A small part off of an F/A-18F Super Hornet based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi was missing after a flight Tuesday over Japan, the Navy said in a news release.

A ground crew noted on a post-flight inspection that a left aileron flap boot was missing from the jet and might have fallen off during the overland flight, according to the release Wednesday.

There have been no reports of damage or injuries related to the missing component.

The flap boot is made of a rubber-like material, and at 4 inches wide by 2 feet long, is extremely lightweight.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Meet new people at Club Me SaseboSASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — People wanting to join a book club, belly dance, pen a story, share ideas about home schooling or just make a new group of friends can start by sending a note to clubmesasebo@gmail.com.

Club Me Sasebo is the brainchild of Kelly Wiland, whose husband is assigned to the USS Essex.

Wiland says she started the club to help people in Sasebo meet others who have similar interests. Some other topics include exercise, restaurants and wine and cheese.

Environmental office picks up two awardsSASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — The U.S. Navy’s environmental office at Sasebo has won two Chief of Naval Operations awards for its work in environmental quality and cultural resources management.

The cultural resources recognition was a worldwide honor, singling out Sasebo among all other Navy bases, according to Richard Whittier, the base’s environmental division director.

In the past two years, Sasebo has renovated Fleet Landings, the harbor-side building that dates back to 1924. The base also is working with a local Japanese group to renovate a collection of brick buildings that date back to the 1880s.

The environmental quality award honors the base’s compliance with hazardous materials, trash, recycling, ship discharges, ordnance, and other factors that affect the Sasebo area, Whittier said.

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