship’s company crash and salvage personnel. Accordingly the HAC ordered the aircraft to be immediately evacuated. Newly assigned crewman Petty Officer Third Class Dan Allen, despite sustaining a serious shrapnel wound to the upper arm, and with total disregard for his own peril, stayed aboard the stricken helo. No stranger to lifesaving events, Petty Officer Allen had previously distinguished himself by being the rescue swimmer coming to the aid of an imperiled A-7 pilot who had to eject at sea during takeoff because of engine failure.

The plucky crewman bravely attempted to put out the rapidly growing blaze with inadequate onboard fire extinguishing assets, until relieved by the “silver suiters” of crash and salvage. He was subsequently hospitalized in “Sara’s” sick bay because his wound became infected and threatened his arm. He could have easily been medevaced stateside to sit out the remainder of the deployment, but begged superiors to allow him to stay in the hostile fire zone with his comrades.

For his act of heroism, Petty Officer Allen was nominated for the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. The gallant young Sailor would never see his award, however, as he tragically perished in a motorcycle accident during post-deployment leave.

This brief article serves to underscore the bravery and commitment required to carry out the SAR mission, while highlighting HSC-7’s colorful history, and giving the squadron a “well done” for 50 years of remarkable service.

Bravo Zulu Dusty Dogs and happy anniversary!

About the Author I was a First Class Petty Officer at the time of my tour with HS-7, and went on to earn both an AA and BA degree, and a subsequent commission as a Limited Duty Officer. I had the honor of being selected as HS-7's first Sailor of the Year, and ended my 23-year Navy service as the Administrative Department Head to the Blue Angels.

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Command Updates What You Need in Sitka LT Jason E. Maddux, USCG

The country is lovely, but it doesn't love you back.

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lthough Coast Guard Air Station Sitka does not deploy, we do prepare for different types of events which could require a period of time spent away from home station. Due to the extremely remote nature and unpredictable weather of Southeast Alaska, a ditching or PEL situation could result in a lengthy survival scenario before rescue would occur.

Our crews train and fly with a CWASK (Cold Weather Arctic Survival Kit). This kit contains the following: • MRE • Shelter/tarp, bivy-sack, space blanket, 50ft of 550 cord • 5 qt water bladder, water purifier • Saw, knife, shears • First aid kit • Camp stove, fire kit • Survival guide, compass, headlamp Air Station Sitka’s area of responsibility (AOR) encompasses approximately 180,000 square miles of water and land stretching across Southeast Alaska from Dixon Entrance to Icy Bay, and from the Alaskan/Canadian border to the central Gulf of Alaska. This includes 12,000 tidal miles of coastline characterized by rugged coasts, mountainous terrain, severe weather, numerous remote villages, and long distances between fuel caches and landing sites. Air Station Sitka’s operating area is one of the most demanding flight environments that US Coast Guard aircraft operate in.

In order to prepare for the unthinkable, an initial “Cold School” where survival skills are taught in the classroom and in the field simulates real world circumstances one might be exposed to in the often cold, wet and dark environment that characterizes our AOR. Annual training ensures crews are familiar with the CWASK and how to employ its contents to improve chances of survival.

Air Station Sitka’s most challenging training objective is to maintain familiarity with the intricate network of waterways and islands that defines Southeast Alaska. We routinely fly four hour sorties to keep the metaphorical penguins on the iceberg. Getting to 15+ remote villages in low IMC requires an intimate familiarity with the operating environment. More often than not, the only signs of life observed are bears, eagles, salmon and whales. On these flights, it is not uncommon to hear crews discussing survival scenarios. The reality is an Alaskan “deployment” could potentially be just a chip light away.

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HSC-26 Det 1 MEDVAC AWS2 Zachary Santos, USN

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n June 16, 2019, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron, Two Six Detachment One, Desert Hawks performed a MEDEVAC while on SAR alert in the 5th Fleet AOR. The SAR duty crew was informed that a Royal Navy Sailor, aboard RFA Cardigan Bay, had rigidity and distention in his upper left abdomen. LCDR Brendan McGunigle, LT Andrew Lund, AWS1 Tripp Whaley, and AWS2 Zach Santos sprang into action; from cold steel they broke deck within 45 minutes. Upon landing on the Cardigan Bay, AWS1 Whaley and AWS2 Santos secured the patient in the MEDEVAC litter and loaded him along with the ship’s medical attendant aboard the helicopter. Ninety minutes after the initial notification, aircraft 16 touched down at King Hamad Hospital where they were greeted by emergency medical personnel and transferred custody of the patient. The British Sailor received emergency surgery to stop the severe internal bleeding. The rapid action of HSC-26 Det One, helped to save his life. It brings us great honor to be there for someone else’s worst day and make a difference. It makes all of the training worthwhile.

