SPRING / SUMMER 2009
Greetings friends,
Down here in the south, spring is quickly giving way to another summer of “fun in the sun”. Maybe a trip to the beach, a cold glass of iced tea (crew-speak for “beer”) and a shady spot under a tree. It used to also mean preflighting an airplane which had been broiling on the tarmac until the flight crew inside was cooked to a nice medium-well.
Here’re a few favorite quotes, appropriate for the season:
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
~James Dent
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
~Sam Keen
One more;
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.
~John Lubbock
Reunion 2009
Is Thursday 8 October to Sunday 11 October, in Orlando, FL. As time truly flies, that’s just around the corner. If you have not already contacted our Reunion Czar, Elmer Andrews to tell him you may attend, please put down this well-written, brilliantly-conceived newsletter, and contact him now!
Email: ElmerAndrews@aol.com
Phone: (772) 878-2486
~or~
Elmer Andrews
898 SE Seahouse Dr.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34983-4693
Speaking of the Reunion Czar, here’s more information from Elmer about what is shaping up to be an excellent get-together with those lucky enough to have proudly worn the venerated Double-X patch:
“This is the Spring Issue update for the 20th Times regarding the 2009 Airlift Squadron Reunion which will be held at The Rodeway Inn International at 6327 International Drive in Orlando, FL from 8 to 11 October 2009.
The full information about the hotel and convention activities was covered extensively in the Fall 2008 20th Times. I have requested that the full information from that newsletter be attached to this newsletter and re-printed on the 20th Alumni website and kept there until after the reunion. Please refer to the website for more details.
The Rodeway Inn International is now accepting phone reservations for the reunion. Just call them at (407) 996-4444 and be sure to tell them that you want reservations for "The 20th Airlift Squadron Reunion" our Booking ID is 7998 if you need it. This will get you our reunion rate of $52.00 per night per room. This is for up to four persons. The rates will apply from 5 October to 14 October for those who wish to come earlier or stay later. Please call them between 9:00AM and 8:00PM weekdays or 8:00AM and 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Deadline for these rates is 17 September 2009. I have 50 rooms blocked. You must guarantee with credit card or advance deposit.
I have now finalized menus and meal prices, so plan to discuss these with President Mellert and set a Registration Fee this month. It is my plan to have all of the information together so that we can make a mail out to all members with Registration Forms and full information by the end of this month (May).
For planning purposes, I requested in the Fall and Winter 20th Times that you call me or email me with the names of those planning to attend and their crew positions. Many of you have neglected to do this. I REALLY NEED THIS INFORMATION NOW!
HERE IS A LIST OF NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOTIFIED ME THAT THEY PLAN TO ATTEND:
Bill and Ann Amos - Elmer and Sylvia Andrews - Len and Sue Augustine - Paul Bouchard - Butch and Suzanne Chastain - Jeff and Anita Crowell - Greg Davidson - Lee and Mary Ellen Drangsveit - Don and Betty Duffy - Robert Sr and Donna Freels - Frank and Eva Freeman with Rose Marie Pratz – Warren and Clare Graf, Tom "Griff" Griffin - Jim Hamilton - Carl and Lilli Houdek with John and Vera Bryant - Lou and Addie Graziosi - Charlie and Gloria Hropvich - Aubrey Jr and Betty Jackson - Al and Karen Lang - Mike and Cindy Manbeck - Sam and Jan Marinucci - Dave and Kaye Mellert - Arnold and Mary Murray - William and Betty Reader with John and Dana Williams - Paul and Lena Roy - Fred and Carol Smith - Jerry Spence - Pete and Barbara Thode - Fred Thompson and Alfreda Hudson - Helen Ward - Jerry and Sandra Woolridge - Steve and Linda Zrioka. There are some others that left phone messages I could not understand”.
I’ll add this . . . if you don’t see your name listed, once again, please take a moment to contact Elmer. Orlando is going to be a beautiful place to visit in October, and in that area there’s something to do around every corner. Not to mention an endless stream of mostly true war-stories in the hospitality room.
