The Staff Officer at #1 Air Division was talking with the USAF 7370 Flight Service Squadron located at Rhein-Main Air Force Base, near Frankfurt, West Germany. S/L Don Maclean proposed that the RCAF provide a nucleus of RCAF control staff to augment the 7370 Squadron Staff and the USAF would provide Flight Following Support and ensure the RCAF fligth plans would be input into the European Aviation Fixed Telecommunication Network. This Network ensured all flight plans were transmitted to all necessary addressed and proper NATO authorities.
On 01 April 1967, the writer was transferred onto the strength of 7370 Flight Service Squadron to be followed some three weeks later by Cpl Ken Currie, Cpl Norm Paterson and Cpl Bill Cameron. We all moved our families to Frankfurt. On the day I signed a lease for an unfurnished home, with the expectation of receiving furniture from the USAF, the base furniture section burned down, consuming over a million dollars worth of furniture. Naturally, the Base Commander said to me next day, "If I can't provide furniture for my airmen, can I give you, an officer from another Force, any?" We scrambled for a couple of days to find furniture, but found enough for the home ... Luckily, the NCOs managed to find furnished accommodation.
The work at the 7370 Flight Service Centre was definitely different. The unit was the central receiver for Flight Plans from USAFE and RCAF bases; they were quickly plotted, checked then addressed to all necessary bases, Centres, countries and Flight Information Regions. If an error was discovered, then the pilot was contacted and the Flight Plan modified. Additionally, times off were passed through the Aviation Fixed Teletype Network to all the Flight Plan addressees. After take-off, the plan was then monitored until the landing at destination. Just down the hall from our operations room, the CENTRAL USAFE NOTAM FACILITY kept us up to date reference any changes to routes, danger areas, exercises, etc. This joint RCAF/USAF system was initiated to allow the RCAF #1 Air Division to receive support from the USAFE at minimal cost and the 7370 Flight Service Squadron received some badly needed personnel to help carry out their role. Indeed, the Canadians were recognized by being granted the USAF UNIT COMMENDATION. The RCAF allowed us to accept the award, but not wear it unless attached to the USAF. The Canadian NCOs were excellent; by the end of the second summer, they were all supervising shifts and carrying out work that was handled normally by a USAF Senior Master Sergeant.
One of the tasks handed to this small unit (4 people) was the review of RCAF Flight Plans to ascertain if any of the #1 Air Division aircraft were involved in any of the myriad of noise complaints that came through the European Air-Miss/Flight Safety Committee. This was a somewhat onerous task, but a necessary one for #1 Air Division. Additionally, the OC was also the liaison member for the RCAF #1 Air Division to the Amt Fuer Flugsicherung Der Bundeswehr - a long name for the German Air Force Air Traffic Control Headquarters. This membership meant that the RCAF was always kept abreast of any changes emanating from The German Air Force Air Traffic Control Headquarters.
Another very important task was the monitoring of all RCAF Flight Plans overflying French territories to ensure that the Diplomatic Clearance Number (CAN #) was included in the Remarks section of the specific Flight Plan. The CAN numbers were negotiated each year with the French Air Force by the Air Attache in Paris in response to the needs postulated by the #1 Air Division Headquarters. The loss of Flight Plans or the missing of CAN numbers on #1 Air Division Flight Plans was running about 22 percent of all RCAF Flight Plans and was embarrassing to the Headquarters. While we could resend those Flight Plans which we found to be missing, the loss of 20 percent of the low level CF-104 VFR missions was perplexing. After discussing the problem with the two USAF Controllers at Paris/Orly Centre, and a quick visit to Centre d'Opérations de la Défense Aérienne (CODA at FAF Base Taverny), we found the solution to the problem.
Each night, the Wing Operations Centre had been passing the major portion of their planned VFR low level missions for the following day each night during the evening shift. The 7370 Flight Following Centre checked and sent these to Taverny before midnight. However, at CODA Taverny, the evening shift often was busy and considered that the midnight shift should action plans for the next day; thus the plans were left sitting on the teletype. The Midnight shift did not take kindly to this passing of "the Buck", simply ripped off the plans from the teletype and threw them into the garbage can. Thus, it was not a computer glitch - rather a personnel glitch. The solution was simple - the Wings were asked to file their plans during the midnight shift. This left the midnight shift at CODA Taverny to formally carry out their planning work and thus our loss of Flight Plans dropped from 20 per cent to less than 1 per cent. This level was acceptable to the French and was one of the lowest amongst NATO Air Forces.
Updated: February 24, 2005