CNAF visits Meridian, talks T-45s

SAN DIEGO - Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander of Naval Air Forces (CNAF), visited naval air stations in Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas, on June 28-29 to introduce Rear Adm. James Bynum, the new Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), and to discuss ways forward for training with the T-45C Goshawks. Vice Adm. Shoemaker announced that instructor pilots will resume flying T-45Cs at the three bases, with the On-Board Oxygen Generator System (OBOGS), beginning in early July. Students are to resume flight training later that month. Rear Adm. Bynum assumed command of CNATRA on June 23. Bynum comes to the aviation training HQ in Corpus Christi, Texas, from duty as Commander of Carrier Strike Group 9. The increase in seniority for the CNATRA flag is meant to improve flight safety, address current instructor concerns and manage the return to student training and production plans. Nearly three months have passed since the Navy grounded its fleet of T-45 training jets due to cockpit oxygen problems. (Source: Naval Air Forces 06/29/17) The Navy recently published its comprehensive review of physiological episodes, such as shortness of breath, that pilots previously experienced due to contaminants in the OBOGS. The system apparently operates better with cooler and drier air. All the other airplanes in the fleet that use OBOGS or systems like it have all have some component in the system that eliminates moisture. So that was missing in the T-45, according to Shoemaker. 

MSU bomb threat unfounded

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University has returned to normal operations June 29 while MSU Police continue to investigate a June 28 afternoon bomb threat. The affected buildings and surrounding area have been searched by police after a 3:30 p.m. phone-in threat was received. Bomb-sensing dogs were dispatched, and nothing suspicious was found. Mitchell Memorial Library was to have re-opened for normal operations Thursday morning. All other affected buildings have reopened. (MSU Newsroom 06/28/17)

CAFB co-sponsoring 4th fireworks

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - On July 1, fireworks will fly over the Stennis Lock and Dam in a patriotic salute to America’s history. The 'Fireworks on the Water 2017' event is a free, open-to-the-public initiative between the community and Columbus Air Force Base in celebration of Independence Day. Nancy Carpenter, CEO and executive director of Visit Columbus and Fireworks on the Water co-chair, said the community is honored to co-sponsor this event in honor of the men and women of Columbus AFB. (Source: Columbus AFB 06/23/17)

GTRA exec accredited

Matthew Dowell, deputy director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTRA) in Columbus, Miss., has been awarded the distinction of Accredited Airport Executive by the American Association of Airport Executives. Dowell joins a select group of individuals who have earned the designation in the six-plus decades of the accreditation program. At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the country are active accredited airport executives. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 06/25/17)

Macasek new boss a 49th FTS

Lt. Col. John Macasek has become the new commanding officer of the 49th Fighter Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. Col. Stan Lawrie, commander of the 14th Operations Group passed the squadron guidon to Macasek during a June 16 change of command ceremony. The 49th FTS conducts introduction to fighter
fundamentals training for more than 75 Air Force and international pilots and Weapon System Officers annually. (Source: Columbus AFB 06/23/17)

Rocky start for DOD’s No. 2

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's nominee for Deputy Navy Secretary had a rocky confirmation hearing with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) on June 20. McCain, at one point, threatened to withhold a vote on the nominee. Other senators peppered about his lack of experience in the Defense Department. Patrick Shanahan, a VP at Boeing aerospace defense, was nominated in March. Shanahan said his experience will help prepare him to complement SECDEF Jim Mattis. If confirmed, Shanahan would replace Robert Work, a retired Marine colonel, who was asked by Mattis to stay on for several months with the Trump administration. Just this week, Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security division of St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $20,751,618 contract modification for mission training center services of simulation equipment to train pilots and weapons system operators for F-15C and F-15E aircraft. (Source: Washington Post 06/20/17) Gulf Coast Note: Boeing has 12 supplier/vendor locations in Mississippi which is estimated to provide 1,000 direct/indirect jobs, according to the company’s website.

