Flight 19's Navigation exercise and "final position" on 5 Dec, 1945.
We were asked a great question from a reader in California, who is planning an expedition to the NE coast of Florida, in the hopes of finding Flight 19. His question was:
"What were the Navigational Problems that an Avenger flier had to solve/complete in order to graduate at the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale?" He mentioned that he knew of Navigational Problem #1, from the excerpts at the U.S Naval Inquiry on Flight 19, but didn't know the rest of the Navigational Problems a pilot had to tackle through the aviation course at NASFL.
Here are our findings: each Ensign (cadet) became a TBM/TBF Avenger torpedo bomber pilot, when he completed the following:
Flight 19 was composed of a Flight Instructor, four Naval Aviators undergoing VTB-type advanced training and nine enlisted aircrewmen who, with the exception of one, were all undergoing advanced combat aircrew training in VTB-type aircraft at NAS Fort Lauderdale.
The Overwater Navigation Problems on 5 December 1945 were the following:
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # I
091 degrees...........123 Nautical Miles (NM)
346........................73 NM
241......................120 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # II
132 degrees...........123 Nautical Miles (NM)
025........................ 76 NM
281........................ 67 NM
271........................ 56 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # III
074 degrees...........129 NM
140........................ 59 NM
275........................161 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # IV
091 degrees........... 56 NM
063........................ 77 NM
221........................108 NM
312......................... 73 NM
Above course degrees reference to true north; above distances are in nautical miles.
Flight 19 - "Navigation Problem #1": That the organized over water navigation training flight exercise assigned to Flight 19 on 5 December 1945 was Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, navigation problem No. 1 is as follows; (1) depart 26 degrees 03 minutes north and 80 degrees 07 minutes west and fly 091 degrees (T) distance 56 miles to Hen and Chickens Shoals to conduct low level bombing, after bombing continue on course 091 degrees (T) for 67 miles, (2) fly course 346 degrees (T) distance 73 miles and (3) fly course 241 degrees (T) distance 120 miles, then returning to U.S. Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Click to enlarge and read descriptions.
"What were the Navigational Problems that an Avenger flier had to solve/complete in order to graduate at the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale?" He mentioned that he knew of Navigational Problem #1, from the excerpts at the U.S Naval Inquiry on Flight 19, but didn't know the rest of the Navigational Problems a pilot had to tackle through the aviation course at NASFL.
Here are our findings: each Ensign (cadet) became a TBM/TBF Avenger torpedo bomber pilot, when he completed the following:
- Bombing flights.
- Navigation flights over the water.
- Formation flying.
- Gunnery runs on a towed sleeve.
- Night flying.
Flight 19 was composed of a Flight Instructor, four Naval Aviators undergoing VTB-type advanced training and nine enlisted aircrewmen who, with the exception of one, were all undergoing advanced combat aircrew training in VTB-type aircraft at NAS Fort Lauderdale.
The Overwater Navigation Problems on 5 December 1945 were the following:
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # I
091 degrees...........123 Nautical Miles (NM)
346........................73 NM
241......................120 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # II
132 degrees...........123 Nautical Miles (NM)
025........................ 76 NM
281........................ 67 NM
271........................ 56 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # III
074 degrees...........129 NM
140........................ 59 NM
275........................161 NM
NAVIGATION PROBLEM # IV
091 degrees........... 56 NM
063........................ 77 NM
221........................108 NM
312......................... 73 NM
Above course degrees reference to true north; above distances are in nautical miles.
Flight 19 - "Navigation Problem #1": That the organized over water navigation training flight exercise assigned to Flight 19 on 5 December 1945 was Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, navigation problem No. 1 is as follows; (1) depart 26 degrees 03 minutes north and 80 degrees 07 minutes west and fly 091 degrees (T) distance 56 miles to Hen and Chickens Shoals to conduct low level bombing, after bombing continue on course 091 degrees (T) for 67 miles, (2) fly course 346 degrees (T) distance 73 miles and (3) fly course 241 degrees (T) distance 120 miles, then returning to U.S. Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Click to enlarge and read descriptions.
