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Show f December 7, 2000 : Organisation by Mary Galbraith Hilltop Times r - donats funds to presone hsritag staff Pilots and crewmembers once responsible for capturing top secret information are now eager to share their stories with the public through the Hill Aerospace Museum. The Tactical Reconnaissance Reunion Organization Incorporated recently donated money that will finance the construction of a display that will outline the history of Air Force tactical reconnaissance aircraft used to report enemy location and movement. Last Friday the museum was presented with two checks. The first was a $5,000 donation from the tactical reconnaissance organization and the second was a $2,500 check from Dominick Chiovari, which will soon be matched by his former civilian employer bringing the total contribution to $10,000. The organization, Chiovari and the company will donate another $10,000 to the Pima Museum near Tucson, Ariz. If it hadnt been for Chiovari, there probably would not have been a presentation today, Roger Wilkes, a former tactical reconnaissance pilot, said. Chiovari, a retired Air Force major who served with tactical reconnaissance during World War II and the Korean War, made his donation proposal a few years ago at the groups reunion. Wilkes, who lives in the local area immediately saw the potential to acquire funding for the Hill Aerospace Museum, which already had an RF-- 4 (one of the aircraft that was used in tactical reconnaissance) on display. Retired Lt. Gen. Marc Reynolds, chairman of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah Incorporated and a former tactical reconnaissance pilot, was on hand Friday to receive the check along with Jack Price, the foundations vice chairman, and Carol Nash, museum curator. Reynolds said the money will fund an exhibit in the Lindquist-StewaFighter Gallery telling the history of Air Force manned tactical reconnaissance. The display will include storyboards, photographs and vintage memorabilia, with a primary focus on the World War II and Cold War eras. rt Its especially significant that were doing this because the tactical reconnaissance sensorcamera workload the RF-- 4 and 1 was a major workload at Hill for several decades, Reynolds said. So its very appropriate for there to be a tactical reconnaissance display here that connects that workload to the overall Air Force mission of manned tactical reconnaissance. This is a mission that no longer exists that will be well documented here at the museum. Wilkes concurred saying, No longer is there any manned tacticalreconnaissance. Its all being done by UAVs and satellites. If we dont get the word out, nobodys going to know about it in 20 years. Wilkes said their association has approximately RF-10- 1,400 members. About a dozen reside in Utah. In 1999 the group held their annual reunion in Salt Lake City. Buses were arranged so the veterans would have an opportunity to tour Hills museum. They were just overly enthusiastic about what the museum has, Wilkes said, noting many of the members are excited to return to Utah to see the completed display and hes received a lot of positive feedback. He said the younger generation might be interested to learn that the tactical reconnaissance pilots and crew were responsible for what is now completed with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and were often flying dangerous missions within range of enemy weapons. There was a lot of low level flying, which exposed you to anti aircraft, if you had to go deep into the bad guys territory, you flew at an altitude the surface air missiles were geared for, he said. While Wilkes was flying in Korea he had a close call in the RF-5- 1 he was piloting at a low level. The plane was hit by anti aircraft fire and while he made it back to base, he was forced to crash land. He said many other organization members have similar stories that they want to preserve through the museums exhibit. Not all of our members are active, Wilkes said. But Im sure weve got a large enough group that we can get some things. Both museums would like to display anything they have. Reconnaissance units photographed enemy by Roger Wilkes Tactical Reconnaissance Reunion Organization When mankind first 9nm' ( decided there had to be periods of warfare, one truism became apparent take the high ground. . From a higher posi, tion, a commander could observe the strength and movements of his enemy. This continued until the late 18th century when the French invented the hot air balloon and a new dimen-sio- n was added giving t 4 the commander a better view of his enemy. During our Civil War, the Union Army had its own balloon Observa- tion Corps, using gas to inflate the balloons rather than hot air a Photo by Mary Galbraith Roger Wilkes, Tactical Reconnaissance Reunion Organization, looks out from the RF-- 4 on decided improvement. at the Hill Aerospace Museum. Wilkes is in the