The White Falcon - 11.03.1961, Blaðsíða 3

Saturday, March 11, 1961
WHITE FALCON
3
Though Cool
Nylon Isn’t
‘Hot’ Fiber
Fashion designers consider ny-
lon one of the toughest and most
flexible of modern fibers. But
USAF scientists hold that nylon
is not so “hot”. Fact is, it melts
at 484 degrees Fahrenheit.
But what’s practical for street
wear is impractical for space wear.
Nylon’s 484 degree boiling point
is low when it comes to demands
for fibers used in space suits, de-
celerators, and manned satellites.
The spaceman’s thermometer will
register up to 2,600 degree Fahr-
enheit in the boost and re-entry
phases.
Attacking the heat problem,
ARDC scientists at Wright Air
Development Center in Dayton,
Ohio, are experimenting with
gold-plated tungsten and molyb-
denum, glass, ceramics and super
alloys to find a more heat-resist-
ant fiber.
To the naked eye, these experi-
mental fibers made from metals
are as finely -spun as the web of
a spider. And this is important
because the finer the fiber the
better its resilience. Once reduced
in size, fibers can be woven to-
gether to give the desired resili-
ence, flexibility and tear strength.
Stainless steel has yet to be
spun to the necessary fineness—
.0002 mil in diameter, or finer
than human hair—and can not
be used, for example, in a decel-
erator. It simply might not bounce
back into proper shape because
of lesser resilience.
The principal fiber work at
Wright Air Development Center
is being conducted on the so-cal-
led super-alloys. They are vary-
ing combinations of nickel, chrom-
ium, iron, molybdenum and other
metals.
But the experts don’t advise the
airman to withhold his clothing
allowance spending so that he can
buy more durable clothes. As the
manufacturing process would im-
ply, the production cost is ex-
pensive and prohibitive to the in-
dividual. But to the future space-
man, he most likely will boast
that he orbited in a gold plated
suit.
Family Theatre
To Guest Star
Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O’Brien, the popular
star of radio, TV and the screen,
is the guest star on “Family
Theatre,” broadcast over Armed
Forces Radio at 8:30 p.m. this
Wednesday.
This week’s story is called “The
Visitor.” It’s an eerie tale of a
“flying disc” that landed in the
southwestern part of the United
States. Louis Anders, news re-
porter, comes upon a amazing
story that involves military se-
curity and a mysterious airship
from another planet.
Anders, until the Army gives
permission, is forbidden to re-
lease the story to his newspaper.
Infuriated by this restriction,
Anders is tempted to violate the
order, until he learns the danger-
ous impact that might result from
the publicizing of these weird
facts concerning the visitor from
Mars.
DRESSED UP MEEKS 2
Col. Benjamin G. Willis, AFI commander, cuts the ribbon marking the
official opening of refurbished Meeks No. 2 dining hall. Shown are
SSgt. Ralph H. Jennings, head counter; SMSgt. Timmy E. Adams,
food service superintendent; WO W-2 Lowell S. David, food service
officer; Colonel Willis; Col. George J. Shyer, deputy commander for
support, AFI; and Maj. James R. Watkins, Air Base Sq. commander.
MTS Is Going Modern
With Transistor Radios
What do you do with 20,000 slightly used radio crystals?
That will be the Military Air Transport Service’s problem
when they re-outfit their big cai-go aircraft with VHF
radios this year. ®----------------------
MATS 461 plane strategic air-
lift force will have its communica-
tions facilities stepped up with
the installation of new very high
frequency (VHF) radio trans-
ceivers in all aircraft, a MATS
Communications official said this
week. Some 600 planes not involv-
ed in strategic airlift missions
will still retain the older type
radios.
The new radio, called the VHF
101, is a transistorized modern
radio, lighter in weight and more
reliable than the older type. Pilots
will no longer be required to carry
along a box of crystals to insert
and change every time a new fre-
quency is used. The new sets will
allow them to select the correct
frequency, press the microphone
button and talk almost immedia-
tely.
Manufactured by the Collins
Radio Co., the radios will increase
the number of receiving channels
from 48 to 720 and transmission
channels from 48 to 680. The
system will simplify the entire
aircraft communications opera-
tion, providing increased power
output of 20-25 watts, improved
receiver sensitivity, greater fre-
quency, selectivity and line-of-
sight contact with any ground
station within a few seconds on
any frequency between 116 and
149.95 megacycles. The frequency
range for reception extends to
151.95 megacycles.
The first aircraft to receive the
new sets by June 1961 will be
C-130’s of the 1370 Photo Map-
ping Wing, Turner AFB, Ga., and
C-118’s of Navy transport squad-
rons at Norfolk NAS, Va., and
McGuire AFB, N. J. The remain-
ing aircraft, including C-118’s,
C-121’s, C-124’s and C-133’s, will
be outfitted by Dec. 31.
What about the 20,000 crystals?
They’ll be kept in stock as spares
for MATS planes that still use
the crystal type radios.
10 More Scholarships
Are Now Available
For A.F. Dependents
The Air Force has announced it is increasing the number
of college scholarships to be granted to Air Force dependent
children, during school year 1961-62 from twenty to thirty.
The Air Force increased the^~
number of scholarships available
because of the unexpectedly large
number of Air Force dependents
who were designated as finalists
by the National Merit Scholar-
ship Corporation.
