The White Falcon - 07.01.1961, Blaðsíða 3

Saturday, January 7, 1961
WHITE FALCON
3
ALERT HANGAR WINS 1400th CAMRON “SHOP OF THE MONTH” AWARD—The Alert Hangar, af-
fectionately referred to as the “Barn,” won the CAMRON Shop of the Month Award for November 1960.
Maj. Robert L. Jackson, squadron commander, is presenting the award and congratulating TSgt. Louis
H. Vail, NCOIC of the Alert Hangar. Other members of the award winning shop, from left to right are:
A1C Allan H. Porter, A1C Bobby L. Powell, A3C Vincent Burke, A1C Richard J. LeFevre, A2C Wendel T.
Graham, A1C Raymond Cartmell, A2C Thomas Hardy and A2C John L. Moore. Personnel of the Alert
Hangar, manned on a round the clock schedule, keep mission aircraft in constant readiness for a
scramble at any time the “panic button” is pushed. Aircraft are manned by the pilots and radar opera-
tors (Black Knights) of the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
FY-63 20-Year Men to Buck
Re-lip Quotas in Fat Fields
Hercules
Prop Jets
Ordered
Hdq. MATS, Scott AFB, Ill ..
Modernization of the Military Air
Transport Service with faster,
longer-range, more versatile air-
craft began this week when a
letter contract for $5 million for
16 C-130E Hercules prop-jets was
awarded to the Georgia Division
of the Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
by the Air Force’s Air Material
Command, Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
The order for the new troop
and cargo carrying aircraft is
expected to total 50 aircraft over
a two-year period with a total
estimated program cost of $170
million.
MATS provides strategic airlift
for worldwide U. S. defense forc-
es including the Strategic Air
Command, Tactical Air Command
and strike forces of the Army
and Navy.
The first C-130E is to be deli-
vered to MATS in March, 1962.
Lt. Gen. Joe W. Kelly, com-
mander of MATS, announced the
contract award today.
“This contract will provide
MATS with the first aircraft for
our urgently needed interim mod-
ernization program,” Gen. Kelly
said.
He added that the MATS strate-
gic airlift force is moving toward
an all-jet and turbo-prop cargo
aircraft capable of carrying huge
payloads at speeds approaching
those of current jet bombers.
He said the C-130E will be ef-
fective as a long range trans-
port capable of fast, worldwide
airlift missions. It also will be
a top performer for use by para-
troops or for heavy air drop
operations, if required. Its com-
paratively short-field landing
characteristics allow it to put
troops and weapons into more
remote areas of the world.
This is the first time in avia-
tion history, Gen. Kelly said, that
all these features have been com-
bined in one airplane. Gen. Kelly’s
military airlift command now has
two types of aircraft which can
carry heavier loads, but one (10
years old) is much slower, and
the other is unsuitable for short-
field operations.
With full MATS fuel reserves
and carrying combat equipment
such as weapons, troops, litters,
or air-drop gear, the C-130E will
airlift 27,500 pounds of payload
across the Atlantic Ocean non-
stop from Dover AFB, Del., to
Chateauroux Air Base, France.
More than 33,000 pounds can be
carried non-stop from the West
Coast to Hawaii (2,465 miles)
•even against 58 m.p.h. headwinds.
AFNS — Airmen with 20 or
more years service by the time
FY ’63 (July 1, 1962, on the cal-
ender) rolls around will have to
buck reenlistment quotas imposed
on certain fields before they are
allowed to re-up
But this is no cause to hit the
panic button, Hq, USAF said in
an all commands letter, Dec. 8.
(Subject: Selective Reenlistment
of Airmen with 20 or more years
of Service.)
The letter said: “Quotas will
be imposed only when required
in particular career field subdi-
visions or career ladders. Initial
quotas for non-reenlistments in
all probability will be extremely
small.”
Elsewhere, the letter, said air-
men who are performing effecti-
vely should be reassured that they
will not have their careers cur-
tailed by this phase of the Opti-
mum Force Program, commonly
called “55/45.”
