NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/soc/veterans/1424

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-22 | 13.8 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!gateway
From: [e-mail] (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: AF News Svc 12/21/92
Date: 22 Dec 1992 07:59:50 -0600
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957.  KC-135 record
958.  B-2 wing test
959.  OTS selections
960.  Officer assignments
961.  Testing compromise
962.  Social action vacancies
963.  Gulf War credit
964.  Thunderbird openings
965.  Alaskan Command award
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957.  KC-135 record
     MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. (AFNS) -- An Air Mobility Command KC-135 set a new
record with a non-stop, non-refueled flight Dec. 19 from Kadena AB, Japan, to
McGuire in 17-hours, 31 minutes.
    The KC-135R is from the 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, Okla.  The
flight was in conjunction with a regularly scheduled Pacific Tanker Task Force
redeployment mission and set the record for aircraft in the gross weight
category of 220,460 to 330,690 pounds.
     The flight was sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale,
an international organization based in Paris.  The National Aeronautic
Association, the U.S. representative organization of the FAI, had a
representative aboard the aircraft to confirm the record.
     To span the more than 8,700 nautical miles from Kadena to McGuire, the
aircraft departed with its maximum gross weight of 322,500 pounds -- 195,000
pounds of fuel, 5,000 pounds of mission-essential cargo and the flight crew.
     The Altus crewmembers are:
     Capt. Jeff Kennedy, mission commander/instructor pilot.
     Capt. Robert Kilgore, aircraft commander.
     1st Lt. John Isakson, pilot.
     Capt. Mark Hostetter, instructor navigator.
     2nd Lt. Robert Fischer, navigator.
     MSgt. Temur Ablay, instructor boom operator.
     SMSgt. Daniel Deloy, instructor boom operator.
     Sgt. Steven Rowland, crew chief.
     SrA. Andrew Haynes, crew chief.
     A1C Jason Houk, crew chief.
     The Boeing KC-135R model aircraft used to set the record is the most
recently modified of the KC-135s that first went into service in the 1950s.
     The KC-135R receives its thrust from four F108 engines, produced by CFM
International, a joint company of General Electric and SNECMA.  The quieter,
more fuel-efficient engines use as much as 27 percent less fuel than the
KC-135A models and allow the aircraft to take off with more fuel and carry it
farther, which the Altus crew demonstrated with their record-setting flight.
(Courtesy of AMC News Service)


958.  B-2 wing test
     PALMDALE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Engineers purposely cracked the wing of a B-2
stealth bomber during stress tests Dec. 18.
     Full-scale structural testing resulted in the bomber's wing breaking
under 1.6 times the maximum stress it is expected to experience during actual
flight operations.
     Engineers intentionally stressed the airframe to failure in an attempt to
determine the maximum load the bomber could sustain.  The data will be used by
B-2 designers as the aircraft ages in its various roles and missions.
     Two of the bombers have undergone intensive three-year battery of ground
tests to assess the aircrafts structural strength.
     The testing was conducted at the Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale.


959.  OTS selections
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFNS) -- Eight-five people were selected to attend
Officer Training Squadron by OTS selection board 93-03 which met Oct. 19.
     The Air Force also released a revised schedule of the next three OTS
Selection Boards.
     The boards will consider applications to fill technical and non-technical
slots.  Boards 94-01 and 94-02 will also consider applications for the pilot
program.  None of the boards will consider applications for the navigator
program.
     Selection Board 94-01 is scheduled for Feb. 22.  The application cutoff
date is Jan. 15.  Release is tentatively set for early April.
     Selection Board 94-02 is scheduled for June 14.  Applications will be
accepted through May 7, and release is tentatively set for late-July.
     Selection Board 94-03 is slated to convene Oct. 4.  Applications must be
in by Sept. 3, and release is tentatively set for mid-November.


960.  Officer assignments
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFNS) -- The officer voluntary assignment system has
finished its first full year of operation, and people are giving the new
system high marks.
     Since the system started in April 1991 for operations officers and in
August 1991 for support officers, more than 17,000 assignments have been made.
 Of those, about 8,000 were rated officers assignments, some 2,000 were for
non-rated operations officers, and the remaining 7,000 were for support
officers.
     Informal surveys indicate more than 95 percent of those recently
reassigned were satisfied to highly satisfied with their new jobs.  In
addition, up to 93 percent feel their assignments were the right career moves
for their professional development.
     Personnel officials say the new system is receiving its strongest praise
for the increased visibility of job openings.
     Nearly all officer vacancies are advertised on an electronic bulletin
board and are accessible worldwide, said Col. Norman F. Rathje, director of
assignments at the Air Force Military Personnel Center.
     Development of user-friendly software has increased officers' use of the
electronic bulletin board.  The bulletin board is accessible to anyone with an
MS-DOS computer and Daedalus software, Rathje said.  In addition, updates are
sent weekly to base military personnel flights.
     Other improvements also have enhanced the quality of the voluntary
assignment system.  One example is a voice mail system that helps people in
the field reach their assignment officers.  The voice mail telephone numbers
are DSN 487-2940, commercial [phone].  The numbers are also listed on
the electronic bulletin board.
     Another improvement is AFMPC's officer voluntary assignment guide printed
earlier this year to help people understand their role in the assignment
process.  "In an effort to ensure the guide is getting out to all officers, we
are including it as a separate file in future electronic bulletin board
updates," Rathje said.  Units and individuals will be able to print and copy
this file for their use.  In addition, military personnel flights have copies
of the guide.
     The reason the officer voluntary assignment system works is grounded in
its philosophy.  "We use the 'best match' criteria, as outlined in the officer
voluntary assignment guide, to fill a vacancy," Rathje said.
     The system works best when people actively participate in the assignment
process, he said.  "Assignment officers at AFMPC are continuing their role of
providing professional development counseling, but the individual Air Force
officer, along with his or her commander, has taken on increased
responsibility for professional development decisions."
     The system still has some problems.  One involves hard-to-fill critical
positions.  Vacant positions can account for up to 1 percent of the total
positions available.  In some cases personnel officials are able to offer
incentives, such as a guaranteed follow-on assignment.  "As a last resort, we
involuntarily assign officers with more than 15 years of service to critical
billets," Rathje said.
     Assignment officers are always looking at new ways to advertise jobs.
"We're always looking for ideas to make the system better," Rathje said.  "We
welcome suggestions."