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Command Updates HSC-25.6 “Boonie Sharks”

By LT Rick “Pickle” Schuster, USN

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n 4 June 2018, the Detachment 6 “Boonie Sharks” departed the warm, balmy weather of Guam and landed at NAF Atsugi, Japan, for what would become a challenging six month journey throughout Southeast Asia.

After a week long turnover with the “Tritons” of the previous detachment, the Boonie Sharks hit the water swimming, quickly returning two of the three detachment aircraft to FMC status following major structural repairs.

For most of the summer, U.S. Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Ty Nichols, assigned to the "Island the Boonie Sharks took Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two-Five (HSC-25), looks out the door of advantage of the great trainan MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during a fast-rope exercise with Marines from the 31st ing opportunities in Japan, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD including PARADROPS 1). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Barker. with III MEF at Fuji Range, participation in Eagles Wrath 18 with MWSS-171, several DLQ in Sagami-wan, and a “Helo Day” with the Royal Navy’s HMS Albion (L 14). In mid-July, Det 6 executed a three-leg cross country (CCX) to embark USS Wasp (LHD 1) off the coast of Sasebo for F-35 CQ and flight deck certification. After a return CCX and short stint back in Atsugi, the Boonie Sharks re-embarked Wasp in August for AIT/CERTEX and the 18.2 Wasp ESG Patrol. The detachment quickly integrated with the 31st MEU, executing several HVBSS events with the Maritime Raid Force (MRF) and the ACE’s UH-1s.

After successful completion of AIT/CERTEX, WASP ESG steamed south and arrived off the coast of Guam for participation in Valiant Shield 18 (VS18), just in time for Typhoon Mangkhut to hit Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In the aftermath of Mangkhut, WASP ESG and the Boonie Sharks joined forces with HSC-25 Homeguard to provide Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) with multiple entities, including FEMA, Health and Human Services, and the CNMI government.

After DSCA, the Boonie Sharks were afforded a port call in Singapore, then returned to action in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) enforcement in the East China Sea. Additional events during this time period included demonstrations of HELOCAST, SPIE, and Defense of the Amphibious Task Force (DATF).

In early November, the detachment flew off WASP and returned to Atsugi to concentrate on ACTC events and prepare for turnover with the oncoming “Bandits.” The Boonie Sharks ultimately returned to Guam in early December after a successful detachment. HAFA ADAI!

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HSC-8 MEDEVAC and SAR Demonstration

By LT Brandon Deneen, USN

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arlier this year, HSC-8 was fortunate to participate in exercise Northern Edge as part of the Carrier Air Wing 11 embarked aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Eightballers’ missions ranged from providing logistical and SAR support to the ship and air wing to flying terrain flight profiles and completing tactical unit level training requirements in southern Alaska. While every mission comes with its own unique requirements, the Eightballers executed one mission in particular during the exercise that deserves special mention.

The first mission was a classic HSC scenario. A late night alert launch MEDEVAC from the ship to a shore facility in an unfamiliar location in bad weather. While this is an often-hypothesized mission in HSC ready rooms, the opportunity to execute it is thankfully rare. Safely completing such a demanding mission requires maximum performance from all involved, and this night’s launch was no different.

The crew had just completed their brief for the overnight alert 30 when the ship’s 1MC blared a warning about a developing medical emergency. A member of the ship’s crew had badly injured his leg, and was being tended to by the ship’s medical team. After evaluating the unfortunate Sailor’s condition, the ship’s doctors made a recommendation to move him to a shore facility to provide urgently needed care.

As the duty officer coordinated with the medical department, the alert crew rapidly donned their flight gear. Given that the ship was in the Gulf of Alaska at the time, this gear included the rubbery confines of a dry suit. Once dressed, the crew manned the aircraft and launched into the cold dark Alaska night to get the injured Sailor to a hospital in Anchorage.

