Photo Gallery: NAS Lemoore aviators conduct change of command while in the air

On Thursday, Capt. Christopher Hurst relieved Capt. Todd Cimicata, the current commander of the Air Wing, during the Thursday change of command ceremony at the Lemoore Naval Air Station.

The actual change of command occurred Thursday while the two commanders each flew F/A-18 Super Hornets. According to Navy officials, audio from the two airplanes was piped in from the cockpit so guests on the ground could hear the ceremony waiting for the two to land.

The short exchange of command was brief and to the point, as the two aviators conducted their change of command while piloting their Hornets over the NAS Lemoore Flightline.

"I'm being relieved," said Capt. Cimicata, the Air Wing's current officer, after being told that Capt. Hurst was to assume command as the two exchanged words hundreds of feet above the base's flight line.

A small crowd of about 100 persons, including Navy personnel, friends, and family members, listened in, participating in the change of command ceremony.

The new commanding officer, Hurst, takes charge of nine squadrons that fly a variety of U.S. jets, including the F/A-18. The local air wing is attached normally to the USS Nimitz Strike Group.

A native of Wausau, WI,  Hurst graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in systems engineering. He earned his Navy Wings of Gold in May of1999 and then reported to the VFA-125 Rough Raiders in Lemoore to train in the F/A-18 C Hornet.

The talented Navy aviator has served in many locations and deployed in numerous parts of the world while in the U.S. Navy. 

Photos by Gary Feinstein, Feinsteinfotos

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