AF testing new sensors for hypoxia

LEBOURGET, France - The Air Force has begun experimenting with a few new sensors made by a company in the U.K. that could offer clues about the causes of recent cases of hypoxia-like systems reported by F-35 pilots. The sensors may be able to determine what’s prompting pilots to feel ill in flight while plugged into the on-board oxygen system. But, finding a cause(s) resembles putting together a “mosaic of events,” Julian Hellebrand, president of the Cobham's mission systems sector, said in an interview at the Paris Air Show. The Cobham company's sensor kit tests composition of air flowing into and out of a pilot's mask. Engineers believe data at those two points can be aggregated and analyzed to pinpoint problems. Hellebrand said the U.S. Air Force and Navy had shown great interest in the technology. Luke AFB, Ariz., had extended a standdown of F-35 flight operations after five pilots complained about hypoxia-like symptoms in early June. However, on June 19, Luke's 56th Fighter Wing announced plans to resume F-35A flight operations, officials said. The Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio has received three inhalation sensors, with five more planned for late August, and eight more to follow, according to the U.K. firm. The onboard oxygen-generation systems in F-35s are made by Honeywell. (Source: Defense News 06/19/17) Gulf Coast Note: The Navy has had similar incidents with the T-45C trainer flown at Naval Air Stations Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas.

SECDEF: More Army helos & pilots

On June 16, the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee held a budget hearing with Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. Alabama Rep. Martha Roby wanted to talk about Army Aviation and Fort Rucker, and the “significant shortage” of Apache helicopters, underfunding of Light Utility helicopters, and that the military not training enough pilots. SECDEF Mattis agreed that there was a serious pilot shortage and called it a “national-level problem” that needs to be addressed, according to her online post. Fort Rucker trains all Army and Air Force rotary wing pilots. “A renewed focus from the Pentagon on developing more helicopter pilots would potentially benefit the post’s mission,” said Roby and further stating that Mattis “assured me” that the new military budget allocates more than $3 billion for Army Aviation, including Blackhawks, Apaches, Chinooks, and Lakotas that are all part of the training apparatus at Fort Rucker. (Source: Alabama Today 06/17/17) Gulf Coast Note: Lakota helicopters are built by Airbus Helicopters Inc. at Columbus, Miss.

4 deaths tied to oxygen failures

WASHINGTON - Four pilot deaths have been tied to oxygen system failures in F/A-18 Hornets, the Navy revealed June 15 in a U.S. Pacific Fleet review of oxygen problems plaguing the combat jet and T-45C trainers. The review was launched earlier this year after instructor-pilots at Meridian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Kingsville, Texas, refused to fly with student-aviators in the T-45C because “concern about contaminated breathing air reached a tipping point” causing hypoxia or related incidents. Hypoxia can lead to disorientation, loss of consciousness or even death. The Navy redacted specific information about what caused the F/A-18 fatalities, which took place during more than a decade, according to Vice Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations. There have been no fatalities over the same period with T-45C pilots. (Source: Stars and Stripes 06/15/17)

T-45 too complex; probe ‘flawed’

A U.S. Pacific Fleet review of rising physiological episodes (PEs), and the Navy’s process for response and investigation to them, has determined the oxygen-generation and cabin pressure systems of T-45C Goshawk trainers and FA-18 jets are too complex for reliable performance; and the process of its investigation is “fundamentally flawed.” Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift, who led the review, summed up the challenge of addressing the ongoing in-air episodes by writing in a cover letter that “this is a complex issue, one without a single cause, and therefore, without a single solution. The only common thread running through all of these cases is that aircrew were physically affected.” The Navy has not allowed a single student pilot – at either Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Fla.; Meridian, Miss.; or Kingsville, Texas - to fly since late March, when a stand-down was ordered for the T-45C. The T-45 experienced a large increase in cases of hypoxia due to problems with the Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS). The report criticizes the OBOGS and the Environmental Control System (ECS). The integration of the OBOGS in the T-45 and FA-18 was inadequate to provide high quality breathing air allowing “contaminants” to enter aircrew breathing air provided by OBOGS and “potentially” inducing hypoxia.” Aging parts, inadequate testing methodologies and other factors are impacting ECS reliability, inducing decompression sickness. The report calls for a “comprehensive and holistic” depot-level effort to inspect the entire ECS and OBOGS systems beyond squadron-level maintenance. “Sometime in the next couple weeks” students will begin warm-up flights” using the new masks, Moran said; and after more T-45 modifications and changed are outlined, the training commands will ramp up full flight operations by the end of summer, Moran promised. (Source: USNI News 06/15//17)

