2019 gulf coast - part 2, naval air station - Travel With Us

Going to the Naval Air Station at Pensacola is a real highlight for us. Barney did his initial flight training here in the early 1970s and his oldest son, Jason, was born here, so Pensacola holds fond memories for him. We came here about 15 years ago with our Georgia family but knew that new exhibits had been added so were looking forward to seeing what they had.

This is a “must see” if you’re in Pensacola!

Highlights for us were some early airplanes and air boats, Barney’s trainers, Marine One and Navy One, and Cubi Bar and Grill since it looks like what Barney had known at the original officers’ club in Subic Bay, Philippines. I’m also including some other pictures that grabbed our attention.

Barney remembers his dad, Bud, also a Marine pilot, talking about flying seaplanes like this and training in these seaplanes.

Barney said he remembered seeing ramps by the waterway when he was doing his flight training and didn’t know what they were for at the time. His dad told him later on that they were for the seaplanes. This is an example of a seaplane and its ramp to the water.

The history of this 1919 plane is so interesting.

This NC4 (referred to as Nancy) was the first plane to cross the Atlantic. The Navy’s goal was to have an air boat locate U-boats and so save our ships from being attacked. A competition made the race more real (and lucrative), and this plane won. Notice the three engines on top. The cockpit was open and must have been so cold for the pilot, even though the flight was in May. The distance was 9000 nautical miles and a few stops were made along the way. Soon after this flight, a nonstop flight was made, but this plane was the first to fly over the Atlantic Ocean!

Next is the Sopwith Camel, made famous in my generation by Snoopy.

The name of the plane came from the machine guns on the nose that created a “hump,” like a camel. Such a creative name, but boy did they do the job.

Did you notice from the description in the previous picture that the machine guns were synchronized so they wouldn’t hit the spinning propeller blade–and they did this synchronizing without the use of computers!

Here are some of the planes Barney trained in here at Pensacola.

This is the type of plane he first trained in, the T-34.

His second fixed-wing trainer (T-28)in is the front, and his first helicopter trainer is behind it.

He said he could still remember what all of the gauges were for!

And this is what Barney ended up flying for the Marine Corps, the CH-46. His first combat flight was the evacuation of Saigon from the top of the embassy. He had many adventures in this helicopter and says he did everything he could in it.

The PBY Catalina is an exhibit Barney remembers from the first time he came to this museum years ago. This air boat from the 1930s was opened up so we could see inside. Barney’s dad said it took off at 90 mph, flew at 90 mph, and landed at 90 mph. But . . . it could detect U-boats and attack them, and it could find downed pilots, land on the water, and pick them up out of their life rafts.