Achievers

By DONA FAIR
For the U.S. Air Force

BEALE AFB, Calif. - The extremely tight security surrounding this remote air base in northern California seems out of place for the son of a Tyler couple stationed here. Earthtone buildings with high tech gadgetry are tucked into an area more fit for rattlesnakes and coyotes than for the men and women who call this place home.

Air Force Capt. William W. Phillips, son of Ken and Patsy Phillips, County Road 180, Tyler, is a member of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, responsible for the Air Force's high-altitude reconnaissance mission with the ability to provide high quality imagery from the far reaches of Earth's atmosphere.

Airmen at Beale work with both the U-2 manned and Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that provide commanders and other decision-makers with near real-time and high resolution imagery. Phillips is a pilot with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, working with the Global Hawk aircraft.

"As a Global Hawk pilot, I control the aircraft and ensure that all reconnaissance is accomplished and the aircraft returns safely," said Phillips, a 1997 John Tyler High School graduate. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2001.

Pilots at Beale routinely fly the U-2 at altitudes of over 70,000 feet, requiring them to wear pressurized suits similar to those worn by NASA astronauts. The low-handling characteristics and special landing gear requires critical runway alignment handled by a second pilot in a specialized vehicle, making the U-2 one of the world's most difficult aircraft to fly and land.

The newest aircraft in the high-altitude reconnaissance arsenal is the Global Hawk, an unmanned aircraft that can fly at an altitude of 65,000 feet and speeds of up to 400 miles per hour. The aircraft can provide imagery of more than 40,000 nautical square miles - about the size of Illinois - all within a 24-hour period.

For Phillips, both aircraft represent an edge that makes the mission at Beale one of the Air Force's most important.

"The Global Hawk and U-2 provide critical intelligence imagery to America's forces fighting the global war on terror. They give us intelligence gathering in a constantly changing combat environment," said Phillips.

Beale Air Force Base is located about an hour north of Sacramento, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, in an area that is semi-arid, rugged, and desolate.

"It's a privilege to experience northern California. Nearby Sacramento is a great town with lots to offer my family," said Phillips.

Life may be a bit remote for the men and women at Beale charged with the important mission of high altitude reconnaissance, but when they think about those "customers" on the battlefields in Iraq or Afghanistan and the fire fighters battling infernos raging throughout California forests, they feel it's a small price to pay.

Air Force Capt. William W. Phillips
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