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Show Page June 2.1978 HILL TOP TIMES 16 4th TFS hosts wives tout to Ea begin the long drive to the range complex. The road sign said "Wendover, 78 miles" when the 40 passenger Air Force bus turned off Interstate 80. The only hint that anything lay ahead was a sign that directed traffic to the military bombing range. After arriving at Lakeside the visitors were slightly delayed due to the test firing of a missile engine. During the delay the group was served lunch by the Lakeside dining facility. Ten miles later the bus slowed to a stop at a cluster of buildings alone on the desert landscape. The sign in front of the closest building welcomed the visitors to Lakeside Testing Complex, but there wasn't a lake anywhere to be seen. With a good steak dinner to send them on their way, they got back on the bus and headed for Eagle Range. The first impression they received was that someone had made a wrong turn somewhere and now the bus was hopelessly lost in the desert. For miles the sand and scrub brush stretched into the horizon. There was nothing to indicate that any human ever set foot on the The bus load of airmen and military dependents from tile 388th Tactical Fighter Wing had arrived at their destination. A two-hobus ride had brought them to within a few miles of "Eagle Range," one of two bombing and strafing ranges operated by Hill AFB. ur parched terrain. The only reminder that civilization existed was the black access road winding into the The tour had begun early in the morning, May 23, with a coffee and donuts reception at the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS). The participants were shown "To Fly and Fight," a film about RED FLAG training at Nellis AFB, Nev. Then in the haze and dust in front of the bus appeared a small cluster of buildings with a tower rising from among them. At 8 a.m. the tour was loaded onto the bus to As the bus approached the control area it distance. passed across the strafing range. Looking out the windows, the passengers could see shell casings littering the ground where they had been ejected from the and other use that the range. fighters F-4- s, F-10- The group had a good chance to have a look around, due to a delay before the next scheduled mission. A climb up the 100 ft. tower occupied the time of many. The desert wind made the climb up the narrow metal stairs a challenge that kept some on the ground. At 1:45 p.m. the radio in the control room atop the tower jumped into life as the first flight of Phantoms came on the range. As the spectators readied cameras and strained their eyes to catch a glimpse of the fighters, the range control officer cleared the flight for the upcoming events. Suddenly, just to the right of "base leg knoll" a small dot appeared trailing a plume of smoke, followed quickly by a second dot. Cameras clicked away as the two s practiced several different types of bomb deliveries and as a third Phantom raced past F-4- Range the tower on a strafing run. The wind kept building and eventually drove all visitors from the tower and back to the bus. The hour was getting late and there was a long ride home. The strong wind from the south made the ride back across the desert a constant battle, but soon Salt Lake City loomed into view and 40 minutes later the bus rolled into the South Gate of Hill AFB. "Many of the wives and children of the wing would like a better understanding of what we're doing here," said Col. James Allen, commander of the sponsoring squadron. "The wing arranges these range tours periodically just so the wives and families, and others, can see what the s do while airborne. F-4- "The people who work at the ranges deserve a lot of credit and recognition," he continued. "Many of them go without seeing their families all week and live at Lakeside in support of our mission. Others live in the small desert communities near the range. They do a superb job. These tours help our people appreciate their contributions to our mission accomplishment," he concluded. ii m mm yvewmnw WT4. 'gKf W Jj i f4 tzsfv"i f ' J f ' ' i - i t, I I ' & ' i. . ' - . ' ' ? . I THIS IS THE PLACE- ?- After a long ride, members of the 4th TFS sponsored tour anxiously get off the bus at Eagle Range. During their tour of the facilities, the visitors viewed bombing and strafing runs by s from the 388th TFW. F-4- ' i 1 1 , XT' I ir. I '1" fjf4 I Story and U.S. Air Force Photos by SSgt. Gerry Ditchfield ' ft " ALL ABOARD Two of the younger members of the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron's Tour to Eagle Range prepare to board the bus. Jackets were the order of the day and proved useful in the strong winds that developed later in the day. if. , 1 I i A Four members of the 3S8th TFW sponsored SHELTER tour shelter themselves behind an administrative Eagle Range out of the wind. The women were on hand to to building stay watch bombing and strafing missions at the range. V v if ( hi Mi- II st v ;- ' iclt - .'.' , i' i ' WHERE ARE THEY? David S. Allen keeps a sharp lookout for F--4 Phantoms from the top of the control tower at Eagle Range. He was one of many spectators at the range during the tour. Strong winds had everyone keeping one hand on the rail at all times. |