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When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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 Post subject: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 5:09 pm 
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Located on the northern edge of the city of New Orleans on the shores of Lake Ponchartrain. This site was in use from 1941 to 1957 at which time the entire air station was moved to a new site located 15 miles south of New Orleans. The lakefront air station was turned over to the city and is the present site of the University of New Orleans.

In the fall of 1940, the Navy began improving its primary flight training facilities by building up its system of Naval Reserve air bases. Construction was initiated at three new reserve air bases at Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Facilities at the three air stations were identical, including a steel hangar, barracks for 100 cadets, a small assembly and repair shop and storage for 50,000 gallons of fuel. In 1945, the three stations had accommodations for 8,100 personnel.

By January 1942, a rapid expansion of the Naval Reserve Air Base (NRAB) New Orleans was under way. Two million dollars of additional construction funds were provided for two barracks, a ground school and an auditorium. By May of that year, the base possessed 27 N3N-3 (Yellow Peril) primary trainers and 21 instructors.

NRAB New Orleans began to receive prospective Naval Aviation Cadets who had been chosen by selection boards located near the training bases. Prospective cadets who qualified, enlisted as seaman second class (class V-5, aviation) in the Naval Reserve and reported to one of the 16 Naval Reserve Air Bases for preliminary training.

The prospective cadets received approximately 10 hours of dual instruction and one hour of solo time. The balance of the 30-day course was devoted to ground school and military training. Those students who demonstrated an aptitude were then selected for further pilot training.

In November 1942, the New Orleans installation was designated a Naval Air Station (NAS) and assumed the role of a Primary Training Base for student naval aviators. By the end of 1943, the student input stopped and the primary mission of the base was the training of flight instructors. By July of 1946, the air station assumed the mission of training Navy and Marine Corps Air Reservists. In April 1947, the base was training 350 officers, 600 enlisted men and 50 Marines. Squadrons included a light carrier squadron, two fleet maintenance squadrons, a carrier escort squadron and a Marine fighter squadron.

In July 1950, a New Orleans based reserve squadron, Fighter Squadron 821 (VF-821), was called to active duty two months after hostilities began in Korea. Following that cruise, the squadron returned to the U.S. and transitioned to F-9 Panthers. VF-821 then deployed again to Korea.

The squadron flew 1,626 missions in the Korean Combat Zone without losing a single aircraft. This was a remarkable feat considering that more than 50 percent of the missions were conducted as flak suppression sorties.

By the late 1940’s, it was apparent that the lakefront site of the air station would soon be inadequate. Urban growth in the area of the air station made future jet operations unfeasible.

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Naval Air Station. New Orleans

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N2S-3's

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N2S-3's over New Orleans, 1944-45

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Cmd. Short, Cmd. Jenkin. Robert Taylor, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 1944-45

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A flight of BT-13's

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Lightning strike over airfield, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 1944-45

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 5:22 pm 
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Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 1944-45

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USS Ranger, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 10/16/45

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USS Ranger, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 10/16/45

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USS Mississippi, New Orleans, 10/16/45

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Submarine, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 1944-45

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PT boats, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, May 1944

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 5:33 pm 
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Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 1944-45

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Flight line

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Admiral Hardison at the Naval Air Station, New Orleans

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Admiral Hardison at the Naval Air Station, New Orleans

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Air transport, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 8/26/44

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TBF target tow

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TBF target tow

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N2S-3's in flight

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BT-13's in flight

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Blimp, Naval Air Station, New Orleans, 4/8/44

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 6:34 pm 
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What an amazing collection of photos!


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 9:13 pm 
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Thank you for sharing them.


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2021 3:50 am 
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Mark, again some lovely, evocative shots. Many thanks for posting!


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2021 4:58 pm 
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Location: Redmond,Oregon
The last time that I was in NAS New Orleans was in 1978. I was flying a Twin Beech hauling explosives. I think that I’d delivered some ejection seat motors from Indian Head, Maryland. My next destination was Davis-Monthan AFB to spend the weekend. I could get cheap avgas and oil and stay in the BOQ. My next pickup would be a load of 12 TOW missiles from Hughes Aircraft at Tucson International on Monday morning and fly them to Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama as test units from the latest production batch.

When I went into Base Ops at NAS New Orleans to file a flight plan there was another pilot also going to Davis-Monthan. He was flying an F105. He filed as having a cruise speed of 500 knots and 2 hours of fuel. I filed for a 150 knot cruise with 6 1/2 hours fuel. I don’t recall how long it took me to get there, but the F-105 was sitting on the ramp when I got to DM. I was still building time, so I wasn’t really jealous. Ah, the Good Old Days.


Last edited by Larry Kraus on Tue May 18, 2021 10:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 12:03 am 
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Gotta say, Mark comes up with some gems


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 7:21 am 
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Best guess on the B-25G is 42-64981. Why it would have the Buzz Number 1534 is a mystery! Fifty aircraft later, the Naval Bureau would receive 42-65031 as their sole PBJ-1G, Bureau Number 35097.

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 7:40 am 
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So what was Robert Taylor, the actor, doing there?

Imdb says:

"From 1943 to 1946, he was in the US Naval Air Corps as a lieutenant, instructing would-be pilots."

Never heard of the "Naval Air Corps" but was Taylor actually in the Navy in '43 instructing?


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 12:58 pm 
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Never would have thought of Bearcats aboard the Ranger!

Great photos.


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2021 8:30 pm 
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Craig59 wrote:
Best guess on the B-25G is 42-64981. Why it would have the Buzz Number 1534 is a mystery!

Some training fields used four-digit codes that had nothing to do with the serial number; mostly on B-25s and B-26s but occasionally larger types - this often-seen shot of B-17F 42-3068 with Lowry Field code "1125" is an example:
Attachment:
B-17F trainer 42-3068 Lowry.jpg
B-17F trainer 42-3068 Lowry.jpg [ 259.79 KiB | Viewed 603 times ]

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Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2021 12:33 am 
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I wonder which British carrier is steaming up the river? The carrier in Camo.

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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2021 6:01 am 
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I'm not sure that's a British carrier, it appears to be an escort/"Jeep" carrier ,which were used by the US Navy as well as by the RN.

Great pictures, and great F105 story Larry Kraus!


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 Post subject: Re: NAS New Orleans ...
PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2021 12:09 pm 
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LysanderUK wrote:
I'm not sure that's a British carrier, it appears to be an escort/"Jeep" carrier ,which were used by the US Navy as well as by the RN.


It is not a Bogue or Casablanca class, which would be American Jeep carriers. She could be the French carrier Be'arn. I do not have my reference books handy.


As always great pictures, Mark. Thank you for posting.

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