Return to Basics

By LT Daniel “Roadkill” Lloyd, USN (HSM-72)

Theflight line of South Field looked slightly different on November 1st as students and instructors alike arrived to see the usual array of orange and white trainers replaced with various gray aircraft from the Fleet’s operational commands. Rotary wing airframes from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard had flown into NAS Whiting Field for the annual start of the Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In–a weeklong training event designed to bring the vast experiences of the Fleet back to Pensacola to better inform students, currently in the rotary wing pipeline, as well as advertise helicopters to prospective students still awaiting the selection of an aviation community.

The influx of Fleet aviators brings the most up-to-date community details to the students, allowing them to make the best decisions possible regarding platform selection. This is accomplished via static displays and discussion panels, as well as opportunities to ride in and even fly the aircraft from the Fleet.

HSM-40 along with HSM-72, both located in Jacksonville, Florida, represented the Helicopter Maritime Strike Community at this year’s Fly-In. Crews from both squadrons spent a day providing orientation flights to various students in both the primary and advanced pipelines. Students had the opportunity to fly an MH-60R around the pattern at Santa Rosa Outlying Field. This experience also provided invaluable exposure to the MH-60R mission systems. The pilots and Naval Aircrewmen Tactical Helicopter (AWR) discussed the HSM community’s mission in depth in addition to demonstrating a portion of the aircraft’s advanced warfighting capabilities through the use of FLIR and ESM.

HSM-40 provided students with a picture of what their immediate future could be, as the squadron is one of two initial training locations, that students selected to fly the MH-60R will find themselves post-graduation. Conversely, HSM-72 attended having recently returned from a nine month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Crews were able to answer questions about the Romeo Community as well as share their experiences working with NATO partners

and tracking submarines, all while serving as a vital platform in the modern Carrier Strike Group.

The students are not the only ones who benefit from Fleet Fly-In. The opportunity to bring Fleet aircraft back to flight school brings aviators full circle to where most of their naval careers began. Workups, deployments, and the multitude of other timeshares maintained by Fleet squadrons leave little room for cross countries and time away from the current operational tasking. Afforded the opportunity to take a week and execute flying that significantly differs from the usual workload lets pilots exercise different skill sets. The weeklong event also hosted several opportunities to catch up with old friends, coworkers, and network with various rotary wing agencies.

Come Friday, the flight line of NAS Whiting Field and NAS Pensacola returned to the usual scheme of orange and white as the gray aircraft of the Fleet returned to their various home bases across the United States. Students returned to their studies armed with a better picture of what lies ahead while Fleet aviators returned to their respective squadrons. The U.S. Navy is one of the largest organizations in the world, and Naval Aviation holds one of the largest footprints. Events such as the Fleet Fly-In bring members of the helicopter community back to where they started, allow integration with the new aviators, and continue to build the rich tradition of the Rotary Wing Community.

Students get a look at the Romeo that HSM-72 brought to the 2022 Fly-In.