At launch, the ship was well over 100 miles straight-line distance away from the hospital. But, as is often the case when emergencies like this occur, a low ceiling and icing level and visibility of less than one quarter mile forced the crew to re-route to avoid mountains, almost doubling the one way distance. There was no way for the aircraft to safely proceed under instrument conditions given the icing and high terrain, so the crew faced an additional challenge of recalculating their available fuel and having to navigate using a combination of GPS and visual checkpoints. All of this in an unfamiliar environment, at night, in stormy conditions, with a patient in slowly deteriorating health aboard.

The crew’s excellent risk management and some additional help from Alaskan air traffic controllers eventually came together to route the aircraft safely into the hospital’s landing zone. Once the patient had disembarked, the crew took off with the intention of landing at nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base to rest and refuel. However, the crew’s adventure was not quite over yet, as they discovered that they were unable to communicate with the base’s air traffic control facilities due to a lighting strike that occurred just as they were departing the hospital. Thankfully, the crew’s exceptional abilities allowed them to find a suitable landing area and safely shut down for the evening.

The second mission was a little less dramatic, but no less significant. Exercise Northern Edge represents a rare opportunity for the Navy to train as part of a joint force in a unique environment, sharpening the skills that are critical to our continued ability to answer the nation’s call. To preserve this opportunity, it is critical to allow the local residents of the area to get a close up look at our aircraft and Sailors, and to express our gratitude to them face to face for allowing us to work and train in their backyards. HSC-8 led this effort by sending two MH-60S helicopters to the town of Cordova to give the residents a chance to see the aircraft and meet the aircrews up close. The Eightballers began the event with a demonstration of SAR operations. The helicopters deployed rescue swimmers into a nearby lake and recovered them before landing and offering a static display. Both the Eightballers and Cordova residents enjoyed themselves and the event succeeded in enhancing the positive atmosphere increasing shared understanding.

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Engaging Rotors Congratulations to TRAWING-5 Wingers

June 14, 2019 Winging Class Graduation TOP ROW: LtCol Gregory R. Curtis, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; LTJG Andrew M. Kelly, USN, HT-28; LTJG Cory A. Himlin, USN, HT-28; LTJG Robert A. Macko, USN, HT-28; LTJG Brandt P. Fisk, USN, HT-8; LTJG William H. Beasley III, USN, HT-18; LTJG Andrew R. Long, USN, HT-18; 1stLt Mark M. Elias, USMC, HT-8; 1stLt Christopher L. Bier, USMC, HT-8; LTJG Alexander J. Barta, USN, HT-18; LTJG Erick A. Schwering, USN, HT-8; CAPT Richard A. Catone, USN, (Ret.) MIDDLE ROW: CDR Kenneth M. Kerr, USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; LTJG Natalia T. Karvelis, USN, HT-18; LTJG Daniel J. Fohey, USN, HT-18; LTJG Patrick J. Johnsen, USCG, HT-28; LTJG Jason L. Mapa, USN, HT-28; LTJG Charles P. Palmiotto, USN, HT-8; LTJG Garrett S. Woodrum, USN, HT-18; 1stLt Pierce T. Oka, USMC, HT-28; LTJG Eric R. Nord, USN, HT-28; LTJG Samuel A. Weaver, USN, HT-18; CAPT Douglas Rosa, USN, Commodore TRAWING-5.

BOTTOM ROW: CDR Lena C. Kaman, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; 1stLt Joshua G. Ng, USMC, HT-28; LTJG Brittany I. Witkowski, USN, HT-28; LTJG Meghan M. Moloney, USN, HT-8; LTJG Elizabeth K. Bostian, USN, HT-18; LTJG David A. Colville, USN, HT-18; LTJG Brian A. Burlingame, USN, HT-28; LTJG Steven G. Dull, USN, HT-8; LTJG Joshua M. Frey, USN, HT-28; LTJG Rebecca F. Whatley, USN, HT-18.

