Navy Memphis Tailhooks

[Will Hinton]

During a couple of recent message exchanges with Paul Taylor down in Millington, Tennessee, I told him I had run across some old (very old) pictures from my time on the Naval Air Training Center there and he suggested I either send them to him or post them.  In thinking it over, I thought there might be some old buddies/cohorts who might enjoy them and show up here.
I'm talking about guys like Ken Gurganus, Duane Kassa and the like.  I located Gurganus sometime back down in one of the Carolinas, and "Kass" is somewhere out in the northwest.  Kass was the senior B speed champ in 1958 and was a Wisnewski student while Ken was a really accomplished stunt pilot.
The Tailhooks were based in the hobby shop on the south side of the base, right next to a small chapel.  we flew between the shop and the chapel.
When you joined the 'Hooks you got your own building bench with a locker underneath and access to a wealth of help and goodies.  There was also a wood working shop in the other part of the hobby shop.  It was a very nice facility with a well stocked hobby store.
I was flying combat then and enjoyed the generousity of Kass in that he gave me a Torp greenhead he had reworked for the Whatsit I was flying.  No one was flying any faster, and not many as fast, as that beast was taking the Whatsit!  (The engine was stolen from me while I was in Quonset Point and of all the engines I ever had, I would rather have it back than any of them just because of what it represented.)
There was a good contingent of combat flyers there, we had our own carrier deck, and two or three good stunt flyers.  It was such a good time that my studies in aviation electronics took something of a back seat!  Yeah, I graduated and eventually made second class P.O. but coulda done better.
If you were ever a Tailhook, or enjoyed the hobby shop in any way, how about sharing your experiences with us?
Now...the pictures:  The first is myself (left) and Ken Gurganus.
The second is Ken with his Ruffy, the newly kitted stunt sensation of the day.

[Will Hinton]

Next is a large group of the club guys.  I was starting the Torp when someone hollered at me; a buddy named Stew was my holder.  He flew a lot of combat with me as I recall.,
The next picture is just a closer look while I tweaked the Torp.

[Will Hinton]

And finally, Stew getting ready for a bout with yours truly.  (That's my whatsit on the ground in the foreground.

[Will Davis]

Will,

Great pictures, any idea where the guy is in Carolina,

[RC Storick]

Thanks Will for posting memories I flew there in 73.

[Will Hinton]

Robert, that's so cool.  I left at the end of '59.  Did anyone hit the chapel while you were there?  We always dreaded the thought of that happening!

Will, I lost Ken's email address during a computer crash, but I bet I can find him again!  He made aviation insurance his career.

[RC Storick]

Robert, that's so cool.  I left at the end of '59.  Did anyone hit the chapel while you were there?  We always dreaded the thought of that happening!

Will, I lost Ken's email address during a computer crash, but I bet I can find him again!  He made aviation insurance his career.

Nope but I made a lot of noise with my 100 MPH ringmaster G21.35

If my memory serves me I lived in the barrack's directly behind the guy standing on the side walk across the grinder.

Chapel to the left of him and behind carrier deck hobby shop to the right out of view. I could be wrong but thats what I get from this picture. Because I know where the square concrete pad was to stand on.

[John Stiles]

You guys sure had it good....whenever I had spare time it was in the Armory cleaning BARs. Great pics by the way....makes me remember how old I'm gettin. USN 1967/1971 Loved our wooden barracks....polished hardwood floors.

[Zuriel Armstrong]

Wow...I was friends with a dependent and flew there often from 75-78. Pretty neat seeing the old hobby shop building and chapel. I had an encounter with my new OS35 and a Top Flite nylon 10x6 prop right outside the shop doors on a test stand.

[RC Storick]

I was a company commander there, 32B, AM ratings, and flew some when I had time. If you were to visit now, you would not recognize the place.. Every single old building has been torn down and replaced and I do mean every single one.
The lady that ran the hobby shop went out of her way to order stuff for me and the others. Wish the hobby shop was here.

My last trip to Millington I went by the AB and was not able to get in. I asked a cop about it but it was like talking to the wall seeing he was not even born when I was there.

[Will Hinton]

Wow, Robert, we didn't have a concrete pad!  We probably wouldn't have known what to do with it if we would have!  This is great to hear of so many of us with the base in common.
And you have your directions right as to placement of the places.

Ty, most of the wooden classroom buildings needed to be torn down when I was there!!!!!  At least on the south side.  I remember where we had antenna theory the thing was really a wreck.

[RC Storick]

it was only a 2'X2' square in the center

[Paul Taylor]

Thanks Will for posting these.  I was a rug rat and got to fly there a few times in the early 70's. I did not know any of the guys but a few guys saw a kid with a Cox P-51 and helped me. I think there might have been some type of take off pad.
I remember looking in the building area and the smell of ambroid glue and dope.

[Will Davis]

Now this is he kind of postings I enjoy,

[john e. holliday]

This is great to see the history of you gentlemen.   

[RC Storick]

Wow, Robert, we didn't have a concrete pad!  We probably wouldn't have known what to do with it if we would have!  This is great to hear of so many of us with the base in common.
And you have your directions right as to placement of the places.

Ty, most of the wooden classroom buildings needed to be torn down when I was there!!!!!  At least on the south side.  I remember where we had antenna theory the thing was really a wreck.

Funny how the mind works. I have not been there in over 30 years but seeing this brings me right back.

[Dan McEntee]

  I love this stuff. Hope there are more pictures out there, more stories to be told, and ties to be re-established. I think I like this almost as much as flying. This is that "connection" thing I mentioned in another post. A guy puts up a few pictures, and look how many others have some connection to it. As long as the forum exists, they'll be up there for others to discover, and be preserved, so new comers and really see what it was like back in the day. Wish I had something similar. I have a few pics of my younger brother and I when were were kids with some airplanes, but only a few. Again, I hope others can put up some more stuff. I can't WAIT for Wynn Paul to come out with his book and see the photos that he's gathered for that. It will be worth the price for that alone. Allen Brickhaus would bring his photo albums out to contests and they were a hoot to  go through. I'll miss that.
  Thanks for sharing,
   Dan McEntee

[Will Hinton]

Wynn's books are unbelievable.  And I only saw them many years ago at a Cleveland contest which was still held at Cleveland Hopkins Field.  We gathered at Jerry & Merry's house Saturday night and gazed for hours!  hey that was in the 90's, can't imagine what he has now!!

[wwwarbird]

 Neat stuff. Always love checking out the old photos, thanks for sharing.