Features: Three Falcons And A Cloud Of Dust
Three Falcons And A Cloud Of Dust Article By LTJG Fernando L. Rosario, USN, HS-2
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t’s funny how a phrase used to describe the Ohio State Football team of 40 years ago can aptly depict HS-2’s recent detachment to NAF El Centro. But that’s exactly the situation the Golden Falcons found themselves in while aboard the base for a week in late February. The quote, “Three yards and a cloud of dust,” describes the style of offense that legendary head coach Woody Hayes employed in the 60’s and 70’s: smash-mouth football designed to move the chains and control the game in order to win. While the aircrew members of HS-2 would never be confused with smash-mouth football players (well, most of them), we did find ourselves in a peculiar situation while out in the desert for a week. for engine start and rotor engagement, the bigger factor was the surface visibility, or lack thereof, at the airfield. All was not lost, though. Aircrew members conducted aerial gun patterns, tactical formation maneuvers, and ground rescue element training in the safety of the indoors. Even the XO got into the college football spirit, and was seen practicing his long-distance field goal kicking with some of the crewmen in the confines of the hangar. The strong winds were present for the next few days, but luckily for us, not to such a severe extent. Actual training, in the air, was allowed to continue. For a few members, this was their first time flying in the El Centro operating area, and for many the first time in quite a while. Even though it’s nearby, the Salton Basin is a very different environment than coastal Southern California, and provides for great training.
After an uneventful three-ship transit on Monday, the combination of 35 knot sustained surface winds, gusting to 45, and the dry, loose sand from the desert made for rather large dust clouds on Tuesday. Needless to say the flight schedule for that day was scrapped, and a few of the lighter pilots were reluctant to even leave the hangar without an escort for fear of being blown away. While the winds were definitely a problem
Rotor Review # 97 Spring ‘07
As any aviator will tell you, it’s good to get away from home base every once in a while and gain some new experiences in a different environment. It’s even better when you know you’re not too far away from home and you’ll be back in less than a week. Besides the weather cancellations on Tuesday, the squadron was able to get out the rest of the scheduled flights in the air, and nearly complete all the training we planned for while on detachment. We met our objectives, moved the proverbial chains, and had a good time doing it. Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes would have been proud.
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