Aviation

Interview: Meet the Marines behind the Britney Spears viral video

By Dan Lamothe on April 27, 2011 Afghanistan, Aviation, Bored Marine Video, Pop culture

One week ago on Monday, a Marine corporal in Afghanistan posted a video of him and his buddies lip-syncing Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me.” It was amusing, well-edited and uplifting — and quickly became one of the most popular current YouTube videos in the world after Spears herself shared it on Twitter three days later. By now, you’ve probably seen the video. As I write this post, it has been viewed more than 2.6 million times in less than two weeks. YouTube statistics show it’s the third-most popular music video on the site this week. [HTML1] Not wanting to…

Marines assisting in worst parts of Japan

By Dan Lamothe on March 17, 2011 Aviation, Japan

The devastation in northern Japan following last week’s tsunami and earthquake is still becoming apparent, but Marines are heavily involved in the relief effort, officials said. Marine officials said today that Marines stationed at Camp Fuji deported today for Yamagata, Japan, in support of Operation Tomodachi, the relief effort launched following the disaster. III Marine Expeditionary Force has established a forward headquarters at Yamagata Airport to provide humanitarian assistance. About 588 Marines, sailors and civilians from III MEF and Marine Corps Bases Japan are currently deployed in support of Tomodachi, officials said. Humanitarian assistance survey teams from III MEF reviewed…

Commandant: Marines have passed the 'tipping point' in Sangin

By Dan Lamothe on February 18, 2011 Afghanistan, Aviation, Infantry, MEU operations, Sangin, The CMC

Commandant Gen. Jim Amos met with reporters for breakfast in Washington this morning, and as you’d probably expect, the conversation quickly turned to the war in Afghanistan. Amos declined to discuss specifics about recent M1A1 Abrams tank operations, but said the bulk of them are in northeastern Helmand province, where Marines have been engaged with the Taliban since pushing into violent Sangin district in late summer. While the fighting was fierce this fall, he thinks the area has passed the “tipping point” at which it could easily go back to the way it was. “The Taliban have been driven out,”…

Seven-year-old Brit buys Harrier, Dad grounds him for a week

By Chris Kelly on February 9, 2011 Aviation

I’m kidding about the grounding part, but he wasn’t allowed to keep it. Turns out the kid bought the Harrier Jump Jet T-Bird Aircraft XW269 on British eBay for $113,000. The listing for the item has been removed, but here are some of the Harriers that were previously sold by Jet Art Aviation. It should be noted that the aircraft was no where near flying condition. Once the father discovered the purchase, he contacted Jet Art Aviation, explained the situation and everything was fixed. It’s good to know that when you’re in need of some military equipment, you can always…

Get some — from the air

By Gidget Fuentes on November 26, 2010 Aviation, Camp Pendleton, Training

Let’s face it: There’s usually little to get excited about when it comes to practicing formations, that time consuming but traditional necessity of military life. But up in the air, formations can be, well, more thrilling and less tedious than those on the ground. Add some ammo, and there are few who’d pass up the chance to sling some lead from a helicopter. Like the “Purple Foxes” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, who took to the air over Camp Pendleton, Calif., earlier this month to refresh their skills in aerial formation flights. Along with the requisite “parade” formations, helicopter…

Recon Marines over Afghanistan

By Dan Lamothe on October 14, 2010 Afghanistan, Aviation, Reconnaissance

It’s late in the week, and we can all use a little motivation. So, why not draw attention to a series of photos released by the Marine Corps this week of Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, leaping from a C-130 plane over Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan? The jumps were part of an operation designed to sharpen parachuting, reconnaissance patrolling and maintenance of parachute insert proficiency, Marine officials said.

Calvin and Hobbes makes this Marine's point for him

By Dan Lamothe on September 14, 2010 Aviation, MEU operations

Navy Times staff writer Phil Ewing shares a fun update on the Scoop Deck blog today, and it falls squarely in the category of intra-service rivalry. The photograph above shows Marine Cpl. Brice Millier helping a patient in Guatemala last week as part of Operation Continuing Promise, a humanitarian and civic assistance mission in Central and South America that includes elements of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. You know, the same operation that caused breathless, moronic news reports saying that 7,000 Marines would be deployed to Costa Rica. In any event, Millier is photographed assisting…

High-tech flying – without leaving the ground

By Gidget Fuentes on July 16, 2010 Aviation, Camp Pendleton, Science & Technology, Training

A generation ago, helicopter pilots learned the intricacies of flight and the complexities of the cyclic and collective pretty much the old-fashioned way: They just flew, for real, taking to the air and clocking hours in the cockpit. For perhaps five or 10 percent of the time, they passed the time grounded in digital flight simulators, with simple graphics on flat two-dimensional images and primitive sets of controls. These days, thanks in part to meteoric advances in video-gaming technologies and high-fidelity computer graphics, Marine Corps pilots will spend 50 percent of their training time flying simulated missions seated in a…

Apocalypse Yea!

By Gidget Fuentes on May 7, 2010 Aviation, Camp Pendleton, Miramar

Crank up “Ride of the Valkyries.” Nearly two dozen Marine helicopters – including new four-bladed UH-1Y “Yankee” Hueys and AH-1Z “Zulu” helicopters – took to the air over north San Diego County on May 4, flying in a chevron formation above Interstate 5 as they flew between Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego. Check out a video and report by the local CBS affiliate here. It was a sight that, in the pre-9/11 world, would have drawn numerous complaints of vibrating walls and interrupted conversations from residents in the hilly communities along the freeway. Still,…

‘Sandblasted’: Afghan storm takes Marine helicopter crew by surprise

By Dan Lamothe on May 5, 2010 Afghanistan, Aviation, Embedded journalism

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan – Marines are fond of saying, “Welcome to the suck.” I’m beginning to understand why. Last night, a journalist with NATO TV, Military Times photographer Tom Brown and I caught our heavily anticipated flight to Marjah out of Camp Leatherneck, the Marine Corps’ major operating base in Afghanistan. We planned to land at Landing Zone Currier, which services 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, in northern Marjah. We hopped a CH-53 at Camp Bastion to leave Leatherneck around 7 p.m. under relatively clear skies, and began an easy-going flight. Throughout the flight, everything appeared to be fine to the…

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