aon = SHOT DELAYS By mid-March, JTF SEVEN was gravely concerned over the adverse wind conditions which wero causing incessant shot delcys. In order to avoid fall-out ovor inhabited atolls, propor wind conditions required a southerly component. Since thcso proper conditions wore normally developed by a large out-dreft to tho southcast of tho shot area and soldom lasted more than two to throo days, the .ir fosk Group was faced with the possibility of a two~day intervel betwoon shots. A ccrcful study and analysis of our maintenance capability indicated a two-day turn-around period could be mot with a rcasonablo dcegreo of certainty by all aircraft except the samplers, which required decontamination timo. From BRAVO oxperionce, it was known thata B36 could be decontaminated in six hours and F-~84's in ono hour, following a 24-hour doconteminat&dA ~ decay period. Twenty-four hours would then be required for the B+36's to po perform post-flight inspection, clcar maintonance write-ups, cte. Even on this compressod schedule, it was proposed that the number of sampling aircraft bo roduced by 50 porcont., This plan was approved by Task Group 7.1 and JIF SEVEN, Decontamination would start on the B-36 sampler (FLOYD 1) at c400 hours on D plus 1 and be completed at noon on the same dey, at which tinc double maintcnanec crows would start post-flight inspection of the air- ereft. At noon, decontamination would start on the sevon F-84's which had sampled the day prior. Although cight P_8,'s would be availabic for the next shot, it wes decided that decontemination should start on tho coolest to provide backup for tho next shot. Further, it was determined tht by carefully controlling the decon- taminetion times and maintenance cffort, a complete turn-around of all