European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes Friday. September 20, 1985 gun smoke 85 Hahn bombers Seffo defend championship by Jean Albright Pitburg Bureau Hahn a Germany for each person who left Hahn last Wiek to defend the 50th tac fighter Wing s reputation As having some of the Best bombers and gun ners in the air Force three who vied for their jobs were left behind. Team members returning to gun smoke k5 to defend the Wing s 83 championship title were those who sur Vived the cuts that were made during intense summer Long training. The summer s work was in preparation for the final test that will come next month at Nellis fab nov. Air Force units flying a-10s, a-7s. Its and f-l6s will compete in bombing missions Over the ranges of Nevada in a contest that comes every two years. On the ground All the missions that keep the planes flying arc examined in painstaking detail. . Col. Sergio Delhoyo team commander designed the training program for Hahn s 50-Mcm bar gun smoke team. Early this summer the team took Over the hangar maintenance area of one Squadron. After the planes were inspected the pilots avionics specialists maintenance Crews and weapons loaders and the planes went to in Ciurlik a Turkey for 39 Days of practice in a climate similar to that of Nevada. In Ciurlik is 3,000 feet above sea level like the Nellis Range said Delhoyo. Aircraft can Fly at 250 feet As they will at Nellis. That s important because avionics components compensate for pressure and winds in differ ent ways at different altitudes. The aircraft reacts differently the closer you Are to sea personnel spent the first few weeks adapting to the 110-Degrce weather and also adapting the f-16s computers to the pilots who would Fly the missions. The deployment allowed tender Loving care not nor Mally possible and helped pilots and planes reach their Peak performance. The goal was to match each plane s individual personality to each Pilot s preferences said tech. Sgt. Jim Downey chief of the avionics team. Some pilots like to Sec the Pippr on their screen dead Center on their target and we can give them that he said. Some like it entered just under the target and we can set it up that Way too. These aircraft Are now Able to do More than they were designed to do. And i d say the pilots arc going Todo a Little belter than they were designed to in the final week the Overall score topped the winning 83 score by 300 Points. Sis Choli by a a line of f-16s it Hahn a sport their net Tail stripes for the Cun smoke 85 Competition at Nellis fab Ner. The trip to Turkey decided which pilots would make the Cut. Bomb drops in the practice weeks were watched and scored but missions in the last week were performed and evaluated by the strict gun smoke standards. When the final week was finished the seven competing pilots made their own nominations by secret ballot. Each rated the seven from Best to worst. The resulting recommendation was weighted with the bombing scores in making the final choices. Two of the pilots chosen to compete Are returnees Delhoyo and maj. De Furtado who was top dive bomb and ton level bomb and who took second place for Overall top gun. Casting of the maintenance weapons and avionics teams was based on duty performance and on personal traits. Working 14 hours a Day for so Long we had to choose people who could take it said 1st it. Trula Schmidt chief of the maintenance team. It was hard on families so we had to Rule out people who had any problems there. We had to Rule out people with any financial trouble rather than have bad checks written while we were deployed. We had to Rule out loners. We be worked so closely together for so Long now that we had to have people who could get along with people. We be ended up with the people who give 150 but performance alone won t make a Winner. Appear ances of the planes the people their tools and work areas will be every painted Stripe on the tails of Hahn s f-16s will have a a or Sharp Edge when the Soth s team lands at Nellis. The team s planes received paint jobs including Gold stripes with Black Falcons to identify the Birds of the 50th. Schmidt said the care of the appearance of the planes tools and work areas will continue to the end of la be wiping every Inch of the planet Down by hand after each right Schmidt said. When one evaluation period is ending you re moving right into another one. We have just enough people to make up one 16-hour shift so Well be sitting up Nighti cleaning tools after packed away and ready to ship Are new Gold baseball Caps. Each member will take two so that one will always be clean and ready. The first gun smoke was hosted by Nellis in 1981 when it tested air to ground and air to air delivery of weapons. No f-i6s participated that year. When Hahn s 50th tac fighter Wing entered the nut meet in 83, they were not expected to win. We were the newest and supposedly the least experienced Downey said. The Wing was the Overall Champion in 83 with two of six individual awards going to one of its pilots and Overall second going to the 50th team in the conventional Ben pattern bombing. The weapons loading team took the top award in their portion of the Competition. Gun smoke team members came from units All Over Hahn base. _ . . T of. Scorcio de Lloyo looks Over the shoulder of bet cry stautz the wife of capt. Tom stautz As she paints the name of a Crew chief on the Side of an f-16. She was contracted by the Wing to personalize the planes. Sgt. Mark Johnson unloads of Leoce Boa
