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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1998.PDF
FLIGHT International, 14 November 1963 801 great deal for MAT's recently increased capacity that they could mount this operation and the return lift without running into serious flying-time limitations and overhaul problems. With an increasing jet transport element and the introduction of the mighty C-141, their ability to lift a division should be greatly improved and the total time reduced by anything up to 40 per cent. MATS positioned groundcrews and a vast quantity of equipment and spares to support their own aircraft and set up four 50,000gal transportable rubber fuel tanks at Rhein Main. For the fighters of the composite air striking force, the crossing was rather more clean-cut, but a longish haul nevertheless, involving up to seven hours in a single-seat cockpit after a middle-of-the-night take-off. The routine is now cut and dried, with a central ferrying control agency in USA and tankers stationed in the Azores as well as in Britain and the US to provide refuelling as and when required at very short notice. Pilots of the F-105 wings in Germany have all made at least one non-stop crossing direct to the air Col Clyde Eaft, commander of the RF-IOI squadron, climbs out of his aircraft at Ramstein to straighten up for the first time in about seven hours and remove his immersion suit materiel centre at Mobile, refuelling over Biscay, the Azores and Bermuda, because aircraft are being continuously modified to more advanced standards. Tactical wings are universally ready to move anywhere at the shortest notice and have frequently shown an astonishingly short reaction time. For the purpose of Big Lift, 18 F-105s, 36 F-lOOs, eight RF-lOls antf six RB-66s were to move from advanced jump-off bases at Dow and Loring AFBs, Maine, to Chaumont, Etain, Phalsbourg, Ramstein and Toul. They had arrived, with spare aircraft, 36hr beforehand from their normal bases in the USA. SAC provided 53 KC-135 tankers to accompany the aircraft from Dow and Lonng to their last refuelling points, after which the tankers returned to the USA or diverted to Spain. The tankers took off a tew minutes ahead of the fighters, but then escorted them and Provided navigational support. Pairs of attack aircraft were attached to each tanker and refuelled four times during the flight. Ote RF-101s had a tanker each, because they used more fuel, and refuelled three times. The RB-66s refuelled only twice. The whole orce was to be launched within two hours and arrive in Europe ahead of the first Big Lift transport. A continuous supply of spare pilots, groundcrews and equipment was brought over by a fleet of47C-130s. The ferry operation went quite well, but a few diversions and changes were made. Sixteen out of 18 F-lOOs reached Etain and 14 out of 18 reached Phalsbourg, the others "aborting at the tanker" and diverting, it was said, either to Harmon AFB in Newfoundland or back to their take-off base. One of the F-105s was reported to have diverted to Prestwick, but a total of 19 F-105s reached Europe during the first day. An extra aircraft had been provided to escort one which had been delayed. If one aircraft has trouble, it is always escorted to its diversion base, although this procedure does not seem to have been followed on this occasion. To make up the F-100 numbers, two additional flights of four were flown across on the following day. Although they can take-off at night and refuel in darkness or all but dense and turbulent cloud, peacetime safety regulations lay down that they must land in daylight. Refuellings are arranged so that any aircraft having transfer trouble can divert to an airfield without refuelling. Both the RF-101 and F-105 have either boom or probe and drogue refuelling capability, but SAC tankers allotted to TAC missions generally carry a hose and drogue attached to their normal boom. TAC's own KB-50J tankers, now being progressively retired from service, are also available at Lajes and Sculthorpe, but are proving rather short of speed for the faster and heavier tactical aircraft. The ability of the KC-135 actually to escort the fighters and navigate for them is very useful. Fighter pilots wear an immersion suit and a curious plastic laced-up ventilation suit during ocean crossings. To make the long sit more bearable, they sometimes lay their g-suits on the seat instead of wearing them and innate the suit occasionally to ease the muscles. The RF-101 squadron, led by their commander. Col Clyde East, arrived at Ramstein in very poor weather 6|hr after leaving Dow AFB. From the last refuelling point, 800 miles south of Iceland, they had made a two-hour flight largely by DR navigation to a beacon at Land's End and had thence been directed by British, French and German radars to Ramstein. Diversion bases were available in France, but no more tankers. Each aircraft had about l£hr endurance left on landing. All the RF-lOls were ready for action as soon as they could be turned round at Ramstein except Col East's, which had suffered pressurization failure soon after taking off. His discomfort had been compounded by the noise of a piece of canopy seal drumming on the side of the aircraft. Ferrying of single-engined, single-seat aircraft over such long stretches of water may involve certain risks, but it is a cheap and effective way of moving them quickly across the world. The technique is now well known and the background organization is impressively able to back up any proposed movement. With drag-chute caps open, four of the eight RF-101 s safely down after their non-stop crossing. Each was air-refuelled three times
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