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OUA
1964 - Page 8 |
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o. In the last half of 1963 as in all other
periods previously discussed, the 17th Squadron executed more than its share of conventional
missions. The term "conventional" is used only in the sense of not
requiring ice field operations. Most of
these "conventional missions" were still decidedly "un- conventional".
Their demands for unusual skill and airmanship were a common trend throughout. Early
in October 1963, one aircrew of the 17th Squadron completed a four month testing and evaluation program for the
Tactical Air Command to determine the reliability of the Position Fixing
Navigation System (PFNS). In consummating these tests some 39
sorties and 127 hours were flown to establish the validity of this system for night and weather
troop and equipment drops. While
the data compiled is presently under study by the Tactical Air Command, we are confident that its evaluation will
reflect a significant advance in tactical air doctrine. In November 1963, another crew on a routine training flight near the home station of Dyess was
diverted in flight to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, to air-evacuate a
seriously ill dependent child to the Wilford Hall USAF Hospital at San
Antonio. Reaction to this mission and its execution required less than thirty
minutes. Air- manship of this professional caliber is commonly characteristic
of the men of this unit. It was
also during this period that the 17th Squadron was presented Tactical Air Command Outstanding Assault Airlift
Squadron of the Quarter Trophy for the final quarter of the preceding fiscal
year. This established a record in the annals of the Tactical Air
Command. The 17th Squadron won this much coveted award for two consecutive
quarters (1 January - 30 June 1963) in sharp competition with all other troop carrier
squadrons of the command. We do not feel
that this particular achievement will be easily duplicated in the years to come. |
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p. In December 1963, and January 1964, plans
were at long last finalized to transfer the 17th Squadron to the Alaskan Air Command with Elmendorf
Air Force Base, Alaska, to be its new duty station. This was to be no routine reassignment "on paper." It was to be a full scale unit movement overseas complete with personnel, mission aircraft (the C-130D), and
equipment. It was to be unique in another respect. Normally, when an Air Force unit moves physically overseas, it is expected to suspend the continuity of
its opera- tional mission, at least for the period required to complete the
movement and the normal re-grouping operations following arrival at the
new duty sta- tion. No such luxury was
allowed the 17th Squadron. Being the
only unit in the entire United States Air Force inventory capable of
supporting the Ice Cap Mission, its vital operational continuity had to be
maintained through- out the movement. There
were other complicating factors which also entered these planned actions to gravely compound their nature. The time selected for this transfer to be finalized also coincided with the period
of the year when the far northern mission reaches its climax of
operational activity. Normally only two C-130's are committed to this operation year around
with the exception of the months of April, May and June. During this period the normal aircraft and aircrew complement is raised to five in
order to take the fullest advantage of the Arctic weather cycle. While ideal flying wea- ther seldom if ever prevails in the far north, relatively
speaking, it is usually at its best during this brief ninety day period. The surface ship- ping season lasts about six weeks - from the first of July to
the middle of August. Even then
icebreakers usually have to be employed at the beginning |
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