THE CONTRAIL STAFF

This funded newspaper is an authorized monthly publication for members of the U.S. Military Services. Contents of The Contrail are not

necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the 177th Fighter Wing, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Depart-

ment of the Air Force. The editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Public Affairs Office of the 177th Fighter Wing. All

photographs are Air Force photographs unless otherwise indicated.

DECEMBER 2014, VOL. 48 NO. 12

1 7 7 T H F W C O M M A N D E R

P U B L I C A F F A I R S O F F I C E R

P U B L I C A F F A I R S M A N A G E R

P H O T O J O U R N A L I S T

P H O T O J O U R N A L I S T

P H O T O J O U R N A L I S T

E D I T O R / B R O A D C A S T J O U R N A L I S T

A V I A T I O N H I S T O R I A N

C O L . K E R R Y M . G E N T R Y

1 S T L T . A M A N D A B A T I Z

M A S T E R S G T . A N D R E W J . M O S E L E Y

T E C H . S G T . A N D R E W J . M E R L O C K

A I R M A N 1 s t C L A S S S H A N E K A R P

A I R M A N 1 s t C L A S S A M B E R P O W E L L

T E C H . S G T . M A T T H E C H T

D R . R I C H A R D P O R C E L L I

WWW.177FW.ANG.AF.MIL

On the Cover: Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the New Jersey Air

National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing fly over MetLife Stadium in

Rutherford, N.J., as service members from each branch of the mili-

tary sing the national anthem Nov. 9, 2014. The National Football

League honored military members as part of their Salute to Ser-

vice event. ANG photo illustration/Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley

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FIGHTER WING WRAPS UP 2014 appy Holidays to All! As we

approach the height of the hol-

iday season, I wanted to take a

moment and thank you all for

what you do every day for our State and

Country. This past calendar year has yet

again proven to be a demanding and

challenging year, but as always the 177th

FW has performed admirably. As we

embrace the continued transformation

to a new inspection system, execute real

world deployments, provide 100% mis-

sion coverage in Aerospace Control

Alert, and support the multiple conflicts

throughout the world, it is not lost on

any of the leadership what it takes to be

a Guardsman these days! The shared

sacrifice of our members and their fami-

lies continues to be one of the defining

reasons why we are such a successful

military in the United States. As you cel-

Col. Kerry M. Gentry, 177th Fighter Wing Commander

ebrate the holidays this season, please

take a moment to say thank you to your

families and friends for the support they

provide to you, and as such the 177th

FW. As I often say “Without the support

of the family, I don’t get the support of

the airman”. Let’s all take a moment

and pass our appreciation to our loved

ones this holiday season.

It is probably no surprise that the De-

cember UTA has turned out to be one of

my favorite weekends of the year. The

Holiday parties hosted by our members

continue to grow each year and continue

to be an important part of our Wing’s

calendar. It provides us just a sliver of

the much needed time to gather and re-

lax as friends and family, not just co-

workers and supervisors. It gives us an

opportunity to step back for just a brief

moment and get to know each other a

little bit better without the stressors and

formality of the workplace. In particular,

the Family Day festivities on Sunday is a

wonderful opportunity for us to take a

small amount of time from our hectic

schedule and focus on the families and

not just “say” they are important, but to

truly show them that they are an integral

part of our Wing!

One thing that we must always keep in

mind as professional military members is

that the world is a dangerous place and

we must always be prepared to deploy

at a moment’s notice if the nation calls.

So as we enter the height of the Holiday

season, take the time to enjoy the mo-

ment and recharge for the upcoming

year…as always, it will certainly prove to

be interesting! Be proud, be strong, and

never forget that you are a Jersey Devil!

“This past calendar year has yet again proven

to be a demanding and challenging year, but as

always the 177th FW has performed admirably.”

H

Story by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht, 177th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ometimes history can be elusive, and

even events that happened recently can

be forgotten. Such was the case of the

177th Tactical Fighter Wing’s actions in

Vietnam. A hodgepodge group of aviators and

maintenance Air National Guardsmen from both

the 177th as well as the 113th Tactical Fighter

Wing volunteered for Vietnam service.

