|
 Please welcome
Elbert Cook to my
USAF Radar Technician comrade list!
Elbert provided a very detailed account
of his duty stations and the equipment worked on. Any of you who had the pleasure
of maintaining the TPN-19 ASR/PAR
radar system will appreciate his comments. I never worked on it myself, but while
at Robins AFB, GA (5CCG) in the MPN-14
radar shop a couple of the newfangled, transistorized TPN-19s arrived from Tinker
AFB, OK (3CCG)
and oh, boy, do I remember the stories that came from the poor souls who came with
them. I helped clear the site on Robins AFB's back 40 and laid down a lot of
AM2 portable aluminum runway panels for the units to sit on. Rattlesnakes were
all over that place - ugh. I was glad to get back to the civilized part of the base
after a couple weeks there.
 Note: Elbert has completed
a scale model of the MPN-13 GCA radar unit, and is looking for dimensions, photos,
or any other pertinent data for maintaining accuracy. If you can help, please send
me the info and I will get it to him. Thanks.
Elbert sent these pictures that he took while stations at Shemya Air Station,
in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska:
MPN-13
Radar, Cobra Ball RC-135, and ATC Control Tower at Shemya AB, AK
Here are a couple 'real time' photos of the MPN-14 and TPN-19 ground control
approach (GPA) radars at Robins AFB, GA, while I was stationed there from 1979-1982.
MPN-14 ASR/PAR Radar Unit
TPN-19 Radar Shop Sign (Michael
Klein photo)
This is the full text of
Elbert's letter
(with his permission):
"Kirt,
Thanks for your reply. You can put this on your web site.
I went back through some old records and this is what I came up with.
Got hooked on the Air Force in 1968 and signed up in April. After Basic
Training I went to Keesler AFB for GCA Radar training, you know how that goes.
Looking forward to my first assignment I ended up with Sheppard AFB, Texas.
April 1969 to June 1973. Started out on AN/MPN-14 B then the new FPN-47 was
installed along with the FPN-16. GPX-8, GPA-70, GPA-30 and Brite-II.
While at Sheppard I got a message stating that I will be part of the TPN-19 test
Team at the 3rd Combat Com Group at Tinker AFB, OK. I thought I must be in
for a good deal. Boy was I wrong. I got to the 3rd Combat Com Group
in June of 1973 (left April 1979, was I glad somewhat). While at Tinker I
worked on MPN-13, MPN-14, TPN-19 and all the equipment that went along with them.
It was two years after I got to the 3rd that we went to the TPN-19 school and factory.
While at the 3rd we ended up with 10 TPN-19s. What a mess. There are
some war stories about them.
I finely got out of the 3rd April of 1979, but I had orders to Shemya AFB AK.
(Shemya from April 1979 to April 1980). Shemya had an MPN-13 without a 301
key system. There was all kinds of room in that power trailer. Our UPX-6 was
not restricted to 60 miles. That was nice. We had a T3 Trainer that
the controllers used a lot. I have a lot of pictures of Shemya.
I got out of Shemya April 1980 and went to Holloman AFB. (Holloman AFB
April 1980 to December 1984) Maintained the FPN-47, FPN-16, Brite-II and all
the equipment that went with them. We did have a GPA-131 by then. After two
years at the radar side I was moved into Quality Control. Quick story,
While I was at my Quality control desk at Holloman I just happen to have one of
my old TPN-19 note books with some of my QC notes in it laying on my desk.
The front showing a picture of the TPN-19 was up. Rudd came walking through
my office and said hi and then he saw the note book and said something like “ OH
I see you have a picture of the TPN-19”. Well the normal reaction, the reaction
I had any way was “Sure, I was in the 3rd Mob and worked on it for several
years.”. Boy was that a mistake. Within 6 weeks I had orders to Langely
AFB as the Air Traffic Control Radar Functional Manager and I mostly worked with
you guessed it, TPN-19s.
Well, there I was December 1984 to around July 1988 (Retired in 1988) I went
TDY all over the US. One of the main problems was the TOs for the TPN-19.
It seemed like we were rewriting them all the time. We never did get them
right. Another thing was the AC Mod. What a mess. One thing I did while
I was at Lnagley was working on the Computer Assisted Force Management System technical
manual.
After I got out of the AF, I went to college on the GI Bill. Got two degrees
and went to work for a Hospital here in OKC. Worked for them for 14 years
and retired again. Now I build model airplanes. I am working on plans
to build a model of an MPN-13 GCA unit but I am having problems getting the dimensions.
That is how I came across your web site. Oh well I will keep working. As I
started through this a lot more came to mind.
Thanks You are doing a good job. Elbert Cook"
Posted August 7, 2013
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