Technique Only…

[///AMG]

I can remember many times hanging out on 32nd st at the approach end of RW 21L/R watching Sharpshooter F-4Js and Ss beating up the pattern at Yuma, when they were based there.

Man, that is old school. Because they were not only there in the 70’s and early 80’s but also had an intermediate home in El Toro before arriving in Miramar. All our old guy sim instructors were El Toro dudes who still lived up in OC, and carpooled down to the sim building. Great dudes. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that commute. Some of them earned 5000 hr hornet patches, after having flown the phantom as well. Impressive OFPs

 

[MikeD]

Man, that is old school. Because they were not only there in the 70’s and early 80’s but also had an intermediate home in El Toro before arriving in Miramar. All our old guy sim instructors were El Toro dudes who still lived up in OC, and carpooled down to the sim building. Great dudes. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that commute. Some of them earned 5000 hr hornet patches, after having flown the phantom as well. Impressive OFPs

I was walking around what little ramp was left on El Toro, about a year ago. Sad to see.

 

[///AMG]

I was walking around what little ramp was left on El Toro, about a year ago. Sad to see.

On that note, i remember when my big cousin was an H-46 crew chief at MCAS Tustin, and going to visit him there, i guess shortly before he deployed to Somalia (or maybe right after). He put some NVGs on my head, and dazzled me with cool stuff. It is, I believe, a commercial block of businesses now, with nothing remaining.

 

[///AMG]

This is one of the reasons why, that even with pay equal to Big 3 NB rates, your place will always have staffing difficulties, as long upgrades and movement to WB flying is happening quickly over at the other places.

As much as the movement at SWA to pay their NB the same as a Big 3 WB is totally wackadoodle... they do have a point in that it would stabilize staffing to some extent.

You’re not wrong. It isn’t a big deal to me, but i imagine it is for a lot of younger guys who have big dreams about such things

 

[MikeD]

Man, that is old school. Because they were not only there in the 70’s and early 80’s but also had an intermediate home in El Toro before arriving in Miramar. All our old guy sim instructors were El Toro dudes who still lived up in OC, and carpooled down to the sim building. Great dudes. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that commute. Some of them earned 5000 hr hornet patches, after having flown the phantom as well. Impressive OFPs

Was mid 80s. Would sit parked there with pizza or some other snack, watch the show and revel in the JP5 being turned into noise.

 

[MikeD]

On that note, i remember when my big cousin was an H-46 crew chief at MCAS Tustin, and going to visit him there, i guess shortly before he deployed to Somalia (or maybe right after). He put some NVGs on my head, and dazzled me with cool stuff. It is, I believe, a commercial block of businesses now, with nothing remaining.

Just the old tower and fire station, a couple of old barracks, and the two large hangars, one of which may get torn down. A lot of the former Tustin, just like El Toro, is contaminated and needs to be excavated pretty far.