SECNAV nominee has hearing date

President Donald Trump’s second nominee for Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer, has a confirmation hearing date with the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 22. The former Marine Corps captain was selected by the President for the post June 3. Trump’s first nominee, businessman Philip Bilden, withdrew from consideration in late February. The President has made two selections for Secretary of the Army, but both have withdrawn from consideration. A new nominee has yet to be named. (Source: Military.com 06/15/17)

3rd month without T-45 flights

By the end of June, the number of student-aviators to miss end-of-training in the T-45C Goshawk, and transition to a squadron, will reach 75, according to Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags, head of Naval Air Systems Command in addressing a Senate Armed Services subcommittee. T-45C training flights – from Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Fla.; Meridian, Miss.; and Kingsville, Texas - remain at a standstill and will likely delay transition of aviation to the fleet by 25 a month. The hypoxia-like cockpit incidents, which began in April, continues to confound investigators. "We are not doing well on the diagnosis," Grosklags told Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the SASC’s subcommittee on sea power. The Navy has highlighted about a dozen protective measures for T-45 aircrews that would allow pilots and student-aviators to identify a potential episode before it becomes a mid-air crisis. These efforts will likely enable student pilots to return to the air, which is expected to happen in a matter of weeks, according to Grosklags. (Source: Military.com 06/13/17)

AF extends F-35A stand-down

WASHINGTON - The Air Force has extended a stand-down of its F-35A variants at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona to determine the causes of five oxygen system failures in its new, fifth-generation fighter jet. Since May 2, five F-35A pilots at Luke AFB reported incidents of hypoxia - lack of oxygen to the brain. On June 9, the AF announced flights would temporarily cease to examine the incidents. On June 12, that stand-down was extended indefinitely, according to base spokesperson Maj. Rebecca Heyse. “The 56th Fighter Wing will continue their pause in local F-35A flying to coordinate analysis and communication between pilots, maintainers, medical professionals and a team of military and industry experts,” Heyse said in a prepared statement. The stand-down follows similar events with the Navy’s T-45C Goshawk trainer jets. The T-45 stand-down lasted more than two months. None of the Navy student-aviators who would be flying T-45s at Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Fla., Meridian, Miss., and Kingsville, Texas, have returned to using the aircraft, the Navy said last week. Oxygen system failures similarly grounded F-22 Raptors in 2011. In 2013, the Pentagon’s IG issued a critical report of an AF investigation into the oxygen system’s potential role in an F-22 crash in Alaska in 2010 that killed pilot Capt. Jeff Haney. (Source: Stars and Stripes 06/12/17) Gulf Coast Note: Capt. Haney had previously undergone Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus (Miss.) AFB where he had won the Distinguished Graduate award, Flying Excellence Award, and coveted Air Education Training Command’s Commander's Trophy.

3rd generation AF fighter pilot

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - When 2nd Lt. Curtis Hunter Hughes graduates from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 17-10 and pins on his Air Force wings June 9, he will become a third generation AF fighter pilots. The younger Hughes is following in the footsteps of his father, and grandfather. Hunter will be the second generation to graduate from pilot training at CAFB. “Both of these men are my heroes,” Hunter said. Hunter’s father, retired Lt. Col. Curtis “Custis” Hughes attended high school in New Orleans. He joined the 122nd Fighter Squadron of the Louisiana Air National Guard, and later graduated from UPT at CAFB in 1986. He flew F-15As with the LANG from 1987-90. Hunter’s grandfather, retired Maj. Ernest Curtis "Curt" Hughes, enlisted in the AF in 1959, and later commissioned through OTS in 1964. He flew fighters with the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama ANG; and the 159th Fighter Group of the LANG. At graduation, Hunter’s wings will be the ones originally earned by his grandfather, given to his father and now passed to him. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 06/10/17)

New boss at 14th CPTS

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Major Randi Ludington became the commander of the 14th Comptroller Squadron at the Columbus Air Force Base on June 8. Base commander, Colonel Douglas Gosney of the 14th Flying Training Wing was at the ceremony to hand over the 14th CPTS squadron guidon to Ludington. Prior to arriving at CAFB, Ludington was Executive Officer to the Director of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-United Kingdom at RAF Mildenhall in England. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 06/10/17)

