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Show motor movers HILL TOP TIMES 16 1?7 July 17. tL7GDGbQL70. DDDCaCsDDDg OCflG (ESQ - ; . ' " - , 4 1 ii.f, .in , -j- '""'..i, MlttlWiyS 1 ..... -r .r , .n.uu. 0OQ(J CdOQdO Missile transportation comes from Hill AFB, crews carry load By Ralph C. Jensen Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office V: - ' ; J'lpli ' ' ' X 1 '"lj ! the country is not an Packing missile motors around n team to oversee the a It requires easy job. three-perso- delicate operation. Crews from Hill AFB 's Transportation Operation Division in the Directorate of Distribution pull regular trips to haul in or transport out various stages of the Peacekeeper missile. "There's a lot of things involved in this operation the average person doesn't know about," said Keith Porter, a driver for the transportation branch. "This is really more than a driving job. We are responsible for the safe transportation of the various stages of the missile. When we stop for an overnighter enroute somewhere, someone has to stay with the truck at all times." crew was dispatched last Friday to HerA three-ma- n cules, Incorporated of Magna, Utah, to pick up a third stage motor which was to be transported back to Hill, then dispatched to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. the following Monday. motor is placed on a rail system and The 127,000-pouncarefully placed inside a mobile container that is secured on a flatbed trailer. The trucktrailer unit takes a skillful driver, who maneuvers a hauling machine. "The trailer is controlled by a hydraulic system and requires special attention," said Mr. Porter. "It is used with the fifth wheel which is used with a series of yokes and devices. The front axle and the back two axles of the trailer turn as needed." The transport team started business in 1981 when transportation was needed for the Peacekeeper MX system. Crews maintain their own equipment, plus make shipments to F.E. Warren AFB or Vandenberg AFB, Cahf. Crews often bring the various missile motors to Hill, then load the environmentally controlled unit on a , rail car. "We've been going to Sacramento, McClellan AFB, about every two weeks with motor, "said Mr. Porter. "We haven't been to Vandenberg for a while because the testing is phasing out. The majority of the motors have been going to Warren where they are put together." The Hill transportation team has been involved in moving all three stages of the motor. The first stage is prepared at the Morton-Thiokplant at Brigham City, and Utah, weighs 245,000 pounds. Stage two, assembled at Sacramento, Calif., weighs 170,000 pounds and is transported by the Hill crew. Transportation is the key to missile production and according to transportation officials, it is a job that is just as important as the production end of the operation. d 48-whe- el ol (U.S. Air Force Photos by Ralph C. Jensen) The motor missile motor is ready to be loaded on a Hill AFB trailer unit to to the base, then to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. A third-stag- e 111 1 LSskjk ' I (h be transported back i 1 A d mi 'V i- - 4, " y - It Backing In It is critical that the trailer line up to the Inch so the rock- et motor can be loaded without incident. Tractor and trailer Carrying a motor Is an oversize load and is considered an explosives A load. Safety always comes first in |