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  • ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Airmen from the 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Operations Flight cleans up the 519 West Hardy lot, in Altus, Okla., recently. Aerial Ops is in its third year of their volunteer service commitment in support of Habitat for Humanity. All supplies and equipment used to maintain the lot are supplied by the Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Marianne Lane)

    97 LRS Aerial Ops maintains Habitat for Humanity support

    Airmen from the 97th LRS Aerial Operations Flight meet mission requirements day in and day out and are continuously striving for excellence, and somehow, as a team, they still manage to find time to maintain their ongoing support for Habitat for Humanity. Aerial Ops has dutifully sustained the appearance of the 519 West Hardy lot in Altus, Okla.,

  • Altus' new command chief 'gets real' about personal, professional fitness

    During a recent talk with the young Airmen at the First Term Airman Center here, Philip G. Topper said he joined the Air Force in 1980 with intentions of learning a skill and separating after a 4-year enlistment. Now, 26 years later, 97th Air Mobility Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Topper has no regrets. "I stayed in because I saw the camaraderie,"

  • Mission first, people always

    Experience counts for alot in both the military and civilian workforce, and no one knows this better than the new director of the 97th Maintenance Directorate, T.O. Hilley. As a military aircraft maintainer, Mr. Hilley achieved the rank of chief master sergeant, and he now holds the highest civilian position on base. With 42 years of aircraft

  • Cure for the warm-weather woes

    Looking for something to do? The 97th Services Squadron has a solution for you... The days are getting longer and the temperature warmer. This means only one thing: spring is here, and spring time at Altus Air Force Base opens the door to many possibilities. It's time to get out and do something, and the 97th Services Squadron's Outdoor Recreation

  • OG superintendent shares views after 29-year career

    Chief Master Sgt. Dalton Pratt, superintendent of the 97th Operations Group, retires at 10 a.m. Thursday in a ceremony at the Freedom Community Center, after 29 years of active duty service in the Air Force. Although the chief was a positive force in the adoption of new training methods and equipment for boom operator students at Altus Air Force

  • Covert operations in high-threat environments; C-17 aircrews must fly in the dark

    This is the first article in a three-part series on C-17 and night vision training at Altus Air Force Base. The first-ever C-17 combat landing using night vision goggles occurred in November 2001. The sortie was one of 64 flown by five aircrews from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., during a period of eight days in which they landed nightly on an

  • When darkness falls, life support helps aircrew find their way

    This is part two of a three-part series on C-17 and NVG training at Altus Air Force Base. In 2003, Altus Air Force Base made preparations to deliver formal night vision goggle training to aircrews enrolled in the C-17 school here. The 97th Operation Support Squadron Life Support Flight initially ordered 54 helmet-mounted, battery operated night

  • Rain, sleet or dark of night, C-17 pilot training must go on

    This is the final article in a three-part series on C-17 and night vision goggle training at Altus Air Force Base. Growing up, Capt. Gordon Roman dreamed of flying aircraft at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., like his father, retired Lt. Col. Marc Roman, a former reservist who had flown C-5s with the 312th Airlift Squadron. A traditional reservist

  • End of an era: Bradley retires after 10 years as A-TEAM director

    After 41 years of service in the military and leading the A-TEAM since its inception 10 years ago, Michael Bradley, director of the 97th Maintenance Directorate, will retire. Role of civilians "Civil service has changed a lot in the last ten years," said the aircraft maintenance management veteran." "I believe that the Department of Defense has

  • Sisters share racing success

    The driver staged the dragster as the engine crackled and shook behind the tight driver's seat and roll cage. The Christmas tree lights at the Wichita Raceway track blinked down the tree and racing slicks spun slightly as the driver launched the car down the strip. Just over 8 seconds later the finish line flashed under the car; 13-year-old Rachael
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