Hobson to Turn Over Command of VT-3
Hobson to Turn Over Command of VT-3
Lt. Col. George K. Hobson will turn over command of Training Squadron THREE to Cmdr. Philip M. Brock Friday, September 9, at 10 a.m. in the Naval Air Station Whiting Field atrium. The guest speaker for the ceremony will be Colonel Christopher M. Marcell, Professor of Leadership and Warfare Studies at the United States Air Force Academy.
During Hobson’s fifteen month tour as commanding officer, VT-3 became the first of the Navy’s pilot primary training squadrons to adopt and fully transition from the T-34C Turbo Mentor to the new T-6B Texan II airframe. Despite the challenges of the airframe transition, VT-3 led all naval aviation primary training squadrons with 20,030 flight hours during calendar year 2010. VT-3 achieved the Navy’s calendar year 2010 pilot graduation goals and is on course to advance an additional 200 student military aviators to their follow-on training during fiscal year 2011.
Hobson’s management of the T-6B transition represented a landmark event for naval aviation. The squadron was instrumental in developing the standardized methodology that will form the bedrock of T-6B instruction for decades to come. Moreover, VT-3’s trailblazing experience with the T-6B allowed its personnel to provide guidance to Training Squadron SIX, which has become the air station’s second squadron to undertake the T-6B transition. VT-6 instructors benefitted from VT-3’s lessons-learned and instructional practices while working alongside their VT-3 colleagues.
Under Hobson’s oversight, VT-3 extended its stellar record of flight operations free of Class-A mishaps to 24 consecutive years. The squadron advanced the art and science of aviation safety through comprehensive reviews of best practices and proactive moves to implement improvements. VT-3 has reduced the attrition rates of its trainees, and the squadron’s graduates have achieved lower attrition rates at subsequent training commands. Hobson’s oversight of efficient operations and emphasis on meticulous preparation guided the squadron through three NATOPS inspections- each of which yielded a command rating of “outstanding” with zero discrepancies.
Hobson graduated from North Carolina State University in 1992. He gained his commission through ROTC and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate. He is a Senior Pilot with over 17 years of service and 2,900 flight hours in F-15C, AT-38, T-34C, and T-6B aircraft.
Hobson completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate. In 2005, Hobson was selected to attend Air Command and Staff College where he earned a Master of Military Art and Operational Science.
His military awards and decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, an Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and an Aerial Achievement Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster. Lt. Col. Hobson will be awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for meritorious service during his thirty months of duty with VT-3.
Hobson joined VT-3 as Executive Officer in March of 2009, and he assumed command of the squadron in June of 2010.
As the executive officer under Hobson, Brock was active in managing the transition of the squadron from the venerable T-34C to the T-6B training aircraft. As the commanding officer, Brock will continue to advance the instructional, safety, and efficient management standards championed by his predecessor.
Brock graduated from Norwich University in May of 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and was commissioned an Ensign as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer. He was selected to attend pilot training in 1996. Brock was designated Naval Aviator in July of 1998 at NAS Corpus Christie, in Corpus Christie, Texas. He has served as Deputy Director for the War on Terror and Deputy Director for Special Operations under the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brock’s decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and three Navy Achievement Medals in addition to many campaign, service and unit-specific awards.
Lt. Col. Brian M. Schafer, previously the Director of Operations, 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Bagram Airfield, in Bagram, Afghanistan, will relieve Brock as the executive officer of the squadron.
