Combat Edge articles from May 2008

Combat Edge archives from May 2008

Accent on safety: three safety building blocks.(Leadership, Wingmanship, and Personal Responsibility )
May 1, 2008... The long and fun filled days of summer are here! As you prepare to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer daylight hours, you have a responsibility to ensure they are enjoyed safely and you act as a "Good Wingman." Since I've been...

Shocking fact: lightning strikes, fatalities peak during 101 Critical Days of Summer.
May 1, 2008... I was watching the news the other night and I saw a video of several kids playing in the rain. In the video, a lightning bolt hit the ground near the group, almost knocking them off their feet. "Wow! That was close," the anchor commented....

Boating safety.
May 1, 2008... With the onset of summer, more people will be out and about. One main activity during this season is boating. To make sure your boating experience is enjoyable and not cut short, I have a few helpful safety tips. Boating safety starts with...

Explosive safety roots.
May 1, 2008... From the very beginning of my career I have taken Explosive Safety very seriously. I started out like most Ammo Troops when I received the "don't blow yourself up" briefings and the infamous "jello-man" videos that our tech school instructor...

Life in the FAST lane--personally managing fatigue.(Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool)(Report)
May 1, 2008... High Ops Tempo? Is the high ops tempo wearing you down with excessive fatigue? If so, this article is for you! Maybe it's time for you to personally manage your fatigue in the FAST lane. Historically, 70-80 percent of mishaps occur due...

Mountain bike safety.
May 1, 2008... I have just recently gotten into the sport of mountain bike riding. It's a very adventurous activity but it's also a very dangerous and strenuous one. From shooting down a 50 foot drop with roots every 3 feet to climbing a 30 foot straight up...

"101 Critical Days of Summer" and "you".
May 1, 2008... The "101 Critical Days of Summer" campaign will start on 23 May 08. As most of you know, the summer months from Memorial Day through Labor Day present higher than normal risks for off-duty mishaps. It's a time when we also experience fatalities...

Extreme sports, where do you stand?
May 1, 2008... We all have our favorite sports. While many enjoy football, basketball, volleyball, or softball; others enjoy participating in extreme sports such as mountain biking, rock-climbing, skydiving, bungee-jumping, and martial arts. Extreme sports...

101 Critical Days of Summer.(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... It's that time of year again... yep... summertime! It's time to shake the cob webs off my soft-ball glove, get the dirt off the cleats, and get ready for some fun. To me, summer is the time to get out and do everything I couldn't do during...

What's new for the ACC motorcyclist?(Air Combat Command)
May 1, 2008... Keeping up with changes is probably the hardest thing to do. For years everything has been the same and then all of a sudden it seems all of these changes came out of nowhere or at least it seems that way. The recent changes in the Department...

I'm dead! A motorcyclist's story.(Personal account)
May 1, 2008... Good news and bad news. First the good news The weather was absolutely beautiful today so I pulled the bike out and went for a ride through the California mountains. I'm sorry but it was a last minute thing. I was cleaning the bike and...

Flight Line Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)
May 1, 2008... TSgt Bessert, TSgt Richardson, and SSgt Anderson, were notified by the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) that the high-pressure relief setting of a tire inflation kit had been changed from 220 psi to 395 psi. Breaking the...

Aircrew Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... SrA Ayers was the Sensor Operator (SO) in support of an MQ-1 training sortie concentrating on pilot takeoffs and landings. At approximately 100' AGL, on short final for landing, the Predator stopped responding to pilot control inputs. The...

Ground Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... While Airmen Heathe and Dadds were traveling down the main street of Tinker AFB, they spotted an electrical power pole throwing off a shower of sparks. As the Airmen cautiously approached the intersection, they witnessed the electrical pole...

Pilot Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)
May 1, 2008... Capt Hall began his takeoff roll for an F-117 Day Surface Attack Sortie, accelerated to a rotation speed of 170 knots, and began to pull back on the control stick for liftoff. At that moment, the cockpit rapidly filled with smoke and fuel mist,...

Unit Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The 373rd Training Squadron, Detachment 11, demonstrates unmatched attention to detail. Their safety program received an "excellent" rating from 55th Wing safety assessment. They briefed/taught 103 students in 49 classes safe-for-maintenance...

