CONA Schemed T-34s Arrive Aboard NAS Whiting Field

By Lt. j.g. Megan Dooner, Naval Air Station Whiting Field Public Affairs

WHITING FIELD, Fla. (NNS) -- Two T-34C "Turbo Mentors" arrived aboard Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., Jan. 13 as part of a line of aircraft that have been repainted to help raise awareness of this year's centennial of naval aviation.

These aircraft returned from regularly scheduled maintenance with paint schemes reflecting the history of aviation training.

The designs mimic training aircraft from the late 1930s. As Training Air Wing 5 provides initial flight training to all branches of the maritime services, the Coast Guard and Marine Corps were both represented. A Navy version of the T-34 is being housed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

Coast Guard pilot and Training Squadron 2 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Timothy McGuire flew in the Coast Guard T-34 and Lt. Cmdr. Gary Moe, a Navy pilot, flew in the Marine Corps "Turbo Mentor." McGuire was elated to be able to bring the aircraft home and expressed the value of the plane as a link between the past and present.

"I really looked at [flying the Coast Guard T-34] as an honor. It represents the people that flew the T-34A, the T-34B and the legacy of aviation. The first Coast Guard aviator was made naval aviator number 38 in 1917. The history that Coast Guard aviation has with the Navy is one that I am proud to be a part of," said McGuire.

Search Continues for T-34 Instructor Pilots

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The search for two instructor pilots of Training Squadron 28 continues Oct. 30 after losing contact with them approximately 3:20 p.m. Oct. 28.

Lt. John Joseph Houston and Lt. Bret Travis Miller left Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on a routine training mission in the area of Rockport-Aransas County Airport, Texas.

Local Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Agency and other government agencies are using surface and airborne assets to conduct the search. The search is from Port Aransas to Port O'Connor, from 30 miles offshore to 25 miles inland and surrounding bays.

Navy Loses Communication with T-34 Training Aircraft

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- Naval Air Station Corpus Christi air traffic control tower lost contact with a T-34C Turbomentor aircraft at approximately 3:20 p.m. Oct. 28.

The aircraft and two pilots aboard are assigned to Training Air Wing 4 based out of NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.

Local Coast Guard surface and airborne assets are currently conducting a search near Port Lavaca, Texas. The aircraft was conducting routine training missions.