June 28, 2019 Winging Class Graduation TOP ROW: Lt. Col. Gregory R. Curtis, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; Lt.j.g Newton B. Allred, USN, HT-8; LTJG Daniel M. Grant-Johnson, USN, HT-8; LTJG Austin K.Grell, USN, HT-8; LTJG Abdulrahman S. Awad, RNSF, HT-28; LTJG Michael F. Madigan, USN, HT-18; LTJG Daniel L. Sullivan, USN HT-18; 1st Lt. Benton J.Mathis III, USMC, HT-18; LTJG Brian E. Greggs, USN, HT-28; LTJG James A. Calloway, USN, HT-8; Col. Jeffrey Pavelko, USMC, Deputy Commodore TRAWING-5.

MIDDLE ROW: CDR Kenneth M. Kerr, USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; LTJG Ben M. Allen, USN, HT-8; LTJG Max L. Miller, USN, HT-28; LTJG Ryan C. Pellegrino, USN, HT-8; LTJG Michael K. Kelly, USN, HT-28; LTJG Peter J. Oristian Jr., USN, HT-8; LTJG Khalid E. Almutairi, RNSF, HT-28; 1st Lt. Samuel J. Olson, USMC, HT-18; 1st Lt. Joseph M. Vandegrift, USMC, HT-28; LTJG Ahmed U. Khan, USN, HT-8; CDR Mark J Miller, USN, Commanding Officer HSM Weapons School Pacific.

BOTTOM ROW: CDR Lena C. Kaman, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; 1st Lt. Francis G. Davis III, USMC, HT-18; LTJG Christopher M. Leonard, USN, HT-8; 1st Lt. Nicholas J. Hamilton, USMC, HT-28; LTJG Roy Thigpen, USN, HT-8; 1st Lt. Cristov D. Dosev, USMC, HT-18; LTJG Erik T. Stein, USN, HT-18; LTJG Zachary P. Hines, USN, HT-8; Lt. Caitlyn K. Gever, USCG, HT-8; Ens. Giulio Speranza, ITNAV, HT-8.

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Congratulations to TRAWING-5 Wingers

July 12, 2019 Winging Class Graduation TOP ROW: Lt. Col. Gregory R. Curtis, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; LTJG Samuel B. McMullen, USN, HT-28; 1st Lt. Cole H. Mielcarek, USMC, HT-28; LTJG Gregory J. Abernathy, USN, HT-8; LTJG Matthew R. Weese, USN, HT-8; 1st Lt. Jacob M. Stauts, USMC, HT-8; LTJG Joshua Mayberry, USN, HT-28; 1st Lt. Zachary M. Pipkorn, USMC, HT-28; LTJG August A. Uecker, USN, HT18; 1st Lt. Eric A. Wenzel, USMC, HT-18; Capt. Eric S. Gleason, USCG MIDDLE ROW: CDR Kenneth M. Kerr, USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; LTJG Jacob N. Hastings, USN, HT-28; LTJG Justin T. Price, USN, HT-28; 1st Lt. Scott C. Hayman, USMC, HT-18; LTJG Jessica T. Yri, USN, HT-28; 1st Lt. Cody R. Iszler, USMC, HT-8; LTJG Michael N. Sims, USN, HT-8; 1st Lt. Roberto E. Aldama, USMC, HT-8; LTJG Sara K. Tumbas, USN, HT-18; CAPT Douglas Rosa, USN, Commodore TRAWING-5.

BOTTOM ROW: CDR Lena C. Kaman, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; LTJG Sarrah N. Childress, USN, HT-8; LTJG Justin P. Magallon, USN, HT-8; LTJG Taylor J. Adams, USN, HT-8; LTJG Richard W. Cavins, USN, HT-18; LTJG Nicholas A. Satterlee, USN, HT-18; LTJG Abdulaziz A. Alahaideb, RSNF, HT-18; LTJG Seth M. Ashley, USN, HT-28; LTJG Anastasia R. King, USN, HT-28.

Congratulations to HSC-3 August 23, 2019 Fleet Replacement Aircrew Class Graduates

From left to right: AWS3 Francisco Borrero Jr., USN; AWS3 Jeremiah Reno, USN ; AWS3 Robert Richards, USN; AWS3 Randy Shine, USN; AWS3 Zachery Spiegel, USN ; AWS3 Elijah Silvavalles, USN. Photo by MC1 (SW/AW) Patrick W. Menah Jr., USN.