Initially, the Airmen joined up at Myrtle Beach Air

Force Base, S.C., in 1968 to back-fill for active du-

ty units.

Retired Chief Master Sgt. Richard Newell, then a

Master Sgt. in the 177th Maintenance Squadron,

knew that a wartime deployment might be com-

ing.

“We were doing a lot of training in those days,

going to bases in Florida to practice night bomb-

ing missions, so we were prepared for Vietnam,”

said Newell.

In May of 1968, the first Air National Guard air-

crew from the 177th TFW arrived at Phu Cat Air

Base, South Vietnam.

“The smell hit me, right off the plane,” said re-

tired Senior Master Sgt. Bob Hensel, who de-

ployed to Vietnam as a Hydraulics Airman from

Atlantic City.

“It was a frightening experience, being in a com-

bat zone,” said Hensel. “It took me about two

weeks to get comfortable.”

Retired Lt. Col. Bill Farrow, a former F-100 pilot

from the 177th TFW, found himself at Phu Cat

after ferrying planes to Vietnam from the United

States.

“There were four of us from New Jersey, we took

F-100’s from California to Hawaii, then from Ha-

waii to Guam, Guam to the Philippines and finally

to Phu Cat,” said Farrow. “Once we were at Phu

Cat, the commander asked us if we wanted to

stay for a tour, and we agreed, so we went home

for thirty days to get our affairs in order, and

came back for a year tour.”

Air National Guard pilots and maintainers were

assigned to the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron

“Fighting Falcons,” which was made up of approx-

imately 85 percent Guardsmen.

The crews didn’t realize their place in history.

Combat experienced fighter pilot volunteers

came together at Phu Cat to form a top secret

squadron, project name Commando Sabre. The

squadron was commanded by the famous Air

Force Col. Bud Day, who not only went on to be

awarded the Medal of Honor, but also was the

first person to bail out of a fighter jet (an F-84)

without a parachute and survive.

S

Three U.S. Air Force F-100 Super Sabres from the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron are looked at by maintenance personnel before

taking off for combat missions at Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam. Courtesy photo/retired Chief Master Sgt. Richard Newell

The Phu Cat Air

Base, “Foo Cat”

illustration from

37th Tactical

Fighter Wing doc-

uments. Courtesy

artwork

THE JERSEY DEVILS IN

VIETNAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x3iqnn2llk

Retired New Jersey Air National Guard Master Sgt. Bob Hensel holds his basic

training photo in his backyard in Buena, N.J., Oct. 7, 2014. Hensel is a Vietnam

Veteran, who deployed to Phu Cat, South Vietnam. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

The F-100F’s, two seat Super Sabres, were evaluated

as Fast Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft in high

threat areas, with the call sign MISTY - based on

Day’s favorite song by jazz pianist Erroll Garner.

The MISTY missions were to fly fast and low over en-

emy territory, and to find and identify enemy tar-

gets. Fighter pilots from the 177th flew as part of the

Fast FAC, with hundreds of enemy targets destroyed.

Farrow, who flew 222

combat missions in Vi-

etnam, also flew MISTY

missions. He recounted

one mission that stuck

with him.

“We had a full bird from

the Pentagon come out,

a safety officer who

wanted to evaluate our

missions. I was in an F-

100F Super Sabre, with

the safety officer in the

back seat, and we were providing close air support

for soldiers on the grounds that were on a hill that

was being overtaken by Viet Cong,” said Farrow.

“I dropped napalm and bombs on the enemy side of

the hill to defend those guys, and the FAC asked if I

had any 20mm [bullets] left. I said I did, and he di-

rected me onto another target. The guy in the

backseat says, ‘hey, I’ve never seen rain like that’.”

It wasn’t rain.

“What he was seeing was anti-aircraft fire coming

straight at us, probably 75mm,” said Farrow. “It did-

n’t hit us, and I got a good laugh out of it. That was

one of the missions I was awarded the Distinguished

Flying Cross.”

