Airman Classroom Training Course
By
Former Naval Aviator
Jay Rollins
Objective:
• To provide all Sea Cadets with a broad
overview of Naval Aviation (Lesson One), and
further, to provide classroom instruction for
cadets desiring to earn the Airman rating
(E-3).
• The Airman course includes classroom
presentations as well as field excursions, to be
announced.
Special Notes:
• Cadets are encouraged to take notes at each
classroom presentation. Sea Cadets
interested in qualifying as an NSCC Airman
(E-3) are expected to progress through Airman
Cadet qualifying test questions, located in the
Navy’s Airman Manual posted at:
• http://compass.seacadets.org/cadets/nscc_co
urses/airman.htm.
LESSON ONE
• Introduction to Naval Aviation
• (2+00 hrs)
• Mission, History, and Organization
• (0 +55 mins)
Introduction
• By marrying air power with naval forces, the
USA is able to project military power virtually
anywhere in the world.
• The ability to win WWII, to fight the Korean
War, Viet Nam, and two Gulf Wars directly
accomplished with the sea power in
combination with air power.
• The Airman Rating prepares you to maintain
the Navy’s vast fleet of aircraft.
• Leadership and training are a part of your
everyday life in the Navy, and teamwork is the
most important attribute of any military
organization.
• [Aircraft “Nomenclature”] or aircraft naming
convention reveals the aircraft’s purpose and
model series. The first letter describes the
purpose:
“A” = Attack
“C” = Cargo
“E” = Electronic Warfare
• US Navy EA-18 G Growler Electronic Warfare
Aircraft
“H” = Rescue
“S” = Anti-submarine
“T” = Trainer
Pilatus Pilatus Pc-7
Military Trainer Aircraft
“U” = Utility
The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) C-17
Globe master III
• The letter is followed by a hyphen, a number
for each model, and finally a letter to identify
which design modification. As an example, I
flew the “[TA-4J],” which describes training
attack aircraft # 4 in a “J” design. Aircraft are
also assigned a nickname. For the A-4, it is the
“Skyhawk.”
TA-4J Skyhawk
Primary Mission of Naval Aviation:
• To support our naval forces, “The Fleet” to
keep vital sea lanes open (command of the
seas). Accomplished by closely coordinating
with other forces by engaging in five basic
operations:
Act as “eyes and ears” for the fleet
[E-2 Hawkeye, FA-18 Super Hornet].
•1.
E-2 Hawkeye
, FA-18 Super Hornet
• 2.
Protect against submarine attack. [P-3C
Orion][SH-60B/F Seahawk]
P-3C Orion
US Navy SH-60B Sea Hawk
• 3.
Aid and support amphibious landings
(for Marines). [AH-1W Cobra]
ah-1w cobra
• 4.
Rapid logistic support for ground forces.
[C-130 Hercules], [C-2A Greyhound (COD)]
C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
• 5.
Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.
[HH-60H Rescue Hawk]
HH-60H Rescue Hawk
History of Naval Aviation:
• 1898 – The Navy becomes interested the new
“flying machine” as a weapon.
• 13 Dec 1903 – the Wright Brothers
successfully demonstrate first powered flight.
• November 14, 1910 Civilian aviation pioneer,
Glenn Curtiss began developing aircraft suited
water-based operation, and today, he is
considered to be “The Father of Naval
Aviation.”
• [“The Glenn Curtiss Story” video]
• 1910 – First successful shipboard launch of an
aircraft. [Eugene Ely launches a Curtiss
biplane off the cruiser Birmingham].
• 8 May 1911 – Considered “birthday” of Naval
Aviation: Navy purchases its first aircraft, [A-1
Triad]. Ely lands and takes off from the
Pennsylvania. [Excerpts from “The Glenn
Curtiss Story”] By end of year, Navy has three
airplanes, four pilots, one Naval Air Station
(NAS) near Annapolis.
• 1917 – USA declares war on Germany with
fleet of 54 aircraft, one airship, and three
balloons. By end of WWI, fleet had grown to
252 land aircraft and 1865 seaplanes and
flying boats.
• 1922 – USS Langley commissioned as first
aircraft carrier (CV-1)
• 1941 – Surprise attack at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. USA declares war on Japan with fleet
of 5,233 aircraft, including the [F-6F Hellcat],
[F-4U Corsair], [SB-2C Helldiver], and the [TBM
Avenger] carrier-based aircraft.
