Newsletter of the Moffett Field Historical Society Spring 2005

1T H E S P A R R O W H A W K

Moffett Field Museum to reopen 12 April 2005By Red Brooks, Museum Curator

The Moffett Field Historical Society Museumhas set 12 April 2005 as the date for re-opening inits new location, Building 126. The Museum inHangar One was closed on 11 January 2002 due totoxic contamination in the entire hangar, and wewere faced with a NASA requirement to move outof the former space.

The museum staff and NASA representativesfinally settled on Building 126 as a suitablelocation for the Museum and reached agreementon a space utilization contract. We wereresponsible for renovating the building, which wasformerly part of the Navy Exchange, and morerecently home to the Computer History Museum,including major modifications to the fire detectionand extinguishing system. Our volunteers turnedto and created a new series of rooms to displayartifacts, memorabilia, photographs and modelaircraft.

The new Museum includes five display areasand a much larger library. The areas are organizedto cover significant time periods in Moffett Field’shistory---1933-1935, the Macon era; 1935-1942,the Army Air Corps era; 1942-47, the blimp era;1947-62, the period when various carrier andtransport squadrons operated from the field; and1962-99, when the base housed patrol andtransport squadrons. Finally, visitors will have agreat view of Hangar One located across the street

from the Museum.

The selected opening date is significant. NavalAir Station Sunnyvale was commissioned 72 yearsago on 12 April 1933.

And now, after three plus years of planning andhard work, we are ready to greet the public againas we keep the history of Moffett Field alive.

2 0 0 5 E x e c u t i v e O f f i c e r s

President: Bernie McDonough Vice President: Bob WilberCo-Directors: Bernie McDonough, Eugene Chocniere

Museum Curator: Red Brooks Treasurer: Gloria Perlett

The Sparrowhawk is published quarterly (more or less) bythe Moffett Field Historical Society.Membership dues are $18 per year pro-rated @ $1.50 permonth from May.Address: P.O.Box 16, Moffett Field, CA 94035Phone: (650) 903-9827Website: http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.orgPrinted by Peninsula Digital Imaging

Before..

..After!

2 T H E S P A R R O W H A W K

PATROL SQUADRONTHIRTY-ONE

By Red Brooks, Museum Curator

atrol Squadron THIRTY-ONE was based atNAS Moffett Field from January 1967 until

1 November 1993, when the unit wasdecommissioned. VP-31 operated out of historicHangar One as the Fleet Replacement Squadronfor Pacific Fleet Maritime Patrol Aviation.”TheBlack Lightning Camp” was Moffett's largestsquadron with an average staff of 80 officers and620 enlisted personnel. The squadron missionwas to train and indoctrinate replacement pilots,Naval Flight Officers, aircrewmen andmaintenance personnel in the operation andmaintenance of the P-3 Orion Aircraft. Buildingon this highly technical training, Patrol WingsPacific Fleet squadrons were able to achievehigh degrees of combat readiness in a myriad ofmissions, primarily anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. Over the years the squadronflew over 250,000 hours using an averagecomplement of P-3 Orion aircraft of a variety ofconfigurations including the P-3A, P-3B,TACNAV MOD, and P-3C series updates. Morethan 10,000 Naval Aviators and Naval FlightOfficers and a combined 35,000 aircrewmen andmaintenance personnel were trained since thesquadron was commissioned.

P

The squadron was commissioned as theCombat Replacement Patrol Squadron for thePacific Fleet in June 1960 at NAS North Island,San Diego, CA. Limited training was initiatedsoon thereafter, and by the fall of 1960, the“Genie” staff of 20 officers and 300 enlistedpersonnel, enlightened with the Anti-SubmarineWarfare “Lamp of knowledge,” were fullyengaged in providing training in the operationand tactical utilization of the P-2V Neptunelandplane and the P-5M Marlin seaplane.

With the introduction of the Lockheed P-3Orion, VP-31 Detachment Alpha wasestablished in January 1963 at NAS MoffettField, CA. As the majority of the fleet squadronsbecame outfitted with the newer aircraft, theMoffett Detachment was redesignated as PatrolSquadron THIRTY-ONE in January 1967. TheNorth Island operation was then givendetachment status, phased out training in the P-5and discontinued training in the P-2 aircraft inlate 1969. During its decade at North Island, VP-31 trained more than 2,000 pilots, 700 navalflight officers and a combined 10,600aircrewmen and maintenance personnel.Approximately 90,000 flight hours wereaccumulated during this period.

In the summer of 1970, the Fleet ReadinessAviation Maintenance Personnel (FRAMP)Department was established at VP-31 to providefamiliarization and practical job training formore than 550 Aviation Structural MechanicMates, Aviation Machinist's Mates, AviationElectrician's Mates, Aviation Ordnancemen andAviation Electronics Technicians annually.