Farrow was not only awarded the Distinguished Fly-

ing Cross three times, he was also awarded 11 Air

Medals, the Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Gal-

lantry Cross with Silver Star for his actions in Vi-

etnam.

From July to Sept. of 1968 the 355th TFS flew 600

combat missions as part

of Operations JEB STU-

ART III, WHEELER

WALOWA, and MACAR-

THUR.

Flying during the Vi-

etnam War was danger-

ous business, and the

177th wasn’t immune to

enemy action, as Maj.

Ronald Standerfer found

out when his F-100F was

shot down over Laos,

although luckily he was quickly rescued.

Farrow also recalled a harrowing experience during

a mission on July 21, 1968.

“Unfortunately, I flew on a mission where I lost my

wingman,” said Farrow. “Lt. Col. Sherman Flanagan

from the DC Air National Guard was flying with me

on a strafing pass. We made a pass on the target and

I called for him on the radio, but there was silence. I

looked over and his aircraft didn’t look damaged,

but he never pulled up, never ejected and his plane

went into a hill. Back at the base, they thought he

was hit by small arms fire, a golden bb.”

For the Airmen on the ground, the day-to-day job

could be just as dangerous.

“I remember one day we were attacked by ground

forces, and four Viet Cong insurgents made it onto

the base,’ said Newell. “They ran right past our guys

on the flight line, but they weren’t interested in us -

they wanted to attack the Explosive Ordinance Dis-

posal building, but luckily they were dealt with by

security and no Americans were hurt or killed.”

“I remember going to the base theater, it was an

open air theater, kind of like a drive-in, and we could

see the Spooky gunships at night firing in the dis-

tance,” said Hensel. “There was also some kind of

operation going on, and it was kind of wild seeing

those tracers, knowing they were shooting at peo-

ple.”

The Guardsmen won a lot of praise for their accom-

plishments, and were credited with greatly reducing

enemy capabilities in Ke Sanh, Da Nang, and the A

Shau Valley. With nearly 2,800 missions flown, the

Guard pilots were awarded numerous Air Medals, 16

Distinguished Flying Crosses, 11 Silver Stars, 2 Viet-

namese Gallantry Crosses with a Silver Star, and 3

Bronze Stars.

13 enlisted maintainers were also awarded the

Bronze Star, although according to Newell they never

Retired New Jersey Air National Guard

Master Sgt. Bob Hensel points out old pho-

tos in his home in Buena, N.J., Oct. 7, 2014.

Hensel is a Vietnam Veteran, who de-

ployed to Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam.

ANG/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

Retired Chief Mas-

ter Sgt. Richard

Newell poses with

the Phu Cat “Foo

Cat” on Nov. 20.

actually received them, however most of the en-

listed force received numerous Air Force Com-

mendation medals.

“The medals don’t even really matter now,” said

Newell. “Most of us are already gone.”

In a letter from 1978, Air Force General Wilbur L.

Creech reflected on the service of the Air National

Guardsmen from Atlantic City and DC.

“I can attest to the outstanding performance they

turned in,” wrote Creech. “A superb job in every

respect.”

Despite hardships, the Guardsmen wanted to be

in Vietnam, to serve their country.

“It could be difficult, but we had a great group of

guys,” said Hensel. “We came because we be-

lieved in what we were doing.”

Farrow noted the praise he received when wear-

ing his Vietnam Veteran hat.

“When I wear that hat, people tend to stop and

thank me for my service. I can’t tell you how good

that feels,” said Farrow.

While the history books might have forgotten the

contributions of the “Fighting Falcons’ in Vi-

etnam, these men will be remembered for the

heroes they are – patriots, warriors, and citizen

Airmen.

F-100 pilots from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Tactical Fighter Wing

pose for a group photo at Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam in 1969. ANG photo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_lLAQy6F1w

wenty Airmen from the 177th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group participated in reclamation of an aircraft training at War-ren Grove Range, N.J., Nov. 8, 2014.

