Last aircraft departs as N.D. Air National Guard ends flying mission, transitions to intelligence mission

Tech. Sgt. Scott Hovda, a crew chief with the 119th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, gives hand signals as he assists pilots Col. Kent Olson, 119th Wing commander and Col. Brad Derrig, 119th Wing vice-commander, as they prepare to take off from the North Dakota Air National Guard Base in Fargo, N.D., in the unit's last C-21A Learjet, Aug. 27, 2013. The departure of the unit's last C-21A brings to a close 66 years of flying history in the North Dakota Air Guard as the 119th Wing transitions to a non-flying intelligence mission. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp)

FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota Air National Guard's last C-21A Learjet aircraft has left the base. The last of eight C-21s flown by the 119th Wing-better known as the Happy Hooligans- took off just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday ending 66 years of flying history.

The North Dakota Air National Guard was organized in January 1947 and its first aircraft - the P-51 Mustang - flew into Fargo the following month. In the decades that followed, the Airmen flew and maintained aircraft and racked up numerous national and international awards.

"We stand here today at the end of an era and the beginning of a new life for the (North Dakota) Air National Guard," said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Alexander Macdonald, former adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, during the event, stressing the high standards that unit members always reached for.

"Whenever the goal was set, and then reached, the men and women of the organization set loftier ones, and time and time again these goals were achieved," he said, adding that the unit received numerous air defense readiness and maintenance awards over the years.

He went on to share recollections and list some of the many high points from throughout the past 66 years, such as the first air-to-air rocket firing over Lake Superior.

"We had the first deployed alert to Seymour Johnson (Air Force Base in North Carolina)," Macdonald. "We were the first to go on nuclear alert. The first to reach 100 percent strength. The first deployment overseas for an active NATO air-defense mission. The first air defense aerial refueling and the list of awards and firsts goes on and on."

When the fighter mission ended in 2007, the Hooligans transitioned to the C-21A, which was intended to serve as a "bridge" mission to keep pilots and maintainers of the unit active and relevant until the anticipated new flying mission of the C-27J Spartan arrived. The final decision to divest that mission from the Air Force was made earlier this year, prompting the North Dakota Air National Guard to begin a transition to an intelligence mission, a mission that does not include aircraft.
Many details of that new intelligence group mission are still uncertain. In the meantime, North Dakota is now the only state in the nation without an Air National Guard manned flying mission.
"USA Today once called the Happy Hooligans the 'godfathers of air superiority,' noting that they are the 'best air-to-air combat fighters in the world,'" said Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard. "I'd rather say that, quite simply, they're the best in the world. It's not about the mission. It's not about the aircraft. It's about the people behind the mission. That's what has made the Hooligans the very best for all of these years, and what will continue to make them the best for years to come."

Air Force Col. Kent Olson, commander of the 119th Wing, and Air Force Col. Brad Derrig, vice commander of the wing, along with Air Force Lt. Col. Jerrad Krapp, commander of the 177th Airlift Squadron, flew the wing's last C-21A, to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. It will become the first C-21A added to the collection at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force there.
The Happy Hooligans experienced success with C-21 during the past six-and-a-half years. Olson spoke of that achievement and the hard work that went into creating such a success.

When the C-21s arrived in Fargo in January 2007, "they were about two dozen years old and had just been saved from a final trip to the boneyard," Olson told the audience. "Let's think about that for the moment: Eight aircraft that the Air Force was going to send to the boneyard, they sent to us. So we received them, and what did we do? We did what our maintenance group does the best: They got the jets in such good condition that they are still, by the way, the best maintained C-21s in the Air Force inventory."

Prior to receiving the C-21s, which were manufactured in 1983, only contracted civilian maintenance personnel had worked on the planes. The North Dakota Guardsmen worked to develop a maintenance program that incorporated Federal Aviation Administration guidance with Air Force procedures and training. That program was put to the test during an overseas mission that brought the Happy Hooligan's C-21s to Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti and other areas. Despite the intense heat and dust, the C-21's never missed a take-off.

Later that year, the 177th Airlift Squadron earned the title of Joint Operational Support Airlift Center Squadron of the Year.

With the departure of the last aircraft, the North Dakota Air National Guard has achieved more than 175,340 Class A mishap-free flying hours. More than 17,000 of those hours were in a C-21.

