VP-31

Патрульная эскадрилья 31
Патрульная эскадрилья 31
	VP-31 Unit Insignia
Активный	30 июня 1960 - 1 ноября 1993 г.
Страна	Соединенные Штаты Америки
Ветвь	ВМС США
Тип	Эскадрилья
Role	Training replacement aircrew and maintenance personnel for all Pacific fleet maritime patrol squadrons
Part of	United States Navy
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, California
Nickname(s)	Genies (1962–1971); Black Lightnings (1971–1993)
Decorations	Meritorious Unit Commendation
Aircraft flown
Patrol	P2V-5/SP-2E P2V-7/SP-2H; P5M-2/SP-5B; R5D-5/VC-54S; R7V-1/C-121J; UF-1/SHU-16B; P-3A/B/C/TP-3A

VP-31, патрульная эскадрилья 31 была морской патрульной эскадрой военно- морского флота Соединенных Штатов . ^{[ 1 ]} Он был основан 30 июня 1960 года для обучения замены экипажа и персонала технического обслуживания. Он был заброшен 1 ноября 1993 года. ^{[ 2 ]}

Осознание

Единственная знака для VP-31 была одобрена 25 июля 1962 года и была выбрана для представления программы обучения анти-субмаренной войны (ASW), используемой для обучения воздушного завода патрульной эскадрильи FAW-14. Центральной фигурой дизайна была подводная лодка в фокусе четырех балок с высокого уровня. Над подводной лодкой была волшебная лампа, из которой выпустила дым. Лампа означала оригинальное прозвище эскадрильи « Генины» . Дизайн был круглым, с свитком внизу, содержащей обозначенную патрульную эскадрилью тридцать. Цвета: контур дизайна, лампы и балок, серебро и золото; лампа и подводная отделка, красная; центральная часть балок, крем; Фон дизайна и подводной лодки, темно -синий. Прозвище эскадрильи было генианами 1962–1971 гг. И Черные Света с 1971 по 1993 год.

History

30 June 1960: VP-31 (later DETNI) was established at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. The primary mission of the squadron was training replacement aircrew and maintenance personnel for all Pacific Fleet patrol squadrons, administrative control of the sonobuoy buildup shop and all class D maintenance for all patrol squadrons on North Island. Limited training was begun soon after the squadron's establishment, but it was not until the fall of 1960 that a complete staff of 20 officers and 300 enlisted personnel were engaged in full-scale training operations with an inventory of two P2V-5FS Neptunes, two P2V-7S, and one R5D Skymaster.
November 1961: The squadron's responsibilities were expanded to include training foreign personnel transitioning to the P2V-7. Seventy-two members of the No. 10 Squadron RAAF were among the first foreign students to be assigned for training in this aircraft. Two UF-1s seaplanes were assigned to VP-31 and converted to ASW specifications for training air force personnel from Norway, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Spain.
4 January 1963: VP-31 Detachment Alpha was established at Naval Air Station Moffett Field Its primary mission was to train pilots and aircrewmen for the advanced ASW aircraft, the P-3 Orion. The squadron's P-3 aircraft averaged 8,600 flying hours a year in training missions.
8 January 1966: VP-31 Detachment Alpha moved from Hangar Three into historic Hangar One at NAS Moffett Field. Hangar One, now a Naval Memorial site, was built in April 1933 as a home for the Navy's largest dirigibles, USS Macon her sister ship, USS Akron. The vast 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) structure provided much needed space for the constantly expanding operations of the squadron.
1 July 1966: Detachment Alpha at NAS Moffett Field, was renamed Detachment Moffett. The parent squadron remained at NAS North Island.
1 January 1967: Detachment Moffett became the parent element of VP-31, and the unit at North Island became Detachment North Island. This change occurred to accommodate the increasing numbers of students receiving training on the P-3 airframe. Detachment North Island discontinued training on the P-5 Marlin when the Navy ceased seaplane operations in 1967, but continued to provide training to crews on the P-2 Neptunes until its disestablishment in 1970.
6 March 1969: All six crewmembers of the squadron's P-3A, BuNo. 152765, RP-07 died when it crashed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, at the end of a practice ground control approach (GCA) landing.
1 January 1970: VP-31's Detachment North Island was disestablished, having trained over 2,000 pilots, 700 Naval Flight Officers, and 10,600 aircrewmen/maintenance personnel.
7 July 1971: VP-31 received CNO approval for the P-3A/B Fleet Replacement Aviation Maintenance Program (FRAMP), designed to train aircrew and ground personnel in the transition from older model P-3 Orions to the newer versions.
26 May 1972: A VP-31 P-3A, BuNo. 152155, failed to return to NAS Moffett Field at the completion of a routine training flight. Search operations by Navy, Army, Air Force and Civil Air Patrol aircraft continued for seven days, but no trace of the missing aircraft was ever found. Two crewmen, three personnel under instruction and three observers were listed as missing and presumed dead.
June 1974: VP-31 was tasked with training Iranian Navy aircrews on the specially configured version of the Orion, the P-3F, that would be used by that country's military for maritime patrol. Flight training/familiarization was completed in December, with all aspects of the support/maintenance training syllabus completed by 6 June 1975.
January 1984: VP-31 began the transition of Pacific Fleet patrol squadrons to the P-3 aircraft with enhanced avionics configurations. In one 15-month period, the squadron received 22 aircraft for extensive avionics modifications. In the years following, VP-31 averaged 16 to 18 Orion modifications every 12 months.
1 November 1993: VP-31 was disestablished due to the closure of NAS Moffett Field and the consolidation of training resources into one VP training squadron, VP-30, based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida.^[2]

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown:^[2]

NAS North Island, California - 30 June 1960
NAS Moffet Field, California
- (Det Alpha) 4 January 1963
- (Det Moffet) 1 July 1966
NAS Moffett Field - 1 January 1967

Aircraft assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:^[2]

P2V-5/SP-2E - July 1960
P2V-7/SP-2H - July 1960
P5M-2/SP-5B - September 1960
R5D-5/VC-54S - July 1960
R7V-1 - June 1961
C-121J - June 1961
UF-1/SHU-16B - October 1961
P-3A - February 1963
P-3B - December 1965
P-3C - July 1970
P-3F - December 1974
P-3C UI - June 1975
VP-3A - 1977
P-3C UII - December 1977
P-3C UII.5 - 1983
P-3C UIII - January 1985
TP-3A - 1986

References

^ This article is about the 1960s-90s training squadron, not the 1940s VPB-31 anti-submarine patrol squadron which operated from Key West.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Roberts, Michael D. (2000). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, Chapter 3 Patrol Squadron (VP) Histories (2nd VP-29 to 1st VP-40). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp. 204–8. Retrieved 2 June 2016.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.
http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-vol2/chap3-7.pdf

[1] This article is about the 1960s-90s training squadron, not the 1940s VPB-31 anti-submarine patrol squadron which operated from Key West.

[DANAS2-3-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Roberts, Michael D. (2000). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, Chapter 3 Patrol Squadron (VP) Histories (2nd VP-29 to 1st VP-40). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp. 204–8. Retrieved 2 June 2016.

[ 1 ]

[ 2 ]

Осознание

History

Home port assignments

Aircraft assignment

See also

References