The Crashed, Damaged, or Disabled Aircraft Recov-ery team trained on a number of techniques that support their mission as a first-response unit in the event an aircraft goes down, is damaged, or disa-bled. “If there was an aircraft we couldn't bag, lift or crane lift out, we would have to cut the aircraft into pieces, and transport it piece by piece back to the base," said Maj. Brian Cooper, commander, CDDAR team. The Airmen used K12 rescue saws on scrapped trucks to simulate the reclamation of a downed air-craft. For many team members, this was their first opportunity to get this type of hands-on training. "We have some seasoned members here, and we also have some that are new," said Cooper. "Using a saw is one thing, but actually walking a drill through metal is different." Membership on the CDDAR team is a supplemental duty for 177th Airmen. "We have Airmen from many different Air Force specialties including aerospace ground equipment, crew chiefs, fabrication and the engine shop," Cooper said. "These guys all have their daily jobs to do, and this is an additional duty that the whole team takes very serious." Since the CDDAR team is one which is only called upon after a rare event, Cooper said the group may not get the recognition it deserves.

"The team doesn't get a lot of focus," Cooper said. "We're a first-responding unit that nobody knows about until you need them." Although Cooper acknowledges he hopes the Wing’s CDDAR team is never used, he ensures that if it is needed, they will be ready.

T Air Force Senior Airman Matthew Wagner uses a res-

cue saw on a truck at Warren Grove Gunnery Range,

N.J., Nov. 8, 2014. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman James Dzierwinski from the 177th Fighter Wing uses a rescue saw on a

truck at Warren Grove Gunnery Range, N.J., Nov. 8, 2014. ANG/Airman 1st Class Shane S. Karp

Story by Dr. Richard V. Porcelli

ver the past several months, we have re-lated the history of Naval Air Station Atlan-tic City [NASAC] including the exploits and achievements of the squadrons and naval

aviators based there. The airfield, started in late 1941 as a planned new municipal airport but taken over by the Navy in 1942, became one of the Navy’s premier fighter training bases during World War II, with over 50 fighting squadrons established and as many as 250 Corsairs and Hellcats on the ramp at its peak. Following the war, the air station survived the post-war cutbacks and became the focus of new technology development and testing including drones; night/all-weather tactics and equipment; testing of new aircraft carrier design concepts and equipment; and the in-fleet evaluation of all new air-craft carrier-based tactical aircraft.

In addition to what has been related in these past installments of this history in The Contrail, many oth-er developments have endured, providing a powerful legacy of the Navy’s time at Atlantic City.

In 1954, NASAC was named as one of the two All-Weather Master Jet Naval Air Stations in the U.S. Na-vy. At that time, the air station was a beehive of fly-ing activity. Aircraft of the two night/all-weather squadrons, Composite Squadrons Four and Thirty-Three (VC-4 and VC-33), along with Air Development Squadron Three (VX-3) kept the ramp and the skies over Atlantic City busy places, 24 hours a day. The airfield itself benefited from a buildup of facilities and infrastructure to meet the demands of the growth in air activity. The World War II era control tower, built on top of the Operations Building east of the two hangars, was refurbished and equipped with the lat-est electronic gear.

O The Legacy of NAS Atlantic City

In terms of avionics, one of the most significant out-growths of development work originating at NAS At-lantic City was the Tactical Air Navigation System, known as TACAN. TACAN was an entirely new con-cept in navigation developed by the ITT Corporation and put to the test by VX-3. It is fair to say that the work done by the Navy at Atlantic City was an im-portant forerunner of today’s ground-based civil air naviga-tion system. Previously, aerial navigation relied on the “Adcock range” - a low-frequency radio range (LFR), also known as the “four-course radio range.” Low fre-quency broadcast of Morse Code letters “A” (dot-dash) and “N” (dash-dot) told a pilot which quadrant around a bea-con he was flying in, and if the two letters coincided giving a steady tone, he was on an air-way. It was the only naviga-tion system used by aircraft for instrument flying in the 1930s and 1940s and was re-placed with the VHF Omnidi-rectional Range (VOR) begin-ning in the late 1940s. Re-placement was not complete until the early 1970s.

