Year-Long Commemoration Launched January 20

Commander, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) helped kick off Naval Air Station Pensacola's year-long commemoration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation, Jan. 20. Rear Adm. Joseph Kilkenny, NETC commander, addressed a crowd of more than 500 people.

Admiral Killkenny At Centennial Celebration

"In this year of 2011, we absolutely know how aviation positively impacts our maritime forces, and is essential to the defense of our republic," Kilkenny said. "That was not always the case. In 1901 Rear Adm. George Melville wrote in the North American Review that neither the dirigible airship nor the powered flying machine would ever prove of any use commercially, let alone in warfare. Rear Adm. Melville called flight 'wholly unwarranted if not absurd.' Well nobody ever said making admiral gives you wisdom," said Kilkenny.

Other speakers at the event included Capt. Christopher Plummer, NAS Pensacola commanding officer, and Florida Governor Rick Scott.

The Navy officially dates the beginning of its aviation element to May 8, 1911, when the service's first aircraft were requisitioned. Marine Corps Aviation dates its birth to May 22 of the following year, when 1st Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham reported for duty as the first Marine Corps aviator.

The date for Pensacola's kickoff was selected to coincide with the arrival of the team who would develop the first training program and base. "Today marks the exact day 97 years ago – 20 January 1914 - in the spot where Lt. John H. Towers and Lt. Cmdr. Henry C. Mustin landed in Pensacola," said Plummer. "Towers was the officer-in-charge of an aviation unit from Annapolis, Md., consisting of 9 officers and 23 Sailors who arrived on board the battleship USS Mississippi (BB 23) and USS Orion (a cargo ship) to setup a Navy flying school on these beautiful shores. Mustin was in command of the USS Mississippi and this new Naval Air Station. This cadre of naval officers and Sailors erected what became known as the cradle of naval aviation. The rest is history."

Kilkenny told the audience members that as they drive around the Pensacola region, the names of the first pioneers of naval aviation mark the streets, building and other facilities. "Chambers Avenue, Mustin Street, and Whiting Field," Kilkenny said. "These are but a few of the names of our earliest aviation pioneers. The efforts of the brave souls who took to the skies, has grown into a formidable force. In the last 100 years, more than 337,400 men and women have earned their wings as aviators or naval flight officers."

Curtiss Pusher Lands Aboard U.S.S. Pennsylvania

According to Kilkenny, the people who fly aircraft are only part of the maritime aviation story. "From the first, importance was placed on not only training pilots, but also the critical training of the mechanics who maintain the aircraft," Kilkenny said. "As aviation was new, both pilots and mechanics learned 'on the fly.' According to early flyer Lt. John Towers, 'there was no science to flying; it was mostly trial and error.'"

The first aircraft mechanics learned by working in various shops to watch how the wooden frames and pontoons were built, and the fabric was stretched on the wings. The idea was to make them jack-of-all-trades with some knowledge of motors, rigging, blacksmithing, balloons, and how to launch and recover the aircraft from the beach.

"Today our aircraft are among the most technologically advanced in the world," Kilkenny said. "Their maintenance and support is critical to the success of our maritime missions. Most of the skilled aviation technicians are trained here in Pensacola at Naval Air Technical Training Center, just a few hundred yards from here at Chevalier Field. It is this exemplary training that enables our Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard to successfully execute the Maritime Strategy. And it begins here in Pensacola."

During his address, Kilkenny outlined how aviation has expanded its abilities since the early days when aircraft were mainly used for observation. World War II was a turning point for the naval service as the Navy and Marine Corps battlefields came to include the skies over contested land and sea. For the first time, naval engagements were fought entirely in the air.

F/A-18 Landing U.S.S. Enterprise

"Today, from putting boots on the ground to placing precision munitions on target, there are few places on the planet beyond the reach of Naval Aviation," Kilkenny said. "This year, we celebrate 100 years of Naval Aviation. And we look forward to the next 100 years as Pensacola and the Cradle of Naval Aviation continues to build the Global Force for Good."

FMI: www.netc.navy.mil