Salem-News.com Aviation articles Page 29

Oregon Air Guard`s First African-American General is Promoted (PHOTOS)

Maj. Gen. Dean is Oregon's first African-American two-star. He also was the first African-American Guardsmen in Oregon to attain the rank of colonel, and eventually, brigadier general.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - A 13-year member of the Oregon Air National Guard was promoted to major general during a ceremony at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, Dec. 8th 2008, here.

Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, who has been working with the Air Force Inspector General's office at the Pentagon since February 2008, drew accolades from his colleagues and supervisors during the morning ceremony.

"He defines total force," said Lt. Gen. Ronald F. Sams, Inspector General of the Air Force. "Garry Dean is a highly-experienced commander who served in numerous positions throughout the Oregon Guard and the Air Force, all of which accents his leadership resume."

Portland Air Guard Base‏ Range to Receive Environmental Assessment

A final Qualitative Assessment Report will be prepared and delivered to the Portland Air Guard, Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, as well as the Air National Guard Headquarters in early 2009.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Weston Solutions, Inc. will be conducting an environmental assessment of the Small Arms Range and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Proficiency Unit at the Portland Air National Guard Base, located at the Portland International Airport in Multnomah County, Oregon.

Oregon Guard officials with the 142nd Fighter Wing say the assessment is part of a Department of Defense- wide initiative to determine the potential for munitions constituents to migrate off military installations towards human receptors.

DOD Directive 4715.11 requires all DOD components to assess the potential for munitions migration at every operational range (air-to-ground ranges, small arms ranges, grenade ranges, machine gun ranges, EOD units, etc.).

Pilot Injured in Ultralight Crash at Mulino Airport (PHOTO UPDATE)

The injured pilot received several facial lacerations and a broken ankle as a result of the crash.

(MULINO, Ore.) - Clackamas County deputies say an ultralight aircraft crashed today at 12:36 PM during takeoff from the Mulino Airport in rural Clackamas County.

Detective Jim Strovink, Spokesman for the Clackamas Sheriff's Office, says the ultralight is described as a fixed wing, single engine "Ridge Runner 2" that was manufactured in 2005. Its registered owner is from Tacoma, Washington.

Strovink says the male pilot was the sole person onboard during take off when this aircraft crashed at the north end of the Mulino runway.

Marine Veterans Lead Petition Drive

El Toro Marine Air Station veterans are collecting signatures for a petition to President Elect Obama and Congress to require the DOD to notify Marine and Navy veterans of El Toro and other military bases on the EPA Superfund list of the risks of exposure and health effects to contaminants. Please help the Marines by signing the Petition.

(SOMERDALE, N.J.) - The Defense Department has 1,400 military sites contaminated with trichlorothylene (TCE). Of the 1,255 EPA Superfund sites, the Pentagon owns 129, the most of any entity.

Oregon Guard Adds Helicopter in Search for Missing Brothers‏

Two anglers have been missing since Sunday; one is only 8-years old.

(SALEM, Ore,) - The Oregon Guard reports that one OH-58 Kiowa helicopter piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Mike Cataldo was preparing to depart the Army Aviation Support Facility #1 in Salem, Oregon at 12:30 PM, en route to Independence where it will join in the search for the two missing fishermen.

The Army National Guard Kiowa and crew is responding to a request from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The helicopter and crew were expected to be on scene no later than 1:00 PM today.

Kay Fristad with the Oregon Military Department says they will work closely with the Independence Police Department who is the Incident Command on the scene.

Interview with Interpreter Based with Marines in Iraq (VIDEO)

A Jordanian interpreter who works with the Marines in Iraq's Anbar Province gives a candid interview about his experience.

(ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq) - I met a gentleman named Jakope Al Salim in Iraq while spending time with the Marines at the Al Asad Air Base in the Anbar Province. These Marines normally work on airplanes, but in Iraq where there is a shortage of personnel, they have been pulling infantry and military police duty and operating the base entrances and exits.

