Air Force

A KC-135 Stratotanker and crew from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing lowered the boom above Kinnick stadium prior to kickoff at the University of Iowa vs Perdue football game in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday.

Saturday’s event had members of the refueling wing make the short trip across the state from their home in Sioux City where they put their air refueling aircraft on display above a ruckus crowd.

As part of the unique aerial demonstration, boom operator Staff Sgt. Meleah Johnson lowered the KC-135 refueling boom as they passed over Kinnick Stadium during the singing of the National Anthem. 

Events like Saturday’s flyover are always thrilling for unit members who get a chance to be a part of the excitement of Big 10 football.

After the third quarter the Iowa Airmen were invited to the Hawkeye endzone at Kinnick Stadium where they were honored and thanked for their participation in the pregame activities.

The flyover on Saturday is part of the U.S. Air Force aerial events program designed to incorporate training activities with aerial demonstrations.

The Iowa National Guard has Army and Air National Guard units in communities around the state with Air units in Sioux City and Des Moines, Iowa.

Iowa National Guard education partnerships go beyond providing exciting pregame exhibition however, as many Iowa guard members are also students or alumni of Iowa Colleges and Universities.

Iowa National Guard membership offers numerous benefits to its members, including 100% tuition assistance that can be used at Iowa colleges and Universities like the University of Iowa.

YOKOSUKA, Japan – The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) has welcomed HSM-51 Detachment 2 known as The Bandidos Gorditos onboard for Shoup’s third patrol in 7th fleet. Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Funkhouser known as Air Boss or “Skylorde” has been at HSM-51 for 6 months. Funkhouser states, “Integration is easy when everyone is working for the same goal. Whether we fly aircraft, man the boat deck, stand bridge watches, or any other position on the ship, if everyone has the same goal in mind, it is easy to find the right answer and work together. So far, everyone on the ship has worked towards the same goals day in and day out. This mentality has helped to make our transition to becoming a part of ship’s company easy and seamless.”

Air Boss is from Spokane Valley, Washington and says it has more in common with Idaho rather than Seattle. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Gonzaga University and a master’s of science in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He commissioned through Officer Candidate School (OCS). He has previously been stationed at Vance Air Force Base, NAS Whiting, North Island for FRS and HSM-75 (7th fleet deployment, and 5th fleet deployment), NAS Whiting (Instructor job), and 32nd street Naval Base San Diego as Air Boss on USS Portland (LPD 27).

For fun, he plays soccer and hangs out with his wife, Amanda and their 8 year old black lab/Rottweiler mix. He played in college and was a two time All West Coast Conference Second Team player then played a partial season with the Kitsap Pumas in Washington. He also went to the All Navy Team Camp and played there shortly. A core memory while being in the service was when he promoted to Lieutenant Commander and his family including his sister (Coast Guard) flew in to San Diego to promote him in front of the USS Portlands’ Wardroom. His future career goals include three more tours than hopefully, retire. He plans on moving to Washington, DC to work at the Pentagon.

Air Boss is motivated by fun. He enjoys people working together and doing their job well. It promotes comradery, pride and joy in and out of the workplace. If you ever see him out and about, ask him about the time he swallowed a pit of a plum in Atsugi.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Whether it is due to its all-weather versatility and reliability, or its run with the renowned flight demonstration team, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the F/A-18 Hornet has been a combat-proven platform for the Navy and Marine Corps for many years.

It’s a historic aircraft with an extensive past – one that would certainly not be as long or successful without a service life extension process called Center Barrel Replacement (CBR) – a complex and lengthy repair developed in 1991 by Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) and conducted exclusively by artisans at FRCSW and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE).

In fact, FRCSE and FRCSW both recently completed their last legacy F/A-18 CBR.

“Congratulations to the entire team of personnel that not only completed this final Center Barrel Replacement, but have also been the lifeblood of the CBR program here at FRC Southeast,” said FRCSE’s Commanding Officer, Capt. Al Palmer. “We conduct many difficult repairs, but CBRs demand a level of artisan skill that reminds us of how talented our workforce is here at FRC Southeast.”

The Legacy Hornet originally soared into the Navy and Marine Corps arsenal in the 1980s with an expected service life of 6,000 flight hours. Like most things, an aircraft is only as strong as its parts, and after years of hard landings aboard aircraft carriers at sea, it was discovered that the aircraft’s fuselage section or center barrel, was particularly susceptible to damage.

“Thousands of rough landings at sea and G-forces create an incredible amount of stress on an aircraft in general, but the center barrel on a Hornet has several key attach points that are particularly vulnerable to stress,” said Rebecca Ferguson, FRCSE’s F/A-18 Legacy Hornet production lead. “The landing gear and wings connect to the fuselage at the center barrel. Replacing this structural piece helps ensure the aircraft remains airworthy.”

To prolong the aircraft’s life, highly skilled and talented artisans conduct a CBR by situating the jet on a sturdy support frame, or center barrel fixture, splitting it in half and laboring thousands of hours drilling thousands of fasteners to free the fatigued component.

Once removed, artisans carefully drop in a new center barrel, which Northrup Grumman manufactures in the form of a kit, and then FRCSE’s skilled artisans go through the entire drilling and riveting process again, ensuring every hole is methodically bored one size up to accommodate a larger fastener – approximately 20,000 fasteners first drilled out, then drilled in.

