NAS Lemoore , CA, USA - 8th February 2007

My second visit to NAS Lemoore inside three months served to show just how lucky we'd been the first time around. Back then almost all of the sixteen based Hornet squadrons were in residence. This time, by comparison, it was something of a ghost town. The weather was non-comparable too...

Negatives aside, Public Affairs Officer Dennis McGrath was on top form as ever as he guided us around the ramps.

Of course, by UK standards the base was still a hive of activity!

One of the highlights was getting the blue 'adversary' F/A-18C of VFA-125.

It was also nice to get the VFA-137 "Kestrels" CAG, one which had eluded us in November of the previous year.

Up in the far corner of the ramp were the sunshelters belonging to VFA-122 "Flying Eagles", the West Coast Super Hornet Fleet Replenishment Squadron. On our earlier visit the squadron only had F/A-18F models (two seaters) at their disposal. These had now been joined by their single-seat counterparts.

On our prior visit we'd spent a considerable amount of time at the LSO shack, shooting resident Hornets practising carrier approaches, but unfortunately on this occasion there was nothing booked in, so we thanked Dennis and made our way north to the excellent museum at the site of the former Castle AFB .