961.  Testing compromise
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force members should be familiar with
the infractions that can lead to compromising a Weighted Airmen Promotion
System test, testing officials at the Air Force Military Personnel Center
said.
     The following infractions, though not all inclusive, are the most
frequently observed:
     -- Study guides.  Developing and using local study or training guides
which focus on preparing for selection or promotion tests, or which use
testable materials such as Air Force Pamphlet 50-34 as reference material, are
prohibited.  Individuals may use commercial study guides, but their use is not
recommended or supported by Air Force officials.  Air Force funds cannot be
used to purchase commercial study guides.
     -- Group study.  Air Force members may not engage in group study for the
purpose of improving test scores or to aid in studying for a test.  Group
study includes discussing or sharing, in any form, information about actual
test material or marked or highlighted testable material.
     -- Training.  Training, either official or unofficial, formal or
informal, concentrating on "teaching the test" or emphasizing information
known or believed to be on a specific Air Force test is prohibited.  Training
may not focus on preparing for tests, or use testable material such as AFP
50-34 as reference material; however, training programs for end-of-course
tests are authorized.  Training which teaches general test-taking skills is
also permitted.
     -- Question lists.  Developing and using lists of questions and answers,
except those prepared and used exclusively by an individual, are prohibited.
     Air Force promotion tests are designed to measure an individual's
knowledge and ability in a given area.  The individual's effort and initiative
are significant factors measured by the test.  Compromises lessen the
effectiveness of tests as measurement tools and must be prevented, officials
said.
     Promotion and testing sections of local military personnel offices have
more information.


962.  Social action vacancies
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force needs officers and NCOs to
cross train into the social actions career field.  There are about 14 officer
positions available, and eight more are projected to open by March 1993.
     Follow-on assignment options, as well as cross-flow and other officer
professional development opportunities, can be discussed with officers
interested in a social actions career broadening tour, Air Force Military
Personnel Center officials said.
     Accessions, banked pilots and combat aircrew officers are eligible to
volunteer.
     There are also several retraining quotas available for enlisted people.
     For the 734X0A career field, equal opportunity-human relations,
retraining opportunities have been expanded to include people currently in
balanced career fields.  Needed are 18 staff sergeants, 10 technical sergeants
and five master sergeants.
     For the 734X0B career field, substance abuse, the standard retraining
ground rules apply, meaning people in overage or surplus AFSCs are eligible.
Needed are 18 staff sergeants, four technical sergeants and three master
sergeants in this AFSC.
     A base of choice assignment to any location where there is a social
actions vacancy is being offered as an added initiative to enhance enlisted
retraining.
     More information is available at local personnel offices.


963.  Gulf War credit
     RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFMPC) -- People who served in the Persian Gulf
after Aug. 2, 1990, are entitled to Persian Gulf War service credit, personnel
officials said.
     The area involved includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United
Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the air
space and adjacent waters of these countries.  Crewmembers at Diego Garcia
should also be credited with service.
     Air Force members should contact personnel offices to ensure the
personnel data system properly reflects their area of responsibility service
credit.


964.  Thunderbird openings
     NELLIS AFB, Nev. (AFNS) -- The Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team is
accepting applications the team commander and two pilots.
     The openings are for the 1994-1995 seasons.
     Application procedures are outlined in Air Force Regulation 36-20.
Applications will be accepted through March 1.
     More information is available by calling the Thunderbirds at DSN
682-9581.


965.  Alaskan Command award
     CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AFNS) -- The Alaskan Command's command tactical
information system was awarded the Department of Defense Gold Nugget Award at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
     Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, commander of the Alaskan Command, accepted
the award, presented by Paul Strassmann, DoD's director of defense
information.
     The Gold Nugget Award program was established in 1991 to recognize
excellence, innovation and creativity in information management.
     CTIS minimizes reliance on any one specific component, making it an
extremely reliable system in a war-time environment.  Commanders find it easy
to use and easily adaptable to local information requirements.
     In day-to-day uses, CTIS provides commanders and decision makers at all
levels with important information such as the number of people available for
duty, aircraft available for flights, and locations and quantities of vital
spare parts.
     It can also provide weather information, airfield conditions, and a
graphical display of battlefield activities as they occur.  Simulated data can
be fed into the system for exercises, providing users with a wide variety of
training situations.
     "I am extremely proud of our command, control, communication, computers
and information people," Ralston said.  "They have taken an innovative idea,
and for minimal expense, provided a simple-to-use system that is readily
adaptable to a variety of applications."
     CTIS was designed by Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force computer experts
using existing commercial and some locally programmed software.
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