I hope to see you there.
Alumni Officers
While our Brothers and Sisters in uniform may have a new Commander-in-Chief to salute, our leadership remains intact:
President
John Mellert: 914 S. Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483
843-871-2407
Email: dave747fe@bellsouth.net
Vice President
Pete Thode: 5452 Roxbury Drive, Charleston Heights, SC 29481
843-207-7084
Secretary/Treasurer
Kaye Mellert: 914 S. Main Street, Summerville, SC 29483
843-871-2407
Email: kimellert@bellsouth.net
Editor/Webmaster
Warren Graf: 413 Branch Creek Trail, Summerville, SC 29483
843-873-9403
Editor@20thAlumni.com
Unofficial Officers
Chaplain
Lee Drangstveit: W. 11477 S. River Rd., Taylor WI 54659
Reunion Coordinator
Elmer Andrews: 898 Seahouse Dr., Port Lucie FL 34983
(772) 878-2486
ElmerAndrews@aol.com
20th Airlift Squadron Alumni Website
OK, I know I mention it every newsletter, but please, unzip you purse strings and buy some pretty cool Twentieth Alumni stuff from our store on the web. Also, take a look at the guest-book for comments left by many of our friends.
Charleston Members
The next alumni meeting for members in the Charleston area is Sunday August 9th, at 2:00pm at the Ladson VFW Post 3433, 10154 Bellwright Road. We had some new members show up at our last meeting (and some of ‘em bought me a beer, woohoo!):
JD Robberson Bob Sturman
Bob Raughton (Rat) Alden “Sam” Scott
So, if you’re in the Charleston area August 9th, drop by the VFW and say hey to some old friends (some older than others, but I’ll leave it at that).
Presidents Corner
Hi all,
Hope this finds all of you well. I just made my reservations at the hotel in Orlando. They had a little trouble finding out information. It is listed under 20th Airlift Squadron Alumni, or use booking code 7998. All the reunion information plus a registration form should be included in this newsletter. The rates for the hotel are good for 3 days before and 3 days after. Elmer has planned a great weekend for all of use to enjoy. Please try and make it, we will try our darndest to keep the registration fee as low as possible.
Some new important information . . . I just talked with the reservation people at Disney World. Retired and active duty can receive a 5 day complimentary pass, and the family members up to 4, can purchase tickets for $99.00 each. These may be picked up at your nearest military installation or stop by the guest relations window at one of the theme parks.
The Charleston chapter had their quarterly meeting last Sunday 3 May. Several new members came for the 1st time. The meeting was in conjunction with VFW Post 3433 celebration of Loyalty Day.
I hope to see a lot of you in Orlando. Have a great summer, drive with care.
~ Dave
Gear What?
The following is from a story printed in the Charleston newspaper about a C-17 Globemaster that landed gear-up in Afghanistan:
Report says jet landing gear was up
By Bo Petersen
The Post and Courier
Saturday, May 9, 2009
They didn't put the wheels down. That's why a C-17 cargo plane crashed in Afghanistan in January, temporarily closing the Bagram air base, investigators say.
The pilots have been grounded pending a command review of the accident investigation report, according to the Air Mobility Command.
The plane slid nearly a mile before stopping; a fire broke out on the left rear side that was quickly put out. No one was injured, and the base quickly reopened. It took two days, 200 people and a 120-ton crane to lift the plane high enough to get the landing gear down. The wreck did $19 million damage to the $200 million plane, according to Air Force Times.
The crew was members of the 16th Airlift Squadron and 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base. They were identified by the Air Mobility Command as aircraft commander Capt. Anthony J. Mione; co-pilot 1st Lt. Chad M. Dugie; a second co-pilot, 1st Lt. James A. Linnehan; and loadmasters Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Conn and Airman 1st Class Kylor R. Eutsler.
