I was flying the plane that took these pictures; Dave Johnson was the photographer.
Ken Van Meter

066 followed me to K.I. Sawyer after the shutdown. We both spent the next three years wishing we were back in California.

This was for a College Dart. We were flying mostly against Marine F-4s and an occasional F-16. Shortly after this was taken we started duct taping the edges of the forward avionics bay doors in anticipation of the daily 1500hrs rain shower.

There were times when we had aircraft stacked up waiting to get into that quonset hut. Seemed like fuel leaks were a contagious rash - especially in the summer.

This was the last Red Flag for the 84FIS before it deactivated. Also my last TDY with the Black Panthers. Would be around February '81.

This was our corner of the engine hangar. The SAC guys really hated us for what we had stenciled on the office wall.

These buildings were condemned as unfit for human habitation by the Base CE so they wouldn't spend any money to keep them up. Note the white streaks on the roofs and sides. During the summer these were like ovens. So, the AGE troops would put garden soaker hoses on the roofs to try to cool them down.

I took this photo in April 81 just before PCSing to Ki.I Sawyer. AFAIK the 84th was the only unit allowed to keep the bare metal finish on its T-Birds. Crew Chiefs went through a lot of Nevr-Dull keeping them shiny.

The large fuel storage tank on the right side of the photo was filled with JP-7. Castle AFB was a designated emergency landing field for the SR-71A Blackbirds at Beale AFB.

The 1979 Pinto Street Van parked in front was the first new car I'd ever owned. Totaled it in England when I rolled it into a ditch on an icy road. Wish I still had it.