European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 22, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 f f 5 unit logs 50,000 Accident free Hying hours a. Irir if a or Fri try. By Joe Mapother staff writer Oesterberg a Netherlands it took pilots of the 32nd tac fighter so seven years to become the first unit in the air Force to log 50,000 Accident free flying hours in the f-15 Eagle fighter Jet. The 32nd traded in its f-4 phantoms for eagles in september 1978. It takes ground maintenance workers 10 to 12 hours work most nights on the swing shift to keep the two dozen jets assigned to the 32nd ready to Fly say those who report to work when the Sun begins to set. The world of a swing shift maintenance worker at Camp new Amsterdam is a quiet one As fighter bases go. The thundering Roar of the twin engined fighter capable of 50,000 pounds of thrust is replaced by the metallic Rustle of a me chanic searching a tool Box for the right implement. The sound echoes along brightly lighted Concrete and steel bunkers each housing a multimillion Dollar fighter. It s easy to fix but it Breaks a lot said staff sgt. William f. West who tends to the radar system on the f-15. West is a systems specialist for the f-15. His Job title is integrated avionics attack control systems specialist. Around Here it s just a shop that s Good enough West said. The staff ser Geant works in one of seven specially areas on the f-15 that cover everything from hydraulics to systems that control the Environ ment in the cockpit. West has been on the swing shift for most of his two years at Camp new Amsterdam. Despite being married the Pennsylvania native said he prefers the night hours because they allow him to concentrate on the work at hand. Less brass he said. Less partying is the Way sgt. Christopher Brauner looks at life on being on this shift really cuts Down on your social life he said during a break by the three Man Crew changing an engine that weighed Well Over a ton. An electrical system specialist staff sgt. Don Richard stood ready to run a test on the system of wires inside the fuselage that indicates when an engine is running too hot. Using a special Jack the team can yank an engine in about 45 minutes said staff sgt. Michael Herron in charge of the engine operation. Although everything ran smoothly the trouble that the team was hoping to locate inside the f-15 fuselage was not there. As Midnight approached the Crew prepared to put the engine Back in. Modular construction of the f-15 allows maintenance workers to yank out a defunct part and plug in a replacement said Rich Ard an 11-year air Force Veteran from Vir Ginia Beach a. Richard said he has maintained four other types of aircraft during his career and has been a technical school instructor. A major difference in working on f-15 electrical systems is the extensive network of backup systems Richard said. That s True of most aircraft but this one has backups to the backups he said. However As the planes get older repair problems crop up that defy simple tracing and exchanging the defective panel or part for a new one Richards said. In those situations he said the repair manual is set aside and an individual s experience with the plane becomes the important Factor. The 32nd tac fighter so chalked up its first full year flying the f-15 in 1979. A year later the unit began flying the advanced c and d models. They have yet to record an Accident which in part is a credit to the Crews labor ing under the lights at night after the plan shave landed. Britain honors Queen on her 60th birthday of to. T xxx. T / � London a Queen Elizabeth ii celebrated her 60th birthday monday surrounded by her family watched by millions of her subjects and guarded by Security agents wary of terrorist attacks. With her husband Prince Philip their four children and 41 other members of the Royal family the Monarch began the Day with a service of thanksgiving in St. George s Chapel at Windsor Castle near London. Bells pealed Over Windsor and a 21-gun Salute rang out As the Queen wearing a yellow coat and Black hat arrived at the 16th-Century Chapel. She carried a transparent Plas tic umbrella to keep off the rain. Prince Charles her heir and eldest son read the new testament lesson from corinthians on the virtue of love. The choir and the 1,000 invited worshippers joined at the Usan gives notice Al us will join big exercise Mildenhall England a the . Air Force in an unusual move intended to prevent Public alarm gave Advance notice monday that nearly 100 . Al 11 fighter bombers would take off from bases in Brit Ain As part of a big nato exercise. Announcing that the jets would be taking off tuesday morning was meant to head off speculation that another libyan air raid was under Way. Eighteen British based . Al 11 combat planes were used in the attack Las tuesday on Tripoli and Benghazi. The nine nation nato exercise code named elder Forest 86, is designed to test Britain s air defences and in Normal circumstances would have been carried out with out Advance notice said it. Col. Doug Kennett chief spokesman for the . 3rd air Force Headquarters a Mildenhall. Normally exercise commanders would not provide de tails of launches beforehand basically so that the exercise scenario would not be prejudiced an air Force statement said. However in this Case officials Felt it imperative to give the details of the Kennett said the statement was issued to news Media so that the Takeoff of Large numbers of . Fighter bombers from their bases in Eastern England would not be mis read by the Public causing alarm. The spokesman said 96 Al ii higher bombers and four of ills used for electronic radar jamming would take part in the exercises. The planes Are based at nearby Lakenheath and at upper Heyford near Oxford the United states has 150 Al 11s based in Britain. The planes which Are capable of carrying nuclear warheads Are among the world s most sophisticated fighter bombers prime minister Margaret Thatcher gave permission for the . Al 1 is to be used in the bombing raid on Libya it was the first time since world War ii that . Planes have taken off from Britain on a bombing raid. Kennett said aircraft from nine nato nations Are Tak ing part in the monday to thursday exercise. Warplanes will mount More than 1,000 sorties in Simu lated attacks against British bases radar stations and mis Sile Sites while British aircraft attempt to protect them. Kennett said no live weapons will be used in the exer Cise. End of the hour Long service in singing Vaughan Williams the the congregation included longtime Royal servants Cabinet ministers past prime ministers and representatives of the Commonwealth the 49-nation association of Britain and its former colonies. Police with sniffer dogs checked for explosives in manholes and Loose tiles in the sidewalks. Uniformed officers lined the streets of Windsor Castle for the procession by the Royal family in open carriages despite fears of terrorist attacks for Britain s backing of the . Bombing of Libya. A Lone Royal Piper played Happy birthday Early monday at the Castle 21 Miles West of London. Radio and television networks played the National an them god save the Queen ahead of main news Bulle tins and most newspapers mannered pictures and tributes. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne 34 years ago and modernized the 920-year-old monarchy while maintaining its mystique. Despite the concerns Over Security the Queen insisted on going ahead with the open Carriage procession and the Walka bout scheduled later monday in London officials said. The Queen was to appear on the Balcony at Buckingham Palace in the afternoon to be serenaded by 6,000 children from Britain and the Commonwealth. The children accompanied by bands planned to March Down the Avenue in front of the Palace carrying 120,000 daffodils then sing a special birthday song in the Palace Forecourt. In the evening the Royal family was to attend fanfare for Elizabeth at the Royal opera House in covent Garden a program featuring Placido Domingo Mikhail Baryshnikov sir George Solti and other musicians dancers and actors. When or. Mac the cockatoo is thirsty he enjoys an to � Ca. Be lately he a resident in a pub at the Silverton hotel in the Outback of new wait till he starts singing a photo South Wales Australia. Or. Macs we in the Remote town of Silverton. Of
