1981-Continued

7 July A strike by the Professional Air Traffic

Controllers Organization led the President to assign

116 Navy and Marine Corps air traffic controllers to

civilian airport towers.

8 July A newly modified model 24 Lear jet arrived at

NAS Patuxent River, Md., to be used as part of the

Naval Test Pilot School's fleet of flying teaching aids.

The Lear jet was equipped with a flight control system

which allowed changes in the aircraft's flying qualities

to meet instructional needs. Test pilot students could

be exposed to handling characteristics ranging from a

transport to the F/A-18 in this aircraft.

9 July U.S. Naval Aviation officials and representa-

tives from the Federal German Navy Air Arm marked

the 25th anniversary of the program established in

1956 for the training of German naval pilots, flight offi-

cers and flight surgeons at U.S. Naval Aviation facilities.

The ceremonies were conducted at NAS Pensacola,

Fla., and included the Chief of Naval Air Training and

the Deputy Commander-in-Chief German Fleet.

23 July VMFA-312 received a camouflaged F-4S

Phantom II sporting a new paint scheme which was

being tested by NAVAIR. The new camouflage was a sci-

entifically designed, counter-shaded gray, tactical paint

scheme to help the plane to escape visual detection.

19 August Two F-14 Tomcats of VF-41 shot down

two Libyan Su-22 Sukhoi aircraft over international

waters. Flying off Nimitz, the Tomcats were on a

reconnaissance mission for a missile-firing exercise

being conducted by U.S. ships from two carrier battle

groups when they were fired on by the Libyan planes.

The VF-41 Tomcats, part of CVW-8, were piloted by

Commander Henry M. Kleeman and Lieutenant

Lawrence M. Muczynski with the respective RIOs

Lieutenants David 1. Venlet and James Anderson.

28 September The first night flight of a convention-

alland attack Tomahawk cruise missile was conducted

over White Sands Missile Range, N.Mex. A Navy A-6

equipped with the Tomahawk cruise missile took off

from the Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif.,

and flew to White Sands. The aircraft used the

Tomahawk's terrain contour matching updates to

guide it to the range. Once inside the range, the mis-

sile was launched from the A-6 and flew a complex

night land attack mission.

5 October The AGM-88A HARM missile made its

first live warhead launch. The missile was fired from

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

335

an A-7E against Savage (DER 368). The test was con-

ducted from the Pacific Missile Test Center.

14 October The Naval Aviation Hall of Honor was

dedicated at the Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola,

Fla. The first 12 selectees were enshrined during the

dedication.

28 October Walter Hinton, the last surviving partici-

pant in the historic NC-4 flight, died. The flight, made

in May 1919, was the world's first trans-Atlantic flight.

31 October Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport

News, Va., laid the keel for CVN 71, and the name for

the new carrier was announced officially as Theodore

Roosevelt. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger

delivered the address during a ceremony at Newport

News, Va.

5 November The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier

flew for the first time. The AV-8B, developed by

McDonnell Aircraft Company with British Aerospace

participation, was an advanced version of the AV-8A

already in service with the Marine Corps.

7 November VMAQ-4 was established at NAS

Whidbey Island, Wash. The squadron was the first

Marine Corps reserve squadron to fly the EA-6A

Intruder.

13 November The Secretary of the Navy announced

the forthcoming retirement of Admiral Hyman G.

Rickover, Director of the Division of Naval Reactors.

Admiral Rickover was known as the father of the

nuclear-powered submarine and was also responsible

for the development of nuclear-powered surface ships,

including aircraft carriers. Admiral Rickover's contribu-

tions to Naval Aviation had been duly recognized on

21 July 1970, when he was awarded honorary Naval

Aviator wings.

14 November Astronauts Captain Richard H. Truly,

USN, and Colonel Joe H. Engle, USAF, brought Space

Shuttle Columbia back to earth after two days in

space. They were the first men to fly into space and

return in a previously used spacecraft. Columbia had

its maiden voyage in April 1981.

17 November The first firing of the Harpoon Block

1B missile occurred aboard Pletcher (DD 992). This

successful launch was a milestone in missile develop-

ment by NAVAIR. The air-launched version of the

Harpoon made its initial carrier deployment in

October 1981 with VA-65 aboard Constellation.