Surprisingly, the U.S. military and the Navy in particular did not have access to a VOR navigation system and TACAN was developed to give a pilot exact bearing and distance in relation to a station on the surface of the earth (or on an aircraft carrier)! Also transmitted in the VHF range, the TAC-AN signal was limited to ‘range-of-sight.’ Depending on the receiving aircrafts altitude, the TACAN’s signal had a maximum range of about 200 miles. Lt. Don

Engen, VX-3 pilot and later, administrator of the FAA, explained it this way: “The good news was that TAC-AN totally revolutionized military aircraft navigation. The bad news (at the time) was there was only one TACAN station in the world and it just so happened to be at NAS Atlantic City. As a result, Navy aircraft based at Atlantic City mainly stayed within a 200-mile

radius of the air station. If they ventured further, they basically ‘fell off the edge of the earth’ as the TACAN instru-ment’s needle and distance counter display would spin aimlessly.”

The Air Force’s first TACAN sta-tion was installed shortly thereafter at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska – not much help to the Atlantic City avia-tors, but at least progress to-wards more complete cover-age was being made. By 1955, TACAN stations dotted military and civilian airfields allowing some measure of cross-country navigation support as the Civil Aeronautics Admin-istration (CAA) installed com-bined civilian and military TAC-AN stations throughout the country. It should be recalled, however, that in the early

1950s, DC-6 and Constellation airliners of the day flew below 24,000 feet; the higher altitudes remained the domain of military jets.

For the Navy, installing TACAN units on carriers re-sulted in a significant tactical advantage, as naval avi-ators always knew where they were in relation to their ship and if they were given the coordinates of

an attacking aircraft (or ship) they could fly to an ad-vantageous intercept position without further radio communications with the ship. The task of proving this concept was given to VX-3 who achieved the suc-cessful culmination of the project during sea trials on USS Midway in October 1954.

Atlantic City’s VX-3 proved the value of TACAN by tak-ing it one step further, developing procedures for the use of TACAN instrument approaches to landings. The squadron pilots became very adept at flying ap-proaches to successful landings on Atlantic City’s run-ways despite the weather, proving to be impervious to Atlantic City’s notorious coastal fog. Those tech-niques and procedures were then distributed to squadrons in the fleet, eventually giving them that additional level of safety as the TACAN system was

deployed more widely.

As related in earlier articles in The Contrail, NASAC had played a significant role in developing radar-controlled flight dating back to World War II days. In addition to developing equipment and procedures and then training Combat Intercept Controllers, the first tentative steps towards precision Ground Control Approaches (GCA) were also made at NAS Atlantic City. In July 1954 NASAC pioneered the use of a new portable GCA system that gave precise guidance to landing pilots regardless of the weather. With this system, using precision radar antenna and consoles, and three controller positions that were ‘shoe-horned’ into two 2x4 trucks and a trailer, an approaching aircraft’s vertical and horizontal position in relation to the

Enlisted Navy Sailors work inside of a mobile Ground

Control Approach trailer at Naval Air Station Atlantic

City. U.S. Navy photo

A mobile Ground Control Approach system

that was developed and tested at Naval Air

Station Atlantic City. U.S. Navy photo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_navigationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_navigationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_flight_ruleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHF_omnidirectional_rangehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHF_omnidirectional_range

proper flight path could be monitored and correc-tions verbally provided to allow safe landings even in the darkest, rainiest nights. Its mobility meant that the GCA unit could be moved to different runways or even different airfields.

Safety developments made at Atlantic City also in-cluded personal flight equipment. In the winter of 1953 Lt. Tom Turnbull, a VX-3 pilot, was flying a McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee over the ocean east of At-lantic City while practicing TACAN guided intercepts when both engines flamed out. Unable to restart ei-ther engine, he was forced to eject into the cold wa-ter. The ejection was successful, but once in the wa-ter he was unable to slip free of his parachute; the rough seas made it impossible to undo the buckles and he drowned. This led to the development, initial-ly at NAS Atlantic City, of quick-release fittings and other personal survival gear improvements. Lt. Frank Austin, a flight surgeon and naval aviator assigned to VX-3, was instrumental in many of the improvements that today’s military aviators benefit from.