Bagram is the forward base for about 4,000 airmen flying missions throughout the country. It sits at an elevation of 8,000 feet, surrounded by mountains.
The crew came in after dark, advised by the base that its approach radar was out and they would be flying by visual rules. That meant they needed to focus on their plane's speed and altitude and to watch for other aircraft. To help spot mountain ridges surrounding Bagram and other aircraft, the pilots put on night-vision goggles.
The pilots claimed the warning system didn't alert them that landing gear wasn't deployed, but investigators found no evidence it wasn't working and concluded it had been turned off. The pilots also failed to run through a pre-landing check list, a basic Air Force rule, the Air Force Times reported.
"Had they lowered the gear, the mishap would not have occurred," concluded Col. Richard D. Anderson, accident investigation board president.
It was the second time in fewer than three years the
crew of a large Air Force jet forgot to lower the landing gear before skidding
down a runway. In May 2006, a B-1B Lancer bomber touched down wheels up on a
runway at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The crew had turned off a landing
gear warning system before touching down.
My Two Cents . . .
My initial reaction to hearing a C-17 had landed gear up was thinking that it was only a matter of time. And like most aircraft incidents, it wasn’t one single thing that causes the problem, but a chain of events, where, if one of the links in the chain is broken, ultimately the incident doesn’t occur. That’s been the case in most mishaps, and I believe is true in this one as well.
As a former flight engineer, I thought, hey, if they had an engineer’s seat in the cockpit, this never would have happened. The engineer would have made sure the “before landing checklist” was properly run, end of story.
Or not.
I seem to remember, long, long ago, a C-141 from Altus Oklahoma, on a training flight, with a crew of examiners and instructors from the “school house”, landing their Starlifter in a similar configuration . . . gear up. Which by the way, makes it real hard to taxi . . .
OK, what about having an “extra set of eyes” in the cockpit? That could have prevented it.
Or not.
C-17s flying into Bagram have a third pilot in the jump seat. So much for the extra-eyes theory.
Technology is the answer. Advanced aural warning systems speak to the crew, warning them of problems. Much more advanced than the C-141’s “Pull Up” warning, these aural warnings would prevent gear up landings.
Or not.
The C-17 boasts an advanced warning system, sometimes referred to as “bitching Betty”, which warns the crew of a myriad of events. Unfortunately, as the accident investigators believe, it was turned off.
So then, what’s the answer? Can we ultimately prevent this from happening again? I think you’ll agree it’s up to the folks sitting there, at that moment in time, to do what they’re supposed to do. And because their human, sometimes they don’t.
I did hear an interesting thing about our beloved Air Force: This year the USAF is buying more un-manned aircraft than those with crewmembers sitting in a cockpit. Well that may be the solution, but it’ll sure make crew-rest kinda boring.
FYI
It's official; DD-214's are now Online.
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214's online:
http://vetrecs.archives.gov/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the online web site.
Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records centers mailroom and processing time.
Farewell Friends ~ Last Post
Major John W. Dobbins, USAF, Ret., 76
Smyrna, De. John Wilson Dobbins of Smyrna, formerly of Dover, died Feb. 25th, 2009 at Bayhealth Medical Center, Dover De.
He was born in Los Angeles, CA and Graduated from El Monte High School in 1950 and entered the U.S. Air Force. He later graduated from Delaware State College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree and Masters Degree from Wilmington College.
As an enlisted man he served as a Radar Technician, reaching the rank of Msgt. He then attended Officers Candidate School. He served as a Navigator Bombardier. He had served as Ground Training Officer and Commander of the Transportation Squadron at Dover Air Force Base while also attached to the 20th MAS for flying. He was a Veteran of the Korea and Vietnam Wars. He retired from service in 1971.
John was a life member of the Military Officers Association, The Del-Vets, the Air Mobility Command Museum and the 20th ATS/MAS Alumni Association since 1992.
He was a founding member of the American Air Museum of Great Britain and a member of the Irish Society.