European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday september 4, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 3 is photo by Dave Didlo two a-1ua aircraft follow a pc is Tanker to a ramp parking space on Lajes Field azores. In the background another a Ioa makes a Landing. Senior airman Yolanda Davis pilots and ground Crews discuss the Day s flight from the . To Lajos Field. The planes Are a Ioa Thunderbolt ii anti Lank aircraft azores group smooths out trans Atlantic flights by j. King Cruces . Bureau Lajes Field. Azores thanks to the efforts of a Small detachment of the air Force s tac air come. Crews of aircraft passing through this North Atlantic air base generally have Little More to worry about than Fly ing their planes. That s because Del 5 of the 2nd aircraft delivery group takes care of the rest fur them. The three person staff headed by maj. James liar Field coordinates All preflight arrangements including requesting diplomatic clearances to Fly Over foreign countries filing flight plans with civilian air traffic control centers and reserving blocks of space for in flight refuelling. The detachment also coordinates All ground support for the aircraft passing through Lajes. We make sure they Nave a place to Park their planes and to get them fixed if need be and that the Crews have a place to sleep Barfield said. It s important to get the Crews Down and into Crew rest status As quickly As Possi ble so that they will have a minimum of 12 hours rest before setting off on the next leg of their trip. Support is especially Good at this base it almost makes my Job too easy said Barfield a former f-4 Pilot who has served Here for a year. This detachment is one of three the 2nd aircraft de livery group has in Europe. The others Are at Rhein main a Germany and Torr Jon a Spain the head quarters for the detachments is at Langley fab a. The group delivers . Air Force Navy and Marine aircraft throughout the world and has sole responsibility for the flight delivery of aircraft sold to other nations under the department of defense foreign military sales program. During inc last fiscal year they delivered 1,448 aircraft. The group s personnel do not actually Fly the aircraft they deliver. They coordinate support arrangements Nec Essary to deliver aircraft from one base to another. The Job May sound relatively simple but it is a highly Complex task that involves extensive planning and the juggling of a multitude of variables. Barfield and his staffers tech sol. Philip Daven port and senior airman Yolanda Davis mainly sup port aircraft that arc going Back to the United states for overhauls returning from there after having such work done or arc participating in overseas exercises. One of the largest aircraft movements through Lajos this summer involved a do in a Ioa Thunderbolt ii anti tank aircraft of the 353rd tac fighter so from Myrtle Beach fab . They were on their Way to Europe for a month Long deployment to participate in exercises Coronet Comet while operating out of Raf Woodbridge England and Ahlhorn a Germany. Together with the Headquarters staff the detachment people Here Check on weather information the mechanical condition of aircraft being ferried and the availability of support aircraft needed for the flight. An aircraft might make As Many As nine stops during a delivery Mission and All the preflight arrangements must be coordinated for each scheduled movement. If flights Are delayed for any reason alternate arrange ments must be made to continue the Mission Barfield said. This time of the year is the busiest for us he added. We Don t have a lot of business in Winter because the weather can be so poor Here at that