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The Grampaw Pettibone Squadron is a non-profit organization (IRS Sect. 501(C)(4) which, through meetings, discussions, speaker programs, and
periodic field trips, serves to educate squadron members and the general public on the requirements of an adequate national defense, especially
maritime aviation, which is essential to a free society, and to support the military professionals (active and reserve) responsible for many aspects of
national defense. GPS also seeks to foster the strong pride, esprit, and fraternal bonds which exist among those associated with Naval Aviation
The Grampaw Pettibone Squadron is a non-profit organization (IRS Sect. 501(C)(4) which, through meetings, discussions, speaker programs, and periodic
field trips, serves to educate squadron members and the general public on the requirements of an adequate national defense, especially maritime aviation,
which is essential to a free society, and to support the military professionals (active and reserve) responsible for many aspects of national defense. GPS
also seeks to foster the strong pride, esprit, and fraternal bonds which exist among those associated with Naval Aviation
THE GPS LUNCHEON MEETING
WILL BE HELD ON
THURSDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2014
AT THE
GARDEN GROVE ELKS LODGE
LOCATED AT 11551 TRASK Ave., GARDEN GROVE
Hangar doors open at 1130, Luncheon is at 1200, secure at 1330.
Please make reservations before 9 PM on Monday 6 October 2014 COST IS $15.00.
FOR RESERVATIONS
Please E-mail raylecompte@verizon.net or by Phone: 562-287-4846
About our speaker’s topic:
THE STAND-UP OF MARINE CORPS F-35
AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
About our speaker:
MAJOR A. C. LIBERMAN, USMC
VMFA-121's “WALLEYE”
Major Aric C. Liberman was born in Washington D.C. He joined the Navy in 1989 and went to basic
training in Orlando, Florida. He then attended Aircrew Survival Equipmentman ‘A’ school in Lakehurst, New
Jersey and was meritoriously promoted to Airman.
Following ‘A’ school, he attended Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUDS) training where he
graduated with the class 168. After airborne training, he was promoted to Petty Officer Third class and sent
to SEAL Team TWO at Little Creek Amphibious Base, Virginia. During
his five year tour, he served in two platoons, completed two sea service
deployments and was promoted to Petty Officer Second Class. He first
deployed on the USS Nashville with the 22nd MEU (SOC) and then to
EUCOM with a winter platoon. While at SEAL Team 2, he participated
in Operations DESERT STORM, PROVIDE PROMISE, DENY FLIGHT
AND SUPPORT DEMOCRACY; anti-drug operations and many joint
training exercises. He attended many schools to include: Airborne School;
Army EOD Parachute Riggers Course; Airdrop Load Inspector School;
McGuire, Fast rope, SPIE and Cast master course; Scout Sniper and
Sniper Instructors schools; and Desert and Arctic Warfare training.
In September 1995 after his active duty obligation he left SEAL Team 2,
joined the SEAL Team 4 reserves and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina
to attend North Carolina State University. It was here where he met his
wife, Kelly. After his reserve obligation he pursued an aviation contract
with the Marine Corps. In the summer of 1998, he attended OCS and
graduated with the Company physical fitness award. On December 15,
1999, he graduated College and was commissioned in the Marine Corps.
While awaiting training Second Lieutenant Liberman worked for the
Raleigh Officer Selection Office. That spring he returned to Quantico,
Virginia to attend The Basic School where he was awarded the Charlie
Company's Leadership Award. On October 21, 2000 Second Lieutenant
Liberman was married to Kelly Schmidt in Hawks Nest, North Carolina.
The Libermans moved to Pensacola, Florida for Aviation Preflight
Indoctrination and then to Enid, Oklahoma for primary flight school at
Vance Air Force Base. In July of 2001 after flying the T-37 Second
Lieutenant Liberman was reassigned to Jet Training in Meridian,
Mississippi to fly the T-2 Buckeye and the T-45C Goshawk. On
December 15, 2001 he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant and
on January 17, 2002 the Libermans added to their family when their son,
Russell Carl Liberman was born. On September 13, 2002, after qualifying
aboard the USS Truman, First Lieutenant Liberman earned his wings and
was sent to Oceana Naval Air Station to fly the F/A-18 Hornet. Then,
after Qualifying on the USS Roosevelt in the F/A-18 Hornet the
Libermans were then assigned to VMFA-212 in Iwakuni, Japan.