In 1975, a Chief of Naval Operationssponsored project called Instructional SystemsDevelopment (ISD) was established. VP-31developed programs designed to restructureMaritime Patrol training employing state-of-the-art instructional techniques and training devices.With the program's successful implementation inSeptember, 1978, the command was designatedthe Instructional Systems Model Manager forMaritime Patrol squadrons nationwide. Alsoduring that period, the Chief of NavalOperations designated VP-31 as the NATOPSModel Manager for all P-3 aircraft. As such,squadron NATOPS officers, representingCommander, Naval Air Force Pacific(COMNAVAIRPAC), traveled throughout thePacific region conducting standardizationinspections to each operational Maritime Patrolsquadron. (cont. next page..)

Newsletter of the Moffett Field Historical Society 3

VP-31 had a prolific history ofinternational Maritime PatrolAviation training. The squadrontrained thousands of armed forcesaviators, aircrewmen andmaintenance personnel from theUnited Kingdom,Japan, France,Canada, Norway,Portugal, Spain,Korea, Thailand,Greece, Taiwan,Australia, NewZealand and TheNetherlands. Inaddition to trainingfleet replacement personnel, VP-31 provided logistical support fordeployed squadrons andtransportation for extendedflights to the Western Pacific forthe Chief of Naval Operations

and Commander Naval AirForce, U.S. Pacific Fleet. VP-31was honored to host past VicePresidents, Secretaries of Stateand members of Congress.

Patrol Squadron THIRTY-ONE received many awards forexcellence in training and safety.The include the CINCPACFLTFY-73 Golden Anchor Award forexcellence in career motivationand retention, the Meritorious

Unit Commendation Medal in1983, the COMNAVAIRPACSafety Award in 1984, the CoastGuard Special Operations ServiceRibbon for 1987-1988, andspecial recognition in 1989 for

executing over150,000 hours ofaccident-free flyingduring the previous18 years.

Patrol SquadronTHIRTY-ONE wasdisestablished on 1November 1993, at

which time all training operationswere shifted to Patrol SquadronTHIRTY at NAS Jacksonville,Florida.

Bill Frees, Museum Docent

The Sparrow Hawk is thesmallest member of the hawkfamily. The tiny Sparrowhawk, abiplane of the 1930's wasprobably the smallest fighterplane to be accepted for fleetservice. The Curtis F9C-2 wasabout 20 feet long and had awingspan a little over 23 feet.They were designed to be carriedon the Navy dirigibles Akron andMacon. Four Sparrowhawkscould be housed internally in ahangar bay amidships on thelower deck of the “mother ship”.The planes were launched andrecovered by a unique crane and

“trapeze” arrangement, extendedand retracted from below thehangar bay. The plane had a hookin front of the pilot who wouldfly the plane forward and upward,engaging the bar on the trapeze,then be raised up into the bay.There it would be transfered toone of four stations until time forthe next launch.

The Sparrowhawk was armedwith two 30 caliber machineguns. However, the primarymission was not to protect theairship, but to scout for the fleet,an essential task in the daysbefore radar and satellites. Afterearly work with the fleet, it wasobvious that the fixed non-

retractable landing gear, dueto “drag”, greatly reduced theplane's capability. It becamestandard procedure to fly the

planes from the base, and bringthem aboard the dirigible. Therethe landing gear was removed inthe hangar bay and then theplanes launched for work withthe fleet—completely dependenton the airship for recovery.Without gear the plane could flymuch faster and the search areawas greatly expanded. At the endof the fleet exercises, the gearwas reattached and the planeswere launched for home wherethey could be more easilyserviced. (cont. next page..)

Sparrowhawk BeginningsSparrowhawk Beginnings

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MOFFETT FIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETYMOFFETT FIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETYP. O. Box 16P. O. Box 16

Moffett Field, CA 94035-0016Moffett Field, CA 94035-0016

Non Profit Org.Non Profit Org.U.S. PostageU.S. Postage

PAIDPAIDSunnyvale, CASunnyvale, CAPermit No. 394Permit No. 394

During their relatively brief period ofactive service the little plane wasdescribed by pilots as being “a bit trickyat times”, but “fun to fly and great foraerobatics”. During this period thesquadron maintained a perfect safetyrecord.

The Curtis Aircraft company contractwith the Navy provided for 6 F9C-2Sparrowhawks. Of these, four were lost in the crash of the Macon and still lie in 1500 feet of water offthe California coast near Point Sur. A 5th plane was scrapped for salvage some time after the “dirigibleera” ended. The 6th was restored and is currently displayed in the Naval Air Museum at NASPensacola, Florida.

Wanted: to speak with anyone who served in VR-3, VR-6, or VR-8 during the BerlinAirlift. Desire information to be used in an article. Please contact Kirk Kellog at (650)969-9931.