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Signal Charlie CAPT Dick Catone, USN (Ret.) following a memorial service for a fellow helicopter pilot, is credited with the following statement: “I guess we are all in starboard delta waiting for Signal Charlie.” Starboard Delta is the holding pattern for the airborne Search and Rescue helicopters on the starboard (right) side of the aircraft carrier. They fly at a low altitude so as not to interfere with the fixed-wing aircraft recovery pattern, and only land when the last fixed-wing aircraft is safe on board. When tower calls the helicopter to pass “Charlie” to a landing spot, the crew knows the fixed-wing recovery is complete, all is well, and it is time to come back. Hence, the statement appears appropriate that someday we will receive our own “Signal Charlie” and will be called home for a final landing.

Signal Charlie has been created to inform our membership and honor the passing of fellow unrestricted aviators. It is only as good as the information we receive. If you have an obituary or other information that you would like to provide concerning the passing of a shipmate, co-worker, or friend of the community please contact the NHA national office at signalcharlie@navalhelicopterassn.org and we will get the word out.

LCDR Maurice “Morie” Turner Legare, USNR, (Ret.)

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CDR Maurice “Morie” Turner Legare, USNR received his Naval Aviator Wings and was designated a Navy Helicopter Pilot on October 9, 1961 at HT-8, NAS Ellyson field, Pensacola, Fl as a full Navy LT.. His Navy Helicopter Designator Number is 5804. After his wings he was assigned to HC-5 at NAS Imperial Beach, California to the SH-2A/B Helicopter RAG for replacement pilot training and then to HC-1 at NAS Imperial Beach, Ca. LCDR Legare passed away in July, 2019.

Maurice “Morie” Turner Legare, was the only child of missionary parents, the Reverend Maurice B.S. Legare, and Katherine Veronica (Turner) Legare. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but lived in Stockton, California for his early through high school years, where his father started and was head pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church. He had many memories of the vibrant Filipino community in which he lived and worked, and which nurtured him to adulthood. The Legare Family contribution to the Stockton Christian community and the Trinity Presbyterian Church was honored in the church’s 65th anniversary dedication of the Legare Chapel within the church.

Morie attended Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington, where he participated heavily in the Young Life ministry, and excelled in sports and academia, graduating in 1955. After graduation from Whitworth, he joined the U.S. Navy, went to flight school, and became a Naval Aviator. He was a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam with Navy HC-1 Det 5, and in 1966, was appointed Officer in Charge of Search and Rescue Detachment 5, and flew missions from the USS King (DLG-51). He and his men (dubbed “Legare’s Bears”) participated in many heroic rescues, but one memory he often shared was when he and his crew made two water rescues of F-105 pilots who were hit over North Vietnam, and managed to ditch or parachute into the Tonkin Gulf. It was an important and historic event, which is recorded in the operational history of the USS King. For this and other feats, Morie earned the Air Medal, the Vietnam Service and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, along with the National Defense Service Medal. He earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and served in the Navy for 10 years.

After his military career, Morie served as a Flight Engineer (FE) for Pan American World Airways from 1967-1991.

His family loved hearing about the many adventures, life-saving calculations, and narrow landing victories Morie experienced in that role. When Pan Am was sold to Delta Airlines in 1991, Morie was able to transfer to Delta, and was a senior FE until his retirement in 2002.

He also loved and is survived by his four children, Marc and Anne (Peterson) LeGare, Lisa-Noelle LeGare, Danielle (LeGare) and Aaron Myers, and J. Michael and Leela (Modjallal) LeGare, two stepchildren, Amy and Jason Mushorn, and 14 grandchildren. His wife Ann, was the joy of his final years, and loved him well.

A Memorial Service was held on Friday, July 19, 2019 at Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary, 8555 E. Pinnacle Peak Road in Scottsdale. Morie lived a full and rewarding life, and is enjoying his heavenly reward. He would be so happy if instead of giving flowers, you instead donate in his name to the church his father planted, Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Stockton, California. His place of interment is yet to be determined, but his real and forever home is in heaven.

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CDR Richard Earl Nahlovsky, USN (Ret.)

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DR Nahlovsky, USN (Ret.) of Dalton, Georgia passed away on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at the age of 84 at Hamilton Medical Center. He was born on January 29, 1935 in Mankato, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest Nahlovsky and Thelma Bookout Nahlovsky. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander and he was a Math and Geometry Teacher in Minnesota.

