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Naval Air Station Corpus Christi In October 2007 Jetwash Aviation Photos visited N.A.S Corpus Christi in Texas to see the day to day activity at this busy naval training base. Sadly, a couple of months after our visit a tragic accident occured involving an aircraft from one of the based units. This page is dedicated to the three HM-15 airmen who sadly lost their lives in the crash of the Sikorsky CH-53E (164792) on 16th January 2008. They were Lt. Joshua Gross (age 30), AW2 David Leon Davison (age 22) and AW2 Alexander Le Marr (age 25).  Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is home to Training Air Wing 4 (TAW-4) of the United States Navy, which incorporates VT-27 "Boomers", VT-28 "Rangers", VT-31 "Wise Owls" and VT-35 "Stingrays". TAW-4 was established in March 1972. It is also home to Marine Corps unit HM-1, operating the Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon, a Coast Guard unit operating the HH-65C and HU-25C, plus the United States Customs Service with P-3's. The base sits on the South East coast of Texas, close to the town of Corpus Christi. TAW-4 provides primary , intermediate and advanced training for Navy and Marine Corps Student Naval Aviators (SNA's) prior to them receiving their 'Wings of Gold'.
VT-27 was established as Advanced Training Unit B on July 11th 1951 at NAS Corpus Christi. After moving to NAS Kingsville and then New Iberia Louisiana in 1960 it was redesignated VT-27. The 'Boomers' returned to Corpus in July 1964 and have been resident there ever since. The unit transitioned to a primary training role in August 1973 when the first T-28 Trojan arrived. In August of 1983 the first Beech T-34C Turbo Mentor was delivered and the last T-28 was withdrawn in March 1984. The T-34C is the mainstay of all Navy and Marine Corps primary flight training and VT-27 averages well over 11,000 training missions per year and over 70 sorties a day. A Beech T-34C Turbo-Mentor from VT-27 "Boomers" sits on the ramp at NAS Corpus Christi on 24th October 2007
The T-34C aircraft is an unpressurized two-seat, tandem cockpit single-engine monoplane manufactured by Beech Aircraft Corporation at Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney (Canada) PT6A-25 turbo-prop engine. The primary mission of the T-34C is to provide primary flight training for student pilots attached to the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA).
 VT-28 was commissioned on May 1st 1960 having previously operated as Advanced Training Unit 611. Its primary mission was advanced multi-engine flight training. It operated Grumman TS-2F Tracker aircraft and carrier qualified thousands of SNA's until the Trackers retirement in 1979 when it was replaced by the Beech T-44A Pegasus. VT-28 continued to operate the T-44A until 1990 when Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) directed the squadron to change it's role to that of an Instructor Training Squadron. At that time it began to operate the T-34C alongside the T-44's. On 1st April 1993 it changed its mission once again; this time to providing primary and intermediate maritime and helicopter training, at the same time losing it's T-44A's. 164159 from VT-28 taxies past a line of T-44's, heading for another training sortie at NAS Corpus Christi on October 24th 2007
This "Rangers" Beech T-34C carries Marines titles on the side of the aircraft, as do a number of the aircraft based at Corpus. This is because Marine Corps pilots as well as naval aviators conduct their basic training here. The Beech T-44A's are now operated by VT-31 at Corpus Christi and are currently going through an upgrade programme to T-44C standard. Formed as Advanced Training Unit 601 in February 1958 it flew the Beechcraft SNB as an instrument and navigation trainer. It was commissioned as VT-31 on 1st May 1960 and operated the P2V Neptune, followed by the P5M Marlin amphibious airplane. It then transitioned to the TS-2A Tracker in 1963 and finally to the T-44A in the spring of 1977. The last Tracker departed the squadron in February 1979. The T-44A is a military version of the Beech 90 King Air and is used for advanced turboprop aircraft training and intermediate E-2/C-2 training. In 1996 the squadron took on the role of training all USAF C-130 students and as such a requirement for further aircraft materialised. To supplement the T-44's the Navy pressed surplus UC-12 aircraft into the squadron and they were designated TC-12B's to denote their training capacity. In October of 1999 VT-35 took control of the TC-12 aircraft and VT-31 returned to operating the T-44 fleet. After receiving their wings the students normally head to an active squadron operating the P-3C Orion (Navy), C-130 Hercules (Marines, USAF and Coast Guard) or HU-25 Falcon (Coast Guard). An immaculate 160842 from VT-31 "Wise Owls" sits on a sunny Corpus Christi ramp awaiting it's next mission The T-44A is a twin-engined, presurised version of the Beechcraft King Air B90 and is powered by two PT6A-34B turbo-prop engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft of Canada. The primary mission of the T-44A is to provide advanced maritime flight training for students on the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training [SUPT] turboprop track. It is equipped with de-icing and anti-icing systems augmented by instrumentation and navigation equipment which allows flight under instrument and icing conditions.The interior includes a seating arrangement for an instructor pilot, a student pilot and a second student. Two additional passenger seats are also available.
