Countywide : Squadron Thunders Skyward for a Last Flight Together

Under a blazing noon sun Thursday, 18 Marine Corps helicopters thundered into the sky and into tight formation, cutting a wide swath of dust and debris.

To bystanders, it may have looked like just another major training exercise.

But to the pilots of the Marine Helicopter Training Squadron 302 who were flying the craft, it was an emotional moment--the last time they would fly together as a squadron.

Starting next week, six of the helicopters--CH-53D Sea Stallions--are being permanently transferred from the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station to the Marine Air Facility in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

The transfers are part of the ongoing base realignment and closure at Tustin, which will be complete in 1997. Eventually, all the helicopters will be gone.

“It’s an end of an era here for the 302 squadron,” said Lt. Col. Jerry Yanello, who led the flight formation. Yanello said that although the 45-minute flight was a way for pilots to bid farewell to their fellow Marines and to the base, it was also considered a serious training exercise.

“Everybody worked together to get these off the ground,” said Staff Sgt. Tim Colbert. “Everybody had their little part in it. It’s a real morale booster.”

Colbert, who has been stationed at Tustin for 11 years, admitted that he was sad to see the base close down.

“I’d rather stay here,” Colbert said.

Others echoed similar sentiments, such as Lt. Jason Gerlin, a student pilot.

“It’s the last time you’ll see a formation like this here,” Gerlin said. “It’s kind of sad.”