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Show 1 388th Fighter Wing supplement V Ready ... Set ... Go Wing ready for deployment, ACC inspection By Staff Sgt. James A. Rush Editor, Fighter Country The 388th Fighter Wing's ability to deploy is being evaluated by Air Combat Command next week during the 4th Fighter Squadron's deployment to support Operation Northern Watch. The Phase I Operational Readiness Inspection officially begins Monday when the main body of the inspection team arrivesl; Some inspectors arrive here tomorrow and Saturday however, to observe early stages of mobility and cargo processing as well as aircraft generation. "In essence, the exercise begins tomorrow," said Maj,Chris Maloy, 388th FW Inspections and Exercises chief. "Because df operations tempo, we've had to balance completing daily tasks with preparing for this deployment and ORI. The practices we had this spring and summer will pay benefits now. We're at the point where the focus is on the actual deployment and I think we're going to be able to do that successfully." Members of the 34th FS begin gen- , .. T C ior uepioymeiu tomorcrating iz row. After working through the weekend, maintainers are expected to turn the jets kover to inspectors Tuesday. This leaves little time to address details such as personal appearance and checking mobility bags. Customs and courtesies should be kept at the front of everyone's mind as well. "You only get one chance to make a A lira rro imrroccifn " ciil 388th FW commander. "Let's make sure ours is an outstanding one. "We've reached the point where we are no longer practicing and we're now doing the real thing. Our top priority is to launch the planes going to Northern Watch and we need to accomplish that at a level of performance we can be proud of." Still to be completed is preparation . of the Inspector General Workcenter. Master Sgt. Shermante Brooks III is in charge of administrative support for the center and is gathering the resources team. This inneeded by the cludes fax machines, rental cars, computers with Internet access, phones and 1 - to the - Twice Monthly Hilltop Times (. Runway construction causes jets to reverse take-of- f pattern By Airman Cindy Richards Staff Writer, Fighter Country Construction on Hill Air Force Base's runway will repair the accumulated damage of 14 years of use and should be completed Aug. 24. Contractors began the $1.6 million project June 15 at the runway's north end. The work began about five years later than anticipated because the runway has held up better than anticipated, according to Brian Watson, airfield manager. " ."The wear and tear on it was not as bad as we expected," said Mr. Watson. "We seal and protect it during its life expectancy to ensure it lasts as long as possible." The base is using the repavement work as an opportunity to complete other maintenance work that needs to be done. "We're killing a lot of birds with said Mr. Watson. "We're repairing the barriers and the barrier shacks. The overruns will be replaced also as they were badly in need of repair." A key feature of the new runway is a polyurethane pad which better absorbs the shock of landing aircraft. This is expected to save money on future repairs to the runway, he added. "That's what is taking the project so long to finish. Once the cement is laid around the one-stone- ' 4 equipment. instrument-assiste- d landings when way. 'j f "We're pretty much there," he said. "We're looking in our closets to see what we have and what we need to get. .We have to be able to react to changes the team wants when they get here also.-- . -The inspection concludes in an outbrief at the base theater, Aug. 25. All .iwins members are encouraged to attend .?as Brig. uen. Bentiey KayDum, alc iu tandformer388roFW commander, reviews i tnewing sperrormance. duct planes are headed north to south on its run- te -visual pads, we have to wait 21 days for the concrete to harden before any plane can go over it," said Mr. Watson. Flying operations for the 388th Fighter Wing have been setback by the construction, according to Capt. Tavo Trippe, wing must carry scheduling officer. Wing lighter loads since the amount of runway available has gone from 13,500 feet down to 9,000 feet. This limits the types of sorties and configurations that may be flown. The short runway makes wing flying operations more susceptible to weather conditions also. "When the shortened runway is combined with either high winds or rain, it restricts us from being able to fly in these kinds of conditions," said Captain Trippe. "If we are already in the air during those conditions we are forced to divert our planes to Salt Lake City or