An air squadron that for 50 years has been coaching pilots to fly F/A-18 Hornets was decommissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar throughout a “sundowner ceremony” on Friday, marking the tip of an period for the Division of the Navy.
For greater than 50 years, teacher pilots of the Marine Fighter Assault Coaching Squadron 101, or VMFAT-101, Sharpshooters have certified fight aviators and despatched them to squadrons around the globe. The sunset commemorates the squadron’s historical past and contributions to Marine Corps readiness since its commissioning in 1969 when instructors first taught pilots to fly the F-4 Phantom II.
“As a former commanding officer of the Sharpshooters, I can attest to the squadron’s direct influence on the Marine Corps’ operational readiness right this moment,” Brig. Gen. Robert Brodie, third Marine Air Wing Assistant Wing Commander, stated. “VMFAT-101 has formed a essential component of naval aviation for a half-century, and the Marines and sailors of the squadron stay pivotal in preserving that warfighting legacy and transitioning to the following technology of fight aviation.”
The ceremony started with a convention referred to as “Flying the Barn,” the place 18 F-18 pilots flew maneuvers in formation earlier than a crowd of onlookers. The sundowner ceremony adopted and included feedback from Brodie and others. Wanting on had been retired squadron commanders and others from the air wing.
The occasion additionally included a conventional casing of colours the place the honors and awards the squadron acquired by numerous conflicts and wars had been ceremonially stashed away. The squadron additionally acquired a number of awards for its security report flying hundreds of hours with out accidents.
Its decommissioning marks the tip of an period because the final squadron within the Division of the Navy that educated F-18 pilots.
“Hundreds of our aircrews have handed by the halls of (the) 101,” Brodie stated. “They discovered air-to-air fight and air-to-ground fight. Many have hurled themselves in the back of an plane service in the midst of the night time with a pitching deck.”
The squadron’s personnel and plane will transition to the Marine Fighter Assault Squadron 323 at Miramar and proceed coaching F-18 pilots whereas the Marine squadrons end the transition to the new-age F-35 fighters. The air wing has two F-18 fighter squadrons and 6 F-35 squadrons.
The F-18 fighters are scheduled to proceed their service till 2030. Within the meantime, the Division of Protection continues to spend money on sustaining the storied fighter, which, Marine officers stated, is complimentary to the F-35.
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