F-15s Crash off Florida coast, 20 Feb 08

It was incredibly sad to hear that a couple F-15s had crashed off the Florida coast last week. First this and then the B-2 crash. In the case of the Eglin birds, one of the pilots was killed. The follow article from the Pensacola News Journal gives a could summary of what happened.

To read more about this, click on the link below.

Summary

B-2 crash in Guam, 23 Feb 08

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A B-2 stealth bomber crashed Saturday shortly after taking off from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam.

The crash was the first for a B-2, said Capt. Sheila Johnston, a spokeswoman for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

Both pilots ejected safely. There were no injuries on the ground or damage to buildings, and no munitions were on board.

The aircraft was one of four leaving Guam after a four-month deployment as part of a continuous American bomber presence in the western Pacific.

After the crash, which happened at 10:30 a.m., the three other bombers were being kept on Guam, said Maj. Eric Hilliard at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii. One B-2 that had taken off safely was called back.

The Air Force did not identify the pilots but said one was medically evaluated and released and the other was in stable condition at Guam Naval Hospital.

A board of officers will investigate the cause of the crash.

Each B-2 bomber costs about $1.2 billion. All are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but the Air Force has been rotating several through Guam since 2004, along with B-1 and B-52 bombers.

The rotations are designed to support American security in the Asia-Pacific region while other military forces are diverted to the Middle East.

Source:
The New York Times

Finally back in training

I am finally back in training in the tower. I attempted to work flight data and ground combined but it pretty much kicked my butt. I ended up training in Ground control for about 2 hours. It is interesting having been out of the ATC world for about 2 years now, how difficult it is to start working again. It is hard to listen to the different things going on. I am sure that with a bit of time it will start to grow again.

Rated in Holloman Tower, at last!

On monday, 11 Feb, I finally got my first rating in the Holloman Tower. It was only Flight Data, but at least it was a rating. The best part is that I will be able to go up when ever I want and do some real work and not just sit at my desk. For the next two weeks I will be in Utah and Las Vegas so I won't be able to start in Ground Control for a while.

Air Force Benefits

I absolutly love the Air Force and everything it has to offer!! Like every job and career this one has its pros and cons. Many people look only at the cons and the bad day they are having, I like to look at the good side as well. The following link lists and explains many of the incredible benefits that the Air Force has to offer.

Air Force Benefit Fact Sheet

I have already talked about some of the educational benefits in a previous post. One of the other great ones is the military leave program. From the begining the Air Force gives you 30 days of leave per year. Broken down it comes out to 2.5 days of leave per month. That is amazing. Most jobs start you off with 1-2 weeks of leave and maybe a few days of sick leave. In the Air Force the 30 days of leave are days off, not including when you are sick, on maternity leave etc. I was sick a couple of weeks ago and ended up having to take about 6 days off from work. This did not cut into my accrued leave, they were just days given to me that allowed me to recuperate so I could get back to work and do my job effectively.

Looking over the list of 33 benefits I failed to see some that I used to get when I was enlisted as a controller. I don't see foreign language pay, which pays you for being fluent in a foreign language. I also don't see reenlistment bonuses (which are tax free if you reenlist while deployed). I also don't see the extra pay that Watch Supervisors in ATC get as an incentive to stay in the Air Force instead of getting out to work with the FAA.

Bosses

What kind of bosses do you have? I have had good ones and bad ones. One of the best leaders I have had is currently the DO in my squadron. She knows her stuff, she is a hard worker, she holds the bar high so that we can reach our potential, and she recoginzes when you are doing a good job. My boss right now is more focused on how he looks and what will make him and his career look good. While I am interested in doing a good job, I am not focused on pleasing others or making myself look great at the expense of others. I work hard and help my troops.

I have just bought a book by Jon Huntsman called Winners never Cheat. He is one of the best leaders I know of and he got where he is without compromising himself or stepping on others. As I read the book I will quote things that I find interesting.

F-117

What a plane this is! It has been an honor to be able to work with such a unique plane. No other base other than Holloman has the F-117. I loved working with F-15Es while controlling at Seymour Johnson AFB and I really thought that I would never like antoher airframe as much as I liked the strike eagle. I grown to be amazed at the capabilities that this stealth aircraft is able to do. It is able to do some very cool things. With the F-117 retiring and the F-22 coming to Holloman it will be a huge change in how things are done. We won't be a unique base anymore. We will just be another base that also has the F-22 (as cool as they are!)

Air Force Educational Benefits

I was talking to my younger brother today. He has been contemplating enlisting in the Air National Guard and I was giving him some advise regarding the benefits of the military. I think that the number one benefit that I have used has been the educational benefits. The two big ones are the Montgomery GI Bill (BGIB) and the free tuition assistance while you are active.

When I enlisted I signed up for the MGIB not knowing much about it. For those of you that don't know much about it, keep on reading. For the first 12 months in the Air Force $100 is deducted from your pay check for total of $1200 . This $1200 covnerts into $36,000 that can be used for tuition, books, living expenses, etc while going to school. This is HUGE! I won't even start using it until I retire fromt he Air Force due to the free tuition assistance (TA) that the military offers.

TA is great. TA pays for one degree at each level, to include 1 associates, 1 bachelors degree and 1 masters degree. It does not pay for a doctorate or medical school. So far it has paid for my BAS and it is currently paying for my MBA. Completly free, up to $4500 per year. There are some things that military members can use as excuses, but education is not one of them.

Promotion Ceremony

Today was a great day. I was able to work in the control tower for a couple of hours. I am still in training so I was being monitored to ensure I woudn't make any heinous errors. Latter on I went to a promotion ceremony to watch one of my troops as she put on her new rank. I am not one for pomp and ceremony when it comes to myself, but I know how much it means to other people. I get giddy watching how happy my troops are when they find out that make a new rank or when they put it on.

I remember when I put on SSgt. It was one of the first promotions in which I really felt like I had progressed. The ones prior were just given to me because I had been in the Air Force for a certain period of time. I only have two more weeks to wait before I get to put on 1 LT!!! What I am really excited about here is the pay; I still will just be a LT. By boss wants me to have a promotion party or at least a recognition ceremony; I will be rather angry if he forces me to.

First Blog

This is the first blog that I have done. I am currently assigned to Holloman AFB in NM and working as an airfield officer. This is the best job ever! Not only do I get to work in air traffic control like I did when I was enlisted, I also get to work on an airfield. It is the most complex airfield within ACC with three runways.

The airframes at Holloman are great too. We are the only base in the world that has the F-117. We also have a German tenant unit that flies Tornados. There are also a few T-38s on the ramp. Within the next year we will be getting the new F-22 Raptor which I think will be fun.