CDR Nahlovsky joined the Navy as a NAVCAD, receiving his wings on May 1, 1958 at HTG-1, NAS Ellyson Field, Pensacola, FL. His Navy Helicopter Designator Number is 4078. He initially reported to the Operations Department on the USS Yorktown CVS-10 in 1959. He then reported to HS-2 at Ream field before deploying with HS-2 on the USS Yorktown (CVS-12) during 1960. From HS_2 CDR Nahlovsky was assigned to a brand new squadron on the East Coast at Quonset Point, RI, HS13.

Survivors are his loving and devoted wife, Anne McNeil Nahlovsky; daughters, Laura (Troy) Virgo of Dalton, Georgia, Kathy (Bill) Hannigan of Bernardsville, New Jersey; son, Mike (Beth) Nahlovsky of Shakopee, Minnesota; grandchildren, Richard Virgo of Raleigh, North Carolina, Shaun Mercer of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Rozalyn Virgo of Dalton, Meghan Knoll of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jeremy Hannigan of Roswell, Georgia, Mya, and Haley Nahlovsky of Minnesota, great grandchildren, Ashlyn and Lily Hannigan of Roswell, Georgia, Wyatt and Anne Knoll of Charlotte, North Carolina; brother, Bob (JoAnne) Nahlovsky of Blooming Praire, Minnesota; other relatives, and friends.

A Memorial Service was held on Friday, August 9, 2019, at the Willis Funeral Home Chapel, 2011 Martin L. King, Jr. Blvd. Dalton, Georgia. Interment was at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Please share your thoughts and memories of CDR Richard Earl Nahlovsky at www.willisfuneralhomedalton.com. .

CDR Guy Caruso, USN (Ret.) DR Guy Caruso, USN (Ret.) of San Diego, CA, passed away from injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident at about 7:40pm on August 16th 2019 on I-15 in San Diego, CA. He was 53 years old. Guy was born on April 20th, 1966, in Chicago, IL. He went to Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Elementary school, then to Lane Tech high school and graduated from Northeastern University in 1990 with a Bachelors in Accounting. He was accepted to Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School and Naval Flight Training. He earned his Naval Aviator Wings in 1991 and spent a distinguished 25 year Naval career flying helicopters and participating in countless deployments and detachments around the world; participating in the assault in Somalia and in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan immediately following 9/11. He attended the U.S. Naval War College and National Defense University earning his M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies, and Joint Professional Military Education, in addition to countless senior staff assignments.

Following his naval career, he couldn't stay out of the cockpit, and became a commercial airline pilot with Envoy Air, where he was recently awarded an upgrade to captain, and was scheduled to begin upgrade training in September.

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In addition to his military and flying activities, Guy had a full life at home, where he loved to race motorcycles on the race track, play golf, workout at the gym, work on his house, and of course spend time with his family; his wife Irene, his daughters Sammi and Roberta, his son Cesar, and his grandchildren Damien and Nathaniel. He was a man of integrity and reliability. He was generous with his time, his talent, and his money. He always made time to help his family, friends, or neighbors in need, whether it was his talent, his counsel, or company. He was a devoted Catholic, and could be found at Mass every Sunday even if he was traveling. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, formally a Grand Knight, and spent countless hours volunteering with the Knights of Columbus at St Michael’s Catholic Church.

Everyone who knew him, loved his generous spirit with his infectious smile and laugh. With his ever present positive outlook, he's the kind of person that, made your day, even if you were having a bad one.

There was a Viewing and Vigil, on Monday August 26th, at Poway-Bernardo Mortuary, and a funeral Mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, on August 27th, followed by a procession to Miramar Cemetery for Full Military Honors and burial.

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CDR Jack Hubert Hartley, USN (Ret.)

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ommander Jack Hubert Hartley, USN (Ret.), 93, slipped the surly bonds of earth peacefully on the morning of July 26, 2019, at Hubbard Hospice House. Jack was born February 6, 1926, in Middleport, Ohio, to Albert E. Hartley and Goldie M. Greenway Hartley. He is survived by his daughter, Susan Jane and husband Carey Butler; son, James Douglas Hartley and wife Danene; four grandchildren, David Douglas Hartley, Allen Daniel Hartley, Hannah Jean Hartley Gibson and her husband Trevor Gibson, Jack Denson Butler; and great – granddaughter, Hartley Jean Gibson.

