VF-103 "Jolly Rogers"

From VS-30 "Diamondcutters" over CVN-65 USS Enterprise flight deck. Crashed Sep 10, 2002 while acting as refuelling aircraft off coast of Puerto Rico operating from CVN-75 USS Harry S Truman. Three crew killed.

From VFA-81 "Sunliners" and wearing a MIG-kill markings credited to their pilot Cdr. Mark Fox, who scoring the first Navy MiG kill of Operation Desert Storm.

Tomcat of VF-103 "Jolly Rogers" on board CVN-65 Enterprise. Written off on July 30, 1998, following a mid-air collision with F-14B 162913 over the Mediterranean. 162913 recovered aboard the Ike. 161427 diverted to Antalya, Turkey, but crashed prior to reaching that destination. The pilot lost his life during ejection.

Just wait for the signal

163429 leading a temporary flightline at the Enterprise. The FY86 aircraft eventually started to fly with the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron Blue Angels from early 2019 onwards

The coloured tail of VMFA-251 Thunderbolts in maintenance.

Action!

Baby Hornet calls the ball... F/A-18C during a sunset landing at the BiG-E in the Persian Gulf

You will be surprised how fast the elevator of a carrier moves. When you are on it, you even feel the force of gravity a little, likewise a fast person elevator in a building. Difference is that this elevator carries aircraft, equipment and cargo at the same time. This Hornet is a F/A-18C Block 28 and was ordered in FY87. It was delivered to the US Navy just below three years and started operating with VFA-113. It was last noted within the USMC in mid-2018. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

A clean Hornet near a war-zone, quite unique to see this one on board without bombs, missiles or targeting pod attached. The Enterprise was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom when this picture was made, and nearly all aircraft were loaded with weapons.

A F/A-18C Block 49 that was delivered to the US Navy in 1997. The pilot just took position in hiscockpit and is awaiting approval to activating the engines of the Hornet. The plane captain is just leaning against the nose cone.

Arriving at a carrier is always kind of hectic, all this cargo was off-loaded from a C-2A Greyhound (and a large Hornet engine part is not included in this picture...). On the right of the pile of cargo, you can identify my black photo camera backpack and accompanied with a brown travel bag, both on top of a metal box. But... the F/A-18C is of course more important in this picture. This Hornet started to fly with the Navy in the mid-nineties and was last noted (2020) operating within the USMC.

This is a F/A-18C-27 Lot 11 ordered in US FY87. The Hornet was delivered on 17 February 1989 and started its career with the USMC as WD-13 with VMFA-212, was transferred as WT-06 to VMFA-232 (Feb 91), DB-15 VMFA-235 (Mar 93), WT-11 VMFA-232 (Sep 93), WD-04 VMFA-212 (Mar 95), DB-10 VMFA-235 (Jul 95), WT-07 VMFA-232 (Jan 96), WD-01 VMFA-212 (Jun 96), WT-01 VMFA-232 (Feb 02), and then swapped to the US Navy AB-410 VFA-86 (Feb 03), AB-304 VFA-136 (Feb 06), NJ-302 VFA-125 (Aug 08), VFA-122(by Jul 11), as eventually coded 25 with VFA-122 in a 100 years navy c/s (Apr 11). Since January 2014 stored at Davis-M.