by Wayne T.
I am a retired United States Air Force master sergeant flight
engineer (FE). I went through FE training at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, in
January 1963. I spent the remainder of my 20 years of military service as an FE.
I accumulated more than 8,000 hours flying combat missions in Vietnam. I flew around
the world on different assignments. I earned 14 Air Medals and a Distinguished
Flying Cross. A highlight of my service was being one of the crew members
selected to fly the “Bob Hope Christmas Show” in 1969.
After retiring from the Air Force, I began working for
Lockheed Aircraft Services in Saudi Arabia, first as a crew chief, then as an FE.
There I flew the C-130 E and H models, accumulating another 2,000 hours in just
over three years. I then became a Lockheed technical adviser in Singapore, doing
overhaul maintenance on the Marine Corps KC-130F. I then went to work with Lockheed-Georgia
in Marietta, attending a year-long technical representative class. I was then assigned
to Jakarta, Indonesia, with the Indonesian Air Force for one year. My next Lockheed assignment was at HAS, in Glenview, Illinois, working with the Marine Corps
Reserves, before being transferred to Marine Corps Air Station, Futenma, Okinawa.
I then was transferred to Cebu with the Philippines Air Force at Mactan Air
Base for a year. The remainder of my Lockheed career was as an analyst in
Marietta. I was an analyst for engines, propellers, APU, fuel system, fire
extinguisher system and flight manuals. I logged in a total 33 years with the C-130—22
years with Lockheed Martin and 11 years with the Air Force.
I have flown the B, B2 and E model C-130s with the Air
Force. With Lockheed, I have flown the C-130 E and H models in Saudi Arabia. While
associated with the Marine Corps, I “unofficially” flew the KC-130 F, R and T
models.
I have also attended the Dowdy Propeller Manufacturing School
in Great Britain and the Allison Engine School, regarding Installation on the
C-130J aircraft, before retiring in 1997.
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| I have an enduring bond with the C-130 Hercules! |
