The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph courtesy of Onizuka Air Station

The Air Force celebrated a half-century of service last weekend with aerial demonstrations and displays.

Fifty Years of Flying

Moffett celebration includes rescues, high-þying demos

By Natasha Collins

"Hurry up and get me--it's getting hot down here," said the downed pilot as he heard the rumbling approach of helicopters. Minutes earlier, he had been high above the ground in his fighter. Now he was behind enemy lines and trying to escape from foreign troops. He quickly bundled up his parachute so he would not attract the enemy's attention and lit a red-smoke flare to help the rescue team locate him.

"Don't worry, we're on our way," said the pilot of the HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter as it made its final pass and began its descent to recover the downed airman.

Suddenly, a truck full of "Iraqis" came out of nowhere and began firing their guns, trying to shoot down the rescue team. The helicopters responded with heavy machine guns and the "Iraqi" truck was destroyed. The helicopter landed, picked up the grateful airman and returned home.

What sounds like a skirmish in Desert Storm was one of many demonstrations the 129th Rescue Wing gave in honor of the Air Force's 50th anniversary June 7.

The 129th Rescue Wing, a California Air National Guard Unit at Moffett Field, teamed up with Onizuka Air Station to hold the Bay Area's largest birthday party for the Air Force.

"It was the largest celebration that the Air Force has ever had in the South Bay," said Col. Tim Roberts, commander of Onizuka Air Station. "Throughout the past 50 years, the Air Force has been a success, not only because of our aircraft and weapons, but because of all the people. It is the people that we are really celebrating this weekend."

Thousands of people strolled through Moffett's historic Hanger One, where numerous displays commemorating the Air Force and its history were on hand. Presentations from Lockheed Martin, the Defense/Space Consortium and the City of Sunnyvale were also on display.

The most popular attractions were outside the hangar, as more than a dozen military and NASA aircraft were lined up on the airfield for visitors to view and explore.

The highlight of the event came at approximately 5:30 p.m., when the California Air National Guard put on a mini-air show that lasted more than an hour.

Crowds lined the runway during the demonstration. Everyone--from handholding fathers wearing T-shirts and shorts to military members in formal attire, chests glittering with medals--pressed in to see.

Timothy Andrew, 7, held his father's hand tightly as the air whipped his hair and the bright sun beat down on him. He heard a low rumble echoing in his right ear. With each passing moment, the rumble grew louder and louder, and louder still. The source of the almost deafening noise was just above his right shoulder. As Andrew turned his head and looked up, he realized what was making the earth rumble beneath his feet--two F-16 fighter-bombers were 200 feet above his head.

"Look at that!" he exclaimed, reaching his hand forward. "I want to ride one of those. Mom, can we take one of those next time we fly?"

The deafening roar of the F-16 fighters kicked off the air show as the two planes made a pair of low passes over the airfield.

The F-16s were joined by a C-130 firefighting aircraft. The C-130, a large four-engine plane used to carry personnel, equipment and supplies, came in low over the field and dropped fire retardant onto the center of the airfield to show the National Guard's ability to fight fires. In fact, the National Guard has been utilized in most of the major California fires in the past 10 years, including the Malibu fires, the Oakland fire and the Highway 41 fires in San Luis Obispo.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 18, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.