The White Falcon - 23.07.1976, Blaðsíða 1

♦ C White FalcoiT)
VoJume_XXXII Number 29 Keflavik, Iceland_ July 23, 1976
GETTING "TICKETS," Private Pilot Licenses, that is, are ADR! Bill Renica (left)
and TSgt. Gayle Florence (center right). Issuing the tickets is FAA Inspector Lee
Brooks as instructor Chaplain (Capt.) Dick Higgins looks on.
NASA seeks new Astronauts
The Department of Defense is support-
ing the National Aeronautics. Space Ad-
ministration (NASA) in plans to recruit
additional astronauts. The added per-
sonnel are needed to serve as flight
crew members of the space shuttle.
Scheduled to begin this summer, the
program will be coordinated by the Air
Force. It will assist NASA in assuring
that members of all the armed forces who
may qualify as astronauts are made aware
of the NASA recruitment, and that DoD-
wide coordination of the program is af-
fected.
NASA's planning calls for civilian
and military selections with qualified
minorities and women among the newly
selected astronaut candidates. There-
fore, minority and women candidates are
encouraged to apply. Screening, evalua-
tion and physical examination of appli-
cants are planned for 1977 with the se-
lection of candidates expected late next
year.
Candidates will be assigned to NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston for a
two-year evaluation period; new astro-
nauts will be selected from this group
in mid-1980.
All armed forces staffs are develop-
ing procedures to insure full participa-
tion throughout the Defense Department.
With this recruitment, competition will
be opened for two space shuttle flight-
crew positions; pilot and mission spe-
cialist.
Pilots will operate the space shuttle
as it is launched into earth orbit, fly
missions of up to 30 days and then re-
turn to earth and land on a runway in a
manner similar to airplanes. Mission
specialists will have the overall res-
ponsibility for the coordination of
shuttle operations. The mission spe-
cialist may participate in extravehicu-
lar activity, space walk, and the de-
ployment and retrieval of satellites.
Full details including qualification
requirements and methods for application
and processing will be disseminated
throughout the Defense Department later
this summer.
Navy to decommission three WW II destroyers
The Navy announced recently the de-
commissioning of three more destroyers
of World War II vintage. The average
age of the ships is more than 30 years,
the Navy said.
The ships decommissioned were the USS
New, DD-818; USS Richard E. Kraus,
DD-849; and USS Stribling, DD-867. All
were assigned to the U. S. Atlantic
Fleet, and were recently found to be
unfit for further Naval service by a
Navy Board of Inspection and Survey.
The approximately 800 officer and
men assigned to the crews of the three
ships will be reassigned.
The decommissioning of these three
ships leaves the Navy with a total of
473 ships on the active duty roster.
NATO BASE PERSONNEL enjoy the new sounds of Dark Star during an outdoor rock con-
cert Sunday. Rock fans couldn't resist the warm, sunny weather and the chance to
stretch out on the green lawn between Barracks 750 and 753. The concert was so
successful that more will be planned for the future. (photo by <301 Jim Miller)
Two get flying check
Two members of the Keflavik Aero
Club, ADR1 Bill Renica, of the Naval
Station Organizational Maintenance De-
partment, Power Plants Division, and
Technical Sergeant Gayle Florence, of
the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
LGMA Department, Air Forces Iceland,
received their Private Pilot ^Licenses
Friday.
In order to become a Licensed Private
Pilot, a person must have at least A0
hours flying time (ADR1 Renica had 90
hours and TSgt. Florence had 60 hours).
Half of those minumun 40 hours must be
solo and half dual-flying with an in-
structor.
The two men had to pass a Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) written
test with questions on such things as
aerodynamics, safety, navigation, FAA
regulations and weather and finally the
student pilots had to pass a Flight Ex-
amination administered by a FAA Inspec-
tor. "The examination involves flight
training maneuvers such as stalls,
take - offs, landings, cross country
navigation and radio communication,"
explained Lee Brooks, the FAA Inspector
headquartered in Frankfdrt, Germany.
"Flying gives me personal satisfac-
tion in doing something different," com-
mented TSgt. Florence. "I have wanted
to get my license for years. Although I
feel tranquil and relaxed when I fly,
I realize that I must be alert because
it can mean my life."
"I have been involved in aviation
since I was 13 years-old and I guess it
was instinctive to want my Pilot's
License," POl Renica said. "Flying is
very relaxing—it seems like you leave
all your problems on the ground. Flying
gives me solitude."
The Keflavik Aero Club gave ADR1
Renica and TSgt. Florence the oppor-
tunity to get their Pilots' "Tickets."
