The White Falcon - 29.01.1993, Blaðsíða 1

HITE
FALCON
Icelandic words of the week:
Red - raudur, (ray-thur) Gray - grar, (grour)
Blue - blSr, (blour) Yellow - gulur, (gu-lur)
Green - grsenn, (gret) Black • svartur, (swarth)
Vol. 52 No. 04 January 29,1993
Serving the Iceland Defense Force Community
NAS fire truck soon to be in action again
Story and photo by J02 Colleen
“Ghostwriter” Casper
A hand holding a caked putty knife care-
fully applies filler to the damaged metal.
Glancing at the vehicle, one might marvel at
the time and care spent to bring the once
overturned, damaged fire truck back to its
original condition.
More than 30 days of work by selected
members of the Naval Air Station, Keflavfk
Fire Department has almost crane to an end.
The fire truck flipped on to its side on the
taxi-way near the patrol squadron hangar, in
December causing approximatley $15,000
worth of damage. Five days after the acci-
dent, firefighters were busy rebuilding the
damaged unit.
^According to Siggi Arason, Chief Inspec-
Hr, “Repairs included removing and rebuild-
W.g the water tank, removing stray parts from
the main cab and minor work on the engine
compartment. New fenders were constructed
for the rear tires. We basically had to pull and
straighten, here and there.”
This was a top-priority project for the Fire
Department and they would not accept any-
thing less than perfection.
“We made a promise to ourselves that this
truck will look and perform better than the
others. It will be like new, when the project
Skafti Thorisson is one of severedfirefighters
who helped with the renovation of the fire
truck.
is complete,” said Arason.
The Fire Department has three crash fire
trucks, each with a 1,500 gallon per minute
capacity. Even though one was temporarily
out of service, the Department is still pre-
pared for any scenario they may encounter.
The success of the repairs can be credited
to teamwork. Arason stated, “People have
come to me and have volunteered to help with
the project. Everyone wants to chip-in and is
working together to solve minor problems
that arise.
“If they stumble on a problem they cannot
solve, they take a break and a few minutes
later try another solution until they are suc-
cessful.”
And so the process of filling, sanding,
painting, and testing is coming to a close.
The Fire Department will soon be able to add
the powerful machine back into its fleet.
Power Outage
There will be a power outage from 8
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 6. Buildings
affected are: 501, 506, 507, 508, 517,
552,700, 710,920, 936 and 937.
Over the past six months, contrac-
tors for the base have been installing
underground power cables to replace
the existing overhead lines.
“The underground lines are used to
prevent power outages and corrosion,
two factors that gave problems in the
past,” said Albert Sanders, Utility
Directorfor Public Works Department
The work is expected to be finished by
the end of February.
Rotator flights cost less, greater seating capacity
By J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
The “Rotator” flights have undergone yet
another transition. Starting February 6, a
new aircraft, seating 190 personnel, will be
put into service for DoD personnel transfer-
ring to and from Iceland. The contracted car-
rier, American Trans Air, will fly the Nor-
folk, Va., Philadelphia, Keflavfk routeuntil
the end of May, when another company will
^ke over.
^^tecent “Rotator” changes included a Sat-
Pluay arrival and departure date and related
changes such as Personnel Support Detach-
ment and the Air Force’s Military Personnel
Flight being on hand to collect service rec-
ords and stamp servicemembers’ orders to
facilitate chow hall usage.
The biggest change was the institution of a
new contract with Sun Country for 140 seats
on a Boeing 727. According to ABHC Der-
rick C. Cotman, Air Terminal Manager, Naval
Air Station, Keflavfk, the weekend flights
have operated without a hitch and have lived
up to the requirements set by the Air Mobility
Command (AMC). The main reasons for the
larger aircraft are to provide nonstop service
and greater seating capacity.
PH 1 (S W) William M. Reed, Leading Petty
Officer of FLTIMAGFACLANT, remarked,
“In addition, the weekend departure and arri-
val times make for easier planning of a leave
period.”
A second key promt is the elimination of
the $10 “Space Available” fee for the AMC
“organic” flights such as the KC-135, C-141
and C-130. What remains is a $10 service
charge for the “Rotator” aircraft which in-
cludes $6 for customs and $4 for landing
fees.
AME2 Richard C. Barnard, Aircraft Inter-
mediate MaintananceDepartment, said, “The
service was good, yet the changes were not
readily apparent since I haven’t flown in
almost a year.”
Cotman added, “We have received many
positive responses to the weekend schedule.
Hopefully the reduced fares and greater seat-
ing capacity will further add to the enjoy-
ment of the passengers.”