Captain Liberman spent nearly four years at VMFA-212 where he
worked as the Schedules Writer, Quality Assurance Officer,
Administrative Officer and Pilot Training Officer. Captain Liberman
participated in many detachments and deployments in the Eastern Pacific
to include Tindal and Townsville Australia, Yecheon Korea, Okinawa
Japan, and Khorat Thailand. Captain Liberman was able to attain Division
Lead, Mission Commander, Low Altitude Tactics Stan Instructor, Air
Combat Tactics Instructor and Weapon’s and Tactics Instructor during his
tour with the Lancers.
After their tour with the Lancers the Libermans moved to Yuma, Arizona
where Captain Liberman was assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and
Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) as an F/A-18 Instructor. At MAWTS,
Capt Liberman became the USMC’s FA-18 HARM SME and spend a year
of his tour in operations as the Range Officer.
In August of 2009, the Libermans finished their tour at MAWTS-1 and
was reassigned to VMFAT-501 in Eglin AFB, Florida after being selected
for the F-35B transition board. In Eglin, Captain Liberman helped to start
up the first F-35B Fleet Replacement Squadron. With only a handful of
initial Marines on deck he served in several billets to include, S-4, Coffee
Mess, events coordinator and training officer. Captain Liberman was
promoted to Major on 1 June 2010. With the addition of new manpower,
Major Liberman focused primarily on helping to write the first F-35B
Training and Readiness Manual as well as participating in an Operational
Analysis Division study of pilot throughput in conjunction with the Naval
Postgraduate School. Major Liberman also became a subject matter expert
on F-35 systems after attending academic lessons more than 3 times in
preparation for flight operations. In June of 2011, Maj Liberman became
the operations officer where the squadron continued to prep for initial
flight ops. As operations officer he oversaw the initial delivery of the first
F-35B’s to Eglin and flew chase in support of BF-8s ferry and stands
ready to conduct initial flight operations. On 13 August 2012, Major
Liberman flew his first flight in the F-35B in Eglin AFB. Since then he
has attained his NATOPS qualification in the F-35B and become an FRS
instructor.
In January of 2013 Maj Liberman checked in as the Aircraft Maintenance
Officer of VMFA-121. He remained the AMO until August 2014 where
he supervised the build-up of the Marine Corps’ first F-35B organic
maintenance department. Maj Liberman also was one of the first fully
qualified F-35B STOVL pilots in the fleet. Maj Liberman remains in
VMFA-121 where he will assist training requirements and special projects
in preparation for squadrons’ Initial Operational Capability.
Major Liberman’s awards include the Navy Arctic Service Ribbon, Sea
Service Deployment Ribbon with Silver Star, Global War on terrorism
Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Southeast Asia Service
Medal with Bronze Star, National Defense Medal with Bronze Star, Naval
Reserve Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Joint
Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Achievement Medal with gold star, Navy
Commendation Medal with two gold stars and Expert Rifle and Pistol
Qualifications. Hometown: Uppermarlboro, MD. Family: Married to
Kelly, Kids; Russell 12, Isabella 9.
About our September Luncheon:
MAURY
ROSENBERG
AND THE
MAGNIFICENT
SR-71
Article by Dick Fields
GPS PAO
Gramps was delighted to have
USAF Lt. Col Maury Rosenberg,
(Ret) as our speaker last month. His
subject was the magnificent SR-71, a
Mach 3 cruise machine that took
pictures, and created radar images
and searched for enemy electronic
emissions. He had 1090 operational
hours in the SR-71 A, B, and C
aircraft. Additionally he flew 212
missions in the F-4 C, D and E
models in Vietnam. After retirement
from the USAF, he flew for United
Airlines for a total time of over 38
years in aviation.
The SR-71 was a Mach 3 aircraft
with cruise performance at that speed and a design limit of Mach 3.3.
That results in flight at 2200 miles per hour or 36 miles per minute. It
operated very comfortably at 80,000 feet altitude. The SR was designed
and built by Lockheed and was constructed of 93% Titanium that was
purchased from Russia (!) by the CIA. It was our first stealth aircraft. The
leading edges were designed of honeycomb material to reduce the radar
reflection and the rudders were slanted inward for the same reason.
