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  MSgt. Rich Knaus (Ret.)

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 Name MSgt. Rich Knaus (Ret.)
Country
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks"
Crewing F-16s from 1986 until 2007
Contact fodishee Send me a private message
Website
T-37B Williams AFB AZ '81-'83
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F-111E RAF Upper Heyford, UK '83-'86
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F-16s Shaw AFB SC / Luke AFB, AZ /Osan AB, ROK '86-'07
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Retired in Phoenix, AZ.

Current or Favourite assignment

The 19th AMU was full of great times and deployments.
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The 19th flew 160 sorties in 12 hrs and dropped bombs on every one of those 160!

Deployments

Awesome deployments...Akhisar AB Turkey around '88, Cold Lake Canada just to name a few.
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Remember nose wheel roulette in Vegas? That sucker always came back on the number it left on and I quit playing. ITS RIGGED I TELL YOU!

My Jets & Assignments

 		84228 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks" [Unit History]
Period 1986 - 1994
Current: 84228   F-16C Block 25 [ pre]
On 4 Jan 89 I launched 84-1228 which burned on the runway after ingesting two birds on takeoff. Anti-skid was not selected and the wheels & tires ground down to the axles. Final report said arresting cable tore the C/L tank open (I think tank made ground contact from all the visible marks on the remaining underside). Pilot was not injured and ran from aircraft. Forrest Gump's got nothing on pilots egressing a burning jet. Same on an F-111 fire I was at too. "Run Forrest!" - All the skin below the wing level was gone. At a cost of $18M the jet was not rebuilt. - I removed just about every salvageable part from the cockpit. WISH I HAD THE ID PLATE. ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET IT? Where did the jet go to after Shaw? - Couldn't get one flippin' screw out of the stab actuator panels to recover the ISAs.
84226 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks" [Unit History]
Period 1986 - 1990
Current: F16C 84-1226   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 25 [ sto]
Had this jet short term after 84-1228 went up in smoke.
83129 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks" [Unit History]
Period 1998 - 1999
Current: AAFG0742   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 25 [ sto]
Had it just a short period until I was assigned to 84-1229.
84229 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks" [Unit History]
Period 1986 - 1990
Current: AAFG0579   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 25 [ sto]
Got a cool picture of this thing on an air refuel to Cold Lake, Canada. - I didn't realize that it was my jet until it peeled away on its disconnect and I saw the tail. The odds of that event taking place the way it did were pretty slim. COOLIO!!
84381 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 33rd Fighter Squadron "Falcons" [Unit History]
Period 1990 - 1991
Current: AAFG0743   USAF AMARC F-16C Block 25 [ sto]
Deployed with the 33rd to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. - Lived in "The Nabor Hood" in tent city (named after TSgt Harry Nabors) and worked with the Fabulous Baker Boys in B HAS. - I was the Crew Chief on 84-1381 with an accumulated 59 bombing missions.
90786 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 19th Fighter Squadron "Gamecocks" [Unit History]
Period 1991 - 1992
Current: 90786   USAF 311 FS F-16D Block 42 [ act]
My first D-model. New from the factory too. I had this one, and only this one, LtCol fly backseat and every time he did the landing configuration & takeoff light would flicker. Guess his big butt was pinching wires! I wonder what the fix was on that thing. I PCS'd to Luke before it was ever fixed. - Ingested a turkey buzzard in Avon Park, FL. long range A/G mission; had to recover it in Orlando (MCO). Had a 220 engine; the whole cone and PS2 probe were gone. With no oil PSI he declared an emergency and was denied a runway by MCO. He landed on a taxiway & and blew both main wheel thermal plugs. Intake coating had damage & took two weeks at home station to repair. ECS heat exchanger replaced too. Heard his wingman buzzed the MCO tower on RTB for the denied runway. 786 did a max climb out of MCO, cool sight after all the work we did. - 10 yrs later, in the 63FS, the Mrs. got her taxi ride in 786. Couldn't have been more perfect for me.
89161 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 310th Fighter Squadron "Tophats" [Unit History]
Period 1992 - 1998
Current: 89161   USAF 8 FS F-16D Block 42 [ act]
Any visible hydraulic line on this jet had been polished. Luckily when I took over I just needed to up keep those suckers.
90730 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 310th Fighter Squadron "Tophats" [Unit History]
Period 1992 - 1998
Current: 90730   USAF 314 FS F-16C Block 42 [ act]
It was a great jet. My pilot, James "Bones" McCoy, brought a friend photographer out one day and took some cool pictures of the jet and us. They were very professional and I'm glad to have those memories forever.
Unit 36th Fighter Squadron "Flying Fiends" [History]
Period 1998 - 1999
------Phase Dock 3 Mo. / Wing FOD NCO 9 Mo. (FODIshee)------ Actually had somebody turn in a vehicle full size spare tire they found on the ramp. - The A-10 ramp was usually a good place to find stray driving range golf balls. - I used to place the "Golden Bolt" in different areas for the flightline travelers to find and redeem for a reward as part of the FOD Program; They had actually thrown it away TWICE.
89120 [Detailed history of this F-16]
Unit 63rd Fighter Squadron "Panthers" [Unit History]
Period 1999 - 2007
Current: 89120   USAF 8 FS F-16C Block 42 [ act]
Who can say they saw an Augmentor Ignitor firing when the jet was running? I know two people. - One of the maint. troops walking up to the jet from behind (way back) saw it firing at idle. If I maxed out the comm cord and eased my head into the exhaust gases I could see it too. Turned out to be a bad quick fill switch on the Aug fuel control. - 1st step in the book: remove aug fuel control, YEAH RIGHT. I changed that beotch on the jet, engine installed!
Other aircraft/assignments T-37B Williams AFB, AZ '81-'83, Bandit Flight, PCS'd as they were getting running water and a toilet in our bldg.
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F-111E RAF Upper Heyford, UK '83-'86, 55FS, Started the checkered tails/painted every jet.
Visitor Comments
Chanel class of 81 reynion
Jeff Condon, Jun 06, 2011 - 03:15 AM

Hey Rich,

Long time, no communicate.

We've a class reunion on FRI., 8/19 aand SAT., 8/20, and I'd like to email you all the info.

Give me a call or email me when you have a chance.

Thanks Rich.

Jeff Condon

Cell: 419-309-4569

F-16 Crew Chief
Daniel Williams, Dec 03, 2011 - 01:19 PM

I wanted to say "Great Pics!" I was a Crew Chief on the F-16 A/B models.Started At Hahn AB Germany in July 1983-July 1985, I worked as a Crew chief at Hahn's "Victor Alert" Section under the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing Command for 10 months Then went on to be part of the Conversion team at Homestead AFB, Homestead FL Aug 1985-Aug 1987. I loved working on the F-16 as it was and still is a Kick ass Fighter! I worked with a guy Named Les Kemp who i know Crewed F-111's at lakenheath or upperheyford England. The conversion team i was part of was Training Homesteads F-4 Phantom Training wing personell to a fully operational Fighter wing Existing of..the 308th,306th and one other section number which i cant recall right now.Thanks for the great pics! Do you know of any sights with pics of F-16 Crew chiefs in action or "on the job" ? if so please foward them to me at my email address @

djwfla922@aol.com. Thanks !! Daniel W







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