Date: 97-02-01 11:19:14 EST
From: Eric G. Wiener

I'm a Craig class 73-07 graduate and former 109th TAG pilot, who has enjoyed looking over your site. I ferried 70489 and 70490 from Elmendorf to Schenectady in July of 1975 and delivered at least three of the birds to Davis Monthan for storage. I also saw 70493 at the Pima Air Museum, while on a mission delay at DM. Incidentally, 493 was awarded second place at an International Air Tattoo at Farnsborough (if memory serves) a few months after having been considerably damaged by a JATO bottle failure on an ice cap takeoff.

As you probably know, the DYE station's life extensions of extending the I-beam support columns vertically reached the end of the line, and both stations were moved laterally to newly designed foundation structures. The new foundations didn't last long, however, causing severe list of and evacuation and decommissioning of DYE 3. DYE II continued for a short time thereafter: its principal mission being to maintain a prepared skiway for our training for a few seasons---the DEW mission having been superseded by improved technology.

I also flew the LC-130H, which were delivered in 1984, until I transferred to the 105 MAG (now AG) and flew the C-5 for 2300 hours during my last eight years of service. I never flew below the equator until Desert Storm in the C-5 and never participated in the Antarctica missions, which are the now principal mission of the ski birds.

I retired from the Air National Guard in January 1996 and currently work as the Energy Program Manager for the New York state agency that manages the Army and Air Guard (whose principal responsibility is predicting my "other duties as assigned").