Wayne Hancock

Commander U. S. Naval Reserves

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U.S. Naval Flight Officer from June of 1980 to 2008.

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Aviation experience began when he could remember things. Father was a Naval Test Pilot for over 15 years, a FAA Test Pilot of navigational aids and retired as an Air Traffic Controller; mother was a Navy Chief Petty Officer and U.S. Navy Link Trainer Instructor and evaluator and qualified Aircrew Observer during WWII.

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Growing up at Sacramento Municipal Airport saw the aftermath of numerous aircraft incidents and accidents: a Boeing 727 failed to stop and overran the numbers and shut down the runway for weeks, an F-86 failed takeoff and crash into Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor.  With father TAD in or about 1976 at the Grand Canyon Airport, a light plane crashed on takeoff due to density altitude, insufficient thrust and overweight.  

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Formal aviation instruction began in June in 1980 at Naval Aviation Schools Command as a Naval Flight Officer Candidate.  VT-10 Basic training was next having flights in the T-2 Buckeye twin engine jet trainer. Received my Naval Flight Officer Qualification at Naval Air Training Unit Sacramento California mastering Maritime Navigation and airmanship flying in the Boeing 737 / T-43.

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Completed tours at Patrol Squadron Forty-Eight flying P-3 Orions, Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces U.S. Sixth Fleet, Instructor Navigator and Evaluator at the Naval Air Training Unit Sacramento, a graduate of the Navy’s Tactical Action Officer School San Diego, USS Nimitz Antisubmarine Warfare Officer, Reserve Patrol Squadron Sixty-Nine NATOPS Officer and Evaluator, Mission Commander and finally Tactical Support Center Briefing and Debriefing Officer. Has accumulated over 3,600 hours flying time and over 330 hours of weapons and navigator simulator time.