Smyrna times., 1963-02-21
Story And Photos
BY SSgt. Bob Olsen

Idu1O OPCA dlOA D NAS" NihSAo
and student officer navigators.
This was the day they would
hear where they were going on
their first overwater navigator
check mission. Bermuda, jam
aica and Cuba all had been
rumored as destinations.
''Now you student navigators
be sure TO take down the name
of your pilot as | read off the
list of crews" A tall, tanned
captain said.
But instead of giving the des-
tinations of the flights, the cap
tain launched into an explana-
tion of the customs and recrea-
tional facilities of Guantanamo,
Cuba, U.S.. Navy base, Kings
ton, Jamaica, capital of the
British crown colony.
AT last he finished his dis
sertation on monies, hotels and
tourist sites. Another captain
mounted the stage to give a
briefing on the routes and un-
usual weather conditions In the
areas.
This was the half way-mark
in the studentnaWgators' train
ing. 1t had all started a few
months ago when they arrived at
James Connally Air Force
Base, Texas, home of the Air
Forces Navigator Training
Center.
Now, In a few weeks, these
same student officers would be
flying in C-l24 Globemasters
and C-l33 Cargomasters of the
Military Air Transport Service
(MATS). some of them, here at
Dover Air Force Base.
But lot of training goes into
the making of navit
Before he ever comes to
Dover he will have had train
ing in such subjects as water
survival, altitude familiariza-
tion, International Morse Code
and weather.
The first thing he will learns
dead reckoning navigation,
which is the basis for all air
navigation. In fact, any other
navigation system is merely
an aid to DR..
Simply states, DR. is flying
a set compass course, taking
into account wind drift and its
effect on the aircraft. With
this knowledge, the navigator
can tell the pilot to change head
ing to keep the aircraft
on course.
But, DR. alone can't be used
as effectively. say, for example.
at high attitudes, over polar
regions, and especially over
water. So navigators learn other
and more complicated systems
such as LORAN, radar, sunlines
and pressure patterns, night
celestial, and ploar gridnaviga-
tion.
But the training the student
navigator receives In school
only qualities him to be non
qualified navigator after he ar
rives at Dover to join the Mill
tary Air Transport Service.
Here his training goes on =
often long after navigator
school as the young officer
reports into flying squadron
to fill a position on a MATS
aircraft reserved only for a man
who knows his business.
After navigator receives the
stamp of qualified he will have
flown some 800 hours and at
tended many special MATS in
doctrinations. Once qualified he
will find himself on board one
of Dover's transports logging
many flying hours and plotting
courses to almost every place
In the world; In many cases,
countries and air fields with
names he had never heard
about before.
AT the same time, the young
officers training continues. He
has a high ladder to climb with
many goals to reach: unit staff
navigator, wing /group staff
navigator, Transport Air Force
navigator and command staff
navigator. Along the way he will
upgrade to instructor navigator
and then flight examiner.
But all of these rungs of the
ladder take time and many hours
of flying; training and above all,
the desire to learn.
Certain naWgators In MATS
take on added responsibilities
as they move into positions of
staff navigator for units from
squadron through command
levels.
Prior to assignment as unit
staff navigator, an officer must
first qualify as navigator flight
examiner. Once qualified, his
increased responsibilities are
many.
Duties for squadron staffnav-
igators include providing squa-
dron commanders with current
information regarding naviga-
tional aspects of the unit flying
mission; establishing unit navi-
cation ground training and flight
training programs; and for
warding recommendations re-
garding the level of training.
The dutues of the wing /group
staff navigator include the quail
| ification of naviqator nennle and