to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. We've had a higher rate of diversions over the past few months because of the construction." Nighttime training for the Air Force's largest Targeting and Infrared for Night unit has also been affected. All after-dar- k sorties have been canceled because the construction prevents pilots from conducting the precision instrument-assiste- d landings required by Air Force regulations, said Captain Trippe. Hill AFB can only conLow-Altitu- 1 audio- Aug. 13,1998 ' Photo by Staff Sgt. James A. Rush Construction workers shovel asphalt on the runway's south overrun Monday. Repaving the overrun is the final leg of a repair project which has temporarily shortened the amount of available runway for wing 1 6s to take-of- f and land. F-- A silver lining may appear however, as early completion of the project becomes a possibility. All that remains is for asphalt to be laid in the south overrun area. Estimated completion of this is Aug. 1 7 after which contractor personnel and equipment will no longer be on the runway. The concrete pad would still require another week to harden before aircraft could be driven across, howfrom ever pilots would be able to take-onorth to south and fly over the recent repair. Runway work is being done by Wilkenson Construction of Morgan. Utah. ff Inspection lauds wing's environmental programs By Staff Sgt. James A. Rush Editor, Fighter Country nually between external inspections. "External and internal ECAMPs are done to identify problems and develop solutions before state or federal fines are imposed," said Sergeant Whalen. "They're An external Environmental Compliance Assessment and Management Program inspection last week confirmed what many 388th Fighter Wing members already basically an honest look at where our problems are." Wing facilities at Hill recorded no negative findings. One positive finding indicates expectations, acperformance cording to Sergeant Whalen. "The Air Force as a whole is getting a lot better at environmental compliance," said the sergeant, "but I've not heard of any other wing getting zero findings." Two negative findings were marked in the preliminary report of range facilities. These may or may not be included in the final report but neither would likely to result in fines, according to Captain Ottoman. Nonetheless, the wing is working to correct them. Inspectors placed a heavy emphasis on air quality since two new federal laws will knew. "Bottom line, we knew we had a good program. This is external validation of our environmental compliance," said Capt. Greg rmffl wsth Logistics Support Squadron, Civil Engineering Flight commander. "The inspectors came away with the impression that troops here have an excellent attitude and are aware of the importance of what they are doing," added Master Sgt. Guy Whalen, wing environmental manager. "We showed them that we know what needs to be done and demonstrated compliance and well-abo- awareness." Referred to as ECAMP, Air Force Materiel Command sent the panel of experts to inspect Hill Air Force Base, including the 388th FW and Utah Test and Training Range facilities. The panel con- change compliance requirements in September. Wing agencies are well prepared to meet these demands which earned the positive sisted of contractors and Air Force experts. Internal ECAMPs, where the wing are held an conducts a finding. "Air quality got a lot of focus. They n, iMwiilDikntt. POOR COPY MUS. Air Fore or H AFB. Evorytrtmo. dvtrtMt ri avctabtt wtftiout regird to ract. cotor. rMgron. looked very hard at this," said Captain Ottoman. "This is one of the bigger priorities for the state of Utah as well." Other areas inspected include hazardous waste disposal and hazardous material storage and use. The lack of findings in all areas reflects a wing-wid- e dedication to environmental awareness, according to SerC; geant Whalen. "The shop and flight chiefs, the workers ... all are very conscious of what heeds to be done," he said. "We did a good job of demonstrating compliance and awareness." The news is gratifying, but failure to remain focused on environmental issues can quickly wipe that away warns Captain Ottoman. "Three years ago at the last external ECAMP, the wing had 14 findings," said the captain. "Obviously, we've improved greatly since then. I think that any fighter wing would be pleased to get such a favorable evaluation. "We can't rest on our laurels though. It requires a 100 percent effort every day. We've" spent years building this excellent record, but it can all fall apart if we don't remain constantly vigilant from commander to airman." mi. or oitw nonmtm ticw ot m. purorttMr. trttr or pMron. |