"Into the Night" |
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| Two McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125), the Rough Riders, take off into the sunset for night time carrier qualifications off the coast of California. Established in April, 1958, VFA-125 flew F9F Cougars at NAS Moffett Field, California, with the task of providing combat training for fleet replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. |
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Original Painting 30" x 20" - Acrylic on Illustration Board |
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| Original
painting is available for sale! Contact John for
details. |
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| In July, 1961, the Rough Riders moved to NAS Lemoore, California and transitioned to the A-4 Skyhawk. In 1969, the squadron traded in their A-4 Skyhawks for the new A-7 Corsair II, and began training A-7 pilots for combat in the Vietnam War. After the war, the squadron was disestablished in 1977. |
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| In November, 1980, the Rough Riders were reestablished as the first Navy F/A-18 squadron, again with the task of providing training for F/A-18 fleet replacement pilots and maintenance personnel. Besides training F/A-18 pilots from the US Marine Corps, as well as pilots from other nations which fly the F/A-18 Hornet, the squadron has begun training Navy pilots in the new F/A-18 E/F “Super Hornet”, with the purpose being the integration of the new McDonnell Douglas aircraft into the fleet. |
