Combat Edge articles from May 2005

Combat Edge archives from May 2005

Accent on safety: airmen supporting airmen!
May 1, 2005... Memorial Day is right around the corner and it's time for the Air Force to launch its annual "101 Critical Days of Summer" campaign. Does this mean that we care more about safety during the summer months? Absolutely not. Safety is a year round...

Risky business.
May 1, 2005... Just a few months ago I was watching television, ESPN of course, and there was the Winter X-Games. You can't help but get excited watching these guys fly through the air on a snowboard, jumping over moguls on a snow machine, or doing flips on a...

And then there were seven.
May 1, 2005... The owner of a turf farm in Wisconsin was irrigating his fields when the pump kept shutting itself off. He assumed that the oil sensor shut-off switch was to blame, that either this switch was loose or was shorting out. He put his right hand...

A sobering too-close encounter.
May 1, 2005... I was spending a quiet Sunday afternoon at home, watching football, when my daughter brought me the phone, saying, "It's Aunt Debbie, but I can't understand her." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I took the phone and...

Airmen supporting airmen.(Air Combat Command's theme for airmen safety)
May 1, 2005... Air Combat Command has developed an innovative theme for this year's "101 Critical Days of Summer" campaign... "Airmen Supporting Airmen." The theory behind the theme for this year's summer safety campaign is a two-pronged approach aimed at...

Cruis'n for a bruisin'.(Skateboarding and Skating)
May 1, 2005... Too often this is the scene--people participating in unprotected skating. We wanted to get a good action shot with someone in full pads and gear getting some serious air... unfortunately the best laid plans sometimes go awry. Skateboarders...

Hot pit fire: I'm not talking barbeque.
May 1, 2005... As a crew chief, I was performing a hot pit refueling on F-15s like I've done many times before. Hot pit refueling is the operation in which we refuel aircraft with engines still running in an area away from the normal parking location....

Aircrew Safety Award of Distinction.
May 1, 2005... On 1 Feb 05, the B-1 crew of Doom 04 took off from a forward operating location fully loaded with 242,000 pounds of fuel and weapons in support of an Operation Enduring Freedom mission. Immediately after liftoff, the crew noticed that the two...

Flight Line Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS)
May 1, 2005... On 19 Jan 05, aircraft mechanics assigned to the 55 MXG were attempting to retrieve a fuel panel reading from an RC-135 aircraft in order to facilitate an impending aircraft jack. At approximately 8:40 a.m., SSgt Jose Cunha, a 55 AMXS crew...

Crew Chief Safety Award of Distinction.(Mark Pardee; Paul Larson)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... On 03 Feb 05, SSgts Mark Pardee and Paul Larson were inside the hangar preparing a U-2S for a 12:00 p.m. takeoff. As SSgt Pardee was inspecting the cockpit, he detected the odor of something burning. SSgt Pardee immediately alerted SSgt Larson...

Ground Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS)
May 1, 2005... On 25 Jan 05, A1C Fred Cruz was driving the line as Aerospace Ground Equipment dispatch and discovered three Self-Generating Nitrogen Carts (SGNC) that were left running and unattended. Identifying an unsafe condition, he immediately...

Pilot Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS)
May 1, 2005... Maj. Douglas Schaare, call sign FACE 11, was leading a four-ship of F-16CJ aircraft on a daytime, low-level surface attack sortie followed by bombing practice at Poinsett Range. During the climbout following the low-level surface attack, FACE...

Weapons Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS)
May 1, 2005... During the month of February, MSgt Ted Gacek accomplished many notable tasks to increase weapons safety at Beale Air Force Base. He directed Civil Engineering in updating the D-8 map, reidentifying updated explosive clear zones, explosive...

ACC safety salutes superior performance.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS)
May 1, 2005... Capt Robert T. Bolinger [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] F-16 Pilot 421st Fighter Sq. 388th Fighter Wing Hill AFB, Utah Maj John Schatz, Instructor Pilot Col Joseph Mudd, Pilot Capt Terence McGee, Pilot Lt Col...

Hot & heavy.
May 1, 2005... On the night of 12 July 04, my combat crew and I were tasked to fly two combat missions out of Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait, in the EC-130H COMPASS CALL. We were scheduled to support Army and Marine forces in Iraq, with timely application of...

AGM-88 slides into second.(Anti-Radiation Missiles)
May 1, 2005... This is a weapons loader "there I was" story, but I have a dilemma. Telling a weapons troop about weapons safety is like telling an electrician about screwing in a light bulb. We get all the training one could hope for, and we think we know...

Have a plan.
May 1, 2005... One of the advantages of growing up on a hog farm is that education comes quickly and lessons have a way of staying with you forever. The following is absolutely true. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One blustery spring day when I was about 12,...

Fleagle.
May 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Mishap statistics scoreboard.
May 1, 2005... Aircraft Notes Four Class As for ACC in March... OUCH! An F-16 pilot ejected from a flameout approach after the throttle stuck. An F-15C pilot ejected after departing controlled flight and two Predators crashed. I totally expected...