After graduating from DuPont High School, Jack enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Hawaii until the end of WWII. Following the war, he worked for Union Carbide for a few years and then attended West Virginia University. He rejoined the Navy as an Aviation Cadet and attended flight school in Pensacola, Florida. Jack earned his commission and Naval Aviator Wings of Gold on February 19, 1951. He returned to Charleston that week to marry the love of his life, Jean Anne Board on February 24. Jack and Jean then began their journey together that lasted 67 years before Jean Ann passed on in February 2018. He qualified in helicopters on March 17, 1958 at HTG-1, NAS Ellyson field, Pensacola, FL. LT Hartley’s Navy Helicopter Designator Number was #3985.

During a 28-year Navy career, Jack flew all types aircraft (including airships), before settling in as a helicopter pilot.

His service to our country spanned four major conflicts: WWII, the Korean Conflict, Cold War and the Vietnam Conflict. He was awarded an Air Medal for meritorious achievement, served as the Commanding Officer of Helicopter Squadron (HC-2) and served as the Air Operations Officer onboard the USS Guadalcanal. While in the Navy, he received both a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

After his retirement from the Navy in 1973, he and Jean Ann returned to Charleston where he worked at the West Virginia State Health Department as Director of Administration and Oversight for 15 years managing their business affairs. Jack served on the West Virginia Hospital Finance Authority Board, was recognized as a Distinguished West Virginian and was a member of the Order of the 35th Star.

Family was always first for Jack and he was happiest when he was spending time with his Susie and Doug, his grandchildren and lately holding his great – granddaughter in his arms. He enjoyed attending WVU sporting events and traveling all over the world with Jean Ann. They were lifetime members of Calvary Baptist Church and enjoyed attending the Kanawha City Church of Christ with his son after Jean’s passing.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Ridgemont at Edgewood Summit for the excellent care and friendship given over the past two-plus years and the staff at Hubbard House for assisting us during the period of dad’s passing.

We respectfully ask that instead of flowers, if you so desire, a donation to the Hubbard Hospice House, 1001 Curtis Price Way, Charleston, WV 25311 in Jack’s name would be a fitting tribute.

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CDR Charles S. Sapp, USN (Ret.)

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ommander Charles S. Sapp, USN (Ret.), 88, of Temple, passed away August 23, 2019 at Scott and White Hospital.Charles was born August 18, 1931 to Charles Pinckney Sapp and Anne Alene Stonestreet Sapp in Concord, North Carolina. He graduated from Concord High School and later completed his bachelor’s degree attending Lees McRae Junior College, the University of North Carolina and the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.

CDR Sapp entered the Navy as part of the NAVCAD program and finished U.S. Naval School, Preflight on 29 May 1953. He was designated Naval Aviator No. 4762 on 1 July 1954 and on 1 November 1954 was designated Naval Aviator (Airship) No. 1554. In March 1954 he was commissioned an Ensign.

He was assigned to Fleet Airship Wing One at NAS Lakehurst. As a LTJG, he became a Patrol Airship Commander.

CDR Sapp was qualified as a Navy Helicopter Pilot on 7 December 1962 at HT-8, NAS Ellyson Field, Pensacola, FL and was Navy Helicopter Pilot No. 6281. He earned his HAC designation on 15 July 1964 in a UH-2A Seasprite Helicopter. Prior to the H2, he flew the HUP Helicopter and did one Med Cruise aboard the USS Saratoga (CVA-60) as part of HU-2 Det 60. CDR Sapp received a Letter of Appreciation for his service in HU-2 in February,1965. He became OIC of HC-2 Det 62 aboard the USS Independence (CVA-62) in 1965. His detachment was attached to the USS Richmond K. Turner (DLG-20) for a few months, flying rescue missions off and over North Vietnam. A later rescue by LCDR Chuck Sapp, LT Tim Thomassey and ADJ1 P.C. Jones of HC-2 Det 26, USS Independence (CVA-62), revealed serious limitations in the UH-2’s effectiveness. On completion of his sea tour, CDR Sapp was transferred to NAS Key West, Florida as of OIC of the station heliport. From Key West, CDR Sapp returned to Viet Nam as the OIC of HA(L)-3 Dets 3 and 7, flying Navy UH-1B Helicopter gunships.