It was made black in
color to help dissipate
the friction heat that
produced extreme
temperatures at high
speeds.
This was
necessary even in the
upper atmosphere
where the temperature
was -70 degrees
centigrade. It was thus
nicknamed the
“Blackbird”.
The
aircraft would expand 3-4 inches in length as the fuselage heated to 600
degrees. The windows would reach 620 degrees and could not be touched
for more than 30 seconds even with Nomex pressure suit gloves.
The propulsion system consisted of engines that used JP-7, a very flame
resistant fuel that required great heat to ignite. To provide that heat TEB,
tri-ethyl boron, was used which was an extremely flammable substance
that was injected to provide starting heat for the JP-7. Each engine
produced 35,000 pounds of thrust for a total of 70,000 pounds which gave
the aircraft a thrust to weight ratio of close to one. If you do not like the
price of Av Gas now, think of what it took to buy 40,000 pounds of JP-7
for takeoff with half fuel! Its maximum takeoff fuel weight was 95,000
pounds of JP-7.
The crew consisted of
one Pilot and one
Reconnaissance
Systems Officer who
did not have access to
the flight controls.
They were clad in Full
Pressure Suits that
would protect them for
an ejection at Mach
3.2 and result in
survival at that speed.
The suits were made by David Clark and were required at or above 80,000
feet since oxygen masks alone would not provide enough oxygen at that
low pressure. They also provided fire protection. The suit design was
derived from the Gemini Space Program and they were used in the first
space shuttle flight. The crew had use of a periscope that was used to
identify the presence of a contrail and to align the rudders.
The reconnaissance equipment was spectacular. The camera would take
pictures 72 miles wide and 2000 miles long. The resolution would be 6
inches on the ground. The lens to ground distance would be 150,000 feet
looking diagonally to the side. The RADAR was ASARS that used a
computer enhanced system that gave a radar antenna effective length of
one mile. It used ELINT for capture of electronic signals and ANS
ASTRO for inertial and celestial navigation with an accuracy of 500 feet.
It was equipped with ECM to handle electronic assault attempts.
His career was not without some extraordinary excitement. While
flying the SR-71 he had the right engine disintegrate/explode which
induced such pitch, yaw and roll activity that the left engine then failed
causing depressurization and electrical failure. He then flew visually to
the base at Cadena and landed successfully and safely after restarting the
left engine. It turned out that the compressor blades had not been
tightened appropriately. On another occasion he was flying near the
Korean DMV when a missile from the ground locked onto his aircraft and
tracked him. Using jamming technology and making a turn of direction,
he escaped the SA-2 missile which blew up about a half mile away. This
was during “peace” time.
We are grateful to Maury for his service to our country and for his
excellent presentation
.
C.O. COLUMN
TIM BROWN
Well, it has been a busy couple of
weeks. Ray LeCompte and I met Marv
Garrison and Bob Johnson up at
Tailhook 2014 in Reno over the weekend
of September 4th through the 7th. It was
an interesting and informative affair. If
I have time and Hal has space, I will put
something together to summarize the convention.
CDR Paul Werring, the former XO of NWSSB, has attended his last GPS
luncheon for awhile. He is on his way to Panama City, FL, to take over
as the XO of another organization. Before he left, I had breakfast on 11
September 11 with him and his replacement, CDR Eric Franzen. It was
a good, but all-too-short goodbye to a real gentleman and strong supporter
of the SOQ program that is currently in place. We will miss Paul but Eric
should be an able replacement. He comes to NWSSB from NAF El
Centro where he has been acting C.O. for a number of months. He is a
Naval Aviator from the E-2/C-2 community. Welcome Aboard Eric!
Maury Rosenberg gave an excellent briefing on SR-71 operations. He
told those gathered all about the aircraft and many of its very secret flights
all over the world. He also told us a few flying stories and they sounded
like they were true. He actually received an award for one of his
adventures. He also told a very heart-wrenching story about his
experiences on September 11, 2001, when he was flying United Airlines
Flight 81 that was in the air when the attacks began and ended.
