Crews Raise Growler Proficiency During Critical Training
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS090323-18
Release Date: 3/23/2009 5:04:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tucker M. Yates, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det. Northwest
OAK HARBOR, Wash. (NNS) -- Members of Electronic Attack Squadrons (VAQ) 132 and 129 returned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island March 11 from a training detachment to Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
The squadrons departed Feb. 25 for an EA-18G Growler familiarization for the aircrews and maintenance crews of the VAQ-132 "Scorpions." As the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), the VAQ-129 "Vikings" participated in a training capacity to ensure the Scorpions are ready for the receipt of their Growlers, scheduled for August of this year, as they continue their transition.
"Our role as a squadron was to integrate as students with the instructors and learn the basics of flying the EA-18G. In addition, our maintainers integrated with 129 maintenance and were able to receive valuable (on-the-job training)," said Lt. Brian Johnson, of VAQ-132.
Pilots and seven electronic warfare officers (EWO) from the Vikings -- 13 in all -- were responsible for the training of VAQ-132's six pilots and six EWOs.
The curriculum for the aircrews on the detachment was developed from the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Growler airframe, training packages developed by Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) FRSs, VFA-106 and VFA-122. Each Scorpion pilot flew seven familiarization flights, while EWOs participated in five each.
"They're learning how to safely fly the jets," said Lt. Brad Jansky, a VAQ-129 instructor pilot who also acted as the detachment officer in charge. "It was just developing comfort in the plane, doing aerobatics and feeling out the performance of the jet."
"They're learning what this plane can do, what are my options with this plane on where to get the information. It's all fly-by-wire, it's all controlled by computer, so it feels a little bit different, it feels a lot smoother," added Jansky.
Upon completion of this introductory phase, EWOs and pilots performed four formation flights each, two during the day and two at night.
"In the Prowler the pilot sits in the driver seat, front left, so it's easy to see things out the left side, but it's hard to see out the right," said Jansky. "Now, in the Growler, everything's symmetric, and you have a nice bubble canopy so you can see equally out the left and right. You also have different tools, like radar, available to you for formation flying."
Johnson was, at first, overwhelmed by the situational awareness (SA) the aircraft brings to the table but was able to adapt to the wealth of information the Growler presents to the aircrew.
"(The most difficult part was) the beginning phase, for a Prowler guy, because there is an incredible amount of SA this jet brings into the cockpit," said Johnson. "For the average Prowler aviator, it's almost too much SA at first, but it becomes comfortable relatively quickly."
Twenty-five maintainers from VAQ-132 also achieved 47 qualifications, mainly under apprentice and journeyman personnel qualification standards, for the Super Hornet, under the tutelage of VAQ-129. Major highlights in the qualifications were an additional plane captain and a team leader for ordnance qualifications.
"(We got more than we ever expected (from this deployment). The flight schedule drove maintenance, which was great, because our guys were engaged the whole time," said Master Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman (AW/SW) James Campbell, VAQ-132 maintenance master chief.
"We went there with about a 23 percent qualification, and we came back above 50 percent for overall qualification. The teamwork between the two commands was transparent. We worked as one unit the whole time."
For more news from NAS Widbey Island, visit www.navy.mil/local/naswidbey.
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