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Show s Hit'tcp T.es MISSION. Feb. 8, 1991 Hill ( M 0 oireratff flying by Debbie Christiansen nter Hilltop Times staff - Hercules hanOn display in the Hill AFB gar are letters of thanks from the organizations that own the aircraft to those who do the maintenance. Those letters attest to the skill of the w orkers and to the fact that their work is helping to support C-13- 0 -i L M-- i' "! V ' - . " IS of ) Operation Desert Storm. One letter, from the 133rd Tactical Airlift Wing, Military Airlift Command, of the Minnesota Air National Guard, is dated Nov. 5, 1990. It states that it sent to Hill has flown 286 hours since the of those being overhauled. One hundred thirty-twhours and 50 sorties have been flown in support of Operation Desert Storm. The aircraft has experienced no problems. Nearly 300 workers in the Aircraft Directorate's unit conduct programmed depot maintenance on the Hercules. The process takes an average of s and 138 days, said David Powers, 13,000 unit chief. Since the conflict in the Persian Gulf began, that time has been cut down in certain cases. "By request, we've accelerated work on certain planes which belong to organizations with Desert Storm obligations," Mr. Powers said. "We've, got two in that category now." Work has gone on covering all shifts. Workers have done some overtime, although C-1- 30 o C-13- 0 man-hour- C-13- 0 around-the-cloc- k, Sleeping giant Hercules, based at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, is at Hill AFB for maintenance. The process unit an average of 13,000 manhours and 138 days. takes workers in the Aircraft Directorate's This C-13- 0 C-13- 0 no extra shifts have been necessary, he said. The unit is scheduled to overhaul 35 of the of big transport aircraft in fiscal 1991. Twenty-twthose will also be modified to utilize a navigation system. The system is a navigation and communication management system designed to the ability to navigate and accomgive the plish various mission requirements independent of radio navigation aids, Mr. Powers ground-basesaid. "It enables transport aircraft to deliver supplies, cargo and personnel in all conditions hostilities, bad weather or night," he said. "It's the same sys C-13- 0 o self-contain- fully-integrate- C-13- ed d 0 d gust, but has now joined elements of the 354th and 23rd Tactical Fighter Wings at another location, providing airlift for personnel and supplies in support of Operation Desert Storm. "Our mission, simply put, is to pick up and move anything to any location in support of the war effort," said Col. M. Clay Bailey, 317th TAW commander. "We can deliver the goods, by by SSgt. Robert V. Pease Somewhere in the Persian Gulf SAUDI ARABIA (AFNEWS) Hercules was a mythical Greek hero renowned for his power and strength. In the northern night sky, a constellation of stars, named for the legend, shines brightly between Corona Borea-li- s and Lyra. Hercules has long proven The itself worthy of the name, and members of the 41st Tactical Airlift Squadron, part of the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, Pope AFB, N.C., believe they are some of the best when it comes to moving anything...anywhere. air-lan- or d 0 air-dro- anywhere within p, the theater of operations." The squadron, known as the "Black-cats,- " took very little time to move its entire operation from one location to another. "To start all over again in a new location with next to nothing and build up to our war capability in less than one week is an impressive achieve- - The squadron had been operating at one Persian Gulf location since Au (Galaxy) aircraft." owned are The by organizations such as MAC, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard and come in from all over the United States and the world. They come through for maintenance at intervals, Mr. Powers said, so the same tail numbers are seen every four years. In addition to the maintenance and modifications done at Ogden Air Logistics Center, workers can also do full paint jobs, he said. This workload was contracted out in the past, but thanks to a recently acquired paint booth, the work can now be done without a contractor. tem used in the C-- 5 C-13- 0s 48-mon- th ment," said Colonel Bailey. "I'm proud of all our people." The is right at home in the desert, according to the colonel, and has a distinct advantage over its big-Starlifter and the ger brethren, C-1- 30 C-14- 1 Galaxy. "It's been very durable," said the Paintsville, Ky., native. "It was built for the dirt. We've flown well above the program for wartime utilization since being here and we have the ad- of short-field- , or assault, land- ing capability. These planes can land on just 3,000 feet of dirt runway, while larger aircraft require more than twice that distance." The squadron's commander, Lt. Col. Dave Schantz, is equally impressed with the unit's performance in the Ara- - C-- 5 bian desert. According to Colonel Schantz, the squadron will perform its wartime mission, though less predic- table, with the same professionalism they employ with every task, Since deploying to Saudi Arabia, the "Blackcats" have become the first unit to surpass the accident-fre10,000-hou- r mark for flying in the area of responsibility, "It's a real tribute to all the hard work of the operations and mainten-vantag- e ance people who support our airplanes," said Colonel Schantz. "Given all the hazards under which we oper-thate here, it's very significant." Editor's not: Article courtesy CENTAF News Service. Sergeant Pease writes for the deployed 23rd TFW Public Affairs Office. e C-1- 30 e r i MHHHHHIMIMIIIIIHIilHIIIimilHIIIHIIIHIIHHUIHIHIIIHHIIIHmiMniHHIHHIimHHHIHMmumilHIIIHU Cp and Save! Jry fl TCg. Dclicious Fresh Evcryday'A AMad L WJ--fs WITH e $1.39 coupon I rp EZZ3 ln Great Selection of HOT FOODS! - Chicken Burritos Corn Dogs Eon Rojte toUgs mr.1447 ' Hi Q(jr WINULJVvO I nn mini in - ji n i ii" ...... i uii1 SK&'SSrffEi Perform a death-defyi- ng act . rim fzn nn i Et less sainted !t CUT i 1 1 "OiggjQiHBl I UHlVb'IN Chimichangas Pizza Pockets Sloppy Joes A a Hurry? Then take advantage SIC 64 loin n cm n ri tiYou I iiniiiiiiHiiiNiiiiitiiuiiiiHiiNiHiiHNiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiimiiiiiiHiiiHmiHiiiiiiiiiiNimiHiimiiiHii mmm Try Our ? SSMjfcy ' Redeemable at Stimson's in Lay ton hand f 'i t E. a 1 COUPONExpres Feb. 14, 1991 Come 3271 Sc 043 -- i !n RiHtri'in,ni.i'i.M'f:Unui:irnirH:(ikViiMrti iw .v.st ' Cft-Py-"- I Photo by Rolph Leui Hercules compares to namesake C-1- 30 C-13- U S. Air Forc i . 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