Combat Edge articles from January 2009

Combat Edge archives from January 2009

Getting back to basics.(ON SAFETY)
January 1, 2009... During a recent Class A mishap brief, the Vice Commander of ACC, Major General Worden, reiterated the need for our entire command to "get back to basics." In looking back over the past several months of mishap data, it is apparent that we need...

What is that bug smasher doing in my MOA? How to improve your MACA program.(military operations area)(multiple access with collision avoidance)
January 1, 2009... There I was on a 2v2 air-to-air ride during a requalification course in the F-16 Viper. With over 3,000 hours in fighters, I've seen just about everything, or so I thought, including lots of knock-It-Offs (KIOs) for light aircraft deciding to...

Read your way to safety!(COMPLACENCY)
January 1, 2009... In the military, we are guided by literally thousands of regulations and instructions. There are Department of Defense regulations, Air Force Manuals, Air Force Instructions, base regulations, Operating Instructions, job guides, and Technical...

Fatal deviation.
January 1, 2009... It was a stormy Friday night at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., when two Airmen, a 5-level and a 7-level, arrived at the Egress shop for swing shift. They were part of a skeleton crew because some of the unit had deployed to Nellis Air Force Base,...

Weight-training safety.
January 1, 2009... Lifting weights, whether you do it for fun, to train for sports or for competition, can cause serious injury or even death. Follow these basic guidelines to lift weights safely. Find an instructor who can help you learn how to do the...

Be prepared.
January 1, 2009... My weapons safety career started in 2003. I was appointed as the Equipment Maintenance Squadron additional duty weapons safety representative. I was lucky enough to get an opening for the full weapons safety course in 2004 and I accepted the...

Writing an article for The Combat Edge.
January 1, 2009... Our purpose in life is to educate--to stimulate thought in order to learn from the pages of a magazine rather than from painful personal experience or the pages of a mishap report. From the beginning, the magazine has relied on you--ACC team...

Flight line safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(MSgt Douglas B. Cataline )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... MSgt Cataline identified two critical safety of flight maintenance problems on two separate E-3 AWACS. The first problem that MSgt Cataline noticed was during taxi just prior to take off. After turning three times while taxiing, he noticed...

Weapons safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Load Crew 10 and Load Crew 17 were dual-loading munitions on a B-1 aircraft. TSgt Tarry Brindle, an evaluator from the Weapons Standardization Section, was also present. The MHU-83 bomb lift truck being used to load inert JASSMs into the Aft...

Aircrew safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Lt Col Barnes, MQ-1B Pilot, and MSgt Austin, MQ-1 Sensor Operator, displayed extraordinary airmanship and technical skill in successfully landing a crippled MQ-1B Predator UAS. While in flight and under control by a remote site, a fully-armed...

Pilot safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Capt Woodfield was number 5 of a 6-ship element configured with two external fuel tanks, two Captive Training Missile (CATM) AIM-120s, and one CATMAIM-9X. During landing, he touched down approximately 1,000 feet from the approach end of the...

Unit safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(373d Training Squadron Detachment 11, 55 WG Offutt AFB, Nebraska)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Detachment personnel conduct weekly safety briefings, quality assurance foreign object flashes, maintenance safety practices and upcoming weather alerts to ensure instructors and students are kept up-to-date on safety-related information. The...

Unit safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The 966 AACS combined the Fall Safety Campaign with a Formal Training Unit safety month to create a 2-month safety focus, with 10 events encompassing both ground and flight safety. They established a safety program from scratch at the new...

Ground safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(MSgt Richard P. Hartke)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Msgt Hartke is responsible for environmental safety, compliance, inspection and training in ground, fire, and hazardous waste areas for the 407 AEG. He resolved 40 of 45 findings identified during his initial program assessment of 14 Satellite...

Pilot Safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Capt Trevor Boswell )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... During the 14 EFS combat deployment ISO OIF, Capt Boswell had a severe engine malfunction in his F-16CJ. During his first sortie into a combat zone, while over the Indian Ocean and 200 miles from the nearest divert, Capt Boswell had an...

Aircrew safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The crew of Axis 041, an EC-130H, was on a planned contingency tail swap from Keflavik AB to Ramstein AB. They completed the daily mission planning with favorable weather showing. Axis 041 departed uneventfully to the west and made an...

Flight line safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)
January 1, 2009... A1C Burns oversaw the final stages of the installation and activation of 1,100 pieces of Airfield Lighting equipment totaling $550,000 lighting 1.6 million square feet of runway pavement. He trained 15 AM Ops/CE personnel on Baghdad...

Weapons Safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)
January 1, 2009... TSgt Edmund is an extremely knowledgeable Weapons Safety Manager. His efforts resulted in zero Class A, B or C weapons mishaps at Bagram during AEF 5/6. He identified and removed excessive ordnance improperly stored on the Close Air Support...

Crew chief safety.(AWARD OF DISTINCTION)(SrA Michael L. Devine )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... SrA Devine distinguished himself when he averted a potential aircraft mishap while performing F-16 send-of-runway duties. During his meticulous inspection of the aircraft, he noticed something abnormal about the nose landing gear torque link....

Weapons safety.(AWARD OF THE QUARTER)(MSgt Richard J. Sipocz 332 AEW )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Msgt Sipocz was responsible for developing a much needed MOA between CJSOAC and the 332 EMXS Ammo unit saving the AF over $200K in construction costs. He also singularly coordinated on a $30M MILCON project for an MSA, which enabled a...

Flight safety.(AWARD OF THE QUARTER)(Maj Michael A. Rider 2BW)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The 2BW Chief of Safety was selected to serve on a special task force for over 70 days at the Pentagon, leaving Maj Rider with many of the safety office oversight responsibilities. This may not warrant special mention--but tragedy struck a 2 BW...

Ground safety.(AWARD OF THE QUARTER)(Mr. Scott M. Eck )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Mr.Eck performed many of the duties of the wing COS for a 70-day period in addition to leading the ground safety flight. He provided tremendous support to the wing FSO when tragedy struck a 2 BW squadron. A B-52H was lost off Guam, resulting in...

Mishap statistics scoreboard.(Statistical table)
January 1, 2009... Aircraft Notes ACC experienced four Class A mishaps in Oct and Nov. One involved an F-16 fire following a takeoff roll abort and safe pilot egress. The other three were MQ-1 mishaps. MQ-1 mishap rates continue to drop-from 9.09 in FY07 to...

Fleagle.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2009... FITNESS TIME AGAIN... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THIS YEAR I'M GOINGS STRAIGHT TO TH'WEIGHTS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EACH YEAR I LET THIS SUCKER BEAT ME. BUT NOT THIS TIME. I'M READY. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GOING FOR...