The White Falcon - 12.07.1985, Qupperneq 4

Best record in TAC
FIS flying high with 40,000 hours
Story and photo by JOSN Tim Abbott
The 57th Fighter Interceptor
Squadron (FIS) had a fast start
in July. On July 2 two new F-
15s arrived and on July 3 the
FIS noted a significant safety
achievement. The squadron sur-
passed the 40,000 hour mark of
accident-free flying in the F-4.
The milestone was reached
when Lt.Col. Fred Marlow and
Capt. Ken VanWickler completed a
mission during which they inter-
cepted two Soviet "Bear" air-
craft in the Iceland Defense
Force sector.
When the aircraft returned to
base, Lonny DuChien, a represen-
tative of McDonnell Douglas air-
craft, presented Col. Robert G.
Jenkins, Commander, Air Forces
Iceland, with a plaque commemor-
ating the accomplishment. Mr.
DuChien noted that only 15 other
Air Force squadrons have reached
the 40,000-hour safety mark while
The crew that broke the 40,000
hour aooident free mark are from
left to right, Senior Airman
Chris Read, assistant crew chief,
Lt. Col. Fred Marlow, pilot,
Capt. Ken VanWickler, pilot and
SSgt. Steve Petrushak, crew
chief.
operating the F-4.
"Safety is something we con-
centrate extremely hard on, and.
it's a total effort by everyone,"
said Maj. James Kendrick, direct-
or of operations. He continued,
"It's not just the pilots who put
in long hours; the crews on the
ground work just as hard. If you
break down while flying you're
dead. Everyone has to be inter-
ested in safety."
The 57th FIS Commander, Lt.Col.
Kevin J. Cheney, said, "The over-
all effort is noted by 149 months
without an accident. This is the
best record in the Tactical Air
Command."
SSgt. Patrick Davis is the non-
commissioned officer in charge of
ground safety. He said, "I make
checks to ensure that the job is
being done well." Davis also ad-
ded that the FIS is down 83 per-
cent on reportable mishaps in '85.
Air Force Eagle soaring higher, higher with accomplishments
LANGLEY AFB, Va. (TACNS) -- "My leg muscles
tightened as I held the. brakes and eased the
throttles up to military power. The airspeed
climbed rapidly. We broke ground in about 1,000
feet.
Gear and flaps up, I quickly pulled back on
the stick and climbed. At 10,000 feet, I pulled
the throttles out of after-burner. I could not
believe it. We had not traveled even half-way
down the 15,000 foot runway at Edwards AFB, Calif.
I have flown fast airplanes before, but nothing
could come near duplicating that takeoff in an
F-15. With an unrestrainable grin beneath my
oxygen mask, I climbed to 16,000 feet to continue
the mission," wrote Captain Don Carson in the
February 1974 edition of Air Force magazine.
Captain Carson, an early flier of the F-15
Eagle, was not the last pilot to be amazed by its
performance. The Eagle has been pleasing pilots
since its first delivery to the Air Force in Novem-
ber 1974.
November 1984 marked the 10th anniversary of
the F-15's first delivery. That alone was cause
enough to cheer. But a string of recent events
gave the F-15 program added reason to celebrate.
To wit:
Advanced Technology Demonstrator award -- In
October 1984, the U. S. Air Force selected the
F-15 to demonstrate unprecedented short takeoff
and landing and high- and low-speed maneuvering
abilities.
Safest fighter with million flying hours --
The F-15 reached the mi 11ionth-flight-hour mile-
stone in October 1984 with the best safety record
of any fighter in the history of the U. S. Air
Force.
Eagles keep William Tell title -- For the sec-
ond consecutive time, an F-15 unit won overall
honors at Wi11iam Tell 1984, the U. S. Air Force's
biennial air-to-air weapons exercise.
First to fly with Ada -- In September 1984, the
F-15 became the first aircraft to fly with a mis-
sion-critical system programmed in the Ada com-
puter language. (Courtesy Eagle Flight Leader,
December 1984)
Photo by JOSN Tim Abbott
One of the F-15s that arrived July 2.
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July 12, 1985 The White Falcon