Back in the day, we had to maintain qualifications to not only fly as crew on the P-3s, but the entire crew wanted to be ‘Alpha’ status crew… This was my crew hat from 1976-77 deployment to Misawa, JA.
You can just barely see the ‘A’ designation on the left side of the hat.
It was used to designate a crew in which every crew member was NATOPS-designated in his position, and the crew as a unit had passed every graded crew coordination/tactics exercise (qual) — there were about 20 (+/-) of them, as I recall. It was a difficult standard, especially when money was scarce, and people transferred in and out. We managed it for two years, at least for the ‘critical crewmembers’, which were the seven primary crew positions. I was also a Blue Card NATOPS evaluator for the squadron during that time, so I was flying my ass off… sigh
Good times! 🙂
The object was to have all crews Alpha qualified by the time your next deployment rolled around. So, after you got home from the last deployment, you take a month off, then the whole struggle begins again. Crews are shuffled around, old crewman transfer out, new crew members integrated, junior members move up to senior positions, lots of simulators, lots of training flights, flight physicals, survival swim quals, required refresher schools, NATOPS tests, NATOPS check flights, and a lot more stuff I can’t remember, and finally WING qualifications, and if you did everything right the crew kept it’s “Alpha” qual status. All within 8 to 10 months. I had kind of forgotten about the whole process. Thanks for reminding me why I had so much fun.
We (VP-40) must have relieve you at Misawa in ’77. We received our brand new P-3C (baseline)aircraft as I reported to the squadron from VP-31 in August ’74. The squadron had just returned from an Iwakuni deployment. All the crews were reformed and before they could begin the designation process they had to learn a new model aircraft. My crew (4) was the first to achieve ‘Alpha’ status. I was the Nav/Comm at the time. We all celebrated by buying the Oakland Athletic’s green hat, yellow bill with the big ‘A’s’ on the front. Should still be packed away somewhere upstairs.
Crew 7″A” in VP-1, 1971-72. Last Viet Nam deployment for me. After shore duty and the Advanced B School on to VP-6 where we got the first P3B Upgrades. Since I was the first “Upgrade” Radio/IFT I became ComPATWingsPAC evaluator. Lots of trips back to Moffet to administer NATOPS checkrides. We even gave SecDef Brown a demo flight to Barking Sands in the new bird.
Socal: Glad to hear that your crews were reformed. Must have been pretty rough before that. 🤣
I love the English language.
All those hours spent riding turbulence sitting on seats from the lowest bidder couldn’t have been good for your skeletons.
That was a good year. I was born in late 76.
One of my ball caps has a WW2 B-17 squadron patch of a Joker topped by 4 Aces, updated to my first missile squadron, the 570th Strategic Missile Squadron (Titan 2). I have another one with another B-17 Group’s 509th Strategic Missile Squadron (Minuteman Modernized) winged bomb. Both long since deactivated, and silos blown up and plowed over.
Ray- Yeah… for versions of ‘fun’…
SoCal- Yep, y’all relieved us.
Flugel- Ah yes, I went from straight Bs to Cs with NO schoolhouse. Had 2 weeks to ‘upgrade’ as SS1, since I’d been a blue card in Bs. I was ‘busy’!!!
Hereso- LOL
WSF- Nope, why I am now 90% disabled… And deaf…
Cedar- ;-P
Sam- Those are pieces of history! I hope your kids appreciate them when you pass them down!
And on the back of the hat “Cajun when you…” Can’t make it out. Is it fit for viewing by the general public?
I think “CAJUN” might have been a callsign, but I’d like to know the rest of the saying embroidered on the cap.
Hey Old NFO;
That is a cool looking Hat, I saw the ROC wings on the hat also. As we said in the 80’s “Righteous”.
Nice. Respect.
Cajun was my callsign. The other was When you care enough to send the best… LOL
Bob- It was in one of their Stoofs…Thought I was gonna die!!!