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Show 2B Lakeside Review, Wednesday, October 21, 1987 m I, , ... fe y , : i j. pi a. : t4 ? :'' 4 ps''"v t ; r 4 5 ' "ri ,' t W i , , vX "T' ' 1" 5 " ' ' :"' ", j vf J V ' lr "V ; s --- 1 ' -- - , JT' - - - ' r ' v ,. , v ... .: y. .? ' U.vtW 4 tiT - ry. ' A 7 - - i Ghostbusting - ground crew style OffiNELLIS AIR FORCE BASE cially they are mechanics but in reality they are ghostbusters. And, without them, the sleek, titani- um skinned, crammed-with-compute- rs Flying Falcons would never fly. Without exception, every pilot at the Gunsmoke competition praised his ground crews, averaging 37 men per e team, for their work. Top Gun Maj. Danny Hamilton said of his plane, Problems? None whatsoF-1- 6 five-plan- ever. Some problems that occur in the $15 million aircraft are hard, if not impossible, to find. Especially in the old planes at Hill Air Force Base. What we get are a lot of ghosts and ghoulies, said Master Sgt. Ron referring to problems mostly electrical that occur in the air but cannot be replicated nor corrected on the ground. Lt. Col. James Redman Clevenger Mea-cha- Loadeo competition (top) keeps ground crew hustling to rearm der eyes of judges. Staff Sgt. Gary Cole works on Gunsmoke From IB nd never came. Neither flew in Gunsmoke and excellence in maintenance could be the reahappen Barnett or Hedrick son. History played a part with Capt. Joe Hedrick, 29, chosen because he was a Top Gun at a Xongrifie contest, and Jones a ;Top Gun at a past William Tell, competition held ;the 'in Gunsmokes off years. Jones offered his version of :why he was chosen. Im just said. old, the 41 year-old Capt. Tom Wingo, 29, rounds 'out the five man team. "Its a lot of fun, said Capt. ,Best about flying in the Gunsmoke. ' That all depends on your perspective, snapped Hedrick, .. the fifth man and spare pilot. In any flying competition there must be a spare plane and ; pilot so if there are any mechan- ical or personnel problems a full team can fly. Capt. John Barnett, the spare at the 419th said of his unfulfilled duty to take a slot in the ;sortie should the need arise, I wouldnt mind if someone got air-to-a- 500-pou- ir -- sick once in awhile. I would like to be airborn, he continued, but never to the point of wanting something to happen." It seems for both the 388th and the 419th finishing second only 121 points behind the winner that something to . The 419th placed second in the overall aircraft maintenance competition, missing the top honors by only five points. Over and over again pilots said they were just the most visible part of the contest and, without their skilled maintenance crew behind them, they would have never been able to fly. Major Victor Andrijauskas, director of Gunsmoke media relations, said, The pilot may be a $6 million man but without the maintenance he is nothing. Top Gun Hamilton said, I had no problems with the plane, none whatsoever, and gave his maintenance crew a thumbs up seal of approval. And that seal has a special significance since the 419th had the oldest at the competition. In fact they have five of the first hundred ever made with the granddaddy of the bunch numbered 021. During one phase the 4 9ths three man crew of Master Sgt. Mike Charlton and Staff Sgts. Tim Douglas and Gary Cole, plucked a perfect 1,500 points in the Loadeo competition. The Loadeo is a by the book rearming of an aircraft. The goal is to perfectly hang F-1- 6 bomb. un- six 500 pound bombs onto two triple ejector pylons with no safety or technical violations. Theyve got to abide by all the rules," said Master Sgt. Ron Meacham. And Redman Clevenger said, Its gotta be done right the first time. During the 31 minute Loadeo the crew must follow the exact routine as written down in the d thick maintenance blue-boun- schedules. Theyve got to keep a record of what they did with each plane," Meacham said. After the perfect 1,500 point score was added to other maintenance scores where the judges were really digging, according to Master Sgt. Pete Goff, the 419th totalled 6,429 points behind the 6,433 won by the 926th TFG out of New Orleans. The 388th placed eleventh with 6,367 points. m, predicted the next revolution of the plane will be a move to fiber optics instead of electrical cable connections. He said the craft has computer technology tied together with electrical technology. While Gunsmoke is primarily a competition among pilots who drop bomb loads on specific targets, the maintenance crews had their own contests. And the crew from the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing from HAFB took second place in the overall maintenance competition, missing first place by a mere five points. The 419th scored 6,429 points while the 926th TFG from New Orleans tallied up 6,433 points. Where the 419th shined was in the Loadeo competition where all 1,500 points possible were added to the total. The Loadeo is an exact rearming of a jet fighter. A crew of time three must, within a state-of-the-a- ok Hamilton From IB About his flying a $15 million high-tec- h fighter for his country he said, A lot of people want to be doing what I do. That is so true, Mr. Cruise, and isnt it a secure feeling to know there are e competent men doing what Hamilton does in the reserves? In this Bicentennial year when Fve thought about our freedoms Ive realized our countrys strong defense has helped us do what you and I, and the rest of us Americans, have chosen to do. Thanks for your time, Mr. Cruise, and if you want to do another movie on pilots I know one your screenwriter could use for a model. Maybe hed even fly one of the planes. F-1-6s rt full-tim- frame, hook six 500 pound bombs onto triple ejector pytwo, lons. The exercise is designed to test the e skills of the crew, simulating a combat situation, and yet do so without any safety or technical violations. Staff Sgts. Tim Douglas The crew and Gary Cole under the direction of starts by Master Sgt. Mike Charlton firing up an air conditioner that keeps the computers cool while the the maintenance check in underway. Then the bombs are armed and fused at each end, hoisted to the ejector with a lifting machine called a jammer, and under-the-win- g, real-lif- on-boa- rd secured. The contest ends not with storing tools but, true to governmental style, with paperwork. Theyve got to keep a record of what they did to each plane, Meacham said. I was too big to fly Two years ago you couldnt get me on an airplane. I was so big, I could barely squeeze down the aisle of a bus or drive a car. When I began the Diet Center program I weighed 290 pounds. I lost 123 pounds in 14 months. I feel as if a whole new world has opened up for me. 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