OCEANA RECOGNIZES SAILORS OF THE QUARTER PAGE 4 VOLUME 52 NO. 43
OCTOBER 25, 2012
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA
INSIDEJET
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DAM NECK ANNEX
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NALF FENTRESS
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We’re happy to welcome everyone to the new and improved Fentress. These improvements will make both Oceana and Fentress operationally viable for many years to come,” — Capt. Bob Geis, NAS Oceana commanding officer (right)
GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY AT GRUNT RUN
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OCEANA TAKES A STAND AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
PAGE 9 Veterans 5k at the Dam Neck gymnasium Nov. 7, registration is at 10:30 a.m. with the run beginning at 11:30 a.m. Open to all military and DoD/civilians. For more information call 492-6101.
Photo by John Land
An F/A 18 Hornet piloted by Capt. Mark Weisgerber, deputy commodore of Strike Figher Wing Atlantic, performs the first touch-and-go landing during a ribbon cutting ceremony at Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress. Fentress re-opened after a repair project to lay down a new runway and perform numerous electrical and lighting upgrades.
Fentress reopens after a yearlong upgrade BY TOM KREIDEL Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs CHESAPEAKE, Va. (NNS) -- Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress reopened with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 16 in a ceremony attended by both the mayors of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach,Va. The $19.2 million project was awarded September, moving Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) to other bases, primarily Naval Air Station Oceana since January of this year. “We’re happy to welcome everyone to the new and improved Fentress,”said Capt Bob Geis,
NAS Oceana commanding officer. “These improvements will make both Oceana and Fentress operationally viable for many years to come.” The project included laying down a completely new concrete runway and many other improvements such as LED style lighting for the runways and taxiways along with upgrades to the electrical, mechanical and communications systems, and landing signal officer (LSO) shacks that will provide improved visibility for LSOs to observe aircraft approaches and landings. The new shacks will be more similar in placement and design to those on actual carrier decks improving safety and realism of training for both aircrafts and crews. markings that will expand
the versatility of the landing field. In addition, there will be new hold areas that will allow for heavy aircraft to turn a helicopter spot. The design for the project was performed by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, who also oversaw construction of the project by Lane Construction of Cheshire, Conn. “This project was a major undertaking in scope, complexity and timeliness,” said Capt. Paul Odenthal, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic executive officer.“We are pleased to deliver this one of a kind facility to Oceana.” NALF Fentress began regular FCLP operations later in the same afternoon of the ceremony.