Officially Licensed US Navy VFA-122 Flying Eagles Throwback Patch — Where Naval Aviation's West Coast Legacy Takes Flight
Before the Super Hornet, before the Corsair, there was the Skyraider — and it all started right here.
This throwback patch pays tribute to the deep heritage of Strike Fighter Squadron 122, the 'Flying Eagles' — a lineage that stretches back to 25 May 1950, when the squadron was first commissioned as Composite Squadron Thirty-Five (VC-35) at NAS San Diego. Flying various models of the A-1 Skyraider, VC-35's original mission was all-weather attack and anti-submarine warfare, supplying detachments for carrier deployments across the Pacific Fleet. The squadron saw combat almost immediately — VC-35 Detachment Three deployed to Korea from November 1950 through June 1951, flying ASW patrols, night heckler missions, and combat sorties during the Korean War. Redesignated VA(AW)-35 in 1956 and then VA-122 in 1959, the squadron transitioned to fleet replacement training and became known as 'Spad School,' training every West Coast Skyraider pilot for the fleet. When the A-7 Corsair II arrived in 1966, 'Spad School' became 'Corsair College,' and by 1971 the squadron adopted the iconic Flying Eagles name. Before its 1991 disestablishment, VA-122 had trained over 5,000 light attack pilots and more than 55,000 maintenance personnel. Reestablished as VFA-122 on 15 January 1999, the Flying Eagles became the first squadron to operate the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and continue serving as the West Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron at NAS Lemoore. This throwback patch honors every era of that legacy — from Skyraiders over Korea to Super Hornets over Lemoore.
