Military AI Works

I was looking at this photo
http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Na ... 1647240/M/

What's the meaning of the "E" on the side of the fuselage? I remember I've seen it on some Tomcats in the past...

Most likely it is a Battle "E".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Effectiveness_Award

Cheers

James,
Coming from the Surface Navy and being the picture is of the CAG bird, I would say that VFA-2 was the reciepient of the Battle E award.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Effectiveness_Award

Les

Just a guess being a retired Army guy, but there are efficiency awards that can earned by naval ships and org. to
indicate excellence. They are painted "E" and other letters and symbols painted on a ship superstructure. They work all the way up to a Battle Efficiency "E" pennant, which is flown from a ship's truck on the foremast when not underway.

Perhaps the aircraft carrier and air group involved in the picture won an "E" for Aviation Maintenance Excellence.
see http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/Seaf ... ds/Es.html

VFA-2 won the Battle E for CY 2008 for the Pacific Fleet (not sure who won it for the Atlantic Fleet), thus they are able to sport the E on their aircraft for 2009. This will be removed early this year, unless they win a second E for 2009, in which they would put a hashmark below the E, signifying that they won back to back E's.

I won a Battle E with VF-2 in 1985, when we flew Tomcats, then won 2 more Battle E's (back to back, 1989, 1990) with VF-1. Along with the Battle E in 1989, we also won the Clifton Award, best F-14 Tomcat squadron in the Navy.

It's a real honor to win the E, takes alot of work, both from the pilots and the ground crew, but when you win it, you definitely carry you head high

March 1964 - HS-3 onboard USS Intrepid for Gemini3 pickup. We earned the "E" two years in a row.

Very interesting! Thanks for the answers!

As has been posted above, the E is for winning the Battle E. An interesting aside, the Battle E winners here in Lemoore get to paint the lone F/A-18C on a stick that sits by the front gate in their squadron colors. However, when the Super Bugs got to town, where would they get to paint since there was no Super Hornet on a stick at Lemoore....the answer.... they've split the C in two and the Legacy Battle E winners get one side of the jet, and the Rhino winners get the other side. It's kind of funny to see, maybe I'll snap a photo and show you. I think right now VFA-151 has the left side and VFA-2 has the right.

Rolex

Ahhh love it, Carrier Air Wing 2 rules again

Dave Waffler wrote:Ahhh love it, Carrier Air Wing 2 rules again

Haha, Ya ya, here is a photo from when CAG-14 ruled the roost, 2006. Note two different tails, VFA-113 on this side, VFA-115 on the other. Now lets see who the first to pick me out in the photo is...

Love the retro flight suits, I'm guessing you're on the front row kneeling. Do guys actually fly with them say "Friday patch" days?

Victory103 wrote:Love the retro flight suits, I'm guessing you're on the front row kneeling. Do guys actually fly with them say "Friday patch" days?

You are correct, I am in the front row and I am wearing blue....but which one?

In Lemoore, Wednesdays were club days, so we always wore the "sh*t hots" on Wednesday. Usually Friday's were Desert Tan days. Most squadrons did the same.

Rotorhead wrote:

Dave Waffler wrote:Ahhh love it, Carrier Air Wing 2 rules again

Haha, Ya ya, here is a photo from when CAG-14 ruled the roost, 2006. Note two different tails, VFA-113 on this side, VFA-115 on the other. Now lets see who the first to pick me out in the photo is...

Has this photo been shot at Lemoore?

Has this photo been shot at Lemoore?

Yes, this was shot in 2006 at the front gate at Lemoore.

Speaking of VFA-115, I noticed that they went back to Atsugi, and VFA-192 came back to Lemoore. Is 192 upgrading to the Super Hornet now?

Dave Waffler wrote:Speaking of VFA-115, I noticed that they went back to Atsugi, and VFA-192 came back to Lemoore. Is 192 upgrading to the Super Hornet now?

That is the plan I believe, but it changes from one day to the next who's transitioning and who isn't....

LOL, don't I know it!!! I was in VF-1 right before their last cruise. They were supposed to transition to the F-14D, but when they got back, they got word that they were standing down.

The answer, as always, will be money.

Firebird wrote:The answer, as always, will be money.

Or airframe life, we have legacy squadrons flying older "A" models that are not "trapped out" yet. For the good ole Tomcats, I believe VF-11 had F-14D's, then had to trade them in for "B's" prior to their last deployment.
I know VFA-86 (MCAS Beaufort,SC) is on the list to transfer to Supers as the Growler deliveries continue.