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The Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) program began in 1950 to build up a reserve pool of pilots to make up for those lost during WWII and Korea. It was open to qualified enlisted men and applicants with two years of college and lasted until 1968 when adequate numbers of commissioned officers from the Academy and NROTC programs were applying for flight training.
During the pre-flight phase, cadets were housed in barracks and marched in company formation to ground school classes. Close friendship bonds were formed. When moving on to the flight stages, cadets progressed mostly at different rates and may never see one another again.
It was a rare occasion that I and a friend were reunited when assigned to advanced training at NAS Kingsville, Texas and on graduation we both received orders to the same fighter squadron based at NAS Alameda, California.
We found the squadron had just returned from a WESTPAC deployment with AD-5 Skyraiders. That’s right, a Navy Fighter Squadron with AD-5s! Oh! Well! It was 1956 and things were a little different. All but one pilot had already departed to their new duty assignments.
I received orders for a Navy Fighter Squadron with AD-5 Skyraiders.
The squadron now has two newly minted naval aviators, one retread and no airplanes. We know that our new airplanes will be the F2H-3 “Banshee” night fighter. So, next happy hour at the O’Club the conversation Is about “checking out” ourselves in an aircraft we have never seen. This eventually led to the challenge of making that first landing on the first attempt in the prescribed touchdown zone. Without any squadron aircraft available yet, the challenge was revised to renting an aircraft at the local general aviation airport—a Piper Cub!
Arrangements were finalized with my friend in the front and I am seated in the rear. He met the requirements of the challenge and now it was my turn. The view from the rear seat is mostly out the side window. In the turn there is no problem, but when rolling out on the runway centerline, the view is reduced even more. To get a little better view approaching the threshold I leaned to my left and “stretched” up to maybe see a little more of the runway. In doing so my right hand had some upward impetus as well and the next thing I knew I had the stick in my hand but it was no longer connected to the aircraft!
I shouted, “You got it!”. Response…“No, you’re doing just fine”. This was no time to have a long discussion about who had control of the aircraft. I reached down, grabbed the remaining stub and was just barely able to see enough of the edge of the asphalt to continue to touch down. I knew I had been aligned with the centerline and on the desired profile and could see the left edge of the runway. I completed the landing neatly in the prescribed touchdown zone in spite of the modified controls. I guess you could call that a short stick landing. And I won the bet!
Fast forward to my second sea duty tour which was Aircraft Ferry Squadron 32 based at NAS North Island, San Diego. This was a dream job, doing nothing but flying airplanes five days a week. I was home most of the time for the weekend. The squadron required each pilot to be qualified and current in a minimum of six airplanes to be able to move to assignments efficiently. Occasionally a commercial flight to the next assignment was required, but that’s another story.
My assignment this Monday morning was to update the Executive Officer’s (XO) qualification in the SNB/Beechcraft Model 18/C-45 aircraft. The air station’s aircraft was due for overhaul so we were to fly it to overhaul and repair at NAS Pensacola. The planned flight—San Diego, El Paso, Dallas, Pensacola— was uneventful and I signed off on the XO’s re-qual. The next day’s assignment was a newly overhauled SNB back to NAS North Island. The XO was now pilot in command and I was doing co-pilot duties on the flight to Dallas. About halfway from Dallas to El Paso, I asked to fly the rest of the leg to refresh my right seat skills, primarily the landing from the right seat.
My assignment was to update the XO’s qualification in the SNB/Beechcraft Model 18/C-45 aircraft.
The approach and touch down were normal. As the aircraft began to slow and the tail wheel contacted the runway and the aircraft began to drift slightly to the right. I applied some left brake for a correction which did not seem to have any effect. I added a little power on the right engine. No help there either!
By this time, I did not know just exactly what was wrong but I did know I had to do something different. I closed the throttles and applied fairly aggressive braking equally on both brakes. We came to a full stop on the right side of the runway angled slightly left of the runway heading. The tailwheel must have kicked up some dust on the edge of the pavement because the tower said we were cleared to taxi back onto the runway!
The XO taxied clear of the runway and came to a full stop on the taxiway where I did a little trouble shooting. I announced that I was going to move forward slowly and apply the left brake. The aircraft turned RIGHT! I moved forward slowly and applied the right brake and the aircraft turned LEFT! The copilot’s brakes were REVERSED! And this aircraft just out of overhaul!
After parking, shutting down the engines, and chocking the aircraft, we opened a wing inspection panel just above the landing gear. And there it was, a bracket with both hydraulic lines from the rudder pedals only about 1½” apart and 8” of flexible line to the brakes. It could not have been designed better for Murphy’s Law!
Nearing the end of my tour in the ferry squadron, the airlines were expanding rapidly, converting to jet aircraft and hiring pilots to fly them. I decided to change career path.
I chose Pan American because I knew I would be based in San Francisco until I chose to make a move. New hire pilots operate as a flight engineer or navigator/3rd officer. When the flight segment does not require specialized navigation, the 3rd Officer can operate as the copilot.
It was on our eastbound around the world flight that I was the copilot on the London to Paris leg. After shutdown at the gate in Paris, the Captain made the announcement: “Ladies and Gentlemen this is the captain; I would like you to know that textbook landing was made by the copilot. But he had to do that because his wife is on board.”
New hire pilots at Pan Am operate as a flight engineer or navigator/3rd officer.
Moore was transferred to Naval Air Training Command in March 1955, Class 12H-55 and graduated August 1956 as a commissioned Ensign and received the 'Wings of Gold". He was later deployed with the VF-92 Detachment aboard the USS Yorktown CVS-10, from November 1958 to May 1959.
Moore applied for and accepted employment with Pan American World Airways in February1966 before being released from active duty in April 1966.
- My Experience in the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) Program - January 29, 2025
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