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Show 10 Hilltop Times Sept. 30, 1993 mm ...i.-..- A r Mi I k ' ' !f..3!ir.Si( - j 1 ... TNI r W I'll - . Photo by George Whetton It starts here... wire harnesses had to be built (above). Each harness contains 11 miles of wire. Then, the harnesses, each weighing nearly 1,000 pounds, were loaded into sturdy wooden boxes and hauled to the runway for installation. (Right) Then, the harnesses were placed in the cab.le trough. Two 420-fo- ot SpasUo lixscftftecp by Frances Kosakowsky and Jay Joersz Hilltop Times staff When a pilot has an " " .' emergency, he calls, in-flig- ht "Barrier! Barrier! Barrier!" The control tower hits the release switch for a 205-fobarrier cable to be raised on the runway to catch the aircraft as it lands or departs. There are two barrier arrest cables installed about 1,500 feet from each end of the Hill AFB runway to catch aircraft that for some reason can't land and stop normally or have problems on takeoff. Hydraulic failure, for example, would cause the brakes and flaps to malfunction, so the barrier arrest cable would be required for a safe landing. Sometimes a takeoff has to be aborted due to engine fluctuations. In that case too, the arrest barrier is activated. The barrier arrest cables are of enerdesigned to absorb 85 million gy. Experts on the system say they can stop any aircraft with a tail hook, including the The cable portion of the system is fine, but the electrical wires that run between the control tower and the runway, and under the runway, haven't been replaced in more than 12 years. The cable activation system has to be connected to the control tower so the air controllers can raise and lower the cable whenever it is required. Also, ot inch-and-a-quart- er foot-poun- ds F-1- 6. v 3lMI8 Photo by Joy Joersz tower personnel need to know whether the cable is up or down, so a separate indicator system is required for that. In addition, the cable storage recesses in the runway need to be heated so the cables don't freeze to the ground during the winter. Replacing the wire harnesses also upgrades the entire system to more modern safety and durability ' ' standards. The system is complex and it has to be tough. Pilot safety depends on it. , The 649th Civil Engineering Squadron requested technical heipjor the project from the Air National Guard Readiness Center, Minot, N.D. Carmen team chief, Aircraft Arresting Systems, and Bruce Strokland, the team electrician, spent 10 days at Hill earlier this month overseeing replacement of the Barrier Arresting Kit portion of the cable arrest system. The two men spend almost 60 percent of their time traveling around the world providing technical assistance and training at Air Force bases and National Guard airports. "From the time the nose wheel of an aircraft hits the cable until the hook engages is 11 2th of a second, and the speed can vary from 50 knots to 180 knots," said Mastroguiseppe. "Whatever the speed, the aircraft will be fairly gently stopped within a quarter of a mile. The system is programmed to give the plane a lot of slack so it doesn't stop with a jerk and hurt the pilot and tear up the airplane." T SaT7 -- ; Mas-troguisepp- ' rfT t - iI e, - s - V- -- iy ' ' ' ' fcn . " ' ' - ii ; Photo by Joy Joaru ''X M . I'' 'v , XI V '.MA J Photo by Joy Joeru ... for this result electricians to Install, and, as can be seen (lower right), (Center right) The harnesses took a dozen It 10 days, but the system is better than it was before. took awkward. is the installation position Photo by Joy Joaru |