D.C. Air Guard Unit Flies New 737s

D.C. Air Guard Unit Flies New 737s

(EXCERPT) By Master Sgt. Bob Haskell, USA Special to American Forces
Press Service

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., Jan. 14, 2004 * It would be hard to pick
out pilots David Morales or John Moring III in a crowd most days when
they are flying for the District of Columbia Air National Guard.
That's just the way they like it. They wear civilian shirts, ties and
slacks so they will not draw attention to themselves as United States
military officers in potentially dangerous parts of the world.

The same can be said about the two newest airplanes that they and the
other members of the 201st Airlift Squadron are flying all over the
world these days out of the home of Air Force One.

The white jets with an American flag painted on the tail and the
Minuteman -- the National Guard's symbol -- painted on the main
wingtips are nearly new Boeing 737s, and they represent a quantum leap
into the 21st century for this Air Guard squadron, part of the D.C.
Air Guard's 113th Wing, which has a unique mission.

Flying members of Congress and other dignitaries doing their
government's business to some out-of-the-way places is how the
squadron earns its keep, and now it has the airplanes to keep up with
the Joneses * the active Air Force and most commercial airlines.

The two modern 737s, C-40s in military nomenclature, have replaced
older 727 model 100s that the squadron flew long and hard for about 17
years before they began flying the 737s in October 2002, within 30
days of their arrival. The squadron expects to receive its third 737
in August.

There are a lot more differences than just the numbers, explained
Morales and Moring, both lieutenant colonels, during a Thanksgiving
Day flight from Macedonia to the United States. Maj. Scott Yackley was
the aircraft commander.

"Range and capability are the big advantages that these twin-engine
737s, which where built in 2001, have over the three-engine 727s that
were built in 1963," said Morales, the squadron's chief pilot and a
737 captain for United Airlines.

In short, they fly farther and they have more state-of-the-art safety
features than the biggest of the planes that the squadron used to fly.

The 737s can fly from Washington to Moscow, a distance of 4,250 miles,
or from Honolulu to Washington, without having to stop for fuel,
Morales explained. They can stay aloft for about 10 hours at a time.

The old 727s, which could fly for about five hours at a time, had to
be refueled in Newfoundland and Ireland during a routine flight to
Germany.

On average, according to squadron members, the 737s can carry a full
fuel load of 63,000 pounds and burn it at a rate of about 6,000 pounds
per hour. The 727s carried a maximum fuel load of 56,000 pounds and
burned an average of 10,000 pounds per hour.

The new planes also are easier to maintain, because parts are more
accessible everywhere in the world, Moring pointed out. They're also
safer to fly, he added, because they have modern technology, including
an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System and the Global Positioning
System.

"We have worldwide communications because of satellite links," Moring
said. "Someone on the ground knows what this airplane is doing all the
time. A text data phone lets us communicate from anywhere in the
world. Safety-wise, that's a major plus."

Flying safely is a paramount concern for the squadron that includes
U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and U.S. Sen. John Warner
among its frequent flyers and that flies to such remote places as
Bosnia in the Balkans and Namibia in southwestern Africa.

The 737s have significantly changed the way the squadron employs the
biggest airplanes in its fleet, Morales explained.

"With the 727s, we flew about 80 percent of our missions within the
continental United States," he said. With the 737s, he explained, the
unit flies about 80 percent of its missions outside the United States.

The new planes have also enhanced the perception about the squadron's
abilities to fly its passengers in style, acknowledged Col. Linda
McTague, the 201st's former commander, who in December assumed command
of the entire 113th Wing.

The squadron no longer stands out because it is flying some of the
oldest commercial airplanes in the military's inventory, she said. The
201st blends in with its military colleagues, such as the 89th Airlift
Wing at Andrews, because it is flying some of the newest.

"When you can fly the most state-of-the-art, brand-new airplanes that
are available, you have a lot of credibility with people," McTague
said. "We're not looked upon as flying old, worn-out airplanes. We're
flying the same kind of C- 40s that the active duty (force) has. I
think that has increased our visibility as well as our credibility.

"I think it's a big morale boost for the folks in the unit to have
first- generation equipment, vs. old stuff," she added.

(Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell is assigned to the National Guard
Bureau.)

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---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com