Jakope has worked with Marines in a number of places including Al Asad and Fallujah. At this time he is working with Marines near the Iraq/Saudi Arabia border. He says Iraqi people are increasingly working with and placing trust in the Marines. Last summer when I was there, combat encounters were minimal and cooperation was increasing.

But things are changing. He says the election of Barack Obama has caused many Iraqi people to feel unsure about their future.

Wyden Objects to Potential Loss of Critical Fighter Aircraft

A senator from Oregon says he is standing up for the nation’s air sovereignty and the strength of Oregon’s Air National Guard.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden says he has written a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Bruce Donley objecting to rumored plans for early retirement of more than 300 fighter aircraft up to 11 years ahead of schedule.

Plans were in place to begin a phased retirement of these fighter aircraft beginning in 2014, but news reports are circulating that Air Force officials are considering eliminating the aircraft from their fleet as soon as 2010.

"I must voice my objections to any plan that could negatively impact the National Guard’s vital air sovereignty mission…," wrote Wyden.

Oregon Guard Night Crew Mission in Iraq (VIDEO)

Oregon Guard soldiers assigned to an aviation support mission for the next year gain confidence in their roles.

(BALAD, Iraq) - Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have a seven day a week job with few exceptions. Members of an Oregon National Guard aviation support group stationed at Camp Anaconda at Balad, Iraq, are a shining example of those whose operation never rests.

In fact, the Oregon Guard 2/641 Aviation Support Group is in charge of the flight missions of two types of aircraft; the C-23 Sherpa transport plane and the "White Birds" which are the C-12 and Citation jet.

The Army's motto is "We Own the Night" and aviation is one specific area where operational tempo often increases after the sun falls. Flying slow, lumbering aircraft like the Sherpa can be dangerous during the day when enemy fire from the ground can inflict serious damage. At night, Iraq's temperatures are also reduced so the stress on the airplane is less.

Fatal Plane Crash in Estacada Claims Two

Rescue personnel on the scene had to contend with a serious crash scene and the victims had to be extricated from within the fuselage.

(ESTACADA, Ore.) - Two people died Tuesday when a Cessna 206 airplane crashed at 30751 SE Lawrence Road in Estacada‏ around 7:30 PM. Investigators with the Clackamas Sheriff's Office say their communications center received information from a concerned citizen that a small aircraft had flown over his home with no lights on and moments later he heard a series of crashing sounds believed to have been the plane hitting trees or the ground.

Sheriff's Office Spokesman Det. Jim Strovink says that less than 5-minutes later, an additional emergency call was received by CCOM reporting the pilot of this small plane was experiencing electrical problems and all his equipment on the plane was inoperable.

"It is believed the pilot of this plane in distress had called a friend on the ground from his cell phone to report the problems encountered onboard the aircraft," Strovink said.

`A Few Good Men, Lots of Chemicals`

Camp Lejeune’s "The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten" website adds link for MCAS El Toro Marines veterans. Attempts to learn more about the exposure of El Toro Marines to toxic chemicals continue.

(SOMERDALE, N.J.) - Former MCAS El Toro could be used as a movie script for the “perfect environmental crime.” Dump 8,000 pounds of TCE (trichloroethelyne) and other goodies into the soil and groundwater; watch a mostly TCE plume go through the area of the base wells into Orange county; put the base on the BRAC hit list; lose documentation; put thousands of acres up for sale; and pocket $650 million from the sale to a land developer. In this case, the victims are mostly “invisible Marine veterans,” who have no clue of what hit ‘em.

We’re a long way from understanding the extent of exposure of Marines at El Toro to TCE/PCE (perchloroethelyne)and other contaminants. This would be a “cold case,” if it were not for the efforts of a few El Toro veterans who refuse to accept the government’s “don’t worry; there’s not need for concern.”

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is attempting to locate documentation to determine the risk of exposure to TCE/PCE for El Toro Marines.