Airmen take over C-21 maintenance mission

by Senior Airman Brok McCarthy, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- For the first time in the history of the U.S. Central Command, the C-21s, the military version of the Learjet 35A, are being maintained by Airmen rather than contractors.

The 119th Aircraft Maintenance Unit stood up May 30 after 25 Airmen deployed here for 60 days from the North Dakota Air National Guard Base in Fargo, N.D.

"Air Mobility Command pilots have been flying the C-21 in the area of responsibility for at least the past 10 years, and our guard unit was partially mobilized to support the air tasking order," said Capt. Grant Larson, 119th AMU officer in charge. "Since our pilots were tasked to fly and support the ATO with guard aircraft, the decision was made to bring blue-suit maintenance as well."

The unit's noncommissioned officer in charge said their goal isn't to outshine the contractors who were taking care of the C-21, but to make sure they can meet any ATO that comes down.

"Hopefully, the 119th AMU taking over maintenance on the C-21 will be transparent," said Chief Master Sgt. Doug Faldet. "The contractors kept jets ready to fly at any time, and our goal is to do the same thing. Whenever someone needs to use one of our jets, they won't have to worry if it is ready to go or not."

The guard units at Fargo and at Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn., were assigned the C-21 aircraft as a "bridge mission," helping the maintenance unit transition from maintaining fighters to maintaining cargo aircraft.

"In March of 2006, the North Dakota Air National Guard set a safety record by reaching 70,000 hours of accident-free flying in the F-16 aircraft," Captain Larson said. "The C-21 bridge mission will help us prepare for our follow on mission in the C-27 (Spartan) Joint Cargo Aircraft. Maintaining C-21 aircraft for an Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in the AOR will give us invaluable experience for when we get [the C-27], since we will probably be deployed quite a bit."

One of the biggest challenges the AMU has faced in the past two years is the fact that civilian contractors don't use technical orders like those used by maintenance Airmen.

"The customized maintenance manual that was built for the C-21 isn't written for a military setting," Chief Faldet said. "There are a lot of things that would normally be in a TO that the [manual] left out. Instead of giving step by step-by-step instructions, it will just say 'take this off.'"

Airmen also don't have the benefit of going through a detailed technical training program like with other airframes. Prior to working on the C-21, maintenance personnel are sent through a general introduction course and then a course on the jet's autopilot, both of which are two weeks long.

"It's been a lot of hands-on, scratch your head work, trying to figure things out," Chief Faldet said. "Just gaining system knowledge has been the hardest thing for us. The contractor who does maintenance has one airframe and power plant mechanic at each site to provide technical assistance, but he may or may not have run into a specific problem before."

In the short time since the unit stood up, it has already dealt with several major maintenance issues. But, Chief Faldet said the Airmen were able to fix them in good time.

First C-21 arrives in North Dakota

By 1st Lt. Penny Ripperger North Dakota Air National Guard

1/11/2007 - FARGO, N.D. (AFNEWS) -- The first official 119th Fighter Wing C-21 aircraft arrived Jan. 10 in Fargo.

The aircraft marks the unit's transition from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the C-21 and MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle.

"The Happy Hooligans have proven themselves as the best of the best in every mission they have been assigned," North Dakota Governor John Hoeven said. "The C-21 mission along with the new Predator mission will ensure that the North Dakota Air National Guard continues to play a vital role in the security of our state and nation."

"The 119th Fighter Wing will receive a total of eight C-21 aircraft and will be experiencing the largest transformation in their 60-year history," said Army Maj. Gen. David A. Sprynczynatyk, the state's National Guard adjutant general. "Personnel have been training diligently for the past year to ensure that they are prepared for these new missions that will ensure that our Air National Guard remains relevant and vital to the defense of the nation."

"The Happy Hooligans have prepared for the C-21 by having trained pilots and maintenance personnel ready to work on these aircraft," said Col. Robert Becklund, 119th Fighter Wing commander. "I am confident that we will continue to perform with the high standards and impressive work ethic that the Hooligans are already well-known for in the fighter community."

The C-21 aircraft is considered a "bridge mission" until approximately 2010 when it is expected to be replaced by the new joint cargo aircraft.

UAV operations are expected to begin at the Fargo base aroun March 2007. North Dakota will be one of five states where Air Guard units will operate the unmanned aerial vehicles; others are Texas, California, Arizona and New York.