The Mobility Forum The Mobility Forum

Most people who ride motorcycles realize the value of wearing a helmet to protect their gray matter—and their life. A significant number, however, apparently do not heed the expert advice and sobering statistics that exist to prevent catastrophic injury or death.

6,500 HOURS 171 ARW, Pittsburgh, PA Col James M. SwanikLt Col Timothy T. Waugaman 3,500 HOURS 171 ARW, Pittsburgh, PA Lt Col Deryck CastonguayMaj Robert…

The accelerometer shows nearly 3.5 positive Gs1 and 0.4 negative Gs. What happened?

Airman Legea Howard, 384th Air Refueling Squadron Boom Operator, performs preflight checks for the Black History Month diversity and inclusion flight at Fairchild Air Force Base, WA, Feb. 18, 2021. In addition to minority representation and diversity inclusion, the flight provided a chance for young boom-operator Airmen to obtain qualification training and improve mission readiness.

The holiday season provides a perfect time of year to take a knee. However, I recognize that as our mission never stops, many Mobility Warriors are either deployed or out getting the mission done this holiday season. To those away answering the call of duty, I offer heartfelt thanks to you and your families for continued sacrifices. For those able to be home this holiday season, I hope you take advantage of the time to reflect and rest while closing out a truly historic year.

As Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) sole numbered Air Force, the 18th Air Force ensures the readiness and sustainment of approximately 36,000 Active Duty, Reserve, and civilian Airmen. This readiness includes preparation for tomorrow’s fight, in which tactics are quickly evolving.

In today’s booming housing market across the United States, homebuyers often have only a day or sometimes only hours to decide on whether or not to make an offer and contract on their new home. Under normal housing market conditions, buyers would be afforded the opportunity to collect and analyze the data, make comparisons between other homes in the area, research the school districts for their kids, and put in a bid lower than the asking price with one or two more competitive buyers. Unfortunately, buyers are not afforded those opportunities in today’s market for various reasons, including tightened homebuilder inventories, commodity prices, and the Federal Reserve’s easy monetary policy. As a result, buyers will inevitably tend to make rushed decisions, leading to potentially overspending on their budget, settling with a less-than-desired home, and forgetting other vital considerations. Most of us do not make good decisions under time pressure, and the same type of situation can happen in the aviation world.

Do the stabilized approach criteria directed in the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Supplement to Air Force Manual 11-202, Volume 3, significantly influence go-around rates? Analysis shows that, although the approach counts may vary significantly by Aircraft Mission-Design Series, overall percentage rates for go-arounds per unstable approach are very similar for all USAF Mobility Air Forces (MAF) airplanes.

Sometimes it takes a tragedy for positive changes to occur. Mr. Kevin Sluss, Acting Division Chief of Flight Safety for Air Mobility Command, was an Air Force C-130 Navigator in 1989. He provided testimony to this concept as he described his experience surviving a Class A mishap that prompted a procedure change in an emergency situation for airdrop crews.

In August 2021, a passenger-manifest conflict occurred. An Airman, trying to get home, jumped on an available flight without the required paperwork. In this day and age, overlooking this regulation can result in serious risk to crews. This incident is a lesson in how to prevent a potentially dangerous situation because not everyone may be who they claim to be.

Anyone who has been to the Airlift/Tanker Association Convention in recent years knows that the annual Air Mobility Command (AMC) Phoenix Spark Tank is a major event. Each year, entries flood in for the highly competitive, command-wide innovation challenge for a chance to pitch creative ideas to a panel of judges. These ideas cover a variety of resourceful projects that save time and resources or prevent injuries.

Defined as any activity that draws a driver’s attention away from safely steering a vehicle, distracted driving is deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving caused more than 26,000 deaths between 2012 and 2019.