First Hawkeye comes to roost at NAS Fallon

It was a day of firsts and lasts at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon.

The command received its first E-2C Hawkeye, which will be based there permanently, and used by the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School - which teaches aviators battle management, command and control, communications and surveillance.

Wednesday also was, however, the last flight for the department head, Cmdr. Richard "Stormy" Weathers, who is headed to a naval staff job in Washington, D.C.

Weathers brought the Hawkeye in low, making a sweeping turn over the flightline before circling out and landing the twin-engine, turboprop aircraft.

After the engines and propellers were silent, Weathers was greeted by his co-workers as he climbed from the plane - the plane he worked for nearly two years to secure for NSAWC.

When Rear Adm. Mark Emerson arrived as commander of NSAWC in June 2006, Weathers proposed the idea of bringing Hawkeyes to the command permanently. The school holds four classes each year to train students as instructors in their respective air wings. However, without E-2C aircraft, it became difficult to give students hands-on experience with their newly acquired skills.

Lt. Dave Nistler, an instructor and Hawkeye pilot, said the plane is able to provide information in real-time during flying exercises, giving the flight officers the opportunity to scan the skies roughly 200 miles from their positions.

The Hawkeye is flown by two pilots, and three naval flight officers work at radar scopes in the belly of the plane. The aircraft's main job is to provide communication between friendly aircraft, ships at sea and ground stations to create a battle management plan.

Nistler said the plane's information is transmitted to a satellite that sends it to other aircraft in the scenario.

Another Hawkeye is expected at NSAWC in August, Weathers said.