European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 21, 1978 the stars and stripes Page 9 carious and providers of using some older planes in Maneu vers Story and photo by Grace Blancet staff writer Wiesbaden Abs a the air Force has reached Back 15 and 20 years into its aircraft inventory to help keep the front stocked with soldiers and supplies during annual nato  of the 1st provisional Airlift so Stol leapfrogged their aged c-7asand c-123ks, both Short Takeoff and land ing Craft from the states across the Nort Atlantic to take part in the autumn forge series of  Squadron commander. Col. Dennis Leadbetter praised the c-123 provider an the c-7 Caribou As unbeatable in delivering troops and supplies to Forward combat areas by air drop and ground de livery on Short and unimproved assault Landing strips. This is the c-7 s debut in  can go anywhere they ground troops go and deliver said Leadbetter a Pilot for Eastern airlines in Atlanta. The unit has been flying 12 sorties , who commands More than 200 air Crew and support personnel from14th air Force Reserve at Dobbins fab ga., said the unit already has passed on of its toughest tests getting Here. People sell our aircraft Short Lead better said of sceptics who considered their Vintage aircraft not up to the North Atlantic crossing. Preparing for the More than 4,000-Miledeployment meant installing 500-gallon fuel bladders in each plane. Even with the extra fuel the planes had to be refuelled at Goose Bay Labrador and Kef Lavik ice land said maj. Bud Gorman maintenance , from the Boston area said that the six c-7s and six c-123s crossed in about44 hours with Reserve Hc-130 Hercules planes along for radio and emergency sup port if  the changing time zones our Guys ate breakfast six times during the trip he  of the c-7s Are at least 15 years old and the c-123s Are More than 20 years  said this makes the jobs of c. M. Sets. Ernest Sawyer and Chuck Fusco even More critical. Both men Are full time Reserve technicians and maintenance us  most reservists can get Only a two week break from their jobs for Active duty during peacetime and the unit s re forger role spans three weeks there willbe a turnover of about 90 personnel this weekend Leadbetter  members from Reserve units at Dobbins Maxwell fab Ala West Verab mass. Rickenbacker fab Ohio and greater Pittsburgh International air port pa., will return to to the states on sept. 29. Mac proves it s ready to tackle the big jobs old but ready and willing senior airman Ron Wakefield left and t. Sgt. Dennis Williams provide routine maintenance on a c-7a Caribou at Wiesbaden air base Germany. The two Are members of the Reserve unit the 1st provisional Airlift so Stol. Wiesbaden is the military air lift come is satisfied it can move fighting men and weapons to Europe in big bites if it has to. Mac flew a c-5 Galaxy called the world s largest air plane with nearly 300combat-ready troops non Stop from Mcchord fab wash., to Raf Mildenhall England to test the marriage of strategic and tactical transport. At the English base men of the 3rd in 60th inf from fort Lewis wash., streamed across the Concrete runway to c-130 her Cules and German air Force c-160 trans alls waiting to ferry them to this reopened Airfield near the front of nato exercise certain  rest of the 470 foot soldiers and 25 tons of cargo were carried by c-141 Star lifters which stopped for fuel at the Cana Dian air Force base at Goose Bay Labra  first of the Hercules and tra Salls lifted off from Mildenhall less than an hour after the Galaxy touched Down. They landed at Wiesbaden disgorged men and a major action restores a s flight line to life Wiesbaden is since the air Force turned Over the air base Here to the u in  uio6u16uarmy about three years ago the flight line Hines with engines running and turned for has been used for just about everything but Mildenhall and another Load.  All the 9th inf div troops travelled but with the flight line s recent reopen More than 4,800 Miles in less than 17 hours ing for autumn forge exercises joggers Over last weekend. Model air plane buffs automobiles and a German c-160 Ransall far left and a Usan c-130 Hercules wait for passengers at Wiesbaden a. For is by Robert Thompson even tanks Are having to defer to such air Craft As c-130s, c-7s and c-123s.lt. Col. John b. Bradley from Sembach a Germany s 601st tactical control Wing headed the reopening Effort which he said started in , of Fargo n.d., said that Al though they took it slow and easy preparing for the reopening we could be open for bad weather operations within 48 hours and for Var visual flight rules conditions in less than 24  fact we could be ready before planes could get Here from the states he  commands the air base so provisional 7077th, whose responsibility it is to ready the flight line for  German approval for radio frequencies installing ground control approach and tactical air navigation equip ment setting up hotlines and crash phones bringing in extra firefighting equipment and Jet Refu Elers were some of the obstacles facing the  the air Force took All its navigational equipment when it moved out the control Tower stands useless. So the 1st combat comm so of Lindsey air station installed a portable  one of the most important pieces of equipment we brought in is a vacuum sweeper for the flight line Bradley said. Although the runways Are in great shape what with All the tanks running across them there was a lot of stuff there which could cause Fod foreign object damage Bradley said townspeople have shown keen interest in the flight line  slows Down on the autobahn when a plane takes off he said.