VT-35 'Stingrays' is the operator of the TC-12B aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and was established on 29th October 1999. SNA's selected to fly the USAF C-130 or Navy P-3 Orion report to VT-35 and are awarded their wings upon graduation. The squadron executes over 43,000 landings and nearly 6,500 student flight training events annually. It is the only advanced joint leadership (USN & USAF) flight training squadron in the military. The command consists of 12 Navy Instructor Pilots, 12 Air Force Instructor Pilots and 1 Marine Corps Instructor Pilot. In its first three years of existence it reached the pinnacle of Naval Air Training Command when it received the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) VADM Goldthwaite Award for Training Excellence in 2000.
161514 taxies out for another sortie at NAS Corpus Christi   The TC-12B aircraft is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane also manufactured by Beechcraft. A total of fourteen UC-12B's were converted to the TC-12B crew trainer for VT-31 at Corpus Christi. The TC-12B is used for advanced turbo-prop aircraft training and for intermediate E-2/C-2 training at NAS Corpus Christi. The original UC-12B version is a derivative of the King Air A200C, powered by a pair of 850 shp PT6A-41 turboprops. Other features included a cargo door and high flotation landing gear. The US Navy ordered a total of 49 for base communications flights. The flight and cabin compartments are pressurized for high altitude flight and a plug type ground escape hatch is located on the right side of the aircraft at the forward end of the passenger compartment. The pressurized fuselage section of the UC-12B is divided into two sections: The flight compartment and the cabin section. The flight compartment contains seating for two pilots and the cabin section contains seating for one Aircrewman and seven passengers.
 Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fifteen (or just plain old HM-15 to you and me!) was established on 2nd January 1987 with the MH-53E Sea Dragon at Norfolk Virginia. HM-15 then moved to NAS Alameda near San Fransisco on 1st October the same year. In July 1988 the squadron completed a Mine Warfare Readiness Certificate Inspection (MRCI) and was declared operational in October 1988, it's first deployment following later that month with a detachment to NAS North Island. 1989 saw the squadron embark upon the USS Tripoli for PACEX-89, a joint exercise conducted in the Western Pacific with Japan, Korea and the Phillipines. From January 1991 to April 1992 HM-15 deployed three aircraft to the Persian Gulf in direct support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The 'Blackhawks' transported over 3.2 million pounds of cargo and more than 4,000 personnel in support of combat units in theatre. In 1995 HM-15 relocated to NAS Corpus Christi as a result of Base Re-alignment (BRAC) and the closure of Alameda. During our visit in October 2007 HM-15 was about to send two aircraft to support the devastating fires raging through the state of California. A Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon from HM-15 seen on the Corpus ramps early in the morning The boom that holds the towable sled for mine-sweeping can be seen at the rear of the ramp
164766 sits on the HM-15 ramp at Corpus Christi on 24th October 2007 awaiting its first mission of the day
163052 seen from the HM-15 tower on the morning of 24th October 2007 The MH-53E Sea Dragon is the Western world's largest helicopter, with its primary mission being Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM). Airborne Mine Countermeasures missions include mine sweeping and ancillary spotting, mine neutralization, floating mine destruction, channel marking, and surface towing of small craft and ships. The MH-53E also has the ability to perform Vertical Onboard Delivery (VOD) missions as well as transportation of personnel and cargo. The Sikorsky MH-53E is a reconfigured version of the CH-53E Super Stallion, which is used by the Marine Corps. The prototype MH-53E made its first flight on 23rd December 1981 and is capable of carrying up to 55 troops or a 16-ton payload over fifty nautical miles or a 10-ton payload over five hundred nautical miles. It is capable of towing a variety of mine-sweeping countermeasures systems, including the Mk.105 mine-sweeping sled, the ASQ-14 side-scan sonar, and the Mk.103 mechanical mine-sweeping system. For AMCM missions, the MH-53E is normally operated by a crew of seven. The MH-53E's triple turbine engines provide greater lift for mine counter-measures operations, while enlarged sponsons carry additional fuel to allow up to six hours of time on station. The new configuration also features the airborne mine countermeasures dual digital automatic flight control system. The system consists of two digital computers, a cockpit control box, six accelerometers, and five position sensors. It is 42 percent lighter, occupies 54 percent less volume and consumes 41 percent less power than the older analogue system. The computers continually cross-check one another and disable any potential false inputs to the automatic flight control system servos, and if one computer fails, the other will automatically double its output, eliminating any degradation in automatic flight control perfomance. Also part of the new mine countermeasures capability is a dedicated AMCM hydraulic system, improved AMCM navigation, 30,000-pound tension tow boom, better mirrors and better crew environment. The MH-53E Super Stallion is capable of inflight refueling and can be re-fueled at hover. The MH-53E replaced the older RH-53D in the fleet and fleet reserve squadrons from 1987 onwards. 
