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Portland International Airport (Portland, Oregon) is host to a variety of air assets at the Oregon Air National Guard (ORANG) base. The airbase is across the the tarmac from the PDX
commercial terminals on the South side of the field. The ORANG 142nd Fighter Wing flys CAP (Combat Air Patrol) from this base in its F-15 Eagle air-superiority fighters (which, as it turns out, I have never gotten a decent
picture of, but you know what an F-15 looks like). The 142nd FW has been a multiple winner of the ANG's William Tell competition. They have a long and varied history and have flown numerous types of aircraft, including
P-51, F-102, F-106, C-119, F-101, F-89, T-33, and F-4. Check out their web site at: www.orport.ang.af.mil The base is also home to the Air Force Reserve's 939th Rescue Wing who routinely rescue people from the Cascade mountain peaks which abound in Oregon and SW Washington state. The 939th currently
flies HH-60G PaveHawk helicopters and HC-130 Hercules SAR Directors in the Search & Rescue role. KING-56, the HC-130 lost off the California coast with only one survivor was a 939th aircraft. |
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