Open House doc.indd - Kirtland Air Force Base

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YOUR WINGMAN 

KIR-9267_KAFB OpenHouse2.indd 1 

9/14/11 1:49 PM

Contents 

4 commander’s welcome 

5 Thunderbirds’ welcome/history 

6 History of Kirtland AFB 

7 event schedule 

8-9 event map 

10 Thunderbirds’ biographies 

11 Wings of Blue 

12 Kirtland AFB demos 

13 static displays 

14 T-33 demo 

Col. David Hornyak 

377th Air Base Wing 

Vice Commander 

Marie Vanover 


Public Affairs Director 

Stefan Bocchino 


Chief, Internal Information 

Publisher 

Rockford M. Hayes 

Rio Rancho Observer, LLC 

Staff Journalists 

Jonathan Rejent 

Christopher Bailey 

Advertising Sales 

Grace McCoskey 

gmccoskey@rrobserver.com 

891-7167 

Cover Designed by 

Ted Harrison 

John Korkosz 

All photos are courtesy photos. 

Thanks to all the Albuquerque 

area organizations and 

businesses that have 

supported the 2011 Kirtland 

Air Force Base Open House 

supplement. 

For more information about 

the supplement, call 377th 

Air Base Wing Public Affairs at 

846-5991 or the Rio Rancho 

Observer at 892-8080. 

KAFB Nucleus | Thunderbirds Air show | OPeN HOuse | 3

commander’s welcome 

ladies and Gentlemen, 

On behalf of everyone here 

at Team Kirtland, I’m pleased 

to welcome you to the 2011 

Kirtland Air Force Base Open 

House. Kirtland AFB is home 

to the 377th Air Base Wing 

and more than 100 mission 

partners. 

With a total workforce 

of more than 21,000 people, 

Kirtland is the largest employer 

in New Mexico, with a 

annual total economic impact 

of $7.8 billion. 

Thank you for joining 

us as we observe two major 

milestones in the history of 

this installation – 70 years of 

American military airpower 

and 40 years since the merger 

of three former bases here 

into Kirtland Air Force Base 

– sandia, Manzano and Kirtland. 

Kirtland AFB is named in 

honor of col. Roy c. Kirtland, 

one of the Army’s earliest 

aviation pioneers. He was the 

third-oldest military pilot in 

the u.s. Army Air corps at 

the time of his death in 1941, 

having earned his pilot’s wings 

in 1911. 

Military aviation history 

here started before the creation 

of the u.s. Air Force as 

a separate military service on 

sept. 18, 1947. since 1939, 

u.s. Army and Navy aviators 

had been using the Albuquerque 

Municipal Airport for 

aircraft refueling and maintenance. 

All these years later, 

military flight operations here 

still share the runway with 

commercial airlines at the Albuquerque 

sunport. 

In 2011, we mark 70 years 

of military aviation here. On 

April 19, 1941, “Albuquerque 

Army Air Base” was officially 

declared ready to receive 

the advance cadres of tactical 

units that would prepare 

bomber aircrews for combat 

Col. David Hornyak 

in World War II. 

Aircrew training here 

continues to this day, with the 

58th special Operations Wing 

producing air warriors for 

worldwide special operations 

missions and combat search 

and rescue. 

On July 1, 1971, Kirtland 

AFB, sandia Base and Manzano 

Base merged into one 

entity under the name “Kirtland 

AFB,” which has been the 

installation’s name ever since. 

I invite you to enjoy the 

spectacular aerobatic performance 

of the u.s. Air Force 

Thunderbirds today, as well as 

the aircraft static displays and 

other exhibits we have set up 

for your entertainment and 

information. 

The uniformed Airmen 

flying and maintaining those 

fighter jets, as well as all the 

other men and women in 

uniform, are all volunteers 

who have chosen to serve 

their country, putting service 

above self at a time when our 

nation needs their courage 

to face a determined adversary. 

We are proud to be your 

neighbors and look forward to 

continuing and expanding our 

partnership with all the citizens 

of Albuquerque and the 

surrounding communities. 

we salute you ... 