One of the Mk.105 sleds that are towed behind the MH-53E during mine-sweeping operations sits in the hanger at NAS Corpus Christi Manufactured by ITT Systems Corporation, the Mk.105 sled has been in use since its introduction to service in Haiphong Harbor back in 1973, and has subsequently been involved in every U.S. Navy mine clearance operation. The Mk 105 Mod 4 system creates an electro-magnetic field that replicates the magnetic signature of a ship. The power for this field is generated by a gas turbine/generator set installed on the hydrofoil sled. Towed by the MH-53E, this system can be used to safely clear a path through a mine field for ships in transit or clear an entire operational area at speeds greater than those achieved by conventional mine countermeasures ships. The system is totally unmanned and able to remain on station for extended periods of time to support all aspects of the mine clearance operation. 
United States Coast Guard District Eight The Eighth Coast Guard District is headquartered in New Orleans and covers the Gulf Coast and heartland of America. It stretches from the Appalachian Mountains and Chattahoochee River in the east, to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and from the U.S./Mexico border and the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border in North Dakota. The Eighth District is home to two of the nation’s busiest ports, New Orleans and Houston and has approximately 4,000 active duty and reserve members, 6,000 auxiliarists and 280 civilian personnel assigned to the Eighth District. There are three air stations assigned to the 8th District, these being New Orleans, Houston and Corpus Christi.
 The final unit at NAS Corpus Christi is the United States Coast Guard under the auspices of the 8th Coast Guard District. The unit operates two Dassault HU-25C+ Guardian aircraft and two Aerospatial HH-65C Dauphins from a facility adjacent to HM-15's on the shoreline at N.A.S Corpus Christi. 
A Coast Guard HU-25C+ sits in the hanger at Corpus Christi in October 2007 The Dassault HU-25 is a medium-range surveillance aircraft that is used to perform search and rescue, law enforcement and illegal drug interdiction and marine environmental protection tasks. There are three versions of the aircraft in USCG service, the HU-25A, HU-25B, and the HU-25C. The primary difference is in the installed sensor packages. Variants include the Air Eye (HU-25B) and Nightstalker (HU-25C). The HU-25B is equipped with the APG-66 radar and Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR). The HU-25B is also equipped with an air eye avionics package and wing pads carrying side-looking radar (SALR). By 1997 a Coast Guard study was underway to determine the direction for SATCOM on all USCG platforms and the HU-25C's now incorporate SATCOM, along with an upgraded APG-66 Radar. 
A USCG HH-65C Dauphin taxies back to the ramp after returning from an early morning mission on 24th October 2007 The Dauphin is primarily a Short Range Recovery (SRR) aircraft. A total of 102 Dolphins entered service with the U.S. Coast Guard Fleet. The Dauphin is usually deployed from shore, but it can also be deployed from medium and high endurance Coast Guard Cutters, as well as the Polar Ice-breakers. The Dauphins main roles are search and rescue, enforcement of laws and treaties (including drug interdiction) and marine environmental protection including pollution control. The HH-65C is an upgrade of the original HH-65A, with new 934 shaft horse power Arriel 2C2CG engines, plus an upgraded main gearbox, upgraded tail gearbox, long-nose avionics compartment, expanded lateral flight envelope and Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) with First Limit Indicator (FLI). The first retro-fit of a HH-65A to HH-65C standard was completed in October 2004. A log of what was seen at NAS Corpus Christi on 24th October 2007 can be seen here:- Thanks go to the following for help in arranging our visit to NAS Corpus Christi: Ed Barker at NETC Pensacola Lt. Ligia Cohen at CHINFO Sean Robertson at CNATRA Bob Torres at NAS Corpus Christi and a big thanks to Lt. Caleb Booher from VT-35 and MNC (SW) Ruben Diaz from HM-15 at NAS Corpus Christi for escorting us during our visit. | |
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