VMFAT-101 Sharpshooters F-4S Model Fly with the VMFAT-101 Sharpshooters in this hand crafted F-4S model. Each piece is carved from wood and hand painted to provide a piece you'll love. Length - 18 inches Made from Mahogany US Veteran Owned Business The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger. Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet training squadron. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW). History Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101), was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California on January 3, 1969, as part of Marine Combat Crew Readiness Training Group 10, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron trained naval aviators and naval flight officers in the employment of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. VMFAT-101 flew its first training sortie February 20, 1969, and completed its first class of fighter aircrew by August of that year. During the summer of 1970, VMFAT-101 moved to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. In 1972 the Sharpshooters earned their first Chief of Naval Operations CNO Aviation Safety Award for Excellence in aviation safety after compiling over 18,300 mishap free flight hours. In July 1974, VMFAT-101 absorbed the assets of VMFAT-201 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina and became the largest fixed wing tactical jet squadron and the sole remaining F-4 training squadron in the Marine Corps. The Sharpshooters earned the 1976 CNO Aviation Safety Award, as well as the Commanding General Fleet Marine Forces Pacific Aviation Safety Award in 1978 and 1979 while it amassed over 30,000 mishap-free flight hours. The Sharpshooters continued to train aircrews in the venerable Phantom II and in 1983 earned the coveted Marine Corps Aviation Association Robert M. Hanson Award as the finest fighter squadron in Marine aviation. May 20, 1987, VMFAT-101 trained its last F-4 replacement aircrew; during July the squadron flew its remaining 10 F-4 aircraft to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., for permanent storage. During the 18 years VMFAT-101 flew the Phantom, the Sharpshooters amassed over 125,000 flight hours training Marine and Navy aircrews for the fleet. On September 29, 1987, VMFAT-101 returned to MCAS El Toro to beginning training as the Marine Corps’ dedicated F/A-18 Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS). On March 31, 1988, MCCRTG-10 deactivated and VMFAT-101 joined Marine Aircraft Group 11. By October of that year, the Sharpshooters owned 21 F/A-18s, had trained 25 qualified instructor pilots and were ready to begin training new Hornet pilots. By May 1989 VMFAT-101 graduated 23 new F/A-18 pilots and accumulated over 11,000 mishap free Hornet flight hours. With three times the number of aircraft of a typical F/A-18 squadron, VMFAT-101 is capable of producing 40 replacement pilots (RPs) in addition to refreshing numerous former fleet aviators that are out of currency. Another important function that VMFAT-101 serves is the grooming of Marine Corps and Navy maintenance personnel. With such a large number of aircraft, there is also a very large number of people that earn critical maintenance qualifications and assume leadership positions while they are in the SharpShooters. The focus of flight training while at VMFAT-101 is oriented towards the tactical employment of the F/A-18 in various combat scenarios. Collectively referred to as replacement aircrew (RACs), these aviation officers undergo intense training that normally lasts 44 weeks and is broken into four distinct phases: Transition, Air-to-Ground, Air-to-Air, and Carrier Qualification. The first training phase is the Transition Phase, which is the shortest phase in duration and covers the most basic aircraft procedures, focusing primarily on Naval Air Training and Operating Procedu