Depending on its condition and other planned depot maintenance evolutions, such as a High Flight Hour (HFH) inspection and Planned Maintenance Interval (PMI), a CBR can take up to three years to complete, costing the Navy approximately $3 million per aircraft. While it may sound expensive, this repair is a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft.

“The repair is extensive and usually accompanied by other depot HFH and PMI evolutions,” said Ferguson. “The nature of the repair requires artisans to spend years with these aircraft, which doesn’t just take technical know-how and meticulous attention to detail, but also a real sense of pride in the work performed. FRC Southeast and FRC Southwest CBR artisans and engineers are why these aged aircraft are still flying over 40 years later – long past their expected lifecycle. It’s truly an incredible feat.”

The CBR program has spanned more than 32 years of continuous F/A-18A-D service life extension efforts, which has made a significant impact throughout the Naval Aviation Enterprise by improving the Navy’s warfighting capabilities and warfighters’ safety.

As a few artisans gathered to watch the last CBR Legacy Hornet taxi down the flight line at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, an instrumental chapter of FRCSE and aviation history has concluded – opening the door for even greater innovation and challenges to come.

The last Navy operational deployment of the F/A-18 Hornet was aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), which ended in March 2018. Currently, the F/A-18 Hornet remains the workhorse of Marine Corps tactical aviation and supports operational deployments around the globe. It will serve as the Marine Corps’ primary bridging platform to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter until its planned sundown in 2030.

About Fleet Readiness Center Southeast

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) is Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, employing approximately 5,000 civilian, military and contract workers. With annual revenue exceeding $1 billion, the organization serves as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers by maintaining the combat airpower for America’s military forces.

The 316th Security Forces Squadron military working dog section at Andrews collaborated with the Maryland State Police Aviation Command to familiarize the base’s MWDs with operational aircraft during a training exercise, Oct. 5.

The introduction training allowed MWD handlers to assess their K-9s’ response to loud noise and new environments. To initiate the exercise, handlers introduced the dogs to the Aviation Command’s AW-139, Trooper 2, helicopter. The K-9s were also familiarized with the aircraft platform, its engines and ground movement.

“The goal is to condition them to an environment they could encounter operationally,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Zackory Boozel, 316th SFS MWD handler. “Without training like this, we could end up doing more damage to a mission than good. Imagine a working dog that spins up on an aircraft for the first time and they either shut down out of fear or become agitated and uncontrolled.”

K-9 handlers for 10 dogs, along with four Maryland State Police officers, participated in the semiannual training that prioritized the well-being of the dogs by ensuring safety protocols were in place.

Although this training is not required under Air Force Instruction, the 316th SFS seeks out opportunities that advance their skill set while also connecting with local agencies. K-9 aircraft familiarization has also been a priority for 316th SFS MWD handlers, as their mission is ever-expanding.

“In the real world, the possibilities are endless,” said Boozel. “Most commonly, K-9s are shuttled around by helicopter to get to remote locations, medical emergencies, and joint taskings. As K-9 handlers, we can be tasked to deploy with the other branches of the DOD. I myself have deployed with the U.S. Army and was one of the only U.S. Air Force members assigned to the entire post!”

The 316th SFS and Maryland State Police Aviation Command plan to join forces in the future for additional helicopter training and familiarization with aerial takeoff.

107th Prepares for Deployment under New Air Force Model

NIAGARA FALLS N.Y. – 54 New York Air National Guard Airmen assigned to the 107th Attack Wing prepare for deployment to various locations between the Middle East and Africa for a six-month rotation. Service members will be split between the locations and commands, and anticipated to depart for theatre throughout the end of September and early October of 2023.

This deployment is the first activation under the new Air Force Force Generation deployment model, known as AFFORGEN, announced in August 2021.

In the past, individual members of the wing would be mobilized and deployed to fill key roles overseas, explained Lt. Col. Lindsay Doak, who will serve as the Logistics and Engineering Director while deployed.

Under AFFORGEN, instead of individual Airmen selected to fulfill duty lines across the country, entire wings are selected to fulfill a variety of mission requirements. This new model was designed to improve sustainable readiness toward future missions and balance current availability, modernization and risk, according to the Air Force AFFORGEN announcement.

“This is our first cycle under AFFORGEN, which changes the way the Air Force presents and generates forces using Agile Combat Employment,” Doak said. “It’s what we’ve been gearing our training toward.”

For some deployers, this will be a first-time experience.

“I’m excited and looking forward to this deployment,” said Tech. Sgt. Andrew Kopec, a Client Systems Technician. “Although, I’m even more looking forward to returning home and giving my wife and daughter a huge hug.”

Other wing members are more familiar with the rigors of a deployment.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of the team to put our training into motion, and better yet, to be able to do so with several members of our wing,” agreed Doak, who is also preparing for the deployment. “This is a really exciting time to deploy!”

“This will be my second federal mobilization, it’s a little bittersweet”, said Staff Sgt. Kevin Au with the wing’s Civil Engineering Squadron. “The biggest challenge is putting your personal life, family, and civilian career on pause, but it’s also exciting traveling to places I’d otherwise never see and getting to use my training in theatre.”

“Every day I am constantly impressed and inspired by the hard work and dedication of our Airmen,” said 107th Attack Wing Commander Col. Andrew Carlson. “They are what makes this wing truly special; I have no doubt they will continue their stellar commitment while down range.”

The Airmen are expected to be overseas by the end of the year and return home before mid-2024.