European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Mighty efforts lust routine on Hercules hops ,, Bureau Kay  England we still have 40seconds," is the impatient statement from Pilot 1st la Ken Frankova Idi. Cool air pushes through inc Etc door. Forty seconds later at 6 . Area residents Don t allow air plane noise before 6 the Lifeblood or the cd m Igini flowing through in veins As the first Turbo prop whines to lire. The plane rumbles drones and hisses. In a few min utes inc iterates and ils Crew will muscle through the skies of Europe. Some 36 hours and More than 3,000miles away is the scheduled end of the Mission Ose of Trie toughest of 1he 65-Day european deployments far aircrews of the 773rd tac Airlift so. The unit Nils from Dyess fab near Abilene. Texas one of three stateside Hasaj that take turns supplying Itic airborne muscle at mind Cohall. Tic deployments de signed to rack up flying time on the hops the units would Fly in Lime of War include i Ricc Ive etly missions Hal ferry parts supplies and people to and from Raf bunt a tors. Raf Mildenhall and Weil Germany. There Are is Nii Jar runs to Turkey Spain Greece and Italy. The Germany air bases Ai Ahlhorn Lei Phlim nor Mcnich and Simbach arc Forward  far Hie air form s a-0 Thunderbolt ifs he ungainly Lank killers that would in time of War bust up Warsaw pact Armor trying to Roll through nato s Eastern front. The Hercules cuts through the monday morning skies carrying is Crew of eight three first lieutenants three cos and iwo airmen lugging about 65 tors of freight and passengers from Fingland to the continent and Back again. Twice. Soon after Takeoff the plane Levels off at 5,000  few minutes later 25-year-old aircraft commander Frankovich Banks the plane Over the sleepy East an Glian landscape an Orange ribbon of sky tills right inthe cockpit window the dark Green machine touches Down at Raf bunt Waters where the Crew picks up a 30mm galling gun the business end of an a-0 belonging 10 inc i tac fighter Wing Al Sembach monday s ride in the cd 30 is smooth. After a climb in Raugh had nuts oui of  co Pilot 1st la Jeff Iller Pra its the Sunshine bathing the cockpit i n Light. I m finally starting to Wake up lie says at 9 17 am actually. He Gol out of his bunk five hours before. At Sembach the gun comes off. So do about half the 30 passengers from Sembach. More people and More freight gel an. On the descent into their Nam Slop at Lei Phlim Miller a pcs a cast out the window. In l Lii Al magnificent he said. Sure is pretty returns a voice on tie intercom. The men in the cockpit have the Benefit of a Noie dressing of 23 windows the view1 would be the envy of any if Crew and especially the passengers Hack in tie windowing tube. Jul the pictures Aren t always Rosy. This is one of the harder missions says Miller 25.still, for pilots he said it has ils pluses you get to make a wednesday april 20. 19bb the stars and stripes Page 9 ass Dioio by dirt a Wco Ellal i St in. Jeff Miller Romeres while i id controls in route to in plane s last Slop of the first Day. Lot of stops instead of just flying around up  flight Engineer tech. 5gt. Russ Coffey. A i 7.year air Force Veteran talks in a tired voice tuesday morning on the verge of a second whip around West Germany. But their customers at the sleepy bases like Ahlhorn Are or Alchu for lie Effort. We depend on the Klong for a lot of things said army capt. Scott Neal the ground Liaison officer Dur ing tic Slop at Ahlhorn. The Mission is called the Klong one no there said because ii Longs fro place to place. The monday thursday and Friday missions bring Lite bigger parts for the a-1 of such As engines tires and Large components. Often with them come specialists to in the planes Cal said the Uhihorn base usually houses seven of the a voids throughout the year. The base is some 30 Miles from Bremen in Northern Germany and far from any major towns or cities. Besides Hal the Klong offers a space a available option for the military folks Neal says. It s a Rock Way for us to travel in Germany Loo. A train to Sam Bach would take five to sin hours. You could Lake Aklo Gand be iliac in an  this c-l30 Crew on ils third a-10 support Mission is Only a pair of weeks away from the Long flight home10 Texas we re Gellin pretty Good at  Miller says. Tuesday s flight has 3 marked swiftness to it. The Crew Hustles on he ground trying to shave time off the scheduled 7 35 . Return to Mildenhall. But at nor Mcnich a its first Stop a faulty ignition switch grounds the Crew and its seven Simbach bound passengers. The part just a Little Billy bos by cof Fey s description puts the Crew in a slump and the Hin Jon the ground. Miller says that in the 900 hours he has been lying the Hercules he has Only suffered a half dozen such groundings none involving this part. If you think about How much that plane flies in does t break that often he says while waiting in the Norv ankh a snack bar. Anybody will Tell you thai that thins sitting out or the ramp is about be most dependable plane there  the Day Heads for night and the Crew and Passen Gers arc put up for the  at a base in nearby Duran. Almost 24 hours after they asked for it the part arrives via a c-l30 dispatched from the j22nd Airlift div at Ramstein a West the Runny. The Crew chiefs mate routine work of bolting on the part. Back on track the Crew regains ils posture. The same problem happens on ils nem Slop at Sembach. The engine Nga Iii refuses to Crane in my there Are pc 130s stationed there and Frankovich radios for the part. It arrives in less than 15 minutes and the Mission hardly misses .1 beat. The rest of the trip regains the precision and gusto Iliad with monday s Start i Rin Lockli and company gel Back to Mildenhall 24 hours Hie bul with their mis Sion accomplished in less than 10 hours of flying icy have delivered some 221 ions of cargo and More than 100 men women and children to destinations through out West Germany and England. Hack Al the operations Section they learn of an Avi Ano Italy run they la do in two Days. Only minutes after i hair last Mission is Over in problems Are already far behind. Miller his intonation upbeat says we in Gonna have some fun in  sufi sol. Lire june a cd 30 Hia Masler hutches a Start up Al Kak Dent w a try from left Pilot us u. Pm frito Vicli Niv Galor lit . Kud Carroll ind co Pilot 1stit. Jeff Miller do their Prielu Chr planning m Raf of  Lars