VA-127 Desert Bogeys
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Batmen - about 1970
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Cylon - about 1975
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? - about 1980
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Desert Bogeys about 1990
Patch courtesy of Mark Robbins
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Patch
Handle
Heritage
- 24JUL1961: VF-126 detachment arrives at NAS Lemoore.
- 15JUN1962: VA-127 is formed from the VF-126 detachment.
- 01MAR1987: VA-127 is redesignated VFA-127.
- 23MAR1996: VFA-127 is disestablished.
- History article
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Home Ports
Air Wings
Deployments
Aircraft
Commanding Officers
- 31JUL1961: CDR E.G. Tiffany
- 1964: CDR J.S. Harper
- 1965: CDR Woolson S. Brown
- 1966: CDR John Duck
- 1967: CDR Edward W. V. Webster
- 1982: CAPT Wiley P. DeCarli
- 1983: CDR P.J. "Booger" Valovich
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Events
- History:
VFA-127's history goes back to NAS Moffett Field, CA when it was part of VF-124, the F-8 RAG squadron. It operated as a separate command in the same hangar as VA-125 and VF-124. All of us replacement pilots would go and get our 10 flight under the bag before we would begin our A-4 or F-8 transition. The first time I see in my log book that I flew with them Was 4 April of 1960 at NAS Moffett Field. The stamp in my book says VF-124 Jet instrument Training completed on 15 April 1960.
On July 24, 1961, when an advance party of one officer and 17 enlisted men arrived at the newly commissioned Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA, as the nucleus of a Jet Instrument Training Unit. Designated as Detachment ALPHA -- the first unit to conduct scheduled flying from the jet air station -- its primary mission was all-weather jet instrument training for fleet replacement pilots and fleet squadron pilots of the Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet.
I flew with VF-124 Det A again 15-25 May of 1962 while I was assigned to VA-93 as the Asst. Ops and Training Officer. The detachment was re designated Attack Squadron (VA) 127 on June 15, 1962.
I was assigned to VA -127 in 68-69 as the Flight Training Officer. We were flying the TA-4F/J. We did a lot of jet transition of VP pilots who were moving into A-4's because of the shortage of A-4 pilots. We started the adversary training also at that time. We were still the primary instrument training squadron on the West Coast. We began working on a jet spin training program also at this time. The A-7 squadrons were loosing aircraft in Vietnam due to stall spins at high gross weights. Two of us, the Safety Officer and myself, went to NAF Monterey to check out in the T-1A. We were slated to receive two of the T-1A's, however that program fell through. VA-125 was doing A-7A/B training and VA-122 was doing A-7E training.
In 1974-77 while I was OpsO, XO and CO of VC-7 at NAS Miramar our support squadron was VC-13 in New Orleans. We could not handle all of the request for air support missions from Surface Force Pacific so we requested that NavResFor supply a det from VC-13 to augment us at Miramar. That worked so well that they were given a home port change to Miramar. VC-13 got right in on the adversary work as well as target towing and radar calibration flights. VC-13, VF-126 became the primary adversary squadrons at NAS Miramar. VC-7 had all we could handle with the target towing missions.
VA-127 was again re designated VFA-127 on March 1, 1987, in keeping with its new role as the Pacific Fleet adversary squadron responsible for training Naval Strike Fighter pilots in air-to-air combat.
In October 1987, the squadron moved to NAS Fallon, making VFA-127 the only Navy squadron permanently based in Nevada.
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 127, the Navy's last active-duty adversary squadron at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, NV, was disestablished on 23 March 1996. The adversary role performed by the "Desert Bogeys" at NAS Fallon since 1987 was assumed by the "Fighting Saints" of Fighter Squadron Composite 13. While VFA-127 flew both F-5's and F/A-18's in the adversary role, VFC-13 only flies F-5's. Most of the Hornets from VFA-127 were transferred to the reserve force.
Dick Dellwo
CDR USN(Ret.)
Provided 2005
- 24JUL1961:
VF-124 Detachment ALPHA, from NAS Moffett Field, began conducting flights out of the new NAS at Lemoore CA. It became the basis of a Jet Instrument Training Unit for fleet replacement pilots for the Pacific Fleet.
- 15JUN1962:
Detachment ALPHA is redesignated VA-127.
- SEP1966:
VA-127 changes aircraft to the TA-4 Skyhawk
- 1968-69:
VA-127, the primary instrument training unit for the West Coast, adds adversary training to their mission.
- OCT 1973:
The Flight of the Echos to Israel.
- 01MAR1987:
VA-127 is redesignated VFA-127.
- OCT 1987:
VFA-127 moves from NAS Lemoore to NAS FAllon, and is the only permanently based squadron there.
- 23MAR1996:
VFA-127 is disestablished. The adversary role is picked up by VC-13.
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Awards
Sources
- LCDR Allen P. Green III USN
- Mark Robbins
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