Description

VXN-8 Project Magnet Paisano Dos NC-121K Model,Lockheed Martin, Mahogany Scale Model

Fly with the VXN-8 Project Magnet Paisano Dos in this handcrafted NC-121K Model. Each model is carved from wood and hand painted to provide a piece you’ll love.

• Length- 18 inches
• Made from Mahogany
• US Veteran-Owned Business
• Officially Licensed by Lockheed Martin

LOCKHEED MARTIN®, CONSTELLATION®, associated emblems and logos, and body designs of vehicles are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the USA and/or other jurisdictions, used under license by Squadron Nostalgia

The squadron was designated VXN-8 m January 1969 and, in 1973.replaced its C-121s and NC-54 w ,the RP-3 aircraft.
. ·Today, the squadron conducts airborne magnetic, geophysical, oceanographic and acoustic surveys to collect data needed to support fleet operations and Department of Defense oceanographic requirements. VXN-8 flies ftve arrcrart. man all-Orion fleet Projects Birdseye and Ovtposl Seascan each use an RP-3A equipped with extensively modif1ed navigation systems. sophisticated sensors and spec1ahzed instrumentation.The only RP-30 in the Navy’s inventory was built especially for VXNa·s Project Magnet. Usmg only nonferrous metals throughout the inter~or of the a1rcraft aft of the mam cabin door, the P-3C airframe enables the senstUve vector magnetometer to perform its mission, distortion-free. Its bomb bay compartment was converted into a sixth fuel tank,  increasing the operating range Rounding out the squadron’s fleet are two UP-3A training aircraft All of VXN-8’s a1rcraft are painted international orange and white to readily 1dentify them as overt, nonweapon-carrying platforms, and each of the squadron’s project aircraft sport an officially sanctioned cartoon character typifying its assigned mission. The squadron is uniquely tasked with three ongoing missions from which it gets tts nickname. the World Travelers
The ProJect Magnet aircraft hosts the cartoon character ” Roadrunner,” and is the only airborne source that collects worldwide geomagnetic data required
for safety of navigatton. antisubmarine warfare (ASW) and various scientific

prOJeCtS. “EI Coyote” sign1fies Project Outpost Seascan , wh1ch IS a worldwide prOJeCt work1ng m con1uncuon With ASWEPS Seascan collects thermal and acoustic data from the oceans m order to 1mprove env~ronmenta l forecasting which •s essential to the U.S Navy’s ASW program. The Project Birdseye aircraft displays the “Artie Fox.” Project personnel compile accurate data concerning polar tee, and provide pinpoint mapping of the changing magma tee zone while the aircraft surveys the Arctic Basm. The UP-3As dtsplay the characters ” Tasmantan Devtl” and ” Loon” and are used tn logistics support mtssions and lor train1ng the atrcrewmen. Since a recent reorganization of the Naval Air Force. US Atlantic Fleet VXN-8 tS now recogntzed as the 25th act1ve P-3 squadron mstead of a spectal mtsstons unn. The World Travelers are a fleet command under the administrative control of Commander Patrol Wings, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The squadron is under the operational control of Commander in Chief, U S Atlantic Fleet and. for technical direction tasking and resource support. It looks to Commanding Officer, Naval Oceanographic Office Safety is a must for the squadron, wh1ch maintains an extensive flight schedule. “The crews previously detached to conduct (operations independently for two months but I thought that was pushing safety of fltght. constdermg the way we have to operate. · Cdr Iversen scud ”Smce the earth’s magnetic field iS more stable at night, most of the flying takes place then. The preflights are done tn the early eventng. the crews launch around 2000 and don’t return until 0800 the nex1 day. They continue this pattern for several cycles. with one dey’ of rest between mtss1ons.” the C 0 explained. “After three or four cycles m a row. the crew needs to get back tn a regular routine; otherwise. complacency and frustration could set tn ” Now, the detachment for a crew is a maximum of six weeks. The crew on Magnet flights, which are always designed to be two months, swap with a fresh crew from home at the mtdway point of the detachment It can become easy to cut corners 1f you’re not careful,” Cdr. Iversen added The World Travelers can’t be charged wtth cuttmg corners. VXN-8 has not experienced an accident since its establishment m 1967, and the squadron celebrated tiS 20th birthday with more than 79,000 acctdent-free hours. This milestone s1gnifies the professionalism which is charactenstlc of squadron personnel with the current authorization of 34 officers and 163 enltsted btllets, the squadron forms five flight crews They include· three pilots, two flight engmeers from etther the AMS, AMH, AME AE or AD rating, two naval flight off•cers (one ocean project navigator and one ocean project coordinator), two enlisted utility aircrewmen, one aviatton ordnanceman. one radar operator, one rad1ornan. and four ctvllian sctenusts These crew members are the sole techntclans of the a~rcraft dunng the mtsston, and every crew works like the uny parts of an expensive wristwatch – as if they were made to work together. ” Many of the areas in which we are reqUired to fly are so remote tttat there are no VP bases and, in some cases. no military bases that we can turn to 1f we need assisrance So the crewmen aboard will do the full-scale mamtenance on thetr own,” Cdr Iversen emphastzed. One of the proJect atrcrewmen added, ” While detached on missions. 1f the aircraft returns in a down status, we work on it Immediately,” said AD1 Jamie Arazaga. VXN-8 NATOPS qualifier ” Dependmg upon the seventy. we will work. secure to rest and return the next day to fintsh ” The squadron demands a lot of the people who maintatn and fly the aircraft but those long hours pay off. especially for the officers. Because of the leadershtp roles the offtcers are exposed to dunng a tour at VXN-8, when the tour has exptred. the officers leave the squadron more aware and better prepared for the responsibility that an ever-growtng Navy has to offer ” When a mtssion commander 1S a junior officer, a [lieutenant] JG or lieutenant, he is actually a mint[1]commanding offtcer for six weeks,” Cdr Iversen said ” He’s responstble for the crew. aircraft and all the maintenance for the plane to be completed. That’s a lot of responsibthty hang1ng around a lieutenant’s neck ” VXN-8 can be proud of its accomplishments over the past two decades Whtle servmg the Navy in 1ts umque misstons. 11 turns the best ptlots into the best offtcers. and the best enlisted at crewmen into natural leaders. The proof IS documented. The World Travelers meet the1r challenges all over the world