AF officials announce civilian reduction in force

By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, / Published January 06, 2016 

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In a continuing effort to meet Defense Department funding targets and rebalance the civilian workforce, some Air Force installations will implement civilian reduction in force authorities effective through April 4.

Following a major command needs assessment in early August, more than 1,000 civilian overages were identified across 48 Air Force installations going into fiscal year 2016. Having the RIF authorities will assist in the placement of employees not assigned against funded positions and allow greater flexibilities for employees to be placed at their installations while retaining their grade or pay.

“Voluntary efforts to balance the civilian workforce since fiscal year 2014 have moved us significantly closer to our target manning levels,” said Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services. “We have reduced the number of affected employees through several rounds of voluntary separation and retirement programs as well as reassignments to vacant positions.”

Overage positions have been reduced through pre-RIF placements, hiring controls and several rounds of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay in fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The Air Force no longer has the ability to carry overages when the position is not funded and will use RIF authorities to help place most of the remaining civilians on funded positions.

The RIF authority allows each location to use additional placement options such as: change to lower grade, retain pay/retain grade protections, and waiver of qualifications to place additional affected employees. The remaining employees will be offered registration in the DOD Priority Placement Program and receive consideration for future vacancies according to their registration.

“Although we have made great strides, we still have a number of affected employees to place into funded vacancies, and RIF authorities will enable us to achieve that goal,” said Debra Warner, the director of civilian force management policy. “The Air Force recognizes and strives to balance the invaluable contributions of our civilian workforce with the fiscal realities under which the DOD and the government as a whole are operating.”

The processes available use RIF procedures to determine employee placement rights into vacancies as well as provide the flexibility to waive qualifications to create more placement options.

“We will take care of our civilian Airmen by using every possible measure to minimize personal financial hardship for our civilian workforce and their families,” Grosso said. “We are committed to assisting each individual through this transition.”

The fiscal 2016 civilian RIF implementation is separate from sequestration actions.

Deployed loadmasters fix problems ‘on the fly’

By Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing / Published January 06, 2016 

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- A weasel is characterized by its tenacity, persistence and keen senses. It is an animal also known for its ability to react quickly in any given situation. An airlift squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, shares these characteristics.

Airmen of the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron encompass the characteristics of their mascot, and the loadmasters who work there are key to the mission’s “can do” and “ready to go” attitude.

“We’re the lifeline connecting all the different bases and forward operating bases together,” said Lt. Col. Daryl Smith, the 774th EAS commander. “Our loadmasters are really the business end of the C-130 (Hercules). We never stop and we always have airplanes moving around.”

In what can often become 12-16 hour days, a loadmaster’s job doesn’t end as soon as an aircraft is loaded.

“We are responsible for everything besides physically flying the plane,” said Tech. Sgt. John Beal, a 774th EAS loadmaster. “Most of our work is done on the ground, loading and verifying cargo by making sure any kind of weight limits, hazardous material limits or compatibility limits are met.”

While in the air, loadmasters also act as additional sets of eyes for the pilot, watching for malfunction indicators, balancing fuel levels and even scanning for threats on the ground.

“We are able to get troops and their gear, cargo or supplies to the hard to reach locations that no other cargo plane can,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Demik, a 744th EAS loadmaster. “Stateside, a loadmaster’s work mostly consists of training. Out here we are able to apply our training into real world flights.”

While other airframes, such as the C-17 Globemaster III may have more cargo space, the C-130J utilized by the airlift squadron here is the perfect fit for the mission.

“I consider the C-130 the pickup truck of the Air Force,” Smith said. “A C-17 is better for oversized cargo, but they require a much bigger footprint.”

Using its aft loading ramp and door, the C-130 can accommodate a wide variety cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel. In an aerial delivery role, it can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds or use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on rough, dirt strips.

Additionally, the C-130 can be rapidly reconfigured for the various types of cargo such as palletized equipment, floor-loaded material, airdrop platforms, container delivery system bundles, vehicles and personnel, or aeromedical evacuation.

“In any kind of operation it feels kind of like we’re the shock absorbers,” Smith said. “If something gets to the plane late we have to make sure it still gets to where it needs to be at the right time. Sometimes it comes to us to fix problems at that moment.”

That problem can even be how to get service members out of trouble.

“The thing I love most about being a loadmaster is pulling troops out of hostile locations,” said Staff Sgt. Justin King, a 744th EAS loadmaster. “There is nothing better than knowing we are the ‘freedom bird’ for them.”

Fixing problems on the fly is just one more area of expertise of 744th EAS Airmen.

