Combat Edge articles from November 2001

Combat Edge archives from November 2001

Driving Home Your Safety Message. (Accent on Safety).(United States Air Force, Air Combat Command)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... ACC just recently chalked-up another "off duty" ground mishap fatality. ACO's leading causes of accidents and death continues to be "drinking and driving, failure to wear seat belts, excessive speed for conditions, and violation of our traffic...

"Two! The Fire's Still Burning": My biggest fear at the time was that either the fire would spread forward towards us or that the jet would simply explode.
November 1, 2001... In April, I was truly worried for the first time in almost 1,800 hours of F-15E time. The planned mission was an F-15E formal training unit, night surface attack tactics syllabus sortie with student pilot. Takeoff, en route, and letdown to...

Emergency Landing: Lajes Field runway supports emergency landing.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... LAJES FIELD, Azores -- The pilot of a civilian Airbus A330 declared an in-flight emergency due to diminished fuel levels and engine problems and diverted to Lajes Field, landing on the runway without power. The unlit aircraft approached...

Midair: How to Avoid a Collision: Collision avoidance is one of the most basic responsibilities of a pilot.(includes related article on speed and distance)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... See and avoid is one of the most basic responsibilities of a pilot operating an aircraft. Most midair collisions occur in daylight and in visual flight rule conditions between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekends during the warmer months. Most...

Still Means "Tally Ho" or "Watch Out for the Other Guy" in the VFR Pattern.(Visual Flight Rules)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... There I was, several years ago, returning from a surface attack range ride on a clear sunny day. I was number three in a four-ship of A-10 mighty hogs (subsonic all weather day/night ground attack aircraft). We had all dropped nine BDU-33...

Ac-130H.(aircraft)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
November 1, 2001... The AC-130 gunship's primary missions are close air support, air interdiction, and force protection. Missions in close air support are troops in contact, convoy escort, and urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against...

Monthly Award Winners.(military air pilots)
November 1, 2001... Pilot Safety Award of Distinction On June 5,2001, Capt. John Foncannon was operating as number two bandit in an F-15 2-verses-2 air combat training mission. Foncannon heard a "bang" noise that he thought was an afterburner blowout. He...

101 Winter Sports.(skiing and snowboarding safety)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... It was February with cobalt skies, snappy air, and a fresh blanket of snow. My friends and I had hiked high above the last lift at Aspen Highlands in search of an untouched powder cache, and we found it. Dropping off a cornice and into the...

Let's Go Hunting!(hunting safety measures)(includes related article on firearms safety)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Whether you've hunted for years or this is your first time, each hunting adventure always brings a "new experience!" It can be good or bad depending on the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW. WHO you hunt with is important as far as their...

Combat Comm!: Minimize Deployed Risk.
November 1, 2001... There's a lot of risk when more than 20 tons of truck, load and equipment head down the highway. These vehicles don't stop quickly, nor easily. It's the responsibility of the group's vehicle operations and maintenance branch to make sure that...

Flight Notes. (Mishap Statistics).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Although final numbers are still being crunched, Air Force and ACC Class A flight mishaps and mishap rates will prove only slightly less favorable then in FY00 - relatively low numbers by 'historical standards, as FY00 was our best year ever....

Ground Notes. (Mishap Statistics).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... ACC tied for the best year for Class A mishaps at 16. ACC's worst year was FY93 with 42 Class A mishaps. Lack of personnel protective equipment (seat belts/helmets) was a factor in 7 of the 12 Class A motor vehicle mishaps. ACC's...

Weapons Notes. (Mishap Statistics).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Great News! FY01 had the lowest mishap rates for the command in recent history. Mishap rates were actually reduced by an amazing 54 percent from previous reporting record. For FY00 there were a total of 53 events. For FY01 we accumulated...