• 1942
• The Battle of Coral Sea – carrier-based aircraft
attacked Japanese Navy alone. Was first
major naval battle without opposing ships
making contact.
• The Battle of Midway, decisive battle
considered the turning point of the naval war
in the Pacific.
• The Battle of Gaudalcanal, carrier-based
aircraft helped secure island for USA forces.
• 1943 – Navy purchases first helicopters from
US Army along with Sikorsky YR-4B built to
Navy standards.
• 1944 – Battle of the Philippine Sea (aka “The
Great Mariannas Turkey Shoot”) is largest
aircraft carrier battle in history. Japanese
defeated after losing 600 aircraft and three
aircraft carriers to US Navy.
• 1945 – World War II ends in victory for USA
and “Allies.”
• June, 1946 – [“Blue Angels”] flight team
established.
• 1953 – Navy aircraft test USS Antietam, as first
angled-deck aircraft carrier.
• 1954 – Guided air-to-air and air-to-surface
missiles placed into operation. [Polaris]
[Sidewinder]
• 1959 – Four Naval Aviators selected for Project
Mercury space missions. By the 1960s, US
Navy is assigned the task of recovering space
vehicles after splash-down.
• 1961
• [Naval Aviator Alan B. Shepard, Jr.] becomes
first American in space.
• [USS Enterprise (CVN-65)] is commissioned –
World’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier.
• 1962
• Former Senator and Naval Aviator [John
Glenn], Jr. (USMC) became first American to
orbit the earth, and later the oldest man in
space at 77-years-old in 1998.
• [Naval Air Museum] is commissioned in
Pensacola, FL
• 1965 – [A-4 Skyhawk], [F-4 Phantom], A-6
[Intruder], and [A-7 Corsair] aircraft execute
massive bombing campaign in Viet Nam
under Operation “Rolling Thunder.”
• 1967 – Fire breaks out on the deck of USS
Forrestal. Despite heroic efforts, fire quickly
spreads below, igniting bombs and
ammunition. More than 130 are killed.
• July, 1969 – Naval Aviator [Neil Armstrong]
becomes the first human to ever to set foot on
the moon.
• 1971
• Marines take delivery of [AV-8 Harrier] vertical
(V/STOL) “Jump-jet.”
• [EA-6B Prowler], high-tech electronic warfare
jet delivered.
• Navy also receives CH-53A Sea Stallion used to
locate and safely detonate mines.
• 1972 – F-14 Tomcat, made famous in the
movie, [“Top Gun,”] first delivered as
replacement for aging F-4 fighter jets.
• 1973 – Viet Nam cease-fire announced and US
forces begin withdrawal.
• 1976 – Navy’s last operational seaplane, [HU16] Albatross withdrawn from service. Navy
celebrates USA’s 200th birthday. [LTJG Rollins
outside specially painted CT-39E Sabreliner]
• 1981 – First flight of the Space Shuttle
([Columbia]), with an all-Navy crew, launches
from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• 1983 – After Cuban forces occupy Grenada’s main
airfield, amphibious assault operations commence
on Caribbean island of Grenada with air support
based aboard [USS Independence].
• 1986 – Naval Aviation celebrates its 75th Anniversary.
The bombing of a transatlantic Pan American 747
jetliner over Lockerbee, Scotland provokes a
counterstrike on Libya using F-14 Tomcat, F-18
Hornet, and A-6 Intruder aircraft and HARM,
Harpoon, and Shrike missiles..
• 1990s – Following fall of Berlin in 1989, Soviet
Union collapse leaving USA as world’s only
superpower.
• 1991 – Kuwait liberated in Persian Gulf War
following massive aerial attacks as Navy
launches Tomahawk cruise missiles, while
Navy, Marine, USAF, and Allied aircraft of all
types deliver crippling blow to Iraqi ground
and air forces.
• 1992 – Unsinkable “Blue Ghost” of WWII and
training command carrier, [USS Lexington],
decommissioned. Navy accepts [T-45 Goshawk] to
replace T-2 Buckeye and TA-4 Skyhawk.
• 1993 – Secretary of Defense allows women on
combat flights and vessels.