In recognition of the men and women of 

Kirtland Air Force Base and their families, we 

are proud to partner with you in supporting 

this year’s Open House. 

4 | OPeN HOuse | Thunderbirds Air show | KAFB Nucleus

thunderbirds’ welcome 

The Thunderbirds are proud to 

represent Air Force Airmen who 

make America’s Air Force the most 

advanced and respected air, space and 

cyberspace force the world has ever 

seen. 

They continually provide consistent 

and credible Global Vigilance, 

Global Reach and Global Power, 

giving a critical edge to today’s joint 

warfighting and coalition teams. As 

Air Force ambassadors, the Thunderbird 

team strives to showcase the 

integrity, selfless service and excellence 

embodied by American Airmen 

everywhere. 

— Thunderbird No. 1 

Col. Case Cunningham 

thunderbirds’ history 

On June 8, 1953, the u.s. Air Force Thunderbirds, officially 

designated the 3600th Air Demonstration Flight, performed for 

the first time at luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Their first aircraft was 

the straight-winged F-84G Thunderjet, a combat fighter-bomber 

that had seen action in Korea. Three years later, the Thunderbirds 

traded the F-84 for the world’s first supersonic fighter, the F-100 

super sabre -- an aerial platform that would serve them for 13 

years. More than 1,000 demonstrations were flown in the super 

sabre. 

At that same time, the team moved to its current home at Nellis 

AFB, Nev. The Thunderbirds squadron is an Air combat command 

unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration 

pilots), four support officers, three civilians and more than 130 

enlisted personnel performing in 25 career fields. 

A Thunderbirds air demonstration is a mix of formation flying 

and solo routines. The four-aircraft diamond formation demonstrates 

the training and precision of Air Force pilots, while the 

solo aircraft highlight the maximum capabilities of the F-16. 

The pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers in a demonstration. 

The entire show, including ground and air, runs about an 

hour. The season lasts from March to November, with the winter 

months used to train new members. The squadron exhibits the 

professional qualities the Air Force develops in the people who fly, 

maintain and support these aircraft. 


kirtland afb 1941-2011 

The Albuquerque Municipal Airport opened for commercial air travel in 1939. 

Photo courtesy of Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center History Office 

6 | OPeN HOuse | Thunderbirds Air show | KAFB Nucleus 

The military installation known today as “Kirtland Air Force 

Base” has been making significant contributions to America’s national 

defense for many decades. Two milestones occur in 2011 

— the 70th anniversary of the Albuquerque Army Air Base’s construction 

and activation; and the 40th anniversary of the merger 

of the former Kirtland, sandia and Manzano bases into what has 

been Kirtland AFB since 1971. 

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons center Historian, Al Moyers, 

put those anniversaries into perspective for contemporary Airmen. 

“For today’s Airman, just as for Airmen of the past and the 

future, knowledge and understanding of the heritage of their service, 

their base and their organization provides them the perspective 

to better execute today’s mission while planning for tomorrow’s 

missions,” he said. 

The base’s history includes many high points. 

In January 1941, construction of Albuquerque Army Air Base 

began, adjacent to the new Albuquerque Municipal Airport. 

Army and Navy pilots had been using the city’s airport for aircraft 

refueling and maintenance since 1939, when a small Army 

detachment was established there to provide service for transient 

military planes. 

On March 18, 1941, lt. col. Frank D. Hackett arrived onstation 

and assumed responsibility as the base’s first permanently 

assigned commander. 

The first time a military airplane used the base’s new runways 

was April 1, 1941, when lt. sid Young landed a B-18 Bolo bomber 

on the north-south runway. On April 19, 1941, the air base was 

declared ready to receive the advance cadres of tactical units that 

would prepare Air corps crews for combat. 

That summer, the 19th Bombardment Group came to the Albuquerque 

base from March Field, calif., to conduct pre-deployment 

aircrew training for the Pacific campaign. 

On June 19, 1941, Trans World Airlines, which had experience 

flying large airplanes, set up a four-engine aircraft school here to 

train pilots. That contract service was the beginning of aircrew 

training on Kirtland. 

