Viking Association

What's New: 


2026 Year-End Fundraising Campaign


As we near the end of 2026 we have started a Year-End Fundraising Initiative for those that would like to donate to one of our many causes.  Highlighted below are the detailed mechanisms available to members, alumni, and friends to support the Viking Association Inc. and our educational partner, theTailhook Educational Foundation (TEF).  Options 1 and 2 below are available using the "Donate Now" button on the top menu. 


Please utilize these direct methods to optimize your contribution and take advantage of favorable 2026 tax provisions.


1. Direct Contributions to Viking Association Inc.


Use these options to directly fund our internal initiatives, including roundups, National reunions, Aircraft Preservation (S-3 display  maintenance), Digital Infrastructure, and Historical Custody of physical Viking memorabilia.


• General Operations Fund: Provide unrestricted capital to maintain our organizational purpose, sustain

contact among the Sea Control fellowship, and fund selected philanthropy.


• Become a Lifetime Member ($500):  Secure your permanent, lifelong enrollment status within the

association via a one-time fee.  We currently have over 130 lifetime members! 


You can also send us a check to become a Lifetime Member or make a General Fund contribution.  Send a check or money order payable to:


Viking Association Inc.

9889 San Jose Blvd Suite 1

Jacksonville FL 32257


2. The Viking AssociationTailhook Education Fund (TEF)


Our educational partnership represents a foundational pillar of our legacy. Due to macroeconomic and inflationary pressures, the Board has increased our joint fundraising baseline target to $70,000 with plans to continue to raise our target to grow our annual scholarship.  Every $10K increase results in our scholarship increasing by $500 annually.  Our current annual scholarship (based on $70K) is $3500.  Ways to contribute:


  • Online via our website: Click on the "Donate Now" button at the top and select Scholarship donation
  • Online via Tailhook: Contributions can be made digitally at https://www.tailhook.net/donate-now
  • CRITICAL DESIGNATION REQUIREMENT:
  • Donors must explicitly designate their contribution to the'Viking Association Fund' during checkout or transfer to ensure their donation is correctly routed. 

TEF also allows for donations toward these other causes:

  • The Hook to School (HTS) Program via Tailhook: Pledge via the TEF portal to place copies of 'The Hook' quarterlymagazine into high schools, colleges, NROTC, or Service Academies globally.
  • Donations in Lieu of Flowers (DILOF) via Tailhooi: Honor a departed family member or friend by establishing a memorial gift routed directly through the TEF system.


3. 2026 Advanced Giving & Tax-Saving Strategies


By coordinating with financial advisors, supporters can leverage structural components of the 2026 tax

code to maximize total gift sizes while lowering overall personal tax exposure:

• The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA): Individuals who do not itemize can claim a permanent

above-the-line deduction of up to $1,000 (individual) or $2,000 (married filing jointly) for annual cash

donations. This is added straight onto standard personal personal federal returns.

• Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): Supporters aged 73 or older can coordinate with their

traditional IRA custodian to transfer up to $100,000 annually straight to the charity. This satisfies your

Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) while entirely excluding the amount from taxable ordinary income.

• Highly Appreciated Securities (HAS): Donating appreciated stocks directly via the TEF site creates a dual

advantage: you completely bypass capital gains taxes on long-term appreciation, and you are eligible to

claim a charitable deduction for the asset's full fair market value.

• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT/ACH): Save processing and credit card fees (such as standard digital

processing premiums) by executing direct banking transfers. Call the TEF office directly at (858) 689-9223

to securely obtain banking routing numbers and direct account coordinates.


Please send us a note to "vikingassociation@gmail.com" if you are interested in utilizing one of the Advanced Giving options.  We will provide additional details on how to utilize one of these options for whichever fund you choose.




  • Tailhook Breakfast at Hook 2026
  • The Viking Association breakfast at Hook 2026 was a great success. 
  • We had over 50 attendees and everyone enjoyed a couple hours of rekindling friendships and telling a few sea stories.
  • VADM Branch (ret) and CAG Welch (Tailhook Education Foundation) leadership dropped by to congratulate our community for raising our annual Tailhook education scholarship from $3000 to the $3500 per year. 
  • See some of the pictures below from the breakfast.
  • Thanks for all those that attended!


Pictures from the Hook Viking Breakfast


Viking Association Scholarship Update


  • Viking Association Education Scholarship 2026 Honoree:
  • Each year, the Viking Association Scholarship honors an individual whose contributions have made a profound and lasting impact on the S-3 community.
  • Our Honoree for the 2026 Viking Association TEF scholarship is CAPT Conrad “Connie” A. Langley, Jr.


