MOBILITYTHE MAGAZINE OF AIR MOBILITYFORUM COMMAND | SPRING 2020
Agile, Prepared, Responsive: Readiness as an Asymmetric Advantage
2019 SAFETY AWARD WINNERS Pages 20-29 With Dedicated Airmen, Team McConnell Conquers Challenges THE Volume 29, No. 1 MOBILITY Spring 2020 FORUM CONTENTS AIR MOBILITY COMMAND Gen Maryanne Miller
DIRECTOR OF SAFETY Col Brandon R. Hileman [email protected]
EDITORS Kim Knight [email protected] Sherrie Schatz 5 21 32 34 Sheree Lewis [email protected] FROM THE TOP SEASONAL 36 515th Air Mobility GRAPHIC DESIGN Operations Wing Elizabeth Bailey 3 Agile, Prepared, CONSIDERATIONS Operation Christmas Responsive: Readiness 15 Gone in a Flash: Flash Drop 2019 The Mobility Forum (TMF) is published as an Asymmetric Floods Can Endanger four times a year by the Director of Advantage You and Your Property at Safety, Air Mobility Command, Scott a Moment’s Notice AMC HERITAGE AFB, IL. The contents are informative and 5 Brig Gen Charles Bolton, not regulatory or directive. Viewpoints Vice Commander of 32 Airlift’s First Female expressed are those of the authors and the 18th Air Force, Talks AMC NEWS Aircraft Maintenance do not necessarily reflect the policy Officer, Pilot, and of AMC, USAF, or any DoD agency. Readiness Advocacy 18 Prince Sultan Air Base Aerial Port Squadron 7 Cybersecurity at the Reopened by the 621st Contributions: Please email articles and Commander photos to [email protected], 375th Air Mobility Wing, Contingency Response fax to (580) 628-2011, or mail to Scott Air Force Base, IL Support Squadron REGULAR FEATURES Schatz Publishing, 11950 W. Highland 20 AMC’s Annual 2019 Ave., Blackwell, OK 74631. For RISK MANAGEMENT questions call (580) 628-4607. TMF Safety Award Winners 38 Mishap-Free Flying editors reserve the right to make 9 Pitot Static Woes: Are 21 Safety Office of the Year: Hour Milestones editorial changes to manuscripts. You Prepared? 22d Air Refueling Wing, 39 Quickstoppers DE denotes digitally enhanced photo. McConnell Air Force 40 A Day in the Life Subscriptions: U.S. Government FLIGHT SAFETY Base, KS Publishing Office: 2020-745-102/10019. 23 AMC’s Annual 2019 ON THE COVER For sale by the Superintendent of 12 Pilot Monitoring Documents, U.S. Government Publishing During Flight Individual and Team A C-17 Globemaster from Office. Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov. 16 The 618th Air Operations Safety Award Winners McChord AFB, WA, flies over Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area the flight line during Air Mobility (202) 512-1800. Fax: (202) 512-2104. Center, Scott Air Force 30 With Dedicated Airmen, Command’s Mobility Guardian Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC Base, IL, Works Through Team McConnell 2019 at Fairchild AFB, WA, Sept 20402-0001. Obstacles to Make the Conquers Challenges 10, 2019. AMC RP 91-2. Dist: X Mission Happen USAF photo by 34 2d Phoenix Spark Tank ISSN 1559-159X and the U.S. Air Force Amn Kiaundra Miller Spark Tank Competitions Visit www.themobilityforum.net for current and past editions of
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2 The Mobility Forum AMC NEWS 2d Phoenix Spark Tank and the U.S. Air Force Spark Tank Competitions
BY MS. KATHY ALWARD, STAFF WRITER
he tradition of expediting observe surface defects, and repainting replace each rail, according to Kiser. He innovation initiatives that parts. Another inspection method that was selected as one of the finalists for help improve operational Abouomar said is currently used is the Air Force Spark Tank Competition Tefficiency, maintain Air Force radiography or x-ray that incorporates that was held on February 28th, 2020 in readiness, and significantly reduce a system that has been in service Orlando, Florida. the time and money that is allocated for decades and drives outdated to a task continues as the Air Mobility inspection processes. With fabrication help from techs, after Command (AMC) 2d Phoenix Spark Kiser checked the design and took Tank Competition, held in October Abouomar suggested a more modern measurements, the K-Wedge System 2019, chose two finalists and three solution called Computed Tomography was designed. “The K-Wedge costs runners-up from the 64 submissions. (CT) that uses three-dimensional much less at about $500 [in] parts and The first and second place finalists (3D), high-resolution scanning labor, and in as little as 1 minute you have the opportunity to be one of and automated image engineering can install it on the aircraft floor using the finalists for the U.S. Air Force software to find the smallest internal existing tie-down rings, and that’s Spark Tank Competition in February defects, and expands manufacturing what secures it to the floor,” said Kiser. 2020. The three runners-up will be capabilities for metals technology that According to Kiser, this system saves considered for implementation by could decrease exposure to hazardous the Air Force money, prevents damage AMC. The additional 59 submissions material and reduce the inspection to to the logistics rail, and safeguards and were forwarded to the Airmen three steps, including part removal, CT protects our Airmen. Powered by Innovation (API) program inspection, and installation. Abouomar to be considered for implementation at said that CT could save AMC more SSgt Timothy M. Miller, 621st various command levels. than $2 million annually. Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ, submitted First place finalist, TSgt Sharif R. Second place finalist, TSgt Brett M. the idea of “3D Printed USB Adapter Abouomar, Headquarters AMC/ Kiser, 521st Air Mobility Operations for Tactical Airfield Light.” Miller said A4, Scott Air Force Base (AFB), IL, Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the current service the Landing Zone submitted the idea of “Computed presented the idea of the “C-17 Loading Safety Officer (LZSO) team provides Tomography for Aircraft Maintenance Aid.” Kiser said he has worked with the is to ensure there is always sufficient and Beyond.” “Nondestructive loading aid using palletized aircraft lighting for the aircraft to land by using Inspection, or NDI, of the future is assets while in the Air Force. Currently, Phantom brand tactical lights that run about modernizing my career field the logistics rail is exposed, and off of four AA batteries and requires with game-changing technology,” said sometimes, when the 463L cargo pallet the LZSO team to ensure that there is a Abouomar. The current inspection transfers from the 60K loader over onto constant supply and proper disposal of process involves five revolving steps the aircraft floor, it may hit omni- the AA batteries. requiring parts to be stripped of directional rollers. When this mishap paint, dipped in chemical solutions, occurs, it can cost an estimated $8,300 According to Miller, their team noticed examined with ultraviolet light to and approximately eight man-hours to deployed people were using cell phone
34 The Mobility Forum AMC NEWS
First place finalist, TSgt Sharif R. Abouomar, Second place finalist, TSgt Brett M. Kiser, 521st Air Mobility Operations Headquarters AMC/A4, Scott AFB, IL Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany power banks that had a much greater threats in an extremely brief amount that are not visible to the naked eye, capacity than AA batteries. They of time using proper 3D printing keeping them at a safe distance. Moore came up with a 3D printed adaptor programs and reducing the cost of said that infrared cameras would so they could power their Phantom a $135 item to $1 to $2. Hamilton enable faster repair times and increase brand tactical lights off of these battery proposes to outfit mobility equipment aircraft availability. packs. Miller said, “Now it is a ‘set it packages with resources to 3D-scan and forget it setup,’” and they have and print recovered munitions and AMC opened an innovation campaign successfully field-tested it with C-130s calls for standardized and centralized that can be accessed at https://usaf. and C-17s. According to Miller, if they support to analyze and exploit this ideascalegov.com/ and is available 365 should mass produce, it would take new intelligence. “That agency would days a year. approximately $50,000 to $100,000 to then prepare new intelligence in a start up, or they could rely on in-house format that not only educates EOD expertise if the Air Force has the operators but also disseminates it in capability to 3D-print each team order. rapid fashion,” said Hamilton.
MSgt Jacob B. Hamilton, 19th Airlift SrA John T. Cuttito, 6th Air Mobility Wing, Little Rock AFB, AR, submitted Wing, McDill AFB, FL, presented the the idea of the “3D Printing Initiative: idea of “Infrared Thermography.” Pushing Explosive Ordinance Disposal Cuttito and SSgt James Moore (EOD) ‘Left of Boom.’” Hamilton said introduced the concept that uses to understand what “left of boom” thermal imaging technology to means we should think of a detonation quickly and effectively troubleshoot that is the result of an enemy action, problems and reliability issues on Air and there is a point on a timeline Force assets. Cuttito said there are where there is an effort being made to currently no tools to allow immediate get ahead of the detonation that equals diagnosis for troubleshooting aircraft getting “left of boom.” anomalies without first breaking into a system or a component, which can According to Hamilton, one of be a timely task for most maintainers. the newest threats are 3D-printed Cuttito showed a camera that can be munitions created by our adversaries, used to diagnose multiple problems Runner-up SSgt Timothy Miller, 821st Contingency Response Squadron, plugs in and there is no way to train on these within aircraft, automotive, and civil a power bank into a Phantom brand tactical highly expensive sudden munitions. engineering career fields, to include airfield lights at the 821st CRS building Nov. 14, There is a potential to cut the cost of looking at an image on the camera 2019, at Travis AFB, CA. live training and replicate the latest to see excessive heat and even leaks USAF photo by TSgt David W. Carbajal
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