“There are really two reasons I love being a loadmaster,” Demik said. “One is being part of a crew and the camaraderie that comes with accomplishing things as a team. Second, is the fact that we are able deliver critical items and supplies to people in need. It is very satisfying to be a part team that together, can accomplish anything.”

Dancing with a dragon: A pilot’s tale

By Staff Sgt. Kentavist P. Brackin, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published January 05, 2016

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Gliding more than 13 miles above the Earth’s surface, the U-2S reconnaissance aircraft, also nicknamed Dragon Lady, flies unnoticed and silent to all but a select few.

The U-2S is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude, reconnaissance, and surveillance aircraft capable of providing signals, imagery, electronic measurements, and signature intelligence to U.S. and coalition forces.

Despite the variety of manned and unmanned aircraft that have been proposed to take over the U-2S ISR role in the 60 years since its activation, it still remains a primary reconnaissance aircraft for the Air Force because of the men and women at the controls.

The preflight preparations for a U-2S pilot starts the night before with dinner and a good night’s rest.

“You don’t want go out and try something for the first time the night before a 10-hour sortie and not know how your body will react to it,” said Capt. Jacob, a 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron U-2S pilot. “I usually wake up an hour before I have to be at the squadron to get a good a breakfast with lots of protein to fill up my stomach.”

Once at the squadron, pilots begin the process of suiting up before stepping out to fly what is known as the most difficult aircraft to land in the Air Force.

“Some days you’ll go up and she’ll be perfectly well-behaved and she’ll be just like dancing with a lady,” Jacob said. “It’s going to be smooth and everything just goes great and it’s the best flight of your life, but then there are those days when (she’s) not a lady, she is a dragon, and you’re just trying to hold on while she tries to kill you.

“A lot of it has to do with visibility,” he said.

Normally, when a pilot lands an aircraft they have what’s referred to as a “ground rush” in their peripheral vision. As they’re flying along, the ground and runway comes into their peripheral vision, signaling when they should prepare to land.

For U-2S pilots, their peripheral vision is severely limited by the full-pressure suit helmets worn during their flights. The helmet’s vision impairment is similar to a diving mask, not allowing for spotting objects to the left, right, up or down -- only straight ahead.

“You can tell you’re on the runway, but you can’t tell how high off the runway you are and that’s where the mobile comes in,” Jacob said.

Mobile chase car drivers act as a second pair of eyes and ears for U-2 pilots during their launch and landings, making up for the pilot’s limited movement and vision. Once an aircraft nears the runway, chase cars speed off in pursuit close behind it, radioing adjustments to pilot until they are inches from the ground.

“Ultimately, what we’re doing is helping the pilot land safely, which protects not only them, but the assets as well,” said Capt. Stephen, a 99th ERS operations officer and U-2S pilot. “It’s a big balance of observing what the pilot is doing and providing real-time corrections so they can land as well as they possibly can and as safe as they possibly can.”

Upon landing, pilots attempt to balance the aircraft’s 105-foot wingspan while slowing it down to a halt.

It can be difficult because the aircraft’s landing gear set is similar to a bicycle’s, with no support for its long wings, while most planes have three sets of landing gear, according to Jacob.

At any one time there are hundreds of people supporting U-2S operations, from the maintainers on the ground to the intelligence personnel who analyze the information, which is gathered and disseminated by U-2S pilots during combat sorties, Stephen said.

U-2S pilots also clarified what is the most difficult challenge they face when piloting the aircraft.

“Most people think landing the U-2 is the hardest part,” Jacob said. “It might physically be the hardest part, but the hardest part overall is really being mentally ready to fly it.”

The average length of a U-2S pilot’s combat sortie is approximately 10 hours, thousands of feet above the Earth, and with pilots unable to move more than an inch up or down in their seat, without hitting their head on the canopy.

The uncomfortable solo flights are something potential U-2S pilots must mentally be ready to encounter, Jacob said.

“You really have to ask yourself if you’re comfortable being uncomfortable,” he said. “My advice for anyone considering becoming a U-2 pilot would be to apply and do the interview, or put yourself in a chair, stick that chair in a broom closet and turn off the lights and sit there for a couple hours. If you’re still happy, then apply.”

Despite flying solo for up to 10 hours and attempting to land, tired and hungry with limited visibility, Jacob and other pilots of the 99th ERS said they wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.

“I’ve got the coolest job in the Air Force. Other people may say they have coolest job, but those people are lying,” Jacob said. “The days I’m flying, I’m the highest person on Earth other than the International Space Station, and I can see the curvature of the Earth. The days I’m not, I get to drive a chase car down the runway with no speed limit. Who has a better job than that?”