John R. Chesire - KT6KTX 'Little John' (SK)

I was recruited by the Navy while a college sophomore at Creighton University in 1966, in the middle of a strong winter blizzard. As an Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC), I spent the following two summers in AOCS. Upon graduation in 1968, I was commissioned an Ensign, and reported to NAS Pensacola for flight school that July.

Image of John in the A-4 Skyhawk. — John in the A-4 Skyhawk.

My Navy Wings came 18 months later at NAS Beeville in Texas after flying the TA-F9 Cougar. Having some pretty good flight grades, I got my top choice of F-4 Phantoms at NAS Miramar in San Diego in late 1969.

Image of John with his F-4. — John with his F-4.

Because of the war and the large number of pilots coming out of the Training Command, there was a large backlog of pilots in the F-4 RAG, VF-121. Having sat in a pool for nearly six months I finally completed my F-4 training and was assigned to VF-151. After workups, we deployed to Southeast Asia aboard the USS Midway in April 1971 for what would be an 8-month cruise.

We returned to San Diego in December for an expected, 6-month turnaround… that did not happen. The Easter Offensive of 1972 sent us unexpectedly and early again to Southeast Asia, this time for an 11-month cruises. During this time I completed 197 combat missions in Southeast Asia in the F-4B.

My next duty station was at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA. While there I was an RDT&E test pilot for multiple projects. Fortunately at the end of that tour, I returned to NAS Miramar and San Diego to fly the new F-14A Tomcat with VF-1.

Image of John flying the F-14. — John flying the F-14.

After more than 10 years of active duty I left to fly for the airlines. However I remained in the Navy Reserve. A year later I was furloughed from Continental Airlines but landed a job flying the San Diego Padres baseball team in their B-757. A year and a half later I was called back to active duty and accepted orders to VT-21 in Kingsville, Texas flying the TA-4. Following over two years there I returned to San Diego and NAS Miramar to fly the F-14 until I finally retired after 23 years of service.

Image of Little John in Shack — Little John in Shack

I was most fortunate to have an amazing aviation career, and I am very proud to be a member of the Air Forces Flyers Club.

73– John Chesire, KG6KTX,

AFFC #581

It is with great sadness that we report John "Little John" Chesire's passing. He was a regular participant on the 40-meter net, with lots of stories to share. He will be missed. (16 Dec 2021)

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