By February 1942, there were enough military pilots for the 

Army Air corps to take the base over as an advanced flying training 

school. 

On Feb. 25, 1942, Albuquerque Army Air Base was renamed 

“Kirtland Army Air Field,” in honor of the late col. Roy c. Kirtland, 

one of the Army’s earliest aviation pioneers. 

less than four months after the Air Force became a separate 

service, Kirtland Army Air Field was renamed “Kirtland Air Force 

Base” on Jan. 13, 1948. 

In 1942, the Army Air corps established “sandia Base” around 

Oxnard Field, which had been a private airport on Albuquerque’s 

east Mesa since 1928. By 1943, the mechanics’ training program 

had ended and sandia Base became a convalescent center for 

wounded aircrew members. 

After World War II, sandia Base became a storage and dismantling 

facility for surplus aircraft. More than 2,000 planes were 

taken apart and melted down, reclaiming 10 million pounds of 

aluminum. 

In June 1947, construction began in the foothills of the Manzano 

Mountains on a project that would be declared operational in April 

1950. It was renamed “Manzano Base” on Feb. 22, 1952. That development 

took advantage of the area’s natural terrain features to store 

weapons in hardened facilities. 

On July 1, 1971, the three Albuquerque-area bases — Kirtland, 

sandia and Manzano — merged into one installation — Kirtland 

AFB — to reduce costs by consolidating common operations and 

functions.

event schedule 

9 a.m. Gates open 

10 a.m. Opening ceremony 

Wings of Blue team demo 

11:30 a.m. 58 sOW demo 

12:30 p.m. B-1 flyover 

1 p.m. T-33 demo 

2:30 p.m. B-2 flyover 

3 p.m. Thunderbirds’ ground ceremony 

3:30 p.m. Thunderbirds’ aerial demo 

4:30 p.m. Open House ends 

Congratulates 

Kirtland AFB 

40 years of service to 

the community and the nation 

THOMAS C. 

MONTOYA 

JON A. 

FEDER 

DAVID H. 

KELSEY 

PATRICK L. 

McDANIEL 

DENISE E. 

READY 

MARY ANN R. 

BAKER-RANDALL 

VIRGINIA R. 

DUGAN 

ALLISON P. 

PIERONI 

AMANDA A. 

PAGAN 

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First Aid 

Thunderbirds 

Information booth 

Food 

Restrooms 

Lost child information 

O 

r 

Band of the West performance area 

Military working dogs 

Children’s play area 

Aircraft 

static displays 

Thunderbirds 

Flightline 


2011 kafb open house map 

N 

W 

E 

O 

S 

Ground equipment 


r 


static 

display 


static 

display 




thunderbirds’ biographies 

lt. col. case 

cunningham, 38, 

is the commander/ 

leader of the u.s. 

Air Force Air Demonstration 

squadron 

Thunderbirds. He 

has logged more 

than 2,400 flight 

hours as an Air 

Force pilot. 

Lt. Col. 

Case Cunningham 

capt. Ryan Riley, 

29, is the left 

wing for the Thunderbirds, 

flying 

the No. 2 jet. capt. 

Ryan is in his first 

year with the team, 

and hails from 

Florence, colo. 

Capt. 

Ryan Riley 

Maj. John Gallemore, 

34, is the right 

wing for the Thunderbirds, 

flying the 

No. 3 jet. He entered 

the Air Force in 1999 

from Texas A&M 

university. He is in 

his second season 

with the team, and is 

from conroe, Texas. 

Maj. 

John Gallemore 

capt. Nicholas 

Holmes, 31, is the 

slot pilot for the 

Thunderbirds, flying 

the No. 4 jet. 

He entered the Air 

Force in 2002 from 

colorado state university. 

Capt. 

Nicholas Holmes 

Maj. Aaron 

Jelinek, 31, is the 

lead solo for the 


the No. jet. 



embry-Riddle Aeronautical 

university 

in Prescott, Ariz. 

5 

Maj. 

Aaron Jelinek 

Maj. John Williams, 

31, is the opposing 

solo for the 


the No. 6 jet. Major 

Williams entered the 

Air Force in 2001 

from embry-Riddle 

Aeronautical university 

in Prescott, Ariz. 

