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Show mWIGHTEM (TOUNTRY Twice Monthly - w,.,iu,n p,,,,,, uy Rams test skills of 5 pilots 388th Fighter Wing supplement to the Hilltop Times roree u.a. , uhmtow 01 usrense, ine or wir Mill At-- May 8,1997 fcveryming advertised is available without regard lo race, colof. religion, sex, or other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron The nights are a little brighter over the 388th Fighter flightline thanks to Airman 1st Class Jose Wing Q j F-1- Geiger (left) and By Airman 1st Class Sara Banda Editor, Fighter Country Civil Engineering Group. The airmen are changing light The 34th Fighter Squadron put 5 pilots to k the test during a visit to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., beginning last week. The mission of the 100 airmen and eight F-- 1 6s is to challenge the skills of pilots about to complete the F-- 1 5 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. The Rams will fly three missions daily beginning with pre-flig- ht briefings at 4 a.m. and ending around 8 p.m. when the last jet lands. The 34th FS will be Red Air, the aggressors, while the 5 pilots will be Blue Air, the good Senior Airman Ware Scott, of the 75th F-1- two-wee- I " I 'ynyr-- t f 3 O 1 X bulbs on the pole next to Hangar 37. The bulbs on every 100-fopole were changed last week. ot New ones are installed every two years. Photo by Airman st Class Sara Banda 1 F-1- guys. "We fly tactics similar to those other adversaries would use," said Capt. Scott Pleus, 34th FS chief of standards and evaluations. "We also simulate shooting missiles at the 5 students." The wing's three fighter squadrons average two trips each to support the weapons school durperiod. ing a "It's excellent training for us. These exercises are always a good opportunity to fly in different ir missions," said ranges and to practice Pleus. "The squadron benefits from the training, but deployments also bring people together. I'm new in the squadron, so this gives me a good opportunity to really get to know the maintenance people better and for them to get to know me." The Rams are scheduled to return May 16. F-1- Safety number one priority 388th FW Public Affairs Office th air-to-a- The 388th Fighter Wing commander has designated May 16 as the wing's Safety Day. No missions will be flown that day, and people throughout the unit will set aside normal duties to focus on safety, both on and The wing upholds an Air Combat Command tradition by devoting a day to concentrate on safety prior to the kickoff of the 101 Critical Days of Summer. The span traditionally beMemorial Day weekend and extends gins Labor Day weekend. This pethrough riod of time earned its name because each year more mishaps occur within this time frame than any other part of the year, according to Tech. Sgt. Mark Townsend, 388th FW ground safety manager. "It is the peak of the summer vacation season when most people will hop in their vehicles and head out in search of an adventure that can potentially end in tragedy," said Townsend. "History and the wisdom of safety professionals teaches us that the best way to prevent a tragedy is to teach people how to avoid it." off-dut- y. During 1996's critical season, 22 Air Force members died in fatal mishaps. All y but two of the deaths occurred and involved either a sports and recreation activity or a vehicle mishap. In three of the fatalities, alcohol use was a contributing off-dut- factor. "These facts are the driving force beSafety Days and the 388th Fighter Wing's efforts to provide a hind ACC-direct- fo- - singular 14-we- ek Briefly "' ., Pride Day The 388th Fighter Wing will join the base in 'Taking Pride in Hill" when it gears up for spring cleaning May 16. The 75th Air Base Wing and Ogden Air Logistics Center agencies will clean up their areas Wednesday. The 388th FW plans to do its part two days later so the event can be combined with Safety Day. Wing publications of the 388th Fighter Wing's publications are now available to wing members via the LAN. The publications are in Microsoft Word format. To access, follow these instructions: 1. From WINDOW '95 main screen, go into Network Neighborhood. 2. From the network Hif388fw, scroll down and double click. to Ws3880-scb-- 2 3. Double click 388pdl and a list of 388 FW pubs should be listed. 4. Choose the pub you need and click once Many on it. 5. Drop down the file menu and select Open. If you have any questions contact Staff Sgt. Dave Stephens or Senior Airman Paul Minor, 388th Fighter Wing Information Systems Flight, at 777-228- 5. ed cus," said Townsend. "The goal of Safety Day is to inspire the wing people to "Think Safety" and incorporate good safety practices into their work and play." The fighter wing safety office will host three speakers who are professionals in the area of recreation, traffic and fire safety. The trio will provide wing members with safety advice in their respective areas of expertise. Proposed Safety Day Schedule Hangar 45W 4th FS, 421st FS, 34th FS, I Hangar 40 MXS, 729th ACS LSS.OSS 1:00 pm 1:20 pm 1:40 pm Fire 2:00 pm Driving Bioenvironmental 2:20 pm 4:00 pm Squadron safety activities Flying safety meeting at the Officers Club Boating Driving Boating Bioenvironmental Fire Black Widows train with Germans By Staff Sgt. J.C. Woodring 388th FW Public Affairs Office The ramp for 388th Fighter Wing jets has been a little emptier than normal for the last few weeks. In fact, tailspotters d to find the black tails of the 42 st Fighter would be the unit since deployed to Holloman Air Force Base, Squadron 13. N.M., April and more than 80 troops The Black Widows sent eight to the southwestern state to provide adversary support for the German Air Force's 4 Fighter Weapons School. "We provided them the training they required, and it was a great learning experience for our pilots," said Lt. Col. Burt Field, 421st FS commander. "It was great flying with the Germans and crosstalking on different aircraft," said Capt. J. Todd Hicks, 421st FS project officer for the desert deployment. "It's good to see their perspectives." The Black Widows' pilots applied many of the different tactics they practice daily at Hill. Each flew at least 15 sorties including basic flying maneuvers, air combat ma 1 hard-presse- F-1- 6s F-- air-to-a- ir neuvers, tactical intercepts and dissimilar air combat training. "We flew a total of 138 sorties during the deployment, and never lost a single sortie for maintenance," said Hicks. "Our maintainers were excellent." To keep the jets poised for the next mission, the maintenance troops split into two shifts and "worked until the jets were ready," said 1st Lt. Dave Ham, 42 1st FS maintenance officer for the deployment. At times, this was no easy task. "Although it's been sunny here, we've had winds blowing more than 20 knots," said Ham. Flying with the Germans gave 421st FS pilots a closer look at how other forces act and react during combat. "We don't get to fly with dissimilar aircraft very often at was a great simulation Hill," said Field. "Flying with the of what it would be like if we were in real combat." The 42 st FS brought home many lessons on how they need to perform in combat as well as how some things should not be done, according to Field. "It's much better to learn these lessons here in the United States," he said. "Being second in combat is unacceptable." F-- 4s 1 |