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Cargo drop

A C-130 from the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., does a mock cargo drop as the final event of the Pioneer Airfest. The Pioneer Airfest was held at Cannon Air Force Base June 8 and consisted of a weapons-loading competition and a bomb-dropping competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Randi Flaugh)

B-1 aims for target

A B-1 bomber drops a bomb during the bomb-dropping competition at the Pioneer Airfest. The 7th Bomber Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas won the bomb-dropping competition. The Pioneer Airfest was held at Cannon AFB June 8 and consisted of a weapons-loading competition and a bomb-dropping competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Elliott Sprehe)

F-15 load

Maintenance crews from the 366th Fighter Wing of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, load a F-15 during the weapons load portion of the Pioneer Airfest. The Pioneer Airfest was held at Cannon AFB June 8 and consisted of a weapons-loading competition and a bomb-dropping competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. April Wickes)

Hill AFB drops the bomb

An F-16 from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, drops a bomb during the bomb-dropping portion of the Pioneer Airfest. The Pioneer Airfest was held at Cannon AFB June 8 and consisted of a weapons-loading competition and a bomb-dropping competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Elliott Sprehe)

Cannon hosts Pioneer Airfest

Published June 13, 2007
By Airman Elliott Sprehe
27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Cannon Air Force Base was the host of nine wings here, including our 27th Fighter Wing, on June 8 for the Pioneer Airfest.

The Airfest was a friendly, two-part competition between wings from across the 12th Air Force as well as the 1st Special Operations Wing out of Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The event was held in conjunction with Pioneer Days in Clovis, which was held on June 9. It was the 100th anniversary of the Clovis Pioneer Days and the day of the Airfest was the 50th anniversary of Cannon's namesake, after General John Cannon.

The Airfest began at 8 a.m. with a weapons-loading competition at Hangar 133. Maintenance crews from different bases competed against each other to determine who could load their munitions the quickest and safest.

"We had an opportunity to show what the Airmen do that support the pilots before they go into the air," said Colonel Scott West, 27th Fighter Wing commander. "It's a real team effort and we wanted to show that."

After the load competition, everyone was off to the Melrose Bombing Range. Once there, all nine fighter, bomber, and special operations wings competed to determine who could drop dummy munitions closest to the designated target, a white box truck.

"The idea of this mock-up is for us to practice for what we might see in places like Iraq or Afghanistan," said Capt. Josh Kubacz, 27th Fighter Wing safety.

The climax of the Airfest was a C-130 from the 1st SOW doing a mock cargo-drop at eye level.

The top-load crew, or gunsmiths, of the weapons-loading competition was the 49th Fighter Wing from Holloman AFB, N.M. The 49th FW hosts F-117 Nighthawks.

The top gunslingers of the day, hitting the target with the greatest accuracy, were the 7th Bomber Wing from Dyess AFB, Texas, with their B-1 bombers.

"Today was an opportunity to tell our neighbors in the community what the Air Force is doing to support the Global War on Terrorism," said Colonel West.