Hooligans' flying hours cut

The roar of jet engines won't accompany the cracks and bangs of fireworks this year during Fourth of July celebrations in North Dakota.

The "Happy Hooligans" of Fargo's 119th Fighter Wing announced Wednesday that the Air Force has reduced their flying time by 304 hours due to funding shortages.

The cut represents nearly 8 percent of the wing's flying hours - almost a month's worth of pilot training - for the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

It also means the Air National Guard pilots won't be able to perform their popular flyovers at town celebrations this summer.

"Where these reductions are most evident is in the community outreach arena," said Col. Robert Becklund, the wing's commander. "With the Fourth of July approaching us, we will not be able to provide F-16 flyovers on approved patriotic holidays for the foreseeable future."

The reductions are being blamed on higher than anticipated costs in the war on terrorism, high aviation fuel prices and shortages in Air Force operations and maintenance accounts.

The Fighter Wing was warned in letters from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper on March 1 and May 10 that cuts in flying hours could be coming.

Notice of the reduction arrived before Memorial Day, when the Hooligans did flyovers at 13 locations across the state, said Master Sgt. David Somdahl, public relations officer for the 119th.

Now, the only scheduled public flying will be during the Fargo AirSho on July 9 and 10, Becklund said. Requests for flyovers at 18 other sites this summer and fall have been canceled.

"We want to communicate to everyone that it's out of our hands," Somdahl said. "We would love to do them."

The cuts are not related to the ongoing Base Realignment and Closure process, he said. The Pentagon has recommended to the BRAC Commission that the 22 F-16s flown by the 119th Fighter Wing be retired by 2007.

Air Guard units across the country are facing cuts in flying hours, Somdahl said, adding some have lost several hundred more flying hours than the 119th.

The Happy Hooligans hope to regain some of their flying hours during a mid-July budget review, he said.

If necessary, some senior pilots may have their flying hours restricted to ensure that pilots earning their mission qualifications get time in the air, he said.

Becklund said the unit's highest priority remains at its air defense alert detachment at Langley (Va.) Air Force Base.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528