Show I A Pre Packaged Airfield I About Air Force military and civilian conferees met Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tues Tues- I day and Wednesday last week in a progress conference on the subject of a pre-packaged pre airfield THE TilE AIR FORCE with major assistance from the Ogden Air Materiel Area at Hill is working working working work work- ing on the Bare Base concept which will provide an instant airbase that can be flown into an area and set up for immediate immediate immediate im im- mediate use Maj Gen Robert H. H McCutcheon Mc- Mc McCutcheon McCutcheon Cutcheon Ogden AMA commander commander commander com com- mander opened the conference with a brief welcoming ad ad- dress Among the conferees were three general officers from Command WHEN THE project is completed completed completed com com- cargo aircraft will beable be beable beable able to fly small prefabricated structures into an area where within hours an airbase complete complete complete com com- with hangars personnel buildings shops and other facilities facilities facilities fa fa- will appear like magic Many Air Force activities are working on the program and hope to have a pre-packaged pre field ready for a capability demonstration by the Tactical Air Command by 1970 OGDEN AMA IA will prepare the aircraft maintenance complex Other Air Force organizations are working on personnel shelters shelters shelters shel shel- general purpose buildings buildings buildings build build- ings and hangars All structures are small and re SHELDON M M. Eppich of Roy and the project officer at Ogden Ogden Og Og- den der AMA for the concept saia that the first step in setting up a new air air base will be send- send sending sending ng ing ing in C aircraft The aircraft capable of landing landing landing land land- ing on almost all types ot of surfaces surfaces surfaces sur sur- faces will discharge construction construction construction tion workers to beef up the air strip Soon other C and larger aircraft will arrive and unload prefabricated tures ures SUPPORTING equipment willbe will wille willI be e either inside the he shelters or carried along in n the aircraft to be placed inside when the structures are assembled Mr Eppich's organization called the Logistic Shelter Engineering Engineering Engineering En En- Project Office has about 30 people working on integrating aircraft maintenance maIntenance maintenance ance equipment into the shel shel- KEY STRUCTURE in the Bare Base Concept is an aluminum like box-like building measuring 13 feet long nine feet wide and eight feet high Inside the box are placed such facilities as machine shop sheet metal electronics warehousing warehousing warehousing ware ware- housing and other equipment When unloaded at the new air base the buildings can fan be expanded to 24 feet long 13 feet wide and eight feet high The secret is is folding partitions like found on the end of a cardboard box and accordion- accordion like expansion of several sec sec- IN ITS original size said Mr Eppich we have to sandwich sandwich sandwich sand sand- everything in using the least possible space Then when the building is expanded the equipment can be relocated for efficient work space Ogden AMA technicians are using the shelf equipment such as drill presses and lathes Then they are experimenting experimenting experimenting with telescoping work workbenches workbenches workbenches benches and other items that an be re-engineered re to take up a minimum of room WE HAVE had to revise our thinking about some Air Force items Mr Eppich said For For example take a foot 60 high parachute drying tower Obviously it wouldn't fit into our concept So we voe have devised devised devised de de- a segmented aluminum tube with heat at one end The parachute is stretched out in inthe inthe inthe the tube and dried in about an hour The first box will arrive here in July from the manufacturing manu manu- f fi curing concern By then Eppic Ep- Ep pic picas pica's s 's office will have developed develop develop- ed the work benches to be put into it The work bench he explained is the basic starting starting starting start start- ing point in any maintenance complex BY JUNE 1969 some 90 boxes will have been equipped with various facilities and ready I Ifor for testing by Tactical Air Command More than personnel personnel personnel per per- from the Shops Division in the Maintenance Directorate Directorate Directorate Di Di- at Hill will be involved involved involved in in- in the project by that time The other facet to Ogden AMA program is is developing equipment such as power systems systems systems compressed air ail work stands and other items to be beI I placed in the aircraft hangars The hangars being fabricated elsewhere will come in rounded round round- ed sections which will look like a band shell assembled MR EPPICH and his personnel personnel personnel per per- are enthused with the project The concept means that an anair anair anair air base will be for the first time truly mobile Within hours it can be set up and ready reldy to operate In the same length of time it can be packed up and flown elsewhere |