CAPT Conrad A. Langley, USN (ret) biography:


CAPT Conrad “Connie” A. Langley, Jr., a former Commanding Officer and West Coast Commodore, was a legendary figure in the S-3 Viking community. The eldest son of Conrad Sr. and Mary Langley, he was born on October 1, 1947, in Bossier City, Louisiana, and grew up in the Bossier City/Shreveport area. After graduating from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Connie taught high school for several years before joining the Army in June 1972. He transferred to the Navy in 1974, beginning a long and distinguished career as a Naval Aviator. His naval service began as a flight instructor in Corpus Christi, Texas, and in 1977 he transferred to San Diego, where he began a lasting affiliation with the S-3 Viking community—then home to one of the Navy’s newest and most sophisticated tactical aircraft. Over the course of his career, he accumulated more than 5,200 flight hours in the S-3, an extraordinary and unmatched achievement. He completed tours with three S-3 squadrons, including multiple extended overseas deployments. In 1991, he assumed command of the VS-37 Sawbucks, leading the squadron to record-setting performance across two deployments. He later served as Commander, Sea Control Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, where, as Commodore, he was responsible for all S-3 squadron activity on the West Coast and in Japan. Connie was an enthusiastic, charismatic leader and a true icon of the S-3 Viking community. After 28 years of dedicated service, he was medically retired following a lung cancer diagnosis. He battled the illness with the same fierce determination and vigor that defined his leadership and service. He passed in May 2009.  Connie is survived by his wonderful and supportive spouse, Marty Shively, who currently resides in San Diego. We dedicate this year’s Viking Association scholarship to his memory.

  • Viking Association 2026 Scholarship awardee:
  • We are pleased to announce that Amelia Hart has been selected as the 2026 S-3 Viking Tailhook Education Foundation (TEF) scholarship awardee.
  • Amelia will receive a Viking Association scholarship award in the amount of $3,500.
  • Amelia Hart’s Background:

- Home: Fleming Island, Florida

- Weighted high school GPA: 4.68; unweighted high school GPA: 4.0

- College: University of North Florida

- Major: Kinesiology

  • Amelia is sponsored by her father, CDR Dirk Hart. CDR Hart enlisted in 1994 and attended Officer Candidate School in 1995 before continuing on to VT-10 and VT-86.  In November 1996, he reported to VS-41 as a student and, after graduating in March 1998, began his first squadron tour with VS-31. In 2001, he returned to VS-41 as an instructor, serving there until 2003 before transitioning to the EA-6B Prowler. He completed two Prowler tours and later transitioned to the F/A-18F. His final assignment was as an F/A-18F Test Aviator at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE).
  • Congratulations, Amelia!
  • Click below to read Amelia’s impressive biography.


Amelia Hart bio

Important items/news: 


  • Viking Association e-blasts
  • We have transitioned our e-blast software to a less expensive service.
  • Future e-blasts will come from: "newsletter@update.vikingassociation.org". We recommend you add this email address to your contact list so e-blasts don't accidentally end up in your spam folder. Responses to our e-blast emails will still go to our "vikingassociation@gmail.com" address.  Please enter this address into your address book too!
  • The intent of our e-blasts / newsletter is to inform you of changes / updates to our website. The e-blast will provide summarized updates and pulse you to view more detailed information on our website. 
  • "Last Trap" section of our website
  • If you hear of anyone in the community passing away recently and would like us to add information to our "last trap" section please email us at "vikingassociation@gmail.com". 

(Click Menu Bar links for more details)


S-3 Viking History


Aircraft specifications:

Wing span: 69 feet
Length: 53 feet
Height: 23 feet
Weight: empty: 26,500 pounds

Maximum takeoff: 52,539 pounds
Speed: 518 mph
Ceiling: 40,000 feet
Range: more than 2,300 nautical miles
Power plant: two GE TF34-GE-2 turbofan engines
Crew: four
Contractor: Lockheed Martin


The VSX program (S-3) started in 1968, and, in 1969, Lockheed was awarded the contract to develop the Navy's new carrier-based, fan-powered ASW aircraft. It was designed to incorporate the latest concepts in sensors and in computer-based data processing, display and weapons control systems, and in enabling the four-man crew to effectively deal with the anticipated submarine threat. The S-3 Viking replaced the old reciprocating-engine-powered S-2 Tracker.


The S-3 Viking has all four crew members seated on ejection seats. The pilot's controls include a control stick in place of the traditional wheel. The slightly swept wing and General Electric TF-34 fan engines provide the S-3A with long-range or on-station endurance at cruise speeds and altitudes typical of subsonic jet aircraft. In-flight refueling through a retractable refueling probe can be used to further extend its mission performance. Folding wings and vertical tail provide carrier handling flexibility.

The S-3A airframe has been adapted to other roles--a characteristic for which its S-2 predecessor has long been noted. The improved S-3B version incorporates improved technology for increased radar detection range and classification, advanced acoustic processing, and support measures, and has Harpoon missile capability.


With its APS-137 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), ALR-67 Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) system and Harpoon missile capability, the Viking plays a critical surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting role in maintaining the sea control picture for naval and joint forces. Additionally, with the retirement of the A-6, the Viking has become the principal organic tanking platform for the battlegroup and a mainstay in offensive mining. It also contributes to Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW), especially in the littoral regions.


Upgrades to the radar, mission computer, communications and navigation suite supported organic reconnaissance capabilities in the littoral regions. Added to the planned airframe structural enhancements, these upgrades prevented obsolescence and ensured an adequate inventory of this essential platform until it's disestablishment.