Not to be confused with Tom Cruise

[KeithnFW]

Had the most fascinating 90 minutes of my life Friday visiting the VFA-201 Hunters, a Navy F-18 reserve squadron based at NAS Fort Worth. . . I have alot of pics yet to sort through. . .but this one is worth a laugh. . . to climb aboard an F-18, headgear is required so I was given a ground crews helmet. . . here I am . . . atop one of the Hornets of 201. . . looking more like Snoopy than Tom Cruise.

[Shane]

LOL! Love it!

How was the experience - did you get to go up?

[KeithnFW]

Originally Posted by Shane

LOL! Love it!

How was the experience - did you get to go up?

It was teriffic. . . I didn't go up. . . maybe someday. . . but just getting the tour and tagging along with a pilot and going through the pre-flight process was very interesting. . . and all the pilots I met with 201. . . all were such nice guys. . .it's a shame Congress is deciding to disband this unit. . . . I will post more later. . . .right now I am sitting in the CBS production truck at the Colonial . . . Snoopy out

[KeithnFW]

VFA's 201 main hanger


In the pilot ready room


LCDR. McGrath straps into his G-Suit


The pre-flight walk-around


engine start-up


System checks


Rolling out. .


Departing on runway one-seven

[bburton]

Glad you had this opportunity, Keith; thanks for sharing it with us.

What exactly is the mission of this unit?

[KeithnFW]

Thanks Bruce. . .it was a real blast. The unit is a Navy Reserve Squadron. Unfortuantely, the powers that be in Washington, have decided that VFA-201 is no longer needed and will probably be deactivated by the fall. It's a real shame.

[Hogleg 44]

Considerably better than 'tom curse'~
Very Nice!

[David_3]

Nice shots Keith. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Roy]

Keith, you look happy to be there. Glad you got to go.

I have a question for you. When we were at the air show I saw spaces for something that appeared to be concrete covered with earth. Do you have any idea what that could be?

[KeithnFW]

I didn't make the airshow :( only the Friday demo show. . . . as for the concrete covered with earth. . . my guess is that this is where live ordinance is stored. . . or once stored. . . NAS Fort Worth was at one time an important SAC base for B-52's, until they moved them to Barksdale AFB. Also, a little trivia. . . the movie Strategic Air Command starring Jimmy Stewart was shot there. . . it's on from time to time. . . a little campy but still interesting to watch and see what Carswell AFB was like back in the mid 50's.

[Hogleg 44]

Originally Posted by KeithnFW

. . . a little campy but still interesting to watch and see what Carswell AFB was like back in the mid 50's.

I can tell you from personal experience what it SOUNDED like in the LATE 50's...
Every morning, at about 5:30, one of them airmen guys would tie down one of them B52's to the runway with it's A$$ end pointed straight at the little guest house I was living in, and crank the danged throttle lever wide open....and blow me outta the sack! Thats what it SOUNDED like back then! No way I needed an alarm clock!

[KeithnFW]

yeah. . it was rather loud back in its heyday. . . late 60's and most of the 70's. . .I grew up next to Ridgemar Mall and after a while you really never even noticed them. . .I can remember as a kid. . .and not sure if there was any truth to it. . .that Fort Worth was Moscow's #2 target (General Dynamics. . . now Lockheed-Martin)