Military Experience
Brandenstein entered active duty with the U.S. Navy in September 1965 and was attached to the Naval Air Training Command for flight training. He was designated a Naval Aviator at Naval Air Station Beeville, Texas, in May 1967, and then proceeded to squadron VA-128 for A-6 fleet replacement training. From 1968 to 1970, while attached to VA-196 flying A-6 Intruders, he participated in two combat deployments on board the USS Constellation and the USS Ranger to Southeast Asia where he flew 192 combat missions. In subsequent assignments, he was attached to VX-5 for the conduct of operational tests of A-6 weapons systems and tactics; and to the Naval Air Test Center, where upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, he conducted tests of electronic warfare systems in various Navy aircraft. Brandenstein carried out a nine month deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean on board the USS Ranger while attached to VA-145, flying A-6 Intruders during the period March 1975 to September 1977. Before reporting to the Johnson Space Center in Houston as an astronaut candidate, he was attached to VA-128 as an A-6 flight instructor.
He has logged 6,400 hours flying time in 24 different types of aircraft and has made 400 carrier landings.
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