In appreciation of Northwest naval aviation, The Museum of Flight in Seattle will present a day of activities Oct. 30, including the exhibition of a U.S. Navy Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion patrol aircraft in the museum parking lot, and a 2 p.m. panel presentation with P-3 flight crew members.
The four-engine Orion is based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and its crew will be available for questions at the plane throughout the day. The panel will be moderated by Cmdr. Steve Richards, who is a P-3 pilot and the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Detachment Seattle. The program will be in William M. Allen Theater, and free with admission to the museum. This event is the kick-off to a series of naval aviation programs to be held at the Museum of Flight in 2011 as part of the U.S. Navy Centennial of Naval Aviation.
The P-3 Orion has been the U.S. Navy’s frontline, land-based maritime patrol aircraft since the 1960s. The most capable Orion version is the P-3C, first delivered to the Navy in 1969. The Navy implemented a number of major improvements to the P-3C during its production run. P-3C aircraft communication, navigation, acoustic, non-acoustic and ordnance/weapon systems are still being modernized within several improvement programs to satisfy navy and joint requirements through the early part of the 21st century. Originally designed as a land-based, long-range, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) patrol aircraft, the P-3C’s mission has evolved in the late 1990s and early 21st century to include surveillance either at sea or over land.
For more information: MuseumOfFlight.org
