One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
One Hundred Years of Flight USAF Chronology ... - The Air University
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1977–78<br />
October 12: <strong>The</strong> first class <strong>of</strong> <strong>USAF</strong> women navigators graduated, with three<br />
<strong>of</strong> the five assigned to Military <strong>Air</strong>lift Command aircrews.<br />
1978<br />
January 24: Tactical <strong>Air</strong> Command deployed eight F–15 Eagle aircraft from<br />
Langley <strong>Air</strong> Force Base, Virginia, to Osan <strong>Air</strong> Base, Republic <strong>of</strong> Korea,<br />
in the first operational-training deployment <strong>of</strong> F–15s to the Western<br />
Pacific.<br />
February 8–17: In Operation SNOW BLOW II, <strong>USAF</strong> C–5s, C–141s, and<br />
C–130s airlifted 2,339 tons <strong>of</strong> snow-removal equipment, generators,<br />
communications gear, and more than 1,000 passengers after a severe<br />
snowstorm in southern New England.<br />
February 9: From Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Atlas-Centaur booster hoisted<br />
into orbit the first Fleet Satellite Communications System satellite.<br />
February 22: An Atlas booster launched the first Global Positioning System<br />
satellite. A “constellation” <strong>of</strong> such satellites revolutionized navigation.<br />
May 16–27: In Operation ZAIRE I, Military <strong>Air</strong>lift Command used 43 C–141<br />
and C–5 missions to transport 931 tons <strong>of</strong> cargo and 124 passengers to<br />
Zaire in support <strong>of</strong> Belgian and French troops who had intervened to<br />
rescue European workers threatened by a Katangan rebel invasion <strong>of</strong><br />
Zaire from Angola. During this operation, Lt. Col. Robert F. Schultz<br />
and Capt. Todd H. Hohberger and their C–5 crews earned the Mackay<br />
Trophy for overcoming fatigue, limited en route support, crippling<br />
mechanical problems, and adverse operational conditions in a hostile<br />
area.<br />
May 31–June 16: In Operation ZAIRE II, C–141s and C–5s airlifted Belgian<br />
and French troops from Zaire, replacing them with African peacekeeping<br />
troops. In 72 missions, they transported 1,225 passengers and<br />
1,619 tons <strong>of</strong> cargo.<br />
August 11–17: Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, flying in<br />
the Double Eagle II, completed the first balloon crossing <strong>of</strong> the Atlantic<br />
Ocean. <strong>The</strong> flight from Maine to France covered 3,100 miles.<br />
November 22–29: Three HH–53 Jolly Green Giant helicopters <strong>of</strong> the 55th<br />
Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron airlifted 911 bodies from a<br />
mass suicide in Jonestown to Georgetown, Guyana. HC–130s refueled<br />
the helicopters as they shuttled between the sites. At Georgetown the<br />
bodies were transferred to C–141 Starlifter aircraft, which transported<br />
them to the United States.<br />
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