1C-USAF Service: 45th Space Wing (1995-99)

Following a nine-month meteorology traing program at Keesler AFB near Biloxi, Mississippi, I was transferred to the 45th Weather Squadron of the 45th Space Wing for my third active duty assignment. The 45th SW was headquartered at Patrick AFB near Cocoa Beach, Florida. This collection covers the aircraft and rockets for which I provided weather support during that assignment.

PATRICK AFB TENANT UNIT SUPPORT
I provided weather forecasts on a regular basis to aircrews flying the following aircraft out of Patrick AFB.
- HC-130P/N Combat King (AFRES)
- HH-60G Pave Hawk (USAF/AFRES)
- OV-10D+ Bronco (DoSAW)
- T-41A Mescalero (USAF)

SPACE LAUNCH
Working from Cape Canaveral Air Station, I was responsible for weather forecasts on space launch missions for the following rockets.
- Atlas IIAS (NASA)
- Delta II (NASA)
- Delta III (NASA/Boeing)
- Titan IV (USAF)
- Space Shuttle (NASA/USAF)

MISSILE TEST & EVALUATION
Cape Canveral Air Station is the only Air Force installation with a submarine port. I sometimes provided weather forecasts for test launches of Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) in the Atlantic Ocean off the Cape Canaveral coast.
- UGM-27 Polaris A3 (RN)
* Vanguard-class SSBN (RN)
- UGM-96 Trident C4 (USN)
* Ohio-class SSBN (USN)

NASA AVIATION
NASA regularly flew aircraft out of Kennedy Space Center and Patrick AFB. I provided aviation forecasts to astronauts and pilots flying the following aircraft.
- T-38A Talon (NASA)
- UH-1H Iroquois (NASA)
* Gulfstream III (NASA)
- Gulfstream IV (NASA)
- Space Shuttle Orbiter (NASA)

LOCAL AVIATION SUPPORT
The 45th Weather Squadron was responsible for Army and Air Force units flying from nearby Melbourne and Orlando. When Coast Guard aircrews flying out of Clearwater Air Station were flying search and rescue or counter-drug missions over the Atlantic, they would often request weather forecasts from the 45th WS.
◦ E-8A JSTARS (USAF/Northrop-Grumman)
- RC-12G Crazy Horse (USA)
* HC-130H Hercules (USCG)
* HH-60J Black Hawk (USCG)

DEPLOYED UNITS
Patrick AFB was a popular base for deployments. The most memorable aircrews to whom I provided weather forecasts out of Patrick AFB flew the following aircraft.
- F-16 ADF Fighting Falcon (Puerto Rico ANG)
- Cessna Citation (UND)
- ER-2 (NASA)
◦ DC-8 (NASA)

* Wishlist
• Featured in a different collection
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