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  MSgt. Edward " Fidel" Pacificar (Ret.)

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 Name MSgt. Edward Pacificar (Ret.)
Country
Unit 512th Fighter Squadron "Dragons"
Crewing F-16s from 1983 until 1990
Contact evrp99 Send me a private message
Website
Started on the F-16 Block 10 in 1983 with the 428 TFS at Nellis. Got 2 good TDY's there to Cold Lake and RAF Woodbridge/Bentwaters. Other than that and the drinking at the Capri Lounge out the back gate and some of the people the assignment sucked in a big kind of way. Volunteered to go to Korea just so I could leave. Left in August of 1984.

Arrived at Kunsan in September 1984. The Kun had Block 15's at the time. I had a good time at the Kun. Worked hard and partied harder. A couple of good TDY's to Kwang Ju and Cope Thunder in the PI. If you have ever been there, well you know what it was like. If you missed out on it, it is hard to put into words. Left in September 1985.

Arrived at Ramstein AB in October 1985. The 512 TFS had just lost their last F-4's and were preparing the squadron area for F-16 operations. They only had like about 4 F-16's and they were all being used for maintenance training when I got there. All were Block 25 C models with the Pratt motors in them. Within about a year the squadron transitioned again to the Block 30 C models with the GE motors. Funniest thing I ever saw was when they decided to paint the tail of the wing CC red and white. Nickname "Peppermint Patty." None of the pilots wanted to fly the thing. They be complaining that were getting there asses kicked in ACT missions. Great TDY's to Solligen to fly against Canadian F-18's. Deucimemano to fly against the Brit's. And of course trips to Zaragosa just about every quarter. Plus one trip back to the states for Red Flag. Great people and a great location. Doesn't get any better than that.

Left in December of 1987 for Homestead AFB, FL closest thing to home. About the same as Ramtein when I showed up there. The F-4's were still there but this time they were older. Ramstein had E models, Homestead had the D models. I was assigned to the 307 TFS but they did not aircraft yet. So I put together tool kits for the first 3 months until they did get their first aircraft. Since I had the nost exeperience on the F-16 Iwas assigned as the crew chief for the first one. Of course it turned out to be the squadron CC's jet. Only one good TDY from hee to Tyndall AFB. I was disappointed with the assignment. If uit had not been home I would have left alot sooner. By 1991 I had had enough and volunteered to go to Korea again. I got the hell out of there just in time Hurricane Andrew came up in August and I left in April 1992. Were it not for Andrew I would have had a follow on assignment back to Homestead.

Got to the Kun for my second tour in April 1992. Even though I wasn't crewing anymore I had a great time. Bought a car and drove to Osan just about every weekend for a year. Job wise it was okay.

Got assigned to Holloman AFB after the Kun, got there in May 1993. Spent my first 3 years as superintendent of the MOC. Then 2 years in the 7 FS. Like the second 2 years the first 3 not so much.

Got assigned to the school house at Sheppard AFB in 1998 and retired in 2000. Hated being a babysitter with no aircraft engine noise to hear.

Current or Favourite assignment

Worked and partied with some special people. The dual conversion. The applecorn and Perminators. The Risk games in the dorm after a nightshift. The Rod and Gun club and all the weapons acquired. The wine probing and Bad Durkhiem. The TDY to Zaragosa. First one we stayed in the Rey Alfonso with flipper flooding the room below because he left the water in the tub running. Hot bunking on base after the attacks on Libya. Buying all the beer they had at the dormitory while waiting for the bus to take us to the El Sleazen after a night shift. Engine runs on the flight line with Spangdalems F-4's parked behind us and going to mil power to watch them chase their tools boxes and stuff down the flightline. The nose gear of that Tornado falling in that manhole at Deuci. Alot of hours stuffed insde a Herci bird. The Sully's restaurant at the NCO club after the TDY. If I had a time machine to use for 1 hour life would be great.

My Jets & Assignments

 		79337 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit N/A
Period 1983 - 1984
Current: 79337   F-16A Block 10 [ pre]
Got to the point where we were canning engines and moving them from one airframe to another overnight. It was done so that the aircraft would not go hangar queen and have to be reported up the chain. Kindest term I could use for this assignment is "sucked."
81727 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 35th Fighter Squadron "Pantons" [Unit History]
Period 1984 - 1985
Current: AAFG0057   USAF AMARC F-16A Block 15 ADF [ sto]
Went to depot maintenance about 2/3 of the way through my tour. Found a cracked bulkhead in the engine bay while it was there. I ended up crewing someone else's jet for the last third of my tour.
84269 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 512th Fighter Squadron "Dragons" [Unit History]
Period 1985 - 1986
Current: AAFG0728   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 25 [ sto]
Did not crew it long before it was transfered to Hahn. Maybe 5 -7 months at the most. Don't remember much about it.
85469 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 512th Fighter Squadron "Dragons" [Unit History]
Period 1986 - 1987
Current: 85469   F-16C Block 30 [ pre]
It was a great jet. Never gave me any bad problems.
82022 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 307th Fighter Squadron "Stingers" [Unit History]
Period 1987 - 1989
Current: 1609   FAR Esc 53 F-16A Block 20 MLU [ act]
It was a good jet, squadron CC's jet, nice paint job.
83069 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 308th Fighter Squadron "Emerald Knights" [Unit History]
Period 1989 - 1990
Current: AAFG0168   USAF AMARC F-16A Block 15 [ sto]
Aircraft and unit were terrible.
F-117 Nighthawk
Unit 49 FW and 7 FS
Period 1993 - 1998
86282 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 18th Aggressor Squadron "Blue Foxes" [Unit History]
Period 2017 - 2018
Current: 86282   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 30 [ sto]
I took over the jet in April 2017. It became the 354 Ops Group CC's jet. It is great jet. Getting ready to go into phase with 7700 hours. One of the best jets I've crewed in the 25 years I've been around the F16. Would love to add a photo in it's OG grab but I can't figure out a way to do it.
Visitor Comments
Ed and Veronica!
Amy B, Nov 08, 2009 - 07:53 PM

Ed- Shoot me and e-mail it's Amy at Sheppard.

Often wondered how you guys are doing!

81-727
Ken Rees Lt Col retired, Jan 23, 2023 - 12:44 AM

Had my name on 727 when I was assigned to the 35th TFS, the Pantons. The jet belongs to the crew chief. They let pilots fly them from time to time. I was at the Kun from Jan 84 to Jan 85.







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