Another safety-related innovation that was proved out at NAS Atlantic City is the mid-runway arresting system. In the mid-1950s arresting cables were in-stalled at midway positions on two of Atlantic City’s runways to provide a method of stopping jets landing with an emergency, such as hydraulic system or brake failure. For NAS Atlantic City, the advantage was ob-vious since all tactical Navy aircraft were already equipped with a tailhook for normal carrier landings. The system developed at Atlantic City involved a steel cable that was raised a few inches off of the runway surface with rubber grommets; the ends of the cables were originally attached to heavy chains, replaced later by hydraulic brakes that dissipated the energy when a tailhook of a landing aircraft caught one of the cables. The idea proved to be so good, saving countless aircraft (and aviators) during emergency landings, that the system was eventually adopted

throughout the U.S. military (and by our allies as well). The Marines developed a modified system for use on expeditionary runways, and put the concept to good use during the Viet Nam War. The current version of the Runway Arresting System can be seen on Atlantic City’s two runways.

Speaking of runways, the World War II airfield was constructed with four, 5,000-foot long runways – but today, only runways 4/22 and 13/31 survive. Con-crete vestiges of the old runways 8/26 and 17/35 can be seen around the airfield, especially from the air. In the early 1950s, to accommodate the needs of high performance jets coming into Navy service, runways 4/22 and 13/31 were extended to 6400 feet. Run-way 13/31 was later lengthened to its current 10,000-foot length. Due to the lengthening of 13/31, the Na-val Air Station grew further west and English Creek Avenue was cut, permanently preventing through vehicular traffic.

In 1956 plans were made for the construction of a new, larger control tower, to be located at the east end of the hangar/ramp complex. The tower was eventually constructed but never occupied because the Navy had made the decision to close NAS Atlantic City. As an interesting historical note, in February 1959, after the Navy had departed, the ‘new’ tower was transported on rollers more than ½ mile across the airfield to where it can be seen today, aban-doned, at the foot of the new ATC tower.

The reasons for the Navy’s departure are more relat-ed to flight safety than any other factor. As Navy jets’ performance increased, so did their need for even longer runways. However, the Navy felt that the growing communities around the airfield were en-croaching on their ability to expand. Although the Navy always maintained very strong ties to the local communities, the new generation of jets also brought a growing chorus of noise complaints, a problem that still plagues the ANG base!

VX-3 fills the air over Naval Air Station Atlantic City: VX-3 flew many different aircraft, bottom to top— an F9F-8

Cougar, F9F-5 Panther, F2H-3, F2H-2, and F2H-2N Banshees, AD Skyraider and TV Shooting Star. U.S. Navy photo

Another factor was the growth of airline traffic in the region, particularly in the northeastern corridor. The New Jersey coastline became one of the busy airways in the country. The advent of jet airliners also result-ed in the potential for air space conflicts at the higher altitudes, which was, up to that point, the exclusive domain of military jets.

As a result, Naval Air Station Atlantic City was dises-tablished in June 1958. The resident squadrons were reassigned to other air stations. VX-3 was transferred to NAS Oceana (Virginia), and decommissioned in March 1960. VC-4 and VC-33 were reassigned to NAS Quonset Point (Rhode Island). VC-4 became All Weather Fighting Squadron Four [V(AW)F-4] but was decommissioned August 1959. VC-33 survived long-er; it became All Weather Attack Squadron Thirty-Three [VA(AW)-33] and then Early Warning Squadron Thirty-Three (VAW-33), providing detachments of ra-dar equipped Skyraiders to carriers in the Atlantic Fleet. In 1968 they were transferred to NAS Norfolk where it became Electronic Warfare Squadron Thirty-Three (VAQ-33). Their mission was in an adversary role, simulating electronic warfare threats to train fleet squadrons and ships. They flew a wide selection of jet, turboprop and propeller driven aircraft until they were finally disestablished at their last base, NAS Key West (Florida) in October 1993.

