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Billed as the U.S. Navy's "smallest training aircraft carrier", the Helicopter Landing Trainer IX 514 is seen at Pensacola, Florida on December 27, 2008. The 134 foot vessel provides a cost effective training platform for underway single-spot deck landing qualification for U.S. Navy and Marine pilots. As such, it has completed 75,000 error free helicopter landings with the record being 346 landings on June 10, 1988. The vessel was built in 1968 by Pacific Coast Engineering of Alameda, California as the U.S. Army's YFU-79, the Skilak. The Yard Freight Utility ship was used during the Viet Nam war to transport freight and supplies. It later was stationed in Guam and then mothballed in 1985. It was completely overhauled to provide a deck with the same dimensions as an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate. The diminutive IX 514 is currently operated by Seaward Services under contract to the Navy. Photo by my good friend Jim Ferguson, Lt. Commander, USN, retired who is spending a good part of the winter at the Pensacola navy base (must be nice!) and posted with his kind permission.
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