Homestead aircraft avoid storm, evacuate to Dobbins Published Aug. 4, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Chelsea Smith 94th Airlft Wing DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- The first wave of F-16 fighter jets from Homestead Air Reserve Base landed here Aug. 4 as a precautionary measure to avoid tropical storm Emily, which was brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. The coordinated effort between units base-wide facilitated the landing of the first F-16 fighter jets shortly before 11 a.m. here. A C-9 aircraft from Scott Air Force Base, normally designated for distinguished visitors, also flew in to return the initial 14 pilots back to Homestead, in which five pilots were scheduled to fly the remaining jets to Dobbins. Potentially in its path of destruction, Homestead pilots and maintenance workers were notified to prepare for the emergency landings Thursday morning. "We've got some heavy winds on the ground," said Lt. Col. Don Grantham, flight safety officer, 482nd fighter wing. "When the winds reach 50 knots of speed, we make plans to leave." Plans to evacuate are not uncommon during the storm season, said Maj. Robert Lytle, director of operations, 93rd Fighter Squadron. After watching the National Hurricane Center forecast and dealing with the uncertainty of the situation, they ultimately decided to evacuate the jets. Amongst the pilots to take part in the evacuation was Atlanta local Maj. Chad Goldizen, who was enthusiastically greeted by his wife and children at the flight line upon his arrival. Frequently away from his family, the visit provided a short, but sweet family reunion. Goldizen, who works as a pilot for Delta Airlines and spends eight to ten days per month at Homestead, said he was there for training when he heard of the plan to evacuate. Base units here were also given short notice of the emergency landings. "We found out about the landings last night," said David McDanel, transalert supervisor, 94th Airlift Wing. "Normally we may only get two to four landings at a time. Today we're getting 14 within the hour." According to the Homestead website, the 482nd Fighter wing located approximately 25 miles south of Miami, is a fully combat-ready unit capable of providing F-16C multi-purpose fighter aircraft, along with mission ready pilots and support personnel, for short-notice worldwide deployment. Dobbins provides support to Homestead Air Force Base due to its ability to provide emergency assistance and its unique path enabling planes to stay clear of water, said Lytle. A hurricane evacuation reception plan is used to determine what installation may provide hurricane support, said Clarence Miller, airfield operations manager, 94th Airlift Wing. "Once we receive notification that a base wants to evacuate planes to Dobbins, we notify wing leadership and they make the determination on whether we are able to facilitate the landings, said Miller. "We're normally an alternate hurricane evacuation site for Homestead, but by the time they made the determination to evacuate the planes, we were available to provide the support they needed," Although short notification was given to prepare for the incoming planes, Miller said the landings did not cause base operations issues they couldn't handle. "The biggest obstacle was to determine where to park the planes," said Miller. "But we are always adequately prepared to handle these situations." At the time of release, the transport of the remaining five F-16's has been cancelled due to Emily's dissipation into a weaker weather system. The 14 F-16's here are tentatively scheduled to be flown back to Homestead today, said Miller.