forward oblique station. Pilots shot display Early in the 20th cenfootage when the aircraft was diving straight down on a target. Wilkes said it was known as tury, the airplane was the dicing camera, because what they were doing was dicey. invented and controlled flight became possible. When World War I began, reconnaissance forces saw a significant increase almost all airplanes of warring nations were used in strength. The RB-2- 6 was replaced by the powjet for observation and flying units were assigned ered (there is one at the museum) , the names and numbers. by the They were replaced in the late Aircraft would fly over battle areas looking for 1950s by the RB-6- 6 and the RF-Ithe first superenemy positions. Soon they were equipped with sonic tactical reconnaissance aircraft. cameras to photograph unfriendly positions. The The RB-6- 6 introduced electronic reconnaissance rear-sea- t crewmember would stand up and lean to the tactical forces the gathering of intelliover the side of the airplane with the camera to gence of the enemys electronic order of battle. take pictures. To prohibit observation flights of This involved crewmembers seated in the bomb both sides, guns were added to aircraft and the bay area, listening to and plotting locations of enemy fighter unit was born. Aircrews also began carry- radar directed anti aircraft guns and missiles. A later version used in Vietnam electronically jammed ing bombs and the bomber unit was born. Because the information gathered by the obser- enemy radar sites. vation units was so important, friendly fighters Tactical reconnaissance really came into its own were directed to provide escort to protect them. during the Vietnam war. In the early stages, the Observation units of World War I were ,th.e direct fighting was limited to in country as the South ancestors of the Tactical Reconnaissance units of Vietnamese Army was attempting to suppress the World War II and beyond. Viet Cong. the between two The first unit to arrive in theater was a detach- the During intervening years world wars, military budgets were slashed and ment of hastily modified aircraft to give advances in warplanes were slow. Aircraft were field commanders day and night capability. As fight-sloshort ranged, lightly armed and still tied to ing continued, more squadrons flying and s close battlefield support of ground troops. With arrived followed by RF-4the advent of war in Europe in 1939, and the rapid The RF-- 4 (which can be seen at the Hill of the German Blitzkrieg (lightning war) , space Museum) was the ultimate tactical recon-Umilitary leaders realized changes in doctrine, naissance aircraft. It was configured wjth day and night cameras, plus an infra red sensor for equipment and employment had to be made. The battlefield was no longer static in trenches, night operations, and side looking radar which it was fluid and far ranging with mechanized and could gather intelligence information through motorized vehicles roaming over terrain. The task clouds. of observation would now be flown in light liai- With the end of the conflict, and a reduction in son aircraft in direct contact with ground troops. US military appropriations, tactical reconnaissance Visual and photographic reconnaissance would be was again faced with a reduction of its forces. Sev-th- e business of fast modified camera carrying enteen years later during the Persian Gulf war, aircraft which would range well past the tical reconnaissance was represented by a small battlefield to obtain information on rear echelon contingent of Nevada National Guard RF-4y still and the front line n forces, support troops ing their last mission, and performed with reconnaissance was needed there. tinction. The two best US fighter reconnaissance aircraft The Tactical Reconnaissance Reunion Organi- were the modified 8 (the F--4 and F-- and the zation was formed about 25 years ago and is made 1 ) . Both were equipped with vertical and up of former aircrew members. Its a fraternal unit oblique cameras and flown by highly trained pilots, where flying comrades can stay in touch with each 7 and 4 bomber aircraft were also modi- - other and we meet annually to reminisce about the tied to fulfill the strategic reconnaissance mission, good old days. Five years after WW II we were engaged in Korea. Because manned tactical reconnaissance is no Tactical reconnaissance forces had been reduced longer a part of the Air Force, and is now performed but received the first jet powered aircraft the by unmanned aerial vehicles, were anxious to tell d They were joined by the our story. Both the Hill Aerospace Museum and FR-5- 1 and the RB-2Pima Museum in Arizona will serve as reposito- the of During early days the Cold War, tactical ries for our aircraft, memorabilia and history. RB-57- A RF-80- A RF-84- F. OI RB-57- E w, RF-lO- ls RB-66- s. -- Aero-advanc- es ( S tac-fight- er s, dur-enemdis-whe- P-3- P-5- (F-6- B-1- camera-equippe- B-2- RF-80- A. 6. 5) |