Despite Ice, wind, snow, 'Only the best come north' Published Feb. 11, 2009 By Maj. Shane Balken Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- 'Only the strong survive.' 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.' 'No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.' Take your pick of any number of motivational quotes that might help you get through a North Dakota winter. But if there is one quote that still rings true for Minot Air Force Base it is, 'only the best come north.' Above the Magic City entrance gate is a daily reminder for many here that dealing with winter is not for the weak-kneed. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service, January was one of the coldest months ever for North Dakota and even set a record in Bismarck for the coldest day in history with -44 degrees fahrenheit. The average high in January for Minot was 16 degrees and the average low was -3 degrees fahrenheit. Tech. Sgt. David Eisler, 5th Operational Support Squadron weather flight, added that the overall average temperature for the month of five degrees was three degrees colder than normal. And of course, all of these temperatures were without the wind chill, which only enhances mother nature's winter beauty. So what's an Airman to do with North Dakota winters and a non-stop Air Force mission? "Wear lots of layered clothing," said Airman First Class Brady Fender, 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons armament specialist. For maintenance professionals working on the flightline, winters here can be brutal. Both Airman Fender and Senior Airman Rodney Marshall, a jet engine mechanic in the 5th AMXS, agreed that despite being bundled up with cold-weather clothes, the most difficult part of working on metal aircraft is taking your gloves off to maneuver small nuts, bolts, and anything else smaller than a snowball. Local policy prohibits anyone working alone on the flightline. The 'buddy-system' is always in effect, and for good reason. "You're not allowed to be outside by yourself. If you're working on something, your partner is usually holding the heater hose to keep you warm. We're always climbing on ladders, holding things above our head, slipping and sliding, or any number of other hazards," said Airman Marshall. Staff Sergeant James Kassube, a crew chief in the 5th AMXS, has spent six winters on the flightline and on any given day works seven to eight hours outside inspecting aircraft. Sergeant Kassube said on normal days during a launch operation, Airmen are on the flightline for two to three hours preparing aircraft. "It's tough changing small components or trying to handle small parts with your gloves off," said Sergeant Kassube. "It makes it especially difficult if you drop a tool or a part in a snow pile and have to search for it until you find it." But if a B-52 doesn't launch in the winter, it is not because Airmen are too cold to accomplish a maintenance procedure prior to a take-off. Col. Parker Northrup, 5th Operations Group commander, said in the past two years he can only remember flying operations postponed six times due to the cold weather. "The B-52 and our people have different rules based on temperature. For example if it's -25 degrees or below, it takes group commander approval to fix and fly the aircraft. If it gets down to -45 below, it then becomes war-time mission essential to operate," said Colonel Northrup. "We have 25-pages of tech order data on all adverse weather scenarios. Every environment comes with procedures for the weather and cold weather has four times the number of pages than any other climate." Colonel Northrup said the cold weather is really hard on aircraft but although the newest B-52H Stratofortress on the ramp was built in 1961, it's still an incredibly tough aircraft. "The same engineers who built this plane are the same ones who were building muscle cars in the 1950s," said Colonel Northrup. "The B-52 is heavy, big, and overpowered. That's why it's lasted so long -- it's a great aircraft." Colonel Northrup said in terms of flying hours, the B-52 is still considered 'middle-aged'. "The planes are rated for 35,000 flying hours. The jets currently only have 18 to 20,000 flying hours," said Colonel Northrup. Colonel Northrup stated the MC (mission capable) rates on B-52's are high here, averaging 83% over the last four fiscal years. "Surprisingly, Minot loses less flying days than Barksdale (Shreveport, Louisiana) considering the weather," said Colonel Northrup. Severe weather not only affects the flying mission here, it also can wreak havoc on the 91st Missile Wing crews who travel daily out and back from the missile alert facilities. On any given day, 100 to 150 people are traveling to 15 different missile alert facilities spread throughout the area, according to Col. Rob Walker, 91st Operations Group commander. "All of our crews drive out to the facilities. Some of the facilities are as close as 45 minutes or as far away as an hour and a half drive time," said Colonel Walker. "For us, it's not just about the destination, it's also about focusing on the journey. Some people grew up in a similar environment and instinctively apply their winter driving skills," said Colonel Walker. "But many of our personnel grew up in warmer climates without the years of experience in winter driving conditions. To fortify ourselves for the sometimes challenging road conditions, we provide our missile combat crews, chefs, facility managers, security forces and maintainers with winter driving training." Colonel Walker stated that all crews are also prepared accordingly with mandatory winter survival gear in their vehicles at all times. "The weather may permit us to go, but are the roads OK? At some point the roads become impassible," said Colonel Walker. When that happens, previous crews pulling alert stay put until the next crew can safely relieve them. A normal alert shift is 24 hours and though relatively uncommon, weather sometimes requires crews to pull a 48 hour alert," said Colonel Walker. "Forty-eight hours is the point we start looking at other options to relieve the crews," said Colonel Walker. "Our helicopter squadron, usually dedicated to support of ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) security, provides flexibility in reaching our personnel in these instances. Winter conditions are real and challenging. So, whenever there are extended operations, we increase our morale and welfare checks, ensuring our personnel and their families are OK." When it comes to getting the job done and knowing not everyone is cut out for cold weather and sacrifice, 'only the best come north' is all the motivation Minot Airmen need. Old man winter still has time to cause more problems for all of North Dakota but for here, the critical mission of strategic deterrence continues without interruption.