THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240534
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Langley Air Force Base is among the top air travel destinations for the nation's top military brass, and the recently retired head of Langley's Air Combat Command was among the most frequent fliers in recent years, government auditors say.
Langley was the No. 2 destination, behind Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, for senior defense officials traveling on military aircraft from the Washington area during a General Accounting Office review that covered a little over two years.
Also among the top 20 travel spots was the nearby Norfolk Naval Air Station.
Among Virginia's most frequent military fliers were Gen. John Michael Loh, recently retired commander of the Air Combat Command, and Gen. Frederick M. Franks Jr., recently retired commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe in Hampton.
The GAO review released in June attempted to determine whether the military has an excess of passenger aircraft, who uses them and whether the most-traveled routes are served by government contract carriers or commercial airlines.
The government auditors found that while many of the military's most traveled routes are served by commercial carriers, government aircraft offered better scheduling flexibility.
Also, some officials are designated ``required users,'' meaning they must fly on military planes during official travel to maintain constant and secure communications with their superiors.
Between October 1992 and February 1995, the GAO found, Loh used military airplanes on 414 flights, more than any other Air Force official. The Air Force's chief of staff, Gen. Ronald Fogleman, came in second at 385 flights.
Officials like Fogleman and Loh are required users. Others, such as Franks, must justify their government-supplied flights.
Over a two-year period, Franks made 287 flights on military airplanes.
Among Virginia-based Navy officials, Rear Adm. Frederick Lewis, commander of the Naval Doctrine Command in Norfolk, had 65 flights over two years and held sixth place among Navy senior brass. Vice Adm. George Emery, commander of the Atlantic Fleet's Submarine Force, came in 10th place with 48 flights.
The Pentagon is attempting to tighten rules on using military aircraft but is having difficulty trying to figure out how many passenger planes it needs, the GAO report said.
As of April, the military had about 520 ``operational support airlift'' aircraft, most of which are small jets capable of carrying between eight and 14 passengers. The estimated cost of operating those aircraft is $380 million a year, the GAO estimated.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have ordered a new study on how many passenger aircraft the military needs during wartime. That report is due in October, the GAO said. by CNB