• 1995 – First female Naval Aviator goes into space. In
age of high technology and shifting national interest,
armed services are downsized. But the Navy and
Naval Aviation retain their major role.
Questions
• 1.
What is the mission and primary
function of naval aviation?
• 1.
What is the mission and primary
function of naval aviation?
•
(Support the fleet in maintaining
control of the seas).
• 2.
Which Naval Aviator became the first
American in space?
• 2.
Which Naval Aviator became the first
American in space?
• (Alan B. Shepard, Jr.)
• 3.
What is the name of the world’s first
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and what
year was it commissioned?
• 3.
What is the name of the world’s first
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and what
year was it commissioned?
• (USS Enterprise, 1961)
• 4.
What year did the Secretary of Defense
lift the band allowing women into combat
roles?
• 4.
What year did the Secretary of Defense
lift the band allowing women into combat
roles?
• (1993)
• Break Time
• What is an “Airman,” an “AMDO,” and an
“NFO”?
Naval Aviation Chain-of-Command
• (0 + 55 mins)
• President – Commander-in-Chief
(civilian)Secretary of Defense
(civilian)Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
StaffChief of Naval Operations (CNO) (or
Commandant of the Marine Corps); 
• Naval Air Stations (and smaller Naval Air
Facilities) support the fleet by:
• ·
Providing support to aircraft and
squadrons assigned to the base
• ·
Services transient aircraft with fuel, oil,
and minor repair.
• ·
Operates control tower and overall
operation of airport.
• In addition, many NAS’s perform specialized
missions such as training, major medical,
AIMD, and NAVDEPS.
• Aircraft Intermediate
Maintenance Bases (AIMD) –
Perform intermediate level maintenance.
Divided into operational divisions:
• Maintenance Material Control – The heart of
AIMD.
• Production Control manages resources to
manage resources: parts and personnel.
• Material Control ensures parts or materiel
kept available to various work centers.
• Power plants, Airframes, Avionics
Departments, etc. maintain respective aircraft
components.
• Quality Assurance (QA) – Back-checks quality
of all work performed in order to prevent
defects.
• NAVDEP (Naval Aviation Depot) – Performs
heavy maintenance. Manufactures parts and
assemblies as necessary, as well as
engineering necessary to make necessary
changes to aircraft hardware.
Aircraft Carrier Organization
General Organizational Chart
Focus on Air Department
Focus on Air Wing
Squadrons
Organization
• Focus on three departments:
• Operations – Responsible for operational
readiness and tactical efficiency of the
squadron. Maintains logs and records,
schedules, training divisions, and more.
Maintenance
• Safety – Responsible for all matters
concerning the squadron’s ground, aviation,
and “NATOPS” safety programs.
There are four types of squadrons:
•
•
•
•
·
·
·
·
Carrier
Patrol
Composite
Non-combatant
• Carrier Squadrons
• The online study guide states there are five
types of carrier squadrons (page 2.7):
• 1.
Strike-fighter (VFA)
• 2.
Anti-Submarine (HS, HSL, VS)
• 3.
Early Warning (VAW)
• 4.
Fighter (VF)
• 5.
Attack (VA)
• [However, due to recent fleet refinements,
this information is OBSOLETE!]
•
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Strike-fighter (VFA)
Anti-Submarine (HS, HSL, VS)
Early Warning (VAW)
Fighter (VF)
Attack (VA)
• Today’s carrier squadrons are only one of the
first three listed:
• 1.
VFA – Fighter / Attack (F/A-18 Hornets)
• 2.
HS or HSL only (SH-60 Seahawk Mk III)
• 3.
VAW (EA-6 Prowler)
• Patrol Squadrons (P-3 Orion) – Operate from
land bases, singly over land and sea for antisubmarine warfare, reconnaissance, and
mining operations.
• Composite (Utility) Squadrons – Either fixedwing or rotary, (VC) (HC), support fleet in
multiple roles, including SAR and MEDIVAC
operations. (SH-3 Sea King, H-46 Sea Knight
• Non-Combatant Squadrons
• Developmental (VX) (HX) – Fixed wing and
helicopter test squadrons
• Tactical Support (VRC) – Long distance
transportation for supplies and personnel (C130 Hercules, C-9 Skytrain, C-2 Greyhound
“COD”)
• Training (VT)