By J Carpenter,
Texas Aviation Association
A loud warning horn cracked through the otherwise silent air at the Scurry County Airport in Snyder, Texas. Then a large antenna known as a MUTE (Multiple Threat Emitter System) began to swing toward the Northeast sky. ”That must be the B- 52 inbound from Louisiana,” said Dwight M. Williams, Airspace Manager for the 7th Bomber Wing based out of Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), pointing to a tiny white contrail high in the cloudless blue sky. The Snyder facility was then bombed and destroyed in a simulated attack by the B-52H Stratofortress.
Since 2002, the Snyder Electronic Scoring Site (ESS) at the Scurry County Airport in Snyder has provided “real world” airpower threat reaction training to United States Air Force aircrews, thus ensuring the survivability of personnel and equipment in actual battle.
The location
The Lancer Military Operation Areas (MOA) is located in West Texas between Abilene and Lubbock. MOAs are airspaces provided by the federal government to allow military pilot training in various aircraft. The primary customers of the Lancer MOA consist of B-52H aircrews of the 2nd Bomb Wing from Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, and B-1 B aircrews of the 7th Bomb Wing from Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas. The airspace is also used for training aircraft like the F-15 Eagle and the EC-130 transport plane. It is used on a “real time basis,” meaning Lancer is only activated when an airborne aircraft requests its use and is on the schedule.
In a rare civilian tour, Williams explained why Snyder was picked as the location for the ESS system. ”The Lancer MOA is located directly overhead whereas other airports are on the periphery of the airspace,” said Williams. “Also, the infrastructure of the city of Snyder provided an adequate amount available land at this airport. The city was very cooperative in helping to establish the facility.” The Air Force works closely with the city manager and the local utilities. “It’s a pretty neat deal. We bring approximately 1 .2 million dollars into the local economy,” said Williams.
Williams helped to develop the Lancer MOA back in 2002. ‘When Reese AFB located west of Lubbock closed in the early 90’s there were three separate MOAs, the Reese Four and Five and the Roby MOA. I worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to develop one MOA out of three,” said Williams. “Since this condensation gave approximately 3,000 square miles of airspace back for nonmilitary use, the FAA was very cooperative in developing the Lancer MOA.”
Bring ’em home
The Snyder ESS facility site manager is Bill Clingenpeel, employee of AHNTECH Corporation, the private contractor for operations. Bill explained that his facility provides precision tracking of the aircraft inbound for a simulated bombing run. His job is to provide electronic warfare in the form of a hostile threat environment that the bomber crews might encounter while penetrating a foreign airspace. ‘We’ re the bad guys on the ground,” said Bill. ‘We send up signals that simulate tracking radar, anti aircraft artillery and surface to air missiles. It is the aircrew’s job to avoid us, get in there and do their damage.”
Bill added that the results of this intense training are worth the investment in money and time. “It is extremely rare that you hear of a bomber being shot down. Our job is to bring ’em home,” said Bill. “The B-1 B bombers normally operate below 26,000 feet while the B-52’s operate above 30,000 feet,” said Williams. “The bose of the Lancer MOA is 6,500 feet, but we restrict our operations to 12,000 feet and above. This is for noise considerations and for general aviation traffic avoidance.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch:
Things are considerable quieter at the Snyder Winston Field terminal building where airport manager Roger Sullenger and his associate Bob Snedeker greet arriving aircraft. There is no self-serve fuel farm here. Instead, a personal, friendly smile and West Texas “Howdy” welcome each pilot landing there. Snyder has become a popular stop off for transient pilots wanting to refuel on long cross-country flights. Word travels fast among pilots about the friendly atmosphere, free courtesy car and reasonably priced fuel, which are all valuable commodities for general aviation. Roger says that the ESS facility and the folks that run it are good neighbors. ‘We are always asked what the strange looking building and radar dishes are about,” says Roger as he parks his fuel truck next to a newly arrived Mooney.
Transient pilots arrive from all over the state. The Mooney driver was from Houston on his way to catch the last of the snow skiing season in Red River, New Mexico. Another Grumman Tiger arrives. This pilot was on his way to Colorado from La Grange to visit his family. Both pilots say they have made Snyder their preferred stop off because of its location in the state, easy access, friendly service and fuel prices.
Local pilot and aviation enthusiast John Rogotzke was at the terminal building promoting his upcoming 8th annual Snyder Fly-In scheduled for June 21. The Texas Air Museum and the local Chamber of Commerce sponsor the event, which features static displays of GA aircraft, Warbirds, an antique car show and of course, plenty of food and soft drinks. Fuel is sold at cost and the food is free to fly-in pilots.
Snyder Winston Field has a lot going for it. Besides being a great place to stop off for a visit, the city of Snyder and Scurry County enthusiastically support the airport and the ESS facility located on the airfield. ‘We even have movie stars stop by from time to time,” said Manager Sullenger. Stop by when in the area. Roger will have on a pot of hot coffee accompanied by plenty of hangar talk.
For more information about the Snyder Electronic Scoring Site, call Dwight Williams at 325/ 696-3666. E-mail John Rogotzke about the fly-in at [email protected]. Visit http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSNK or call Roger Sullenger 325/ 573-1122 for information about Snyder Winston Field.
