often had to be trained "from scratch" on the complicated electronic equipment used in the drones, Also, there was serious shortage of "beeper" pilots to control the drone aircraft. Officers who had experience with drone aircraft operations were called back into service and others were put into training for drone operations, An excellent aircraft pilot, the drone unit soon discovered, might be unable to develop proficiency as a "beeper" pilot. Therefore, a large number of pilots entered into the "beeper" training. There also was a problem in securing and training maintenance personnel for the drone unit's communications and electronics equipment, Besides a lack of qualified persennel, there was not enough space to conduct the training, equipment was lacking or inoperative, and power supplies for the equipment on hand was inadequate. In some cases individuals had been assigned to the unit for maintenance training after the outfit had packed up for the move overseas to the test site,°< The drone unit's training program also caused a security problem, No information had been given out regarding the impending Operation SANDSTONE tests, However, Colonel Kilgore searched the entire Air Force to locate all personnel who had helped operate drones during CROSSROADS, When these "old hands" arrived at Eglin Air Force Base they recognized the preparatiotBoon enough and concluded that another nuclear test operation was under way.?> Twenty-four B-17 aircraft were prepared for SANDSTONE sampling, half of them drones and half of them control planes, per cent spares in the program. | Each of the B-17 drones carried two 16 AFWLHO This allowed for 50 SWEH-2-003); J 4 Qi w