Since only those Air Force de^
pendents who are NMSC finalists
are eligible to further compete
MATS Idea Men
Saving Money
For Air Force
Civilian idea men at MATS
bases have made money saving
suggestions to the tune of more
than a quarter of a million dol-
lars during the first half of FY
1961, MATS Civilian Personnel
officials announced recently.
Since July 1, MATS civilians
have submitted 1,426 ideas with
347 already adopted. These adopt-
ed ideas have earned the sug-
gestors $12,560 in cash awards.
The Air Force, MATS and the
taxpayer have already been saved
more than $250,000 this year, as
well as other intangible benefits
through suggestions contributed
by civilians in the MATS family.
To accelerate the civilian sug-
gestion program throughout the
Air Force, USAF headquarters
has urged all commanders to en-
courage at least one suggestion
per employee during FY 1961.
‘Vera’s Company’ Is Next
Best Seller Attraction
The first chapter of the next
AFRS “Best Seller” will be pre-
sented at 5:30 p.m. Monday. It’s
Vera Caspary’s recently publish-
ed novel, “Ewie.” This is the
third novel presented on “Best
Seller,” the previous two having
been Frank Yerby’s “The Serpent
and the Staff,” and Henry Mort-
on Robinson’s “Water of Life.”
The series “Best Seller” is
broadcast over Armed Forces
Radio at 5:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Vera Caspary is best known
for her novel “Laura,” which was
AEROSPACE EVENT
Jan. 21, 1960 — In a Wallops
Island test, a Mercury capsule
carried “Miss Sam,” a monkey,
to an altitude of nine miles in a
successful test of an emergency
escape system.
Really Wanted Wings
Capt. David Greenburg at Shaw
AFB, S. C., is really a deter-
mined man. He has been trying
to get his wings since shortly
after Pearl Harbor and has only
gotten them now.
The Captain was denied flight
training during WWII because of
an eye defect. After serving out
the war as a ground soldier, he
tried to get airborne by joining
private aero clubs at various
bases he was sent to.
Trouble was he was transfer-
red before he could solo.
Recently, Captain Greenburg
got his chance to get alone in
the blue.
His reaction: “It’s just like
driving a car, if you have the
proper training.”
the source of the motion picture
and song of that title. “Ewie”
has been adapted for radio by
Howard Koch and Anne Rodney,
his wife.
Mr. Koch is a leading Holly-
wood scenarist who wrote “Casa-
blanca” and “Sergeant York”
among others. Piper Laurie stars
in the title role of “Ewie.” This
is the first starring radio role
for Miss Laurie, who established
herself in television last season
as one of the medium’s most tal-
ented players. Among the pro-
ductions she has starred in were
“Days of Wine and Roses,” “Win-
terset,” and “Twelfth Night.”
for Air Force scholarships, it is
essential that all NMSC finalists
who are Air Force dependents be
identified by 15 March 1961.
The only Air Force dependent
at Keflavik Airport who has been
selected as a finalist by the NM-
SC, is Miss Margaret Jessup,
daughter of Major and Mrs. Hen-
ry C. Jessup.
Air Force is emphasizing to all
NMSC finalist who received cer-
tificates of merit that when they
fill out their biographical sketch,
to insure they identify themselves
as Air Force dependents in order
to receive consideration for Air
Force scholarships. Furthermore,
if any NMSC finalist failed to
sufficiently identify themselves as
Air Force dependents, they should
immediately write HQ USAF,
ATTN: AF MP-12 and identify
themselves as Air Force depend-
ents before 15 March 1961.
Six Flight
Centers Set
To Close Up
Six military flight service cen-
ters, manned by approximately
500 men of MATS’ Airways and
Air Communications Service (AA-
CS), will be inactivated, the Air
Force has announced.
The centers will be closed as
a result of the transfer of mili-
tary flight service functions from
the Air Force to the Federal
Aviation Agency. The transfer
was scheduled to be completed Feb.
15, 1961.
Officials at the Pentagon said
that the inactivation move will
also cancel the need for extensive
landline communications equip-
ment used by the Air Force for
transmitting aircraft movement
messages between the centers and
some 370 military bases of opera-
tion throughout the country. This
will represent a savings to the
Air Force, and the taxpayer, of
nearly $2 million annually.
Scheduled to be closed on April
1, are AACS centers at Hamilton
AFB, Calif.; Maxwell AFB, Ala.;
Carswell AFB, Tex., and Olmsted
AFB, Pa. Two other centers, at
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and
Lowry AFB, Colo., were officially
closed Feb. 1.
MATSmen Rack to School
The careers of 186 MATS of-
ficers and 13 airmen got a boost
last year through Air Force edu-
cational programs, a MATS Per-
sonnel officer announced last
month.
During the 1960 calendar year,
nine MATS officers were selected
for doctorate studies in the In-
stitute of Technology program,
while seven entered training-
with-industry courses.
The airmen education and com-
missioning program within MATS
saw 13 airmen successfully com-
pete for assignment to under-
graduate studies. After receiving
their baccalaureate degrees the
selected airmen will be assigned
to officers training school for
further military training and sub-
sequent commissioning as second
lieutenants.
The educational programs avail-
able through the Institute of
Technology have been developed
to meet Air Force requirements,
and offer the opportunity for of-
ficers and airmen to improve their
academic background.
Applications for fiscal year
1962 Institute of Tehnology pro-
grams are being solicited for the
September 1961 and later classes.