This month our speaker is Major Aric Liberman, USMC. Quite a bio:
joined the Navy; became a SEAL; got out of Navy to attend college;
returned to Navy after receiving degree; graduated from flight school and
received Wings of Gold; flew F-18; and then transitioned to the F-35.
Flew first F-35B into Yuma to join VMFA-121 “Green Knights”. He will
talk about his experiences with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
We hope that you will attend our luncheons and bring a friend. We try
to intersperse active-duty military aviators with authors and prior-service
aviators such as Jerry Loeb who flew the AD in the 60”s and was, for a
short time, a POW in Algeria (13 November speaker) and Dave Leue who
flew in both Korea and Vietnam (11 December speaker). The speakers
have great stories to tell. This is your chance to meet these speakers and
to ask questions while you great bunch of fellow ANA members.
Please make sure that you are a current member of ANA. We need the
numbers in order to have any credibility in Washington. It also helps us
to attract active-duty personnel as speakers. All I ask is that you keep your
membership current and try to get one of your family members or friends
to join ANA. Most important though is for you to continue to attend our
luncheons and bring friends, or at least a guest, even if you don’t like
them!
The GREAT GUYS
Here are some of the Great Guys who have made
contributions to Gramps in Septembert. These guys and
the members who attend the monthly luncheons are the
ones who make possible Gramps’ Sailor of the Quarter
program and the Mailing of the OP-Plan. Gramps and
his staff thanks them all and hops to see your name
here.
Susan & Bob Bell, Vince van den Brink,
Tim Brown, Ray LeCompte, Mel Locke,
Stan Manley, Bob Olds, & Roger Schaufele
TAILHOOK 2014
Article by Tim Brown
Ray LeCompte and I attended the 58th Annual Convention at Reno, 4
September through 7 September. This year’s theme was “Naval Test and
Evaluation.” While at the
convention we met up with
Marv Garrison and Bob
Johnson among others. We
had the chance to sit and talk
to Mike Field, ANA
Secretary/Treasurer, and Zip
Rausa, Editor of Wings of
Gold. Besides the business
side of things we also met up
with old friends whom we had
not seen since last year’s
‘Hook. We also met new friends and cultivated new areas of information
seeking speakers for our meetings.
Among other things we arranged to bring back some ANA tee shirts that
Mike Field had somehow gotten made and had available at Tailhook to
give to new members. He had extras so we made a deal: we would take
them off of his hands and sell them to our members as a way to raise
money for our SOQ program. So, get out your $15 and buy a tee shirt at
the next meeting. I don’t think that we got any XXL’s and very few XL’s
so you may be purchasing them as gifts for your grandchildren! Please
help out by purchasing a couple of them.
On the business side, we attended almost every one of the activities that
were sponsored by the Association, including all of the Symposia and
Briefings, even the ones that started at 0830 on Saturday morning. Most
of the official events were streamed live on the Internet and are available
for you to watch if you have cable Internet connection. Go to
new.livestream.com/wab/Tailhook to view the activities.
This was an especially interesting set of meetings because it coincided
with the release of the results of the O-4 Screening Boards that showed a
large discrepancy between selection percentages for aviation, surface and
subsurface communities. Aviation selection percentage was very low in
comparison with the other communities. This was the chance for the JO’s
to get answers to their questions regarding their futures in the Navy. The
last panel of the convention is normally the “Aviation Flag Panel” which
is moderated by CNAF. There were pointed questions asked of the panel
and VADM Buss did a fine job of handling the questions and distributing
the questions to the correct potential respondent. You might want to view
that particular panel on livestream to get a better understanding of the
issue.
There was a long list of industry exhibitors such as Boeing, Northrop
Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Newport News Shipbuilding and
BAE Systems. There were over 75 exhibitors and it was very interesting
to meet and talk to many of them. I actually signed up an author, CAPT
Dave Leue, USN (Ret), as a speaker as a result of our conversation. Other
authors at the event included Mike Ciminera who previously spoke to our
group on the history of Grumman aircraft in a very personal way. A new
addition to the list of authors was Willie Driscoll who has a new book out
that is entitled, Peak Performance Under Pressure.