Pentagon personnel officials,
using current retirement factors
as a gauge, estimate that begin-
ning with FY ’63 selective re-
enlistments will be necessary in
the following career fields:
photographic; aircraft and mis-
sile maintenance; motor veh’c'e
maintenance; construction, fab-
ric, leather and rubber; marine;
transportation; food service;
supply; information; personnel;
special services; education and
training; and special investiga-
tions.
The foundation document upon
which the selective reenlistment
program is based is AFR 39-19,
(Service Reenlistment of Airmen
with 20 or more years of Service).
Here is the Air Force thinking
behind the regulation.
In the years before FY ’60 it
became increasingly apparent that
a management tool had to be de-
vised which would assure a bal-
anced airman force, balanced by
skill, numbers, and years of ser-
vice, a force which would meet
the streamlined requirements of
the USAF and at the same time
assure airmen a better opportun-
ity for a planned career.
The search for this tool led to
the development of the Optimum
Force Program. Two strong legs
in the program are selective re-
enlistment of first term airmen
and of airmen at the 20 year ser-
vice point. In a nutshell, Menlist
only those first termers who have
demonstrated potential growth
and retain after 20 years those
who are performing effectively,
or, if these Individuals are in an
“overage” skill area, capable of
retraining into a needed skill.
Denial Of reenlistment for
some “over 20“ and permitting
them to apply for voluntary re-
tirement is the lesser evil of
several alternate courses. The
most drastic of these would be
eliminating the “excess skill pop-
ulation” by curtailing reenlist-
ments before it reaches the 20-
year point.
Headquarters rejected such a
solution since it would deprive
thousands of otherwise qualified
airmen from retirement benefits
they had accrued through long
service.
The overwhelming number of
airmen approaching the 20-vear
service mark are top ranking
NCOs. This constitutes a serious
“hump” of rank in this area and
if allowed to continue would stifle
career progression and promotion.
To allow some headroom in the
enlisted structure AF personnel
planners estimate that only 10
per cent of the airman strength
should be made up of those in
the 20-30 year group.
Current experience reveals tha+
SG per cant qf the airmen who
reach the 20 year point choose
retirement. This normal “fall out”
will keep the 20-30 year group
within prescribed limits through
FY ’62. After* that) volunteer re-
tirements are riot expected to be
sufficient to maintain the balance
of skill-strength envisioned by the
“55/45” program.
1971st Wins
Decorations
Competition
The best Christmas display in
the Area category was put up by
the 1971st Air and Airways Com-
munications Service Squadron
(AACS). The display featured
manikins of all the principle char-
acters in the story of the Prince
of Peace.
Outdoors, the Supply Squadron
had the best decorations. In the
Base Facilities indoors and out-
doors contests, the base chapel
won both categories.
The indoor individual display
competition was won by the H. F.
Herrlichs of Rosebud 15. The in-
dividual quarters outdoor decora-
tions judged best was that of
MSgt. and Mrs. J. Miller of Bldg.
602-G.
Second and third places include:
Area display—Meeks Navy Mess
and Civil Engineering Squadron.
Outdoor displays—Det. 13, 9th
Weather Group, Bldg. 810 and
Headquarters Section, AFI (AFI).
Indoor display—Viking Service
club and no third place. Outdoor
display—Armed Forces Radio;
no third place. Indoor display—
individual quarters, Room 207
where A1C James Kunz, A2C
Frank Mazurkiewcz and A3C
Oeorge Reaggle live.
Lastly, the outdoor displays for
individual quarters: Lt. P. M.
Flowers and Lt. L. V. Petersen,
Bldg. 604-B and Lt. Col. H. G.
Fuller, Bldg. 618-G.
Pan Am Retains
Leave Rates
■ The recent directives from
Washington concerning military
personnel overseas have not af-
fected the availability of furlough
travel at reduced rates on Pan
American Airways’Clippers. With
the exception of travel between
the continental United States and
Hawaii/Alaska, discounts are al-
lowed on transatlantic and trans-
pacific flights.
Servicemen on leave, making
trips home from overseas bases
to the United States and return,
are given 30 per cent discounts
on economy fares, with the two-
way flights to be concluded with-
in a 45-day period. Established
in 1956, the discount is available
on a year-round basis.