In June 1958 when NAS Atlantic City was disestab-lished, the Navy left an intact, well-equipped airfield including four runways, radar equipment, extensive ramps, two large hangars and about 180 other struc-tures. It’s future looked precarious, but the fate of the airfield was saved from oblivion by a tragic event that happened two years earlier.

On June 30, 1956, on a crystal clear Saturday morn-ing, two airliners collided over the Grand Canyon. The DC-7, United Flight 718, and the Super Constella-tion, TWA Flight 2, were flying in uncontrolled air-space under visual flight rules. All 128 passengers and crew perished in the accident that shocked the

people of United States and shook their confidence in flying (and their government!) to the core. The flying public had no idea that the ‘modern marvel’ of radar was only used to a limited extent at that time, mainly around some major airports.

Stunned by the reality of the situation, the public out-cry after the accident spurred the Eisenhower Admin-istration to create the Airways Modernization Board [AMB] to coordinate avionics and radar develop-ments in the interest of air safety; this led to the need for a new technology center where the neces-sary enabling technologies could be developed. After some political maneuvering by local politicians, particularly Senator Frank “Hap” Farley, the AMB se-lected Atlantic City’s now abandoned air station as the site for the National Aviation Facilities Experi-mental Center [NAFEC]. Thus the survival of the air-field was assured.

As an interesting side-note, in 1941 Frank Farley suc-ceeded Atlantic County political boss Enoch “Nucky” Johnson (HBO used the name Thompson in “Boardwalk Empire”) after Johnson was convicted of tax evasion and sent to prison. This proved to be an important step in Farley’s rise to higher office and eventually the Senate, where he had enough clout to secure the future of Atlantic City airport.

On July 1, 1956, the Navy “turned over the keys” of the former Naval Air Station Atlantic City to Gen. El-wood Quesada, recently retired from the Air Force after an illustrious military career with the 9th Air Force in WWII and post-war as a staunch advocate of tactical aviation, and named Chairman of the AMB. Three months later, the AMB was dissolved and re-placed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who became the new “landlord” of the 5000-acre air-port site. The FAA’s first ‘tenant’ was the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119th Fighter Squadron – the subject of the next history installment in The Contrail.

Left: The original Naval Air Sta-

tion Atlantic City Operations

building. The 177th Fighter

Wing’s Operations building sits

in the same spot. Below: The

U.S. Navy surrenders the “keys”

to Atlantic City Airport to the

Airways Modernization Board

(AMB) in 1956. The Navy

turned over ownership of the

5,000 acre airfield to Gen. El-

wood Quesada, head of the

AMB. A few months later, the

AMB would be renamed as the

Federal Aviation Administra-

tion, which still maintains own-

ership of the airport to this day.

U.S. Navy photos

EXERCISE: JOINT HAWKEXERCISE: JOINT HAWKEXERCISE: JOINT HAWK Photo Essay by Tech. Sgt. Hector Vasquez, 177th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Air Force Reserve’s 301st Fighter Wing sits across

from a 177th Fighter Wing F-16 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. ANG/Hector Vasquez

177th Fighter Wing F-16C Fighting Falcons, pilots, and maintenance Airmen spent three

weeks at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. training with Eurofighter Typhoons from the United

Kingdom’s No. 41 Squadron RAF at Exercise Joint Hawk.

Airman 1st class Nicholas Biebel , an F-16

crew chief, looks over technical orders at

Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., during Exercise

Joint Hawk, a joint Royal Air Force/Air Com-

bat Command training scenario. ANG/Tech.

