5: 2, Community Relations, 1970: 47323287

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

## Albino -- 7

"All of the pilots of the 49th have flown combat missions over Vietnam and Laos," notes Captain "Goose" Gowell, 49th FIS Information Officer. "This is also true of the seven other active and guard squadrons located within the 21ST NORAD REGION."

Though the F106, flown by the 49th, is primarily an interceptor aircraft, it is also a superb plane for aerial combat against other fighters and compares favorably with other fighter planes flown, Too, because this plane can refuel in flight, it is capable of service anywhere in the world as both interceptor and aerial combat plane.

The 49th squadron is constantly at top training. In the event of enemy attack, its planes can be airborne immediately. Under peace time conditions, fifteen minutes is the maximum time in which planes become airborne during a practice alert. However, under battle conditions, all planes must be in the air, and can be, within five minutes.

The SAGE computer keeps track of all these interceptor planes plus other large aircraft (excluding the small private planes), especially those approaching the northeast from the eastern Atlantic. When the SAGE personnel decide to track an aircraft, they put a computer tag on it, and the computer generates information on the speed, heading, and altitude.

This is done for training and, not too infrequently, when a plane is of special interest. As, for example, when a flight either is hijacked or is carrying the president or some other very important person. Naturally, any plane which is considered a possible enemy aircraft is followed with tremendous care.