The Mobility Forum Posts

Have you ever stopped and wondered about the reasoning behind some of our procedures? Going through initial qualification training as a new student, our mentality is like a Nike commercial: “Just Do It.” We read the procedures, our instructor demonstrates how to perform those procedures, and we spend hours in training devices learning those procedures through memorization and repetition.

In the spring of 2022, a nationwide baby formula shortage impacted millions of American families. In response, the Biden Administration initiated “Operation Fly Formula,” in which the U.S. Air Force transported large quantities of baby formula to the United States from overseas.

Making the go/no-go decision to continue a takeoff or reject it is not new. With the advent of jet engine technology for transport aircraft in the 1950s, more crews were faced with the decision to either continue or reject a takeoff more often than in previous aircraft types. Crews continue to face the same go/ no-go decision points; however, with the reliability of aircraft, it is not often that crews reject a takeoff, especially in the latter part of the takeoff where the decision is most crucial. Although crews routinely train for these scenarios, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of making the decision and rapidly transitioning the aircraft to stop.

America’s strength is not only in its ability to protect its own people but also in its ability to preserve global peace. Since the 1960s, the U.S. Air Force and Air Mobility Command (AMC) have upheld this ideal, supporting United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations in some of the most beleaguered parts of the world and assisting military personnel and civilians alike. Across the history of peacekeeping operations in which the Air Force has participated, three major ones stand out: the Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Haiti, and Darfur in western Sudan.

On May 5–6, 2022, Airmen from the 22d Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, KS, completed one of Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) longest duration refueling flights in history: a 24.2-hour flight on one of the Air Force’s newest tankers—the KC-46 Pegasus. The flight, which spanned more than 9,000 miles (along both U.S. coasts), demonstrated the impressive capabilities of the mighty aircraft.

SSgt Shanelle Newman, the first African American female Grey Beret and now a Combat Weather Parachutist, was hesitant to go airborne during the early part of her Air Force career. That hesitancy quickly subsided once she learned of Operation Christmas Drop. Getting to “play Santa” would quickly become an incredibly rewarding experience.

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, which means one thing: summer is over. We now look forward to shorter days, a drop in temperature, and a new season of adventures.

AMC FY22 Mishap Statistics Scoreboard

The chilly mountain air in late October contrasted starkly to the warm spirit of camaraderie felt at the 54th Airlift/Tanker Association (A/TA) Air Mobility Symposium & Technology Exposition. This year’s convention took place at the renowned Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, on October 27-30, 2022.

Spider-Man has his SpiderSense—or Peter-Tingle if you are a fan of his most recent films— and Batman has years of ninja training under his utility belt to help keep him out of danger. Airmen live in the real world but still have access to aviation software that, to a nonpilot, sounds like something Tony Stark would use in one of his Iron Man suits.

Col Matthew “Trap” Crowell, Chief of Aviation Safety at the Air Force Safety Center, has learned the importance of effective communication during his years in the Air Force and believes it starts with relationship building.

The holidays are a time of joy and togetherness. In truth, however, they can also be a time of stress. We try to juggle so much— work, getting together with family and friends, perhaps buying that perfect gift for each special person. Something has to give, and usually, it is our physical or emotional health—or both.