Sgt. Hector Vasquez

F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 177th Fighter Wing take off at Nellis Air

Force Base, Nev., during Exercise Joint Hawk, a joint Royal Air Force/Air

Combat Command training scenario. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Hector Vasquez

Senior Airman Rachel Duff, an F-16 crew chief,

looks over technical orders before a mission

during Exercise Joint Hawk at Nellis Air Force

Base, Nev. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Hector Vasquez

An F-16 from the 177th Fighter Wing flies overhead at Nellis Air Force

Base, Nev., during Exercise Joint Hawk, a joint Royal Air Force/Air Com-

bat Command training scenario. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Hector Vasquez

Above: A Eurofighter Typhoon from No. 41 Squadron RAF taxis at

Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Left: An F-16 from the 177th Fighter

Wing taxis for takeoff at Nellis. The 177th and No. 41 Squadron

participated in Joint Hawk. No. 41 Squadron is from RAF Conings-

by, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Hector Vasquez

For more awards photos, check out the

177th Fighter Wing Facebook page!

U.S. Air Force Maj. Keith Brown, an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot from the

New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing, reached 1,000

flight hours in the F-16, Nov. 12, 2014. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

177th Vice Wing Commander Col. John DiDonna meets with

Director of the NJ Office of Homeland Security, Christopher Ro-

driguez here on Nov. 20. ANG/Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley

F-16C Fighting Falcon AF 86-333 has been painted up with a new

Wing Commander paint scheme. It is seen here returning from a

training mission on Nov. 12. ANG/Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

Maj. Benjamin Robbins from the New Jersey Air National Guard

conducts a briefing during the Warren Grove Range Council

Meeting on Nov. 19. ANG/ Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley

Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, left, the adjutant general of New Jersey, awards

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Donohue the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal at a

Welcome Home ceremony for the seven Soldiers and one Airman of the Military

Advisor Team (MAT) V held at the New Jersey Joint Force Headquarters, Joint

Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Dec. 2, 2014. ANG/Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen

http://www.facebook.com/177thFW

“Give thanks for unknown bless-ings already on their way” ~Native American Saying Over the years I have experi-enced challenging times, and being thankful was a difficult task. Whenever I struggled with

worry, anger, frustration, or anxiety, my normal-ly positive attitude was easily overshadowed by that which was going wrong. However being fixated on difficult circumstances, although a natural reaction, did not bring peace or create any solutions. The negative thoughts did noth-ing to motivate me in a direction that served a greater purpose than myself. I was selfish and in fact, things even seemed worse. It has always been easy to be thankful when everything was going smoothly. Rarely did I give thanks in such circumstances. After all these years as a Psychologist, It was the challenging moments in my life that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to make a choice between moving ahead with faith and determination or being a victim of my circumstances. Introspec-tion allowed me the opportunity to search in-ward for strength and to gather support from my family and friends. With resiliency, the re-sults are amazing…..whereas once I took our blessings for granted, the struggles opened my eyes to all that I should be thankful for. This UTA, I encourage all Service Members to share their gratefulness for both their challeng-

es and blessings with each other. “Health, weather, sports, food, smiles, and many others are but a few to share. THIS Christmas Holiday there will be many definite benefits of taking a few minutes to share personal positives as we end this year. Remember to laugh in the face of both success and adversity, because in the end, it is the laughter we remember. So I ask you, for what are you thankful? What brings a smile to your face, a peace to your heart? Now, share it with a colleague and family member. Whether you choose to email or text your response or even identify it in person pref-erably, I challenge each of you to identify a daily blessing and share it with one another in some format. Not only will it reinforce your connect-edness to one another, it will make the basis of that connection a positive force and empower us for this year and the years to follow. To you and yours, I wish for you a wonderful hol-iday season. Thank you for your service to our country and dedication to the spirit of sharing your values, for your blessings are on their way. CONTACT INFORMATION: 609-761-6871 / 609-289-6713 / An-drew.savicky.ctr@ang.af.mil / Bldg.229 (Next to the Gym)

mailto:Andrew.savicky.ctr@ang.af.milmailto:Andrew.savicky.ctr@ang.af.mil

Airmen from the 177th Fighter Wing pose for a group photo at

Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. USAF/Airman 1st Class Rachel Loftis

Final Photo Joint Hawk