Ground Safety.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)
May 1, 2008... Award intentionally left blank because there were no submissions.

Crew Chief Safety.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- FEBRUARY)
May 1, 2008... Don't let achievements go unrecognized. Submit today!

Major Danielle Coleman.(A Chapter Ends)(Personal account)
May 1, 2008... It's hard to believe that the time has come for me to set aside my editor's pen as well as my uniform. When I took my oath of office 20 years ago, I never imagined the experiences and challenges that lay in front of me. I also never thought it...

Aircrew Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)
May 1, 2008... The pilot team of Chill 03 displayed outstanding decision making skills while handling a potentially disastrous ground emergency in a B-52. The sortie was a local training sortie consisting of simulated weapons activity in the Powder River...

Weapons Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... SrA Stan Franklin, a Standardization Load Crew (SLC) member, was evaluating a 58th AMU load crew downloading an inert AIM-120 missile. The aircraft was configured with 13,000 lbs of fuel and two training DATM-120 missiles. SrA Franklin was...

Pilot Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Major Ron Hedges displayed exceptional skill during a formation takeoff engine flameout situation. Major Hedges was on the flight lead's right wing during a formation takeoff. As the flight began to rotate, the left engine flamed out due to a...

Unit Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)
May 1, 2008... The 506 EOSS has demonstrated superior safety performance in supporting airfield operations at Kirkuk AB, Iraq. The EOSS recognized the need for and implemented the first front loader training program in the Iraq AOR. By utilizing DLI training,...

Crew Chief Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... SSgt Christian Leugers was performing a 600 hour iso-chronical inspection on a General Electrics (GE) F118-101 engine. While being newly assigned to this type of engine, his experience enabled him to train junior airmen from technical schools...

Ground Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)
May 1, 2008... Recently assigned to the Power Production section, TSgt Robertson determined during his unit self-assessment that his unit safety program was not in compliance with standards, policies, and regulations. Consequently, TSgt Robertson spent...

Flight Line Safety Award of Distinction.(MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS -- MARCH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... While SrA Andrew A. Avery was serving as the Balad Air Base tower controller, he averted a potentially disastrous nighttime midair collision at the approach-end of Runway 30. The situation arose when a C-130 was cleared for a midfield takeoff...

Flight Safety Award of the Quarter.(QUARTERLY AWARD WINNERS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... MSgt Hurt coordinated the efforts of 20 SEF officers and six NCOs in the most diverse flying wing in the USAF. He conducted 15 spot inspections and two annual flight safety inspections where four key discrepancies were discovered and resolved....

Weapons Safety Award of the Quarter.(QUARTERLY AWARD WINNERS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... While deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, MSgt Seaman recognized that excessive quantities of munitions were stored on trailers improperly located around the fighter ramp. Over a month's worth of ordnance was scattered around the flight line;...

Ground Safety Award of the Quarter.(QUARTERLY AWARD WINNERS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... MSgt Chandler displayed outstanding dedication to safety in protecting aircraft against large animal strikes. He was assigned as the POC to improve airfield fencing against animals endangering flying operations. In this capacity, he inspected...

ACC Safety salutes superior performance.(QUARTERLY AWARD WINNERS)(Air Combat Command)(List)
May 1, 2008... EIGHTH AIR FORCE Capt David J. Sproehnle 20th Bomb Squadron 2nd Bomb Wing Barksdale AFB, La. Maj Doug Gosney Capt Aaron Finke 1Lt David Davis Maj Mark Reineke Capt Josh Holmes Capt James Miller ...

Mishap statistics scoreboard.(Air Combat Command)
May 1, 2008... Aircraft Notes Unfortunately, the last 2 months have been busy for ACC. In February, a B-2A bomber was destroyed following successful ejections by the crew; two F-15Cs were destroyed following a midair collision with only one pilot...

Fleagle.(Comic)(Cartoon)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Congratulations to the following 2007 Air Combat Command winners!!(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... UNITED STATES AIR FORCE: CHIEF OF SAFETY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR GROUND SAFETY Category IV 33rd Fighter Wing Eglin AFB, Fla. CHIEF OF SAFETY MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Capt Trisha Douglas 99th Aerospace...