The club owns a Piper Warrior plane that
can be rented by club members for in-
struction and recreation flying. The
club has two FAA Licensed Flying
Instructors—Gerry Newman, who works for
the Keflavik Airport Fire Department and
Air Force Chaplain (Captain) Dick
Higgins.
"I commend the members of the
Keflavik Aero Club who are learning to
fly for their enthusiasm," FAA Inspector
Brooks remarked, "and my heart goes out
to them because of the weather condi-
tions they contend with. I suppose it
does have one advantage—they learn to
handle winds better than many student
pilots."
"I knew the day I was going to solo
the first time," said the sergeant, "and
all the way to the hangar I kept saying
to myself 'I don't have to go through
with it.' Later, the instructor said
'It's up to you,' gave me some last-
minute tips and got out of the plane. I
remember sitting there deciding whether
to back-out. I had to force myself to
take off. Once I was in the air, every-
thing was fine. When I landed that last
time, I knew I had really accomplished
something," he remarked.
"I have been working on my license
since 1965. I started taking lessons in
Guam and logged a few more hours at NAS
Patuxent River, Md.," explained ADR1
Renica. "It was great to finally get my
pilot's ticket.
Aero Clubs are non-profit organi-
zations found on many Navy bases. The
Keflavik club meets once a month in the
Air Operations Building (810). The Aero
Marine NCO Board in
The board to select Marines for the
top four enlisted ranks convened at
Headquarters Marine Corps July 13. The
committee is authorized to select 1,380
Marines for the four ranks which are
within the E-6 and E-9 pay grades.
The makeup' of the various zones for
each rank is in Marine Corps Bulletin
1430 of April 23. The bulletin includes
promotion information and a list of el-
igible Marines within each military oc-
cupation specialty. The board also
will determine which Marines may be per-
forming below the standards of their
Club club-house is on the second floor
in Hangar 885. The club secretary is
available for information at extension
6154 from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and
Fridays. There are about 40 members in
the club now, about half of whom are
learning to fly.
To join the club, you simply submit
your application with a $25 initiation
fee. The application is voted on by a
board of five club officers. (Once the
initiation fee has been paid, it need
not be paid again if the member can
produce certification that he is a
"member in good standing" when he joins
an Aero Club at another base.) The club
dues are $10 a month and the plane costs
$14 an hour and, for student pilots, an
additional $8 for an instructor.
VP-5 takes man
to medical aid
A 19-year-old Icelandic man was flown
to Copenhagen in a Patrol Squadron P3C
Aircraft Monday night for a kidney
transplant.
The Defense Force Rescue Coordinating
Center received the request late Monday
night to airlift Hafsteinn Amason a
resident of Kopavogur. The man needed
to be in Copenhagen by 7 a.m. Tuesday
for the operation.
The Patrol Squadron Five Aircraft,
piloted by Lieutenant Gene Williams and
with a crew of five, left Keflavik air-
port at 2 a.m. Tuesday— arriving in
Copenhagen four hours later. Arnason
walked off the plane into an awaiting
ambulance.
There is no word yet on the outcome
of the operation.
4,000 AF NCOs
to be promoted in Aug.
The Air Force Military Personnel Cen-
ter has just released the August 1 in-
cremental promotion figures for E-5s
through E-9s, and it will result in more
than 4,000 Air Force NCOs gaining an-
other stripe in less than two weeks.
Chief master sergeant selectees from
the FY 77 selection list may sew on
their new chevrons if they have a se-
quence number from 0001 through 101.
New senior master sergeants will be
chosen for upgrading August 1 providing
their FY 76 line numbers are from 2998
through 3292. These new E-8s will have
a date of rank retroactive to July 1,
1976.
Tech sergeants from the FY 76A selec-
tion list will join the top three en-
listed structure if they have a promo-
tion sequence number from 0001 through
902.
All remaining E-5s on the FY 76B
selection list will be sewing on their
second rocker August 1. The new tech
sergeants will have a retroactive date
of rank of July 1, 1976.
E-4s from the FY 77A5 selection list
will join the staff NCO ranks if they
have a line number from 939 through
2386.
session for top 4 ranks
grade. This year, the selections to
sergeants major and first sergeants will
more than double, those last year. There
will also be an increase in the selec-
tions to master gunnery sergeant and
master sergeant. 170 sergeants major
will be selected: 280 will be picked
for master gunnery sergeant: 355 to
first sergeant and 721 to master serge-
ant .
The board, which is headed by Colonel
James E. Clark, is expected to be in
session for approximately eight and one-
half weeks.