Naval Aviation Goes Retro

Harkening back to 1942’s Battle of Midway, an S-3B Viking of the Naval Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-30 recently rolled from the paint shop resplendent in the colors of World War II’s Pacific Theater. In preparation for naval aviation’s 100th anniversary next year, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are painting more than 20 aircraft in “heritage” paint schemes of that era as they pass through maintenance at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in Jacksonville, Fla. “We wanted to participate in the centennial and pay tribute to our heritage,” said Cmdr. John Rousseau, VX-30’s commanding officer. Among the other aircraft are a Seahawk helicopter adorned in the colors of a Grumman F6F Hellcat and a pair of T-45 Goshawk trainers sporting the golden-winged training pattern of the 1930s. (NAS Jacksonville release)