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normally based at Hickam AFB formed the nucleus cf this element,
It was
augmented by aircraft and crews from the 55th Weather Reconnaissance
Squadron based at McClellan AFB, Sacramento, California, to bring its
strength up to the ten (10) required.
In March, a transition schedule was set up for incoming crews so
that all pilots would receive ADF letdowns, GCA approaches, and day and
night landings at Eniwetck,
Practice missions commenced on 18 March 1958,
flying one (1) weather track per day in preparation for actual missions
commencing 1 April 1958,
The weather tracks required from ten (10) to
twelve (12) hours of flight and consisted of 1,100 to 1,500 mile outbound
legs which were flown at 10,000 feet and then a reverse of this leg, with ~
at least four (4) hours of the return leg flown at 30,000 feet.
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During the practice phase, a deficiency in communications between
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the aircraft and the high frequency radio station operated by the Weather
Central at ELMER Island was discovered.
The problem was resolved by the
addition of more channels, an increase from twc (2) to five (5) authorized,
which allecwed sufficient flexibility tc establish communications on the
frequency with the best propagation characteristics for the time and place,
In April, cf the sixty-rire missions flown, the mission credit point,
a peint at which sufficient data had been collected to be useful to the
Weathey Central, was reached in every case.
Three flights aborted, two
(2) pricr to reaching the mission credit point and one (1) beyond mission
credit point.
The flights aborting prior to reaching mission credit
point returned to Eniwetok, changed gear to the standby aircraft, and completed the mission successfully within the required time limit.
the missions had late take-cffs, _
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