By Penny Randall
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN —
T-45 Goshawks from Naval Air Station Meridian were recently part of a flyover of the USS George H.W. Bush in celebration of the jet trainers 1 million flight hours mark.
In a statement Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Bill Sizemore said, "This milestone is another testament to the quality that this team has put into each and every T-45 that we have training our future aerial combat warriors. It's an exciting time in Naval air training as we forge into the future with the T-45 Goshawk, converting the remaining analog models into digital/glass cockpits to mirror the aircraft in the fleet."
The 18-year-old airframe jet Goshawk joined the fleet in 1992 as a step up from the other trainers being used. It arrived at NAS Meridian replacing the T-2C Buckeye and the TA-4J Skyhawk. As well as bringing along new technology, the aircraft also brought a different maintenance model, with contractors taking over much of that work.
The quality of that work is shown by the large number of flight hours the 208 Goshawks in the fleet have accumulated. NAS Meridian, home to 84 Goshawks, trains student Naval and Marine Corps aviators in the two-seater aircraft designed to carry an instructor and student. In 2009, personnel successfully managed 220,000 flight operations in support of Training Air Wing One and its squadrons VT-7 and VT-9. Student aviators at air stations in Meridian, Kingsville, Texas, and Pensacola, Fla., are currently trained in the aircraft.
