Reporter’s Notebook: There are Worse Places to Break Down

Spangdahlem AB, Germany—Air Force Magazine is on its way to Afghanistan to cover the US military’s ongoing drawdown efforts and retrograde operations, but first we’ve got to get there. News Editor Amy McCullough and her media escort took off on July 9 from Dover AFB, Del., aboard a C-5B headed here. Based on the tail markings, the massive airlifter hailed from Westover ARS, Mass. Upon landing, we noticed that the flight line looked remarkably bare—a product of a recently completed runway construction project, deployments, and the loss of Spang’s A-10s. The base’s 480th Fighter Squadron deployed most of its F-16s to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in April. And, the last A-10s once assigned to the now-inactive 81st FS left here in mid-May. In addition, the runway just reopened on July 1 following a month-long closure for construction, said a base spokeswoman. A brief scan of the runway upon arrival revealed just one C-17, which subsequently departed, and the C-5B we flew in on. It turned out the C-5’s nose gear broke upon our landing, which derailed our original plan to continue on in the same aircraft following the mandatory 24-hour crew rest. Still, we hope to have boots on the ground in Afghanistan any day now, so stay tuned for continued coverage.