History 1964

4453rd CCTW History

1964

To prepare for the move TAC issued orders redesignating and reorganizing the squadron from the 4453rd CCTS to the 4453rd CCTG to be effective 1 Jan 1964. This reorganizing involved organizing two new squadrons, the 4457th CCTS and 4458th CCTS. However, even before the time arrived TAC issued a second set of reorganizing orders on 17 Dec 1963, dropping the 4457th and 4458th CCTS, in favor of four new squadrons, the 4454th, 4455th, 4456th and 4457th CCTS's, effective 1 January.

F-4C 63-7418 was assigned to the unit in January to serve as the "lead-the-force" aircraft, that is, an aircraft that flies an accelerated schedule to evaluate the aircraft and it's diferent systems sooner that would be possible under normal scheduling conditions. While assigned to the unit 63-7418 was the first USAF F-4 to reach 1,000 flight hours, the first to reach the 2,000 flight hour mark (circa December 1967), via approximately 1,200 missions--the equivalent of flying non-stop for 83 days during which the aircraft traveled 1,000,000 miles / 1,609,300 km (40 trips around the globe). Making the 2,000th flight hour was Lt. Col. John C. Holley, 4455 CCTS Commander, pilot, with the aircrafts's crew chief, non-pilot Sgt. Herbert Bencosky.

The actual move to Davis-Monthan AFB begain effective 8 January. Based at MacDill AFB the four CCTS squadrons took delivery of new production F-4C's, relieving the need for the USN F-4B's, which were returned to the Navy as the F-4C's arrived (likely a one-for-one transfer).

The first strike occurred on 22 May when Capt. Joseph P. Onate and Capt. William F. Buhrman were killed in the crash of 63-7416 at the Avon Park Bombing Range, Florida.

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