Medford mail tribune., May 20, 1962, Image 9

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Features Sports
MEDFORDffliSTRIBUNE
SECTION B MEDFORD. OREGON, SUNDAY, MAY 20, 1962 PAGES 1 to 8
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Oregon air tour members view equipment used in plane-to-plane refueling at Whidbcy Naval Air Station. (U.S. Navy
photo)
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Rear Admiral William A. Stuart welcomes southern Orefionians to Whidbcy Naval Air Station. (U.S. Navy phoio) Oregon visitors to
i Whidbcy NAS watch demonstration of survival techniques on distan
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on distant tropical beach. (U.S. Naval photo)
Southern Oregonians
View Whidbey Island
BY HERB GREY
Mail Tribun Advertising Manager
Forty-nine southern Oregon business and professional
men had a first glimpse of Naval sea-going airpower May
10 when they participated in a U. S. Navy guest tour of
Whidbey Island in Pudget Sound.
Leaving the Medford airport early in a Navy R5D,
the party was flown directly to Ault Field on Whidbey
Island in a morning overcast that permitted no view of
Portland and Seattle. Ault field, with two fine 8,000 foot
runways, was constructed at the start of World War II and
was named in honor of Comdr. William Bowcn Ault, a
Naval squadron leader who lost his life in the Coral Sea
Battle.
While the big Navy plane was en route to Whidbey,
the Navy selected as "honorary senior Citizens" Judge
John L. Barber, Jr., of EuRene, Frank J. Van Dyke, Med
ford lawyer and former speaker of the Oregon Houso of
Representatives, Slate Representative Sidney Bazett of
Grants Pass, State Senator Lynn Ncwbry of Ashland and
and Mayor Charles B. Gill, Jr., of Grants Pass.
Whirlwind of AcilvUlei . v
' . Upon arrival at Naval Air Whidbey the southern Ore
gonians were greeted toy Rear Admiral William A. Stuart
and Capt. Renfro Turner, Jr., commanding officers, and
other staff and squadron commanders, and immediately
embarked upon a whirl wind of activities that left them
both amazed and reassured.
Whidbey Island, where the U.S. Navy's quarter-billion
dollar air station has become a giant in the defense of the
Northwest, Canada and Alaska, lies 65 miles north of
Seattle. Its strategic location commands the east end of
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the main entrance to Pudget
Sound.
Second only to Long Island, New York, in size in con
tinental limits of the U.S., Whidbey is 38 miles long and
167 miles in area. It was discovered by pioneer Martin
Teftezon a century ago.
Navy Needs In Mind
Mother Nature must have had the needs of the U.S.
Navy in mind when she established the weather pattern
' for this green-clad island.
In an area where yearly rainfall averages 40 inches,
Whidbey Island happens to lie on the lceside of the lofty
Olympics, and has a rainfall of 10.8 inches. The year 'round
mild weather means lots of good flying weather and places
Whilbey's record of landings, take-offs, touch-Hnd-go land
ings and ground control approaches high among all the
nation's military establishments.
First on the busy program of Navy aviation orienta
tion was a briefing of the southern Oregon delegation by
Admiral Stuart, Captain Turner, and various squadron
commanders. Commander Fleet Air Whidbcy, it seems,
commands all fleet aircraft in the Northwest area, is
responsible for the coordination of training and operational
readiness of the Heavy Attack and Patrol Plane squadrons.
Training seems to be a never-ending job at Whidbev.
"Professionalism is our business" is a slogan painted in
large letters on one of the Ault Field hangars and, from
personal observation of the Oregon visitors May 10, the
officers and men in every phase of the widely diversified
fields of operations and training are real professionals.
The daily training includes practice shipping recon
naisance with special emphasis placed upon anti-submarine
tactics, navigation and patrol crew training, long range
practice radar bombing missions, radar pldtting, celestial
navigation and highly important field mirror landing prac
tice. There is close liaison between Rear Admiral Stuart,
Commander, Fleet Air Whidbey, and the Canadian Flag
Officer Pacific, who commands air and surface forces for
the defense of Canada. Frequently both forces conmbine
for maneuvers in each other's area to assure surveillance '
. of the off-shore waters for shipping and submarines.
Stresses Surface Shipping
In the inital briefing for the Oregon group, Admiral
.' Stuart stressed the vital importance of surface shipping
In case o war and the priority given by his command
; to anti-submarine operations.
Under the supervision of Admiral Stuart, PV2 "Nep
( tune" and P5M "Martin" patrol planes take off dally to
conduct shipping reconnaissance and look for submarines
far and wide In the western Pacific. A3D "Skywarriors,"
heavy attack bombers, are usually in the air on long range
radar bombing missions and practicing radar plotting,
navigation and field mirror landings.
Whidbey's mission to provide facilities, services and
materials to support "operations of aviation activities and
other assigned units" is a big order, calling for extensive
repair shops and heavy supplies of everything needed to
keep a fighting fleet at sea.
Interesting Demonstration
One of the highly interesting demonstrations witnessed
by the Oregon visitors dealt with survival and featured
ingenous methods of open-sea and land survival learned
through bitter wartime experience in World War II and
Korea. Everything from the "Gibson Girl" transmitter
with box kite to various types of snares for wild animals
were shown and explained.
When the Oregonians took time oft for lunch at the
spic-and-span messhall, we had a visit with First Class
Aviation Bo'sn's MbIc Don Waits, who conducted a portion
of the survival demonstrations.
Don, whose home was once at Maupin, Ore. and whose
parents now reside at Beaverton, described the grueling
seven-day test for men who complete his course. "You have
to learn to be a fisherman and hunter to survive," he said,
"so most sailors wlndup the week of hardship by be
coming real sportsmen In these fields."
Physiological functional stresses under high-speed, high
flight conditions were the subject of one especially inter
esting lecture; the complex function of hydraulic retracting
' (Continued on page 2B)
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Crew of Navy S2F all weather plane, both land and sea based, show southern Oregonians big Grumman ship. (U.S.
Navy Photo) Q
Crrw mimbrr nf Saw P2V-7 "Nrptunc" jhnw.i vijitor patrol bomber at Whitlbey Air Statitin. It; S. ivy photol
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