Features

It was 1967. I was in pilot training, and the air war over North
Vietnam, called Rolling Thunder, was raging, and Air Force aircraft
were going daily to the flak and SAM filled skies over Hanoi and
suffered brutal losses.We young lieutenants listened to the stories of
the war from those who had returned with a mix of fear and awe.  The
famous names rolled across half a world − Kasler, Risner, Broughton,
Richter − but above all was Olds.

The fabrication flight is one of the largest and busiest of seven
flights assigned to the 86th Maintenance Squadron. Fifty-eight people
work in four distinct duty sections: structural maintenance, metals
technology, non-destructive inspection and survival equipment. Together
they help the 86th Maintenance Group keep the 40-plus year-old aircraft
mission ready day in and day out. Give these folks enough time and
material and they can make a C-130 from scratch. Here are a few
examples of what these maintainers achieve in keeping Ramstein

Helicopters were just beginning to come into service at the end of
World War II, but the German Air Force had little need for one

Rising gas prices have made filling the old gas tank a regular
nightmare. Imagine a gas tank that holds thousands of gallons and needs
to be filled on a regular basis.

Within the United States aircraft coral at the 47th International Paris Air Show, one aircraft stands out from the rest.

Multi-national crewmembers offer guided tours of planes, present technology

Nearly 10,000 German, Dutch and Belgian citizens flooded the tarmac on
Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base, June 16 and 17 to celebrate the successful
legacy of a multi-nationally operated airplane that began flying out of
the northern German community in February 1982.