Hey GlockCop!!!

[Shadowrider]

Old thread on here long time ago. There were thirteen sites commanded out of Altus Air Force Base which was a SAC wing at that time. Located south of Lone Wolf, west of Hobart, near Snyder, Willow and Burns Flat and those are the only ones I can remember. They housed Atlas ICBM's.

Yep. My dad was stationed there around '58 or '59. After that he got stationed at Vandenburg where he damn near fell out the side of a C-47 that was filming a test launch. They lost telemetry as soon as it cleared the silo. They all had headsets on and heard the call at the same time, but the pilot must have had real fast reflexes. He banked and dove before dad could grab something. I came pretty close to never being!

 

[Lone Wolf '49]

Yep. My dad was stationed there around '58 or '59. After that he got stationed at Vandenburg where he damn near fell out the side of a C-47 that was filming a test launch. They lost telemetry as soon as it cleared the silo. They all had headsets on and heard the call at the same time, but the pilot must have had real fast reflexes. He banked and dove before dad could grab something. I came pretty close to never being!

Wow! Did he say what he did at Altus? There was a wing of B52's there and at Burns Flat until the mid sixties.

 

[Poke78]

I always find those to be interesting. The listing for one near Tucson AZ surprises me since my understanding was that all Titan II sites had to be destroyed (per the START agreement) except for one in AZ that was preserved as a historical site. The listing obviously is not about the preserved site since it is in operation as a museum. The Titan II sites around Wichita/McConnell AFB that I knew of as a kid were all imploded and graded over per the treaty.

I saw a TV show on these. One near Topeka KS really impressed me with how the owners had converted the space. It was an easier conversion because it was from the Atlas series that was stored horizontally and erected for launch.

 

[Shadowrider]

Wow! Did he say what he did at Altus? There was a wing of B52's there and at Burns Flat until the mid sixties.

Don't really remember. He was an aircraft engine mechanic but managed to fly a whole lot through all the years. He was stationed in Labrador, Altus and Vandenburg while active duty in the Air Force. I don't know what order without getting out the picture album. I was born on Vandenburg and he got out and we moved back to OK when I was about 6 months old. After that he was full time Army Guard and Air Guard until he retired. I do remember him talking about the SAC guys in the B52s. They had to be able to get to the plane and get it in the air in 2 minutes IIRC. He also said the wings "flap like a bird" on those things, they flexed a whole friggin bunch!

 

[Lone Wolf '49]

Don't really remember. He was an aircraft engine mechanic but managed to fly a whole lot through all the years. He was stationed in Labrador, Altus and Vandenburg while active duty in the Air Force. I don't know what order without getting out the picture album. I was born on Vandenburg and he got out and we moved back to OK when I was about 6 months old. After that he was full time Army Guard and Air Guard until he retired. I do remember him talking about the SAC guys in the B52s. They had to be able to get to the plane and get it in the air in 2 minutes IIRC. He also said the wings "flap like a bird" on those things, they flexed a whole friggin bunch!

Neat. The 52's wings were so full of fuel at takeoff they had a small tire/wheel that hung down several feet from the tip of each wing during takeoff. During the winter time depending on the temperature they would start the engines, of all of them on the ground to keep them warm enough, that people as far away as Roosevelt could hear them.

 

[Lone Wolf '49]

Also, if memory hasn't failed completely I think the surface area of the sites was 8 acres for the Atlas ones in SW OK and N TX.

 

[OKIE-CARBINE]

somewhere theres a website that shows one of the ones up by lugert lake and they are fixing it up. new paint and stuff. pretty sure they are doing it to resell it.

 

[Lone Wolf '49]

somewhere theres a website that shows one of the ones up by lugert lake and they are fixing it up. new paint and stuff. pretty sure they are doing it to resell it.

When they disposed of the them I think all were sold. The one west of Hobart was either donated to the Hobart FFA or the school district bought it. The one south of Lone Wolf you speak of was purchased by a local farmer I think, but no idea who owns it now. I might be able to find out though.

 

[OKIE-CARBINE]

When they disposed of the them I think all were sold. The one west of Hobart was either donated to the Hobart FFA or the school district bought it. The one south of Lone Wolf you speak of was purchased by a local farmer I think, but no idea who owns it now. I might be able to find out though.

yeah its the one south of lone wolf just across the road from the lake. they have a whole pictorial write-up on the refurbishing.

 

[Lone Wolf '49]

yeah its the one south of lone wolf just across the road from the lake. they have a whole pictorial write-up on the refurbishing.

Was the write up in a mag or internet and recently? If the Kiowa County Clerk isn't too busy she will tell me who owns it now.