His final assignment in the Navy was as the director of the Navy Alcoholism Prevention Program, Bureau of Naval Personnel. He was very proud of this work and prior to becoming director he was a founding member of the program.

CDR Sapp retired on October 15, 1974 with 23 years of service. He was nominated for a Silver Star and was awarded a Purple Heart, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Individual Air Medals, 26 Strike Flight Air Medals, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation and a Navy Unit Commendation.

CDR Sapp’s own recovery from alcoholism was such a large part of his life that it became his life’s work; for example, he started and managed Employee Assistance Programs, served as a board member in recovery organizations, and was a sought-after industry leader well into retirement. He helped many other men and women become better versions of themselves CDR Sapp is preceded in death by his son, Gordon Sapp; daughter, Jennifer Sapp; parents; and sister, Anne Morrison. Survivors include his wife of over 30 years Nikki; his children: Rick Sapp, Steve Sapp (Naomi), Brice Patterson (Ashley), Jennifer Pitts, Lisa Cranston, Kathy Arel, and Sue Anderson (Steve); and grandchildren including grandsons: Keyana Sapp and Wyatt Sapp.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Crossroads A Substance Abuse Treatment Provider at 1700 E. Thomas, Phoenix, AZ 85016 https://thecrossroadsinc.org/giving-opportunities/ or Fisher House Foundation, 12300 Twinbrook Pkwy, Suite 410 Rockville, MD 20852 https://www.fisherhouse.org/ Funeral services are pending with Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

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Truman R. Strobridge The Coast Guard’s First Historian

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t is with great sadness that I announce the death of Truman R. Strobridge, who passed away on 21 July 2019, in Jacksonville, FL, at the age of 91.

Strobridge was born on October 15, 1927, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he lived through high school before entering the U.S. Army during World War II and serving in the Philippine Islands. Using his “G.I. Bill,” he attended Michigan State University, University of the Americas (Mexico) and American University (Washington, DC) to further his educational pursuits before eventually devoting his professional life to the military and its history.

As the first official Coast Guard Historian of the modern era, serving from 1970 until 1976, he was directly responsible for the development of a worldclass service history program, and his legacy remains today in the Coast Guard.

Operating literally as a "one man shop," Mr. Strobridge established the standard that the Coast Guard history program should be managed by history professionals rather than spread around the Coast Guard and managed by individual offices.

Because of his strong personal efforts in developing a program for publishing Coast Guard history within the service and assisting academic researchers and others outside the service, Mr. Strobridge opened the rich Coast Guard history to America. He presented the significant achievements of the men and women of the Coast Guard to many people who would never have known of their stories. Following his retirement as the Coast Guard’s Chief Historian, he remained a prolific author of scholarly books and articles on the Coast Guard, its predecessor services and their iconic service members. With a lifetime of support to military history across multiple services, Mr. Strobridge remained a strong advocate for telling the Coast Guard story; teaching yet another generation of the importance of the deeds and accomplishments of the United States Coast Guard and its importance to America.

A stern advocate for getting details correct when telling the Coast Guard story, he was most known for his willingness to take time out of his busy schedule to help anyone who needed assistance. He is survived by his wife Dorothy Louise Strobridge of Jacksonville, FL. For more information on the Coast Guard Historian’s Office, please visit their webpage: https://www.history.uscg.mil/.

From the Commandant of the Coast Guard

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Join on line: JOIN US

http://www.navalhelicopterassn.org/join2 Now is an exciting time to become a NHA Member!

Now is an e x c iting time to be c o m e a NHA Me m b e r !

Naval Helicopter Association P.O BOX 180578 CORONADO, CA 92178-0578

Naval Helicopter Association Membership Application (circle selection)

Name ________________________________________ Rank / Grade _____________ Branch of Service:

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Aircraft Flown:___________________________________________________________ Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________ State_____ Zip Code____________ Unit / Squadron ____________________ Current Assignment____________ Ship / Station_________ Warfare Community (i.e. HSC / HSM / HM / VMM / CG) _____________________________________ Primary Phone Number: ______________________________________ Home

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Email Address:______________________________________________________________________ Level of Membership: 1 year - $40.00

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1 year Enlisted Membership - $15.00

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP