| Grampaw Pettibone Squadron (GPS) is a professional, non-profit, educational and fraternal society supporting and promoting Naval Aviation and the military in general. Our main purpose is to educate the public and our national leaders on the vital roles of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation as key elements of our national defense posture. GPS continuously seeks to elucidate the key current issues impacting Naval Aviation through published writings, symposiums, speeches and discussions with various interest groups. GPS also seeks to foster the strong pride, esprit and fraternal bonds which exist among those associated with Naval Aviation. GPS is open to everyone (Civilian or Active Duty) and no prior military service is required. If you have an interest in helping to preserve the historic service of our United States Navy and Marine Corps aviators, consider becoming a member of the Grampaw Pettibone Squadron, which operates and meets in Garden Grove, California. The squadron gathers together once a month for lunch and various types of presentations to the general membership. As a proud member of the squadron, I can tell you it is made up of a terrific group of men and women, and there is no better way to show your support for their brave service to our great nation. Click on either banner above to visit the Association of Naval Aviators/Grampaw Pettibone website and join today! www.gpsana.org |
U.S. Pacific Theater Gun Camera Footage
| Above: (left to right) A Navy/Marine AN6543, leather flight helmet with original avionics and Polariod Type B-8 goggles, An AN6540 series flight helmet displayed with Mark II goggles with amber lenses, A US Navy/Marine Corps 1092 leather flight helmet with leather ear cups (with the correct TH-37 receivers) displayed with Seesall goggles with blue tinted lenses, An M-450 flight helmet with original period, private purchase set of goggles. |
Press PLAY to watch a short film
showing Pacific gun camera footage
showing Pacific gun camera footage
WWII United States Navy and Marine Corps Aviation items:
WWII era United States Navy shoulder insignia which once belonged to
Jaynes. From left to right the insignia represent the rank of: Lieutenant
Commander, Lieutenant and Lieutenant JG (Junior Grade).
Jaynes. From left to right the insignia represent the rank of: Lieutenant
Commander, Lieutenant and Lieutenant JG (Junior Grade).
Various original WWII era photographs showing Jaynes in various USN uniforms and a flight jacket.
Lieutenant Commander G. H. Jaynes: VRF-1 Floyd Bennett Field
Below are items in my collection relating to Lieutenant Commander Grailey Hewitt Jaynes. The inside of Jaynes
visor indicates he flew with VRF-1 from Floyd Bennett Field in New York. So far, little is known about Jaynes and his
military career. I am continuing to research Mr. Jaynes and will add additional information as it becomes available.
VRF-1 (Air Ferry Squadron One) was an Aircraft Ferry Squadron which was established on December 1, 1943 at Floyd
Bennett Field in NAS New York. VRF-1 would become the Navy's largest squadron during WWII. Originally
designated as an Air Delivery Unit (ADU), the squadron used small transports aircraft to ferry pilots to the
manufacturer's plant to pick up newly manufactured aircraft. The transport would then fly to the station where the
aircraft were being delivered to bring the pilots back to either the factory for another flight, or to their home
station. At least 60 VRF-1 pilots were lost during the war.
By December 1943, air traffic at NAS New York was so congested that ferry command moved its training
detachment to NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. At Willow Grove, pilots received additional ground and flight training,
and indoctrination into specific requirements of the ferry command and the multiple types of aircraft they would
encounter during their service. The most commonly flown aircraft encountered by VRF-1 pilots were the F6F, F4U,
TBF and SBD. Other aircraft encountered by VRF-1 pilots included: J4F, JRF, J2F, F3A, FM, TBM, SB2A, PV,
SB2C, FG, R4D, GH, PBJ, JM, SBW, TDR, SNV, BTD, N2S, F4F, F7F, PBY and PB4Y.
VRF-1 rosters from 1945 do in fact show Lt. Grailey H. Jaynes as being assigned as a pilot with VRF-1. The rosters
read as follows:
On VRF-1 roster dated 1 March 1945:
File No. 174776; JAYNES, Grailey H (Married); Lieut. (A5)L; rank as of 7.1.43; 459 Beach 139th St., Belle Harbor,
LI; Assistant Flight Officer; total Navy flight hours to 1.31.45: 1,471; total Civil flight hours: 1,550. Senior pilot.
Qualified to fly: B2, F236, J2345678, R1245, S1, SB12, T1.
On VRF-1 roster dated 1 October 1945:
File No. 174776; JAYNES, Grailey H (Married); Lieut. (A5)L; rank as of 7.1.43; 459 Beach 139th St., Belle Harbor,
LI; Flight Utility Pilot; total Navy flight hours to 1.31.45: 1,808. Senior pilot. Qualified to fly: B24567, F23678,
J2345678, R1245, S1, SB12, T1
(Thank you to Richard Reed of the Floyd Bennett Field Task Force for supplying the VRF-1 roster information.)
visor indicates he flew with VRF-1 from Floyd Bennett Field in New York. So far, little is known about Jaynes and his
military career. I am continuing to research Mr. Jaynes and will add additional information as it becomes available.
VRF-1 (Air Ferry Squadron One) was an Aircraft Ferry Squadron which was established on December 1, 1943 at Floyd
Bennett Field in NAS New York. VRF-1 would become the Navy's largest squadron during WWII. Originally
designated as an Air Delivery Unit (ADU), the squadron used small transports aircraft to ferry pilots to the
manufacturer's plant to pick up newly manufactured aircraft. The transport would then fly to the station where the
aircraft were being delivered to bring the pilots back to either the factory for another flight, or to their home
station. At least 60 VRF-1 pilots were lost during the war.
By December 1943, air traffic at NAS New York was so congested that ferry command moved its training
detachment to NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. At Willow Grove, pilots received additional ground and flight training,
and indoctrination into specific requirements of the ferry command and the multiple types of aircraft they would
encounter during their service. The most commonly flown aircraft encountered by VRF-1 pilots were the F6F, F4U,
TBF and SBD. Other aircraft encountered by VRF-1 pilots included: J4F, JRF, J2F, F3A, FM, TBM, SB2A, PV,
SB2C, FG, R4D, GH, PBJ, JM, SBW, TDR, SNV, BTD, N2S, F4F, F7F, PBY and PB4Y.
VRF-1 rosters from 1945 do in fact show Lt. Grailey H. Jaynes as being assigned as a pilot with VRF-1. The rosters
read as follows:
On VRF-1 roster dated 1 March 1945:
File No. 174776; JAYNES, Grailey H (Married); Lieut. (A5)L; rank as of 7.1.43; 459 Beach 139th St., Belle Harbor,
LI; Assistant Flight Officer; total Navy flight hours to 1.31.45: 1,471; total Civil flight hours: 1,550. Senior pilot.
Qualified to fly: B2, F236, J2345678, R1245, S1, SB12, T1.
On VRF-1 roster dated 1 October 1945:
File No. 174776; JAYNES, Grailey H (Married); Lieut. (A5)L; rank as of 7.1.43; 459 Beach 139th St., Belle Harbor,
LI; Flight Utility Pilot; total Navy flight hours to 1.31.45: 1,808. Senior pilot. Qualified to fly: B24567, F23678,
J2345678, R1245, S1, SB12, T1
(Thank you to Richard Reed of the Floyd Bennett Field Task Force for supplying the VRF-1 roster information.)
| Above: Jaynes' United States Navy aviator visor cap. The interior of the cap reads: "Lieut. G.H. Jaynes, Floyd Bennett Field, VRF-1, New York, New York." |
| Floyd Bennett Field Task Force |
A valiant effort is being made by a group of dedicated volunteers to help preserve the history of Floyd Bennett Field,
and the memory of the men and women who served at this historic airfield. The Floyd Bennett Field Task Force is
dedicated to preserving and teaching the military aviation heritage of Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field and linking the
Field to WW2 home front sites on Long Island and elsewhere. To learn how you can help support this endeavor, visit
the link below:
www.floydbennett.org
and the memory of the men and women who served at this historic airfield. The Floyd Bennett Field Task Force is
dedicated to preserving and teaching the military aviation heritage of Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field and linking the
Field to WW2 home front sites on Long Island and elsewhere. To learn how you can help support this endeavor, visit
the link below:
www.floydbennett.org
 |  |
| The C.E. Daniel Collection |
| At the time America entered into WWII following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps aviation unit were represented by approximately 5900 pilots on active service. By the end of the war, over 12,000 USN and USMC pilots and aircrew would fail to return from the war, having met their fate in the defense of our great nation over a foreign territory. Throughout the war, USN and USMC aviators and aircrews would account for the destruction of 15,000 enemy aircraft, both on the ground and in the air, approximately 174 Japanese warships and approximately 447 merchant ships. The USN would also see success in the Atlantic and other parts of the world, sinking enemy warships and merchants as well as a large number of submarines. Much like the United States Air Corps, the USN and USMC would quickly rise to the occasion following Pearl Harbor, coming to the defense of our nation and performing admirably and with terrific success. Although some setbacks were experienced during the initial stages of the war, the USN and the USMC would ultimate cause the fall of the Imperial Japanese empire within a few short years. This page was created to display some of the WWII era US Navy and USMC aviation items in my private collection. This portion of the collections stands as a living memorial and a tribute to the men of the Navy and the Marine Corps, who risked their lives in the air to defend our nation, typically over foreign oceans far from home. |
Proud Member
| A series of three, original wartime photographs, taken aboard the USS Solomons (CVE-67). Notations accompanying the photographs indicate this is the 1,000 landing aboard the USS Solomons, which occurred on June 7, 1944. The notations identify the pilot of the landing aircraft as Lt. (jg) K.T. Casanega. The Landing Signals Officer (LSO) is identified as Lt. T.G. Lewis. If anyone has any additional information concerning either the pilot or the LSO, I would enjoy hearing from you. |
| Page Under Construction |
Click on any of the links below to visit other USN/USMC related pages within this website:
Ensign Horace E. Spears
Maj. Sherman "Red" Tandvig
Ensign Horace E. Spears
Maj. Sherman "Red" Tandvig