Three Down and Locked: Memoir of a Naval Aviator

Every year the U.S. Navy designates some 1,200 Naval Officers as Naval Aviators once they have successfully completed a rigorous and very demanding flight curriculum. The author was one of those earning his “Wings of Gold” in 1976. He details what was required of student pilots in each phase of flight training and some very unusual events he experienced while doing so. He then describes what was required to become a P-3C Orion pilot and participate in the search for Soviet Nuclear Submarines in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea during the days of Cold War with the Soviet Union. He gives the reader insight into what was required for a P-3 pilot to earn designation as a Patrol Plane Commander, Mission Commander, and Instructor Pilot. He recollects many fascinating experiences while deployed to three very different areas of Soviet submarine activity and the associated strain placed on military families. Finally, he describes the impact of airline hiring in the late ‘70’s that caused a severe shortage of Navy pilots, and the tough decisions many a Naval Aviator had to make as whether to continue a career in the Navy or pursue a career with the airlines. This is a must read for anyone interested in military aviation. For retired Naval Aviators it will serve as a trip down memory lane.