Three USAFE bases combine forces in name of flight safety

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England --  Airmen from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath converged at Lajes Field, Azores, Dec. 9 to assist the mid-Atlantic base in maintaining a crucial element of flight safety.

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refueling Wing and two F-15 Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing flew to the tiny island to engage their barrier - a system of cables stretched across the runway to catch aircraft unable to stop on their own.

"The barrier here at Lajes is critical to our capability of providing en-route support to fighters crossing the Atlantic," said Lt. Col. Shawn Cotton, 65th Operations Support Squadron commander. "Working together with Mildenhall and Lakenheath ... allows us to do that certification and make sure we keep up and running."

Nearly identical to a "Coronet" mission in concept, the pair of fighters flew off the wing of the Stratotanker the entire route from England to the Azores, dropping behind the KC-135 occasionally to top off their fuel tanks. Once all three aircraft were on the ground, the well-planned exercise kicked off almost immediately.

One fighter staged at each end of the runway, and when given the signal to go ahead, they took turns engaging the barrier by taxiing at about 115 mph with their tail hook lowered so as to hook onto the cable, which gradually slowed the aircraft to a safe, complete stop. Once the aircraft was no longer moving, emergency crews already standing by rushed in to tend to the pilot and shut down the plane's engines before setting up for the next engagement.

According to Tech. Sgt. Marc Bakker, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Barrier Maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge, the Air Force requires barrier tests every 12 months.

On the ground, KC-135 and F-15 crew chiefs who flew down with the aircraft worked alongside transient maintenance personnel from Lajes to prepare all three planes for the return trip to England.

Mechanical problems with the KC-135 prevented a next-day departure of the Stratotanker and fighters, but the rapid response of a hydraulic specialist from RAF Mildenhall repaired the jet and was airborne less than 48 hours from when the problem was first identified. All aircraft and crewmembers returned to England Dec. 11.