Maj. 

John Williams 

lt. col. Jason 

Koltes, 40, is the operations 

officer for 

the Thunderbirds, 

flying the No. 7 jet. 



the university of 

North Texas, and is 

from Ponder, Texas. 

Lt. Col. 

Jason Koltes 

capt. Kristin 

Hubbard, 30, is 

the advance pilot/ 

narrator for the 


the No. 8 jet. 

she entered the Air 


the university of 

Washington and is 

from Renton, Wash. 

Capt. 

Kristin Hubbard 

capt. Thomas 

Bowden, 37, is the 

flight surgeon for the 

Thunderbirds. He is 

responsible for providing 

medical care 

for more than 120 

team members. Dr. 

Bowden hails from 

Grand Island, Neb. 

Capt. 

Thomas Bowden 

capt. Joshua 

Hawkins, 29, is the 

executive officer for 

the Thunderbirds. 

He leads a support 

staff responsible 

for Thunderbirds 

cyber/knowledge 

operations, budget, 

and all force support 

actions. 

Capt. 

Joshua Hawkins 

Maj. Jason 

Moore, 33, is the 

maintenance officer 

for the Thunderbirds. 

He is 

responsible for 90 

personnel and the 

maintenance of 11 

Block 52 F-16 aircraft. 

Maj. 

Jason Moore 

Maj. Kristin 

Haley, 33, is the 

public affairs officer 

for the Thunderbirds. 

she manages 

the team’s extensive 

marketing, recruiting 

and publicity 

programs. Major 

Haley is in her first 

season with the team. 

Maj. 

Kristin Haley 


wings of blue 

The u.s. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue is one of the outstanding 

parachute units in the country. since 1967, cadets have 

dominated national intercollegiate parachuting championships, 

typically winning decisively over the other 40 schools. 

The team has won 21 of the 27 national championships. Additionally, 

it performs about 50 demonstrations each year. Wings 

of Blue team members have jumped at the copper Bowl, Fiesta 

Bowl and Pro Bowl. The team travels locally, nationally and internationally. 

The team first traveled internationally in 1997, when it performed 

for the Japanese/American Friendship Festival in Yokota, 

Japan, which is now an annual event. The parachute team, because 

of its diverse mission, is divided into a demonstration team and 

a competition team. Advising and supervising the team is a very 

small group of active-duty Air Force officers and NcOs. 

cadet members of the team must be qualified jumpmasters 

and instructors in the Air Force Academy parachuting program. 

They must also maintain high academic and military standards 

to remain with the team. Members of the parachute team average 

about 600 jumps by the time they graduate. 

Wings of Blue team members jump from a variety of aircraft, 

however the team primarily uses its own DeHavilland uV-18B 

Twin Otters. 

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kirtland afb demos 

hh-60g 

The primary mission of the HH-60G 

helicopter is to conduct day or night 

operations in hostile environments to 

recover isolated personnel during a time 

of war. 

The HH-60G is also tasked to perform 

military operations other than 

war, including civil search and rescue, 

medical evacuation, disaster response, 

humanitarian assistance, security cooperation/aviation 

advisory, NAsA space 

flight support, and rescue command 

and control. 

cv-22 

The cV-22 tiltrotor aircraft combines 

the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical 

landing qualities of a helicopter with 

the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed 

characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. Its 

mission is to conduct long-range infiltration, 

exfiltration and resupply missions for 

special operations forces. 

This self-deployable aircraft offers increased 

speed and range over other rotarywing 

aircraft, enabling Air Force special 

Operations command aircrews to execute 

long-range special operations missions. 

hc/mc-130 

The Hc/Mc-130 primarily performs 

the tactical portion of the airlift mission. 

The aircraft is capable of operating from 

rough dirt strips and drops troops and 

equipment into hostile areas. The Hc/ 

Mc-130 operates throughout the u.s. Air 

Force, serving with Air education and 

Training command, Air Force special 

Operations command and many more. 

