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The Amazing Aviation Story of VFP

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The Amazing Aviation Story of VFP Light Photographic Squadron (VFP) 62 CAG Commander English (left) congratulating VFP– 62 detachment pilots (left to right) Lieutenant Commander Ward Berkey, Lieutenant Junior Grade Rick Maioriello and Lieutenant Eugene Bezore on return to stateside aboard USS Essex (CVA–9), November 1958. Richard Maioriello collection rnest Hemingway once wrote of fighter pilots and their planes: “You love a lot of things if you live around them. But there isn’t any woman and there isn’t any horse, nor any before nor any after, that is as lovely as a great airplane. EAnd men who love them are faithful to them even though they leave them for DEDICATION: others. Man has one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely airplane he loses ONE AVIATOR’S SURPRISE DISCOVERY AND it to, there is where his heart will be forever.” Examples of this love and devotion Hemingway recognized are all around us at the National Naval Aviation Museum HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE AN OLD WARBIRD and other fine aviation museums throughout the world. And behind each restored by Mr. Ken Jack aircraft, there is a love story. Such a story for Colonel Richard “Rick” full-steam towards Beirut 700-miles away. The Maioriello, USAF (Ret.), began when, as a Sixth Fleet super carrier USS Saratoga (CVA–60) 20-year-old Navy ensign in December 1956, he was anchored at Cannes, France, and similarly reported to Light Photographic Squadron (VFP) departed to join Essex. 62. Rick laughs today recollecting when, after Events heated up quickly as a result of flight training, his training officer told him of his President Eisenhower authorizing Operation new assignment to the photo recon squadron, Blue Bat on 5 July 1958 to bolster Lebanese and was surprised when Rick responded that he President Chamoun against the internal would rather be a fighter pilot. The training officer opposition. It would become another Cold War looked at the just-hatched ensign Naval Aviator, test of wills between the United States and the ignored his plea and said he was going to be a Soviet Union. The U.S. operation, while limited, photo reconnaissance pilot anyway. Rick answered had the objective to occupy and secure the Beirut something like, “In that case, I volunteer.” He did International Airport and secure the port of not know what a great opportunity this was; as Beirut and approaches to the city. TheEssex and a photo pilot he could lead flights and complete Saratoga air groups were first tasked to provide missions, as opposed to becoming “tail-end fighter cover when the Marine assault force Charlie” in a fighter squadron. went ashore. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev In November 1957, after attending the Navy threatened to use nuclear weapons in the case of Photographic School in Pensacola, Rick joined an American intervention. VFP–62’s photo detachment aboard USS Essex Eventually the British carrier HMS Eagle (CVA–9) flying the squadron’s Grumman F9F– (R05) operated between the American carriers Detachment P.I. Lieutenant Junior Grade D.J. Looney, Jr. (middle) briefing a Lebanon mission to (left to 8P “Photo” Cougar jets. On 6 July 1958, Essex and the coast of Israel to provide air cover for the right) CAG Commander English, VFP–62 officer-in-charge Lieutenant Commander Ward Berkey and was anchored at Athens, Greece, in the eastern British airlift to Amman, Jordan. While a naval Lieutenant Junior Grade Rick Maioriello. Richard Maioriello collection Mediterranean when Lebanon was threatened by threat was not deemed likely, the antisubmarine mission records,” Rick remembers. In fact, Essex however, they were left to their own devices and a civil war between the Maronite Christian and warfare carrier USS Wasp (CVS–18) joined the and Saratoga passed the 3,000 sortie mark by 3 Rick recalls, “While our planes on occasion had Muslim factions. The Muslims were trying to push 70-ship flotilla. Navy aircraft were tasked with August and accumulated 6,985 sorties for 15 July taken small arms fire, none of us ever knew if we Lebanon away from its alignment with the West show-of-force flyovers and close-air support. to 5 September. were hit until the aircraft was post-flighted aboard and towards the United Arab Republic. At 0400 VFP–62’s photographic reconnaissance would The intense flight operations would also the ship.” VFP–62’s Lieutenant Junior Grade the crew of the ship was awakened to the noise of play an important role in the operation. “That bring a tragedy to VFP–62’s small detachment. Charlie Counter aboard Saratoga found a bullet pulling up the anchor and getting underway. The operation really pulled the men of the ship Rick’s close friend and fellow pilot, Lieutenant hole