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UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995
1986-Contin ued
John F. Lehman. The naval airship program was initiat-
ed in 1985 to provide an airborne early warning capa-
bility for a non-carrier battle group with secondary
missions of air antisubmarine warfare and search and
rescue.
5 August VAQ-131 performed the first fleet launch
of a AGM-88A HARM missile from a fleet EA-6B at
Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif. The missile
was fired from a Prowler flown by Lieutenant Robert
Smith, pilot; Lieutenant Commander Kenneth P. Parks,
ECMO 1; Lieutenant Michael 1. Quinlan, ECMO 2; and
commanding officer Commander William F.
Headridge, ECMO 3.
18 August An AMRAAM launched at Pacific Missile
Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif., from a modified F/ A-
18 Hornet intercepted its target flying at low altitude in
a high clutter environment when it shot down a QF-86
drone. The F/A-18 was flying 890 feet above sea level
over the Pacific at Mach .49 and the drone was flying
at Mach .68 at 625 feet above the water.
19 August Carl Vinson, with CVW-15 aboard, per-
formed fleet operations in the Bering Sea, making it
the first carrier since World War II to perform such
operations in that part of the world. The carrier
returned to NAS Alameda, Calif., on 5 February 1987.
19 August Tests of the CAI Mod 2, an optical land-
ing system for the AV-8B on LHA-class ships, were ini-
tiated aboard Belleau Wood (LHA 3) for day/night
operations. The tests were conducted through 29
August and again from 6-23 October.
1 September The Coral Sea concept, approved by
the Secretary of the Navy to provide Coral Sea and
Midway with two squadrons of eight A-6Es each, was
initiated with VA-65's assignment to CVW-13 aboard
Coral Sea. VA-65 was previously assigned to CVW-7.
10 September When America returned from its
Mediterranean deployment, it marked the first battle
group to spend no more than six months overseas as
part of the Navy's efforts to reduce deployments.
Having deployed to the Sixth Fleet on 10 March 1986,
the carrier was relieved by John F. Kennedy with
Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3).
29 September The Navy's F-14A Plus Super Tomcat
completed its maiden flight as it hit Mach 1.1 at 25,000
feet and a maximum altitude of 35,000 feet during
engine compatibility and flutter tests performed by
Grumman test pilot Joe Burke. The aircraft was pow-
ered by new F110-GE-400 turbofan engines with
approximately 35 percent more thrust than current F-
14A TF30s.
1 October VRF-31, the Navy's last aircraft ferry
squadron, was disestablished at NAS Norfolk, Va. The
squadron was established originally as VRF-1 and
received its current designation in 1957. It became the
Navy's only ferry squadron when VRF-32, on the West
Coast, was disestablished in 1972.
17-18 September VFP-206, the Navy's last photore-
connaissance squadron, performed the last catapult
and carrier landing of the F-8 aboard America when
Lieutenant Commander Barry D. Gabler made the final
landing.
20 September Naval Aviation personnel were
authorized by ALNAV message 202001Z Oct to wear
brown shoes and khaki socks with summer khaki
uniforms to become effective on 1 April 1987. All
officers with aviation designators, qualified flight sur-
geons, aviation physiologists and enlisted personnel
in pay grades E-7 and above were included in the
new regulation, which specified a low-quarter, brown
leather dress shoe with plain toe. The brown shoes
had been removed as part of the uniform on 1 July
1976 after being part of the Naval Aviator's uniform
since 1913.
3 November VR-57 flew a C-9B aircraft into the port
city of Quingdao in the Peoples Republic of China,
becoming the first naval aircraft to do so since the port
was closed to the U.S. in 1949. The flight preceded by
two days the visit of three naval ships to the port. VR-
57, a reserve squadron based at NAS North Island,
Calif., was commanded by Commander A. W. Boyce.
31 December VC-8 launched three H-3 helicopters
on short notice to support rescue efforts at the Dupont
Plaza Hotel fire in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Called the
worst hotel disaster in U.S. history, 75 persons strand-
ed on the roof of the hotel were rescued in twilight
and darkness by the Redtails.
1987
5 January The first extended deployment for the AV-
8B Harrier II began when VMA-331 deployed aboard
Belleau Wood for a six-month western Pacific cruise.
6 January Reserve CVW-77 and -78 loaned E-2C
Hawkeyes to the U.S. Customs Service and the Coast
Guard to bolster their federal drug enforcement efforts.

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