Sigh… The end of an era… Now folks like me truly are dinosaurs.
Sixty years ago VP-30 got their first P-3As. And on 23 June, the last ASW variant P-3C UIII left NAS JAX for Davis Monthan and the boneyard.
Sadly, I had other things going on and couldn’t make the trek to see it off, but a number of friends did. I did a tour in 30 as an instructor from 78-82, primarily teaching UI and UII versions.
A total of a little over 7000 hours in them over 19 years, and I’m now paying for the ‘fun’ we had back then, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. The things we got to do, the places we got to go, and thankfully no idjits with cell phones recording it all!!! LOL
The P-3 is continuing in service in ‘other’ configurations, with NASA, Customs, and various other nations, so the birds will contribute parts to keep them flying!!!
I led a flight of the last A-7E aircraft to Davis Monthan from Pax River. They were perfect. It was heartbreaking. It’s like taking a perfectly healthy dog to the pound to get put down.
Old and Bold Pilots eh ? We’re all glad you made it out alive.
If there were morons taking cell phone pictures – then – it would have been like tailhook on steroids.
We’ve lost something with technology, Old NFO.
The years do roll on by, don’t they? And the memories remain…
Thank you
Yep, makes me sad to see the old birds retire but progress must evolve, eh? Flew my last P-3 flight in ’79 in a P-3B Update out of NAS Barbers Pt.
We recently toured Barbers Pt on our Hawaii trip. Things have really changed, I was barely able to recognize the VP Hangar area.
Lori- That it is… sigh
jrg- Thanks! Many didn’t.
LL- LOL, oh yeah! And yes, we did. Tech is not ‘always’ your friend.
Randy-:-)
Flugel- Mine was 1995, and yes, the hangar at Barbers is now a truck driving school, and the Wing building is a ruined hulk.
Was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, left in 1966.
VP-1 was still flying P2V’s. I guess I’m old huh ??
“I’m now paying for the ‘fun’ we had back then”
Of course we were invincible. Perhaps we still are. But wow, looking back I went at it like a veritable bat out of hell. I think it was disturbing to my friends 🙂
Well, I figured that you and I had crossed paths somewhere along our careers. I was also an instructor in VP-30 ’78-80 (acoustic operator P-3C baseline). We’ve tread the same halls and may have even flown together.
Richard- You’ve got a seat at the table, for sure!
LSP- LOL
Ray- Hell yes! Long time no talk to!
NFO, I’ve been lurking in the back by the coffee pot and donuts.
Weird. Last month I was pumping gas on hiway 40 west of Ocala FL and watched what appeared to be a P-3 doing touch-and-goes at the Ocala airport. Saw it come around twice.