European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday december 30, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 two unidentified firefighters assist at the scene of thursday s twin engine plane crash. Pilot and his passenger killed when plane crashes into House Erie. A. A a twin engined plane crashed into the second floor of a House thursday killing the Pilot and his passenger authorities said. The Pilot Floyd e. Smith. 75. And Elwood Graham were testing the Beech 60 aircraft in preparation for a flight Friday to Florida when it crashed around noon into the Home of Willard and Antoinette flatly. Not far from Lake Erie. The Flat Leys were not Home when the plane crashed heavily damaging the second floor of the House. I looked up. I saw it was Low and it was making a strange  said Paul Pytak. A neighbor. Then it looked like it was upside Down. And it straightened up and went right  Smith was the president and founder of automation devices inc. In Fairview. And Graham was a shop employee who had been with the company for More than 20 years. The Light originated from Erie International air port and was scheduled to return there. Airport director Rosemary Noble said the Pilot apparently radioed the Tower shortly before noon about an engine prob Lem. The Pilot s first report indicated one of the engines was going on and off. Noble said. The second report mentioned trouble with the second engine. The crash apparently occurred about 30 seconds later. The plane was owned by automation devices which employs 44 people in the manufacture of Vibra tory feeders devices that feed parts onto production lines. Slowdown in Economy indicated Washington a the government s main forecasting gauge of economic activity edged up a modest 0.1 percent last month the Commerce depart ment said Friday in a report that analysts took As a sign the Economy will slow in 1990 but not topple into a recession. The Small Rise in the department s Index of leading economic indicators for november followed a revised 0.3 percent decline in october. In All. The Index which is designed to forecast eco nomic activity six to nine months in the future has exhibited a sawtooth pattern this year rising in six of the past 11 months and falling in the other five months. Through november the Index was Down by 0.3 per cent for the year compared Wilh an increase of 3.9 percent for All of i "88 to economists this provided evidence thai economic calmly in 1990 will be More sluggish than in 1989. Many analysts Are predicting that the Economy As measured by the Gross National product will expand at a modest annual rate of 2 percent or less in 1990. Compared with expected growth of 3 percent this year. However analysts generally expect the Economy will be Able to escape a recession. That belief is based in part on the fact that the leading Index has not yet declined for three consecutive months the traditional though not infallible sign of a downturn. The  percent Rise in november which was right in line w ill expectations was led by a Strong jump in orders for consumer goods. The other four indicators providing strength were a drop in weekly unemployment claims an increase in Plant and equipment or Ders a Rise in the Money Supply and an increase in the backlog of manufacturers unfilled orders. Six other indicators acted As a drag on the Index last month Wilh the biggest negative coming from a drop in the Price of raw materials. While such a decrease is considered Good news for inflation prospects it is counted As a negative in the Index because it also can reflect declining demand. Other negative factors w re a decline in Stock prices a drop in consumer Confidence a decline in the aver age manufacturing work week a decline in building permits and a speedup in business delivery times the various changes left the Index at 144.7 percent of its 1982 base of 100. Service members had a Good year in 89 continued from Page 1 household goods shipped during military moves. The Pentagon has Long argued that Many Scricc members particularly mar ried Junior enlisted members pay sub Stantial out of pocket costs on household goods shipments because Congress set the weight limits Loo Low. The problem has always been that military officials have never come up with the data to support  said a Senate staffer. Obviously Congress has to have something More to go on than the Pentagon s word. When they finally forked Over a report backing up their assertions we were Able to work up re Vised  in another monetary Boon military pilots and doctors will begin receiving substantially bigger bonuses designed to keep them from being lured into higher paying jobs in the private sector. Well never to be Able to compete with civilian sector salaries in these areas but we think the bigger bonuses will improve retention the defense department official said. He acknowledged that Pilot retention is a perennial problem. We do what we can in terms of Money but when the airlines arc hiring we lose out. It s As simple As  Wilh doctors the military has begun aggressively addressing other career influencing factors. We have to Deal with the Job environment he said. Doctors without support staff who practice Medicine All Day and then have to work another shift doing paperwork they re not going to stay around Loo Long. We need More sup port staff More nurses better working  women in the military received Les attention in 1989 than in the previous year when controversy raged Over the assignment of women to certain Navy ships. In Early 1989. The Navy began opening thousands of slots on its combat Logis tics Force ships to women an initiative that is moving very smoothly said vice adm. Mike Boorda. The service s person Nel chief. As for the Hornier Issue of women in combat the army announced late in the year that it was studying the feasibility of a four year test of women in the combat positions from which they be Long been barred. Related stories. Page 7. The recommendation from she de sense advisory committee on women in the services would be similar to a recent study done by Denmark. Canada dropped its restrictions on women in combat in february. It was the first nato nation to do so. While the committee will continue to push to open combat positions to women the coming draw Down of personnel Over the next few years might Hurt its chances. One of the thrusts behind integrating More women into the military and into combat jobs has been the predicted de crease in eligible youths. The so called shrinking manpower Pool is expected to Bottom out around 1994. But that argument loses some of its steam with personnel cuts leading to a slimmed Down Force and allowing the military to be More Picky in its recruit ing. In the morale welfare and recreation Arena the air Force in Europe was rocked by accounts of lavish unauthorized spending at no and officers clubs particularly at Ramstein a. West Germany. Mismanagement reached such a degree in 1986 and 1987 that audits released this year said the service s entire mar system came close to collapsing. Air Force officials confidently told lawmakers they arc fixing the loopholes that allowed the mismanagement to occur. But at least one club official Testi fied before Congress that the Ramstein situation was noteworthy Only for its scope and that similar problems exist throughout the system. Earlier in the year the army began a systematic Campaign to relinquish control of its mar business activities by turning Over its class i package stores to the army and air Force Exchange service. And Scricc members and their families reacted angrily to congressional plans to Stock commissaries in Europe with fresh . Beef replacing cheaper local meat. The move was made in retaliation for a european economic Community ban on importing hormone fed . Beef. Officials agree that the . Beef will Cost More although they arc divided Over How much that increase will be