The Mobility Forum Stories

Neuroscience research shows that just acknowledging stress can help the body process it more consciously and less reactively.

Combating Chronic Stress: The Power of Physical and Mental Rest

By MRS. LAUREN FOSNOT, STAFF WRITER

As Mobility Airmen, stress is often a part of the job. Acute stress, or stress that lasts a short time (i.e., minutes to hours), can be beneficial because it can improve one’s performance when challenges lie ahead.

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A Mountain lion walking on a trail.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

By MRS. LAUREN FOSNOT, STAFF WRITER

Hiking can mean different things to different people. For some, hiking means leisurely strolling in the great outdoors; for others, it is a steep, uphill trek that gets the heart pumping. Regardless of intensity, many people would agree that hiking is the perfect escape to clear and calm the mind.

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Example of distributed electric propulsion in an exhibit at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s D60 Symposium. The Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle created by Aurora Flight Sciences and partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell. Photo by Daderot

Distributed Electric Propulsion and What It Means for Safety

By MS. TIFFANY L. TOLBERT, STAFF WRITER

Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) systems are based on the idea that closely integrating an aircraft’s propulsion system with its airframe and spacing multiple motors across the wing will increase efficiency, lower operating costs, and reduce carbon dioxide and other common greenhouse gas emissions.

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Behavior-Based Safety: The Power of Care

By MS. MICHELLE PIEHL, STAFF WRITER

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,486 fatal work injuries, or 3.7 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, were reported in the United States in 2022, representing a 5.7 percent increase year over year. The Air Force Times reports seventy-five noncombat U.S. Air Force mishaps occurred in fiscal year 2023, representing an approximate 12 percent increase year over year.

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Fight or Flight graphic.

The Art of the Reflex: Training, Resilience, and Survival

By MS. TIFFANY L. TOLBERT, STAFF WRITER

A human reflex is defined as an automatic response to stimulus that does not require conscious thought. A superhuman reflex can be referred to as an automatic reaction to danger with great speed or heightened abilities. Superhuman reflexes encompass enhanced reactions, enhanced reaction times, and enhanced preparedness. All of these are characteristic of Airmen. When Airmen are involved in or witness an emergency (e.g., hearing an explosion or watching a life-threatening situation unfold), their human and superhuman reflexes kick in. They start running toward the scene, rather than away, displaying courage, and executing solutions.

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A woman in a yoga pose.

How to Train Yourself to Stop Overtraining

By MR. JOSEPH FONTANAZZA, STAFF WRITER

Anyone who has taken an athletic endeavor seriously craves the satisfaction that comes from pushing past your predetermined physical limits and progressing further in your abilities. The feeling is the force that keeps a person’s hand from hitting the snooze button on their phone alarm for a 4 a.m. run or motivates them to hit the gym for a late-night workout after a stressful day at work. A good obsession with progression is the thing that makes a personal record (a “PR”) on the “big three” weightlifting exercises (bench press, squat, deadlift) such a sacred text for committed powerlifters. Dedicated runners hold a similar reverence for their fastest mile or longest distance traveled on foot.

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Members of the Operation Colony Glacier recovery team search for remains of fallen service members and wreckage from a C-124 aircraft that crash landed in November 1952 at Colony Glacier, AK, June 17, 2021. USAF photo by SSgt Johnathon Wines

Beyond Artifacts: Stories of Service from Colony Glacier

By MRS. LAUREN FOSNOT, STAFF WRITER

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of the human experience. Before written language was created, stories were transmitted visually and orally. This custom has served mankind well as innovations have been born from accumulating knowledge from stories across generations. For example, Elias Disney, who worked as a carpenter at Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition, better known as the Chicago World’s Fair, shared stories with his son, Walt, which later inspired him to create the famous Disney amusement parks.

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Illustration of a house on fire.

Small Changes, Big Protection: Enhancing Fire Safety in Your Home

By MS. SOFIA SCHATZ, STAFF WRITER

Although it is a familiar and often routine activity, between 2017 and 2021, cooking caused forty-four percent of all reported home fires in the United States. Other leading causes of home fires are candles, electrical systems/lighting equipment, heating equipment, Christmas trees, and smoking. House fires can also be intentionally or unintentionally started. Intentionally set fires include arson; unintentionally set fires usually start from unexpected sources. A fire can start from items you may not even think about, such as furnaces, an abundance of lint in clothes dryer filters, and plugged-in appliances.

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A rider wearing protective gear on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle Riding Does Not Have to Stop in the Cold Seasons—If You Anticipate the Risks

By MR. BRAD FOSNOT AND MRS. KAREN FOSNOT, STAFF WRITERS

In the fall and winter seasons, we know—as avid riders—that there are a few different things to consider, unlike in the spring and summer when traveling safely on roadways. For instance, as temperatures drop, the rubber compounds of motorcycle tires lose some of their traction (or “stickiness”) and cannot adhere to road surfaces as well as they do in warmer climates. Hence, in anticipation of how tires can react to coldness, riders should reduce their speed while cornering and allow for more stopping distance.

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Two C-17 Globemaster IIIs trade leading and following positions within their flight path during the Tactics Advancement Course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ, Feb. 7, 2024. USAF photo by A1C Aidan Thompson

Risky Behavior and the Importance of Reaction Time

By MS. DARA MARLAR, STAFF WRITER

Over the past five years, a substantial increase in dangerous actions in contested territories has occurred, translating to increased risk to Airmen’s safety. These hazardous behaviors, released via a collection of declassified images and videos by the Department of Defense, include the following:

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A C-17 Globemaster III prepares to land during the 2024 First State Airshow at Dover Air Force Base, DE, May 19, 2024. USAF photo by Roland Balik

Focus On Flight Safety!

By LT COL JASON KNAB, CHIEF, AIR MOBILITY COMMAND FLIGHT SAFETY DIVISION

At the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Flight Safety Division, we are committed to maximizing capacities while minimizing risks. We work tirelessly every day to collect data, trends, and feedback to identify possible hazards, risks, and errors using proactive safety programs. In addition, we maintain constant communication with the Wing Chiefs of Safety through monthly crosstalk, Teams threads, and digital correspondence.

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Aircrew members assigned to the 6th Airlift Squadron run to a C-17 Globemaster III while conducting Flush checklist procedures on Yokota Air Base, Japan, in support of Valiant Shield 2024, June 14, 2024. The Flush checklist is designed for an aircrew to get an aircraft’s engines running in minimal amount of time and ready for departure predicated on an imminent threat. Exercises such as Valiant Shield allow the Indo-Pacific Command Joint Forces the opportunity to integrate forces from all branches of service and with our allies to conduct precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the Joint Force and our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. USAF photo by SrA Keegan Putman

A DAY IN THE LIFE

By STAFF WRITER

Aircrew members assigned to the 6th Airlift Squadron run to a C-17 Globemaster III while conducting Flush checklist procedures on Yokota Air Base, Japan, in support of Valiant Shield 2024, June 14, 2024.

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