in his Cougar’s tail section. ship’s helicopters had to ferry stranded enlisted together with us flying ’round the clock for Junior Grade Richard L. “Deke” Dieterich, was Once over the target, they discovered a partial and officers left behind to the carrier headed over 45 days, breaking all kinds of flying and killed while flying a low-level mission 19 July cloud cover and since the photo pilot was the 1958 over a Lebanese valley taking photos of lead, he instructed the fighter escort to remain gun emplacements when he hit the mountain at altitude while he went below the clouds to peak coming out of the valley. Later, his body complete the mission. This was not unusual was retrieved and returned to Essex. A memorial to separate from the escort because their close service was held and the body returned to presence would often interfere with successful his family. Curiously, research for this article mission completion. Rick says: turned up no mention of this accident and it There were clouds directly over the target which is apparent that it was scrubbed from available was a house on top of a mountain surrounded by documentation to avoid disclosing U.S. a valley and other similar mountains. I would be reconnaissance capabilities at the time. This unable to take any photos from above and decided Cold War secrecy happened before the U–2 to photograph the target from the side, rotating shootdown over the Soviet Union in May 1960, my cameras to the 45-degree oblique position. I the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961 and the needed to fly slow to maneuver in this relatively Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. tight area and also to conserve fuel. Aware that Deke had problems previously, I lowered my flaps Three days later, Rick flew the same photo to full down position. This would turn out to be recon mission that killed Deke. He recalls that a great decision. I was basically in a 45-degree the mission was to take photos of Muslim leader bank turn to the left taking picture after picture, Walid Jumblatt’s headquarters in the Bekaa Valley. increasing and decreasing the bank as necessary Because reconnaissance aircraft are unarmed, to keep the target in the cameras’ view. they often are assigned a fighter escort to protect Unlike the aerobatic skills necessary for a them from hostile fighters. For anti-aircraft fire, Rick Maioriello’s VFP–62 F9F–8P “Photo” Cougar, Bureau Number 144402, in 1958. Richard Maioriello collection fighter pilot, the recon pilot must concentrate 12 Foundation • Spring 2015 Foundation • Spring 2015 13 on keeping his aircraft oriented correctly, while By the time the Lebanon crisis ended Essex operating the cameras and flying the aircraft. lost three pilots and a chief petty officer was Suddenly he faced the worst of all situations killed on the flight deck. Before leaving its in low-level flight: deployment to the Sixth Fleet, Essex was ordered I suddenly stalled because of too much bank and to pass through the Suez Canal, then to the area started falling into the valley. I reflexively pushed of Taiwan in the Formosa Straits to strengthen the throttle to the wall and went forward on the the Seventh Fleet, heavily involved with action stick to regain flying speed. I expected to crash and at Quemoy and Matsu (Saratoga’s draft was three was too low to eject. I was looking up at the tree feet deeper than the allowed depth to go through tops on both sides of my canopy; as they say, your the canal at that time). The extra-long cruise of life flashes before you. For me, I remember seeing Essex finally ended and returned to the United a newspaper headline “Second Plane Crashes in States in November 1958 with two Armed Forces L e b an on .” Expeditionary Medals. The young aviator’s training paid off, however: After his naval service was completed, Rick Fortunately my plane regained flying speed— returned to Philadelphia, completed college still quite slow (around 160 knots)—and began and entered medical school, while flying with climbing slowly out of the valley. I held my the reserves at Willow Grove. Later, he was breath and prayed that I would have enough approached by the Air Force to re-enlist as climb speed to clear the mountain in front of part of a pilot-physician program. He would me. I barely did and then climbed through the eventually fly F–102s, F–105s and finish with The rediscovered F9F–8P, BuNo 144402, in 2004. Richard Maioriello collection cloud cover to get my wits about me. At altitude the F–4D Phantom II. With his aviation career I noticed the barrier guard, which is g-force actuated, had come out and was visible through behind him, he entered private practice as an museum officials were convinced since he had a his volunteer crew fixed all the glass, repaired the front windshield like a large middle finger.
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