The flexible design of the c-130 enables 

it to be configured for many different 

missions, allowing for one aircraft to 

perform the role of many. 

band of the west 

The Air Force Band of the West is 

a musical organization with an outstanding 

record of achievement. 

Airmen assigned to the band are 

highly trained professional musicians 

who have dedicated themselves to 

serving their country through music. 

The Band of the West travels more 

than 125,000 miles annually and provides 

more than 300 performances 

to military and civilian audiences 

throughout Texas, Arizona, New 

Mexico and louisiana. 

The band has been an integral part 

of the music scene in the southwest 

for many years. 

The Band of the West has performed 

for presidents, heads of state 

and dignitaries from around the 

world, earning an outstanding reputation 

among America’s military bands. 



v-77 

gullwing 

The V-77 is a single-engine 

high-wing monoplane manufactured 

by the stinson Aircraft 

Division of the Aviation Manufacturing 

corporation of Wayne, Mich. 

The V-77 has a 300-horse power lycoming R680-e3B engine 

and a single door on the left side. The traditional “Bump” cowl 

was replaced with a simpler smooth cowl. 

lifeguard 

lifeguard Aeromed provides 

complete bedside-to-bedside 

care to ensure the most efficient 

aeromedical transfer possible. 

The dispatch center is available 

24 hours a day, with the goal 

of providing uninterrupted service and a seamless transition for 

both patients and providers. 

b-52h 

The B-52 is a long-range 

heavy bomber that can perform 

a variety of missions. 

The bomber is capable of flying 

at high subsonic speeds at 

altitudes up to 50,000 feet. The 

B-52 can perform strategic attack, 

close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and 

maritime operations. It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional 

ordnance with worldwide navigation capabilities. 

uh-1n 

The uH-1N “Huey” is a 

light-lift utility helicopter used 

to support varied missions. 

Its primary mission includes 

airlift of emergency security 

and disaster response forces, 

emergency evacuation of key 

government officials, support for school training and testing, and 

airlift for distinguished visitors and missile support people. Other 

uses include airborne cable inspections and security surveillance. 

C-17 

The c-17 is the newest, 

most flexible cargo aircraft to 

enter the airlift force. The c-17 

is capable of rapid strategic delivery 

of troops and all types of 

cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the 

deployment area. 

The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions 

and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during 

aeromedical evacuations when required. 

B-1 

carrying the largest 

payload of both guided and 

unguided weapons in the Air 

Force inventory, the multimission 

B-1 is the backbone of 

America’s long-range bomber force. 

It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and nonprecision 

weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, 

at any time. 

aviat husky 

The Aviat Husky is a twoseat, 

high-wing, utility light 

aircraft built by Aviat Aircraft 

of Afton, Wyo. It is the only 

all-new light aircraft that was 

designed and entered series production in the united states in the 

mid- to late-1980s. Design work by christen Industries began in 

1985. The aircraft is one of the few in its class designed with the 

benefit of computer Aided Design software. The prototype first 

flew in 1986, and certification was awarded the following year. 

APD 

Eurocopter 

The eurocopter ec120 

colibri is a 5-seat, singleengine, 

single main rotor, light 

helicopter. Jointly designed and developed by eurocopter, china 

National Aero-Technology Import & export corporation, Harbin 

Aviation Industries ltd. and singapore Technologies Aerospace 

ltd. at eurocopter France’s Marignane facility. The ec120 B is assembled 

by eurocopter in France and Australia. 


t-33 demo 

The T-33 ushered in new 

concepts in aircraft design and 

a new generation of both pilots 

and engineers. Designed by 

famed aeronautical engineer 

Kelly Johnson, the shooting 

star introduced aviators to 

flying faster, higher and with 

greater capabilities than ever 

before. 

The “Ace Maker’s” pilot, 

Gregory “Wired” colyer, has 

now been seen by millions, 

with not a single cancellation. 

Greg’s airshow routine in the 

“Ace Maker” is anything but 

“routine” and he has honed 

his current airshow sequence 

into what is often described as 

“graceful, smooth and elegant.” 

The “Ace Maker” is an icon of 

American aviation, America’s 

first operational jet. 

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