Kermit “Tim” Enander, the former historian for Air Group 11 and VF-11
(now VF-111) “Sundowners” along with the current historian, Henk
“Omar” van der Lugt, stopped by the ANA display booth to talk and take
photos. Tim knew my father during WW II. I also had occasion to talk
to Diz Laird and Don Shelton who also knew my father from many years
ago. All in all, just an interesting, educational and fun event that I was
happy and lucky to attend.
“FLYING Leathernecks Marines” featuring: Vought F4U-1A Corsair. On
event day, the hanger doors open an hour earlier than on regular days.
Remember; doors open at 0900am, seminar at 1000am.
Some of the speakers, like you, flew the Corsair in the war. So come and
meet these aviators and listen to their experiences flying that magnificent
bird. We usually have several carrier based aircraft out on display before
and after the seminar for your convenience to take photos. There is usually
a demonstration flight of the featured aircraft following the seminar. There
is always a raffle for a free ride in one of our vintage aircraft following the
seminar. The museum is located on the Chino Airport in Chino, Cal. 7000
Merrill Ave., #17. As you turn off Euclid on to Merrill, go ½ mile to Cal
Aero Dr. There’s a B-17 parked in front . I’m there every Saturday. Hope
to see you there. FRAN
FROM THE
FLIGHT SURGEON
Robert Helton MD
Vision Problems:
Common vision problems among older
adults include nearsightedness, glaucoma,
cataracts, diabetic eye disease,
presbyopia( age-related changes in the eye
that make it hard to see close-up), and
macular degeneration (damage to the
center of the eye that can result in a loss of central vision) Visual problems
can led to falls, so make sure that you get a yearly thorough eye exam.
Vision problems can be treated, and the earlier treatment begins, the
better. Hearing Problems: Hearing loss is the most common sensory
problem among older adults. Ask for a hearing test once a year, and tell
your Doctor if you're having trouble hearing. Treatment can improve your
hearing and quality of life. Dizziness: The word "dizziness" can be
described feelings of spinning, almost fainting, falling, or
light-headedness. These feelings can make it harder to walk and can
increase your risk of falls. Many things can cause dizziness, including low
blood pressure, vision problems, inner ear problems, anxiety, and
medication side effects .If you often feel dizzy, tell your Doctor. There are
many treatments for dizziness , depending on the cause. Bob Helton
FROM THE CHAPLAIN
Bill Thompson
MEMBERSHIP
BY Fran Pieri
Our next luncheon will be Thursday,
October 9th. Come early to get a good
seat and table with your friends and please
bring a friend. Tell them about our last
month’s speaker and his experiences in
the SR-71.
HEY! Everyone, I just got some new
info on membersh ip . Lifetime
Membership is now available. I’m a lifer, I don’t have to be concerned
about annual dues. The good thing is, the older you are the less it costs.
The clincher is if you are 90 Yrs. young or older, it’s FREE! To join ANA
or
to
get
Lifetime
Membership,
go
to
www.anahq.org/MembershipIndex.htm. This Lifetime Membership was
discontinued about six years ago and now it’s back. Now is the time to
grab this before they discontinue it again. As always, carpooling is a must
for those of us who cannot drive. FRAN
PLANES OF FAME
I am writing this article on Sunday,
September, 21. Since 1981 the United
Nations designated a day to be
celebrated world wide as an International
Day of Peace. In 2001 the day to be
celebrated was changed to September 21,
and it is a day dedicated to working
toward world peace for all people. The
symbol for this celebration is suggested
to be a peace dove flying with an olive
branch in its beak.
In Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. I have
seen nothing in the news today related to such a celebration.
Jumping to October, the month before us, we will celebrate the birthday
of the U. S. Navy on October 13. It is a day when we commemorate and
give thanks for the sacrifice and service of the men and women in uniform
in the U. S. Navy. As someone has said, “Today, the Navy continues to
be a force for good, advancing and securing interests of grateful nation and
its allies around the world.” My prayer is that the Navy will continue to
be a force for peace and wellbeing, for this nation and others, throughout
the world. An International Day of Peace? Yes, a worthy goal for each
of us, a hope we must not abandon.
By Fran Pieri
Our next big event will be Saturday, November 1st. The theme will be
SEE YOU AT THE LUNCHEON