By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

NOT many people know that B-52 bombers from Guam were evacuated to the mainland during Typhoon Kong-Rey.
Aircrews and six B-52 Stratofortress bombers from Andersen Air Force Base arrived at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington on April 1 seeking refuge from the typhoon.
The aircraft and crewmembers are temporarily deployed to Guam from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La.
With winds approaching 95 mph, Typhoon Kong-Rey could have caused significant damage had it hit Andersen, the Air Force said.
According to 2nd Lt. Tristan Hinderliter of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing public affairs office, officials at Andersen decided to err on the side of safety and evacuate the aircraft after initial predictions for the storm showed a track which would pass over Andersen.
The crews later learned the typhoon had passed safely to the east of Guam.
According to the Air Force, it was about an 11-hour trip from Guam to Spokane. Air Force Link quotes Maj. Harry Dyson, aircraft commander for one of the B-52s, as saying that the people at Fairchild and Spokane have been very welcoming.
He added that Fairchild is perfectly set up to facilitate the aircraft after having had B-52s stationed there for so long.