Combat aircraft

P

3 ORION FANS should

look away now. Times

are changing in US Navy

maritime patrol circles

and nowhere is this felt

as keenly as it is at Patrol

Squadron (VP) 30 ‘Pro’s Nest’, the sole

Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS, or

RAG — Replacement Air Group) for this

mission. The P-3 has been the stalwart

of Navy sub-hunting for more than

half a century, but the P-8 Poseidon is

rapidly snu ng out the popular, four-

engined Orion.

In the ‘Pro’s Nest’ ready room, instructors

gather to compare the old and the

new in passionate conversation. They

clearly share an a ection for the Orion,

while enjoying the ‘new car smell’ of the

Poseidon and its day-to-day comforts.

‘Honestly, I think ergonomics is the

biggest thing’, comments LT Nick ‘GiGi’

Wilharm, an instructor transitioning

over to the P-8. ‘You’d be surprised how

fatigued you get  ying the P-3 on an

eight- or nine-hour mission. It’s loud, it’s

rough, and the seats aren’t comfortable.

The P-8 is a lot more comfortable and

quiet. Then there’s the ergonomics of

the  ight station. We deal with a lot of

static on the radios and stu like that on

the P-3, while the P-8 has much cleaner

communications.’

VP-30 has been operating the Orion for

an impressive 52 years — it received its

 rst P-8s in 2012. By the end of 2017 there

were only  ve P-3s remaining on the unit,

plus around 10 P-8s. Tentative plans call

for the squadron to phase out its Orions

by the end of next year, although that isn’t

set in stone. Co-located reserve squadron

VP-62 will continue to  y the P-3 as the last

bastion of Orion operations at ‘Jax’.

Training techniques

VP-30 resides on the vast, sun-bleached

concrete ramps of Naval Air Station

Jacksonville, Florida, the spiritual home of

US Navy maritime patrol. This squadron

is unique in that it serves the entire

community, training both P-3 and P-8

aircrews — pilots and naval  ight o cers

(NFOs), plus enlisted aircrews for the  eet.

VP-30 is also responsible for training crews

for VQ-1,  ying the electronic intelligence

(ELINT) EP-3E Aries II, as well as the various

test squadrons including VX-30, VXS-1 and

VPU-2. These squadrons, except VPU-2,

Often overshadowed by

carrier-based aviation, land-

based maritime patrol and

reconnaissance is every bit

as important for the US Navy.

All aviators for this mission

pass through NAS Jacksonville

and VP-30 ‘Pro’s Nest’ — a

squadron that’s been in the

training business for 58 years

and is now in transition from

the P-3C Orion to the P-8A

Poseidon.

REPORT AND PHOTOS

Ivan Voukadinov

58 May 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

58-61 NAS Jax C.indd 58 20/03/2018 11:02