W
hat will the future hold for Naval Aviation? We hope to provide some insight to the answer during this year’s symposium with the theme, “Tailhook, The Next 50 Years.” As I speak, OpNav N88 and NavAir are working on presentations for the symposium that will encourage and inspire our young Naval Aviators about an exciting future.
The Tailhook board of directors is asking, “What will the future hold for the Tailhook Association?” Although we can’t completely answer this question today, the trends are clear. This year Naval Aviation experienced the retirement of the venerable F-14 Tomcat, the retirement of the West Coast-based S-3 Viking and the decommissioning of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Since the end of the Cold War, the number of tailhook Naval Aviators in the fleet continues to decrease. The strength of our Association rests with our membership. In order to remain strong, our Association requires the diligence of our active members to seek out new and inactive members, encouraging them to join the Association, attend the annual reunion, and provide input and feedback to our quarterly magazine, The Hook.
Each newly designated Naval Aviator is offered a one-year free subscription upon carrier qualification courtesy of the general membership of the Association. All too often, magazines are returned as undeliverable as the new Naval Aviator moves from the training command through the FRS and into the fleet. The renewal rate after the first year is fairly low. We need active-duty members, especially those in leadership positions, to support and encourage Association membership by their peers and juniors. The Association is the Fleet’s Association, by the Fleet, for the Fleet. The Association needs the Fleet membership to seek out nonmembers and encourage them to support the Association.
Those who have transitioned to the civilian world have a network of friends from active-duty days. I challenge you all to identify those who have let their memberships expire. Encourage them to renew their participation in our Association, as well.
For those in the corporate world, the participation of your company as a corporate sponsor of the Tailhook Association adds incredible value on many fronts. It not only provides financial support for the reunion, The Hook magazine and the Tailhook Educational Foundation, it also grows our Association by bringing in young men and women in industry, helping them better understand the value of carrier aviation. If your company is already a corporate sponsor, thank them and encourage them to continue their support. If they are not, encourage them to join. Corporate sponsorship has been and will continue to be an integral part of our continued success.
There are other opportunities as well. An excellent source of membership lies with those friends of Naval Aviation who join as “Associate Members.” The term “Associate” defines a member who has not made a trap as an assigned crewman. These are military leaders, community leaders and citizens who understand the need for a strong Navy and the importance of carrier aviation in today’s world. Associate Members bring in many aspects of life from a vast array of backgrounds. Associate Members submit recurring articles, provide financial support, assist in event activities and offer a voice in communities not normally reached. We greatly appreciate their membership, their voice and their contributions to all aspects of the organization. I challenge you, the membership, to seek out these friends of Naval Aviation and encourage them to join the Tailhook Association.
The Naval Aviators of tomorrow are in classrooms today. The Association has established the “Send The Hook to School Program” to address this issue. You can sponsor a school, a library, a hospital or other institution to put the Tailhook Association in front of others through the magazine. Through this effort, one issue may reach 1, 5, 50 or 500 readers. And each reader sees the successes and rewards of our profession and our Association. With this program, it is best to provide a specific mailing title and address to ensure your contribution goes to the right reference shelf instead of an administrator’s reception table.
The strength of the Tailhook Association is our membership, and the members are the past, present and future of the Association. Working together, we will keep our Association strong for the next 50 years.
Hook ’07
We look forward to seeing all of you at this year’s Tailhook Reunion. In addition to the golf tournament, the Fallon tour, the Lake Tahoe tour, the Friday and Saturday symposiums, the Bug Roach Mixer, the RADM “Jig Dog” Ramage Awards Luncheon and the banquet, we are bringing back the Tailhook tennis tournament (on Friday morning, same time as the golf tournament) and the Happy Hooker 5K (on Saturday morning, before the symposium). We are excited about this year’s reunion and hope you all will be able to join us in Reno. Your signal is “Charlie,” so make sure your hook is down for Reno 6–9 September 2007.