CAFB is Tree City for 24th time

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – For the 24th year, the Tree City USA Award and Growth Award was presented June 5 to Columbus Air Force Base, which designates the Air Force facility with the title of Tree City. CAFB was recognized state-wide for its outstanding work in urban forestry by the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Mississippi Urban Forest Council. The base was one of 45 cities in Mississippi that qualified for the recognition. (Source: 14th Civil Engineer Squadron 06/10/17)

Space Cowboys aid YES camp

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University and its “Space Cowboys” partnered with the Youth Environmental Science (YES) Camp to welcome dozens of students from the Starkville-Oktibbeha County School District to campus. Students got hands-on experience making model planets, drop comets, and to build rockets. The Space Cowboys are from MSU’s Aerospace Engineering Department. They volunteered and assisted students with projects. June 9's session wrapped up a week-long camp with students hitting the launch pad and testing their creations. That hands-on experience “makes it that much more real,” said YES camp instructor Beverly McKinley. “It focuses the attention and especially when it’s down in an outdoor setting (where) it makes it that much easier to learn.” YES camp will host three more summer camps: Outdoor Survival, Nature Art, and Wildlife Exploration. (Source: WCBI 06/09/17)

Still struggling with T-45C failures

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy and Marine Corps continue to struggle with oxygen system problems plaguing T-45C Goshawk carrier training aircraft that have clogged the aviation pipeline for new pilots, Adm. Paul Grosklags, commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, told a House subcommittee June 7. Grosklags said the services are exploring two courses of action in light of 47 incidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2016 that has prevented full operation of T-45C trainers since a partial stand-down in late March. The Navy is working to identify failures, and take corrective actions, in the On-Board Oxygen Generation Systems (OBOGS) that have plagued the Goshawks. The service is also outfitting T-45s with “alerting and protective measures” to get the aircraft back to full operation. He also told reporters that the Navy is considering replacing today’s OBOGS with an older liquid oxygen system (LOX) to provide oxygen to pilots, but called that a “longer-term solution.” The results of a fleet-wide study into the issue, led by U.S Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott Swift, is due to do be briefed later in June. (Source: USNI News 05/07/17) Gulf Coast Note: T-45C Goshawks are flown at Naval Air Stations at Pensacola, Fla.; Meridian, Miss.; and Kingsville, Texas.

Aurora earns Sikorsky Gold

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky honored suppliers, including 15 with its 2016 Sikorsky Gold Suppliers’ best-in-class performances that included Aurora Flight Sciences of Columbus, Miss., at a ceremony in south Florida. Twenty-two total suppliers were recognized. Two north Alabama firms were named program suppliers of the year: TFAB Manufacturing of Madison, for its Black Hawk program; and MACRO-Industries of Huntsville, for its Combat Rescue Helicopter program. Aurora Flight Sciences was first awarded Supplier Gold in October 2015. In addition to the sonobuoy launcher for the MH-60R helicopter, AFS manufactures the Upper Clamshell and Lower Air Stair door for the S-92 helicopter and the slider door for the search-and-rescue configured variant of the S-92. (Source: Vertical magazine 06/07/17)

App window for enlisted RPA board

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Air Force enlisted personnel interested in becoming remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilots have until Nov. 15 to submit completed application packages, including physical exams, to the Air Force Personnel Center. Applicants may be staff sergeants through senior master sergeants in any Air Force Specialty Code, but who are not receiving a Critical Skills Retention Bonus. In order to apply, Airmen require six years retainability from the course graduation date. A completed application package includes an AF initial flying class II physical exam, plus a pilot qualification test, which is a key to measuring aptitude for success in RPA pilot training. (Source: AF Personnel Center 06/02/17)

Free becomes new 37th FTS boss

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. – Lt. Col. William Free became the new commanding officer of the 37th Flying Training Squadron at a May 25 change of command ceremony aboard CAFB. Col. Stan Lawrie, commander of the 14th Operations Group presented the squadron guidon to Lt. Col. Free. The 37th FTS conducts primary flight training in the T-6 Texan II where students learn basic aircraft takeoff and landing techniques, aerobatics, and night, an instrument and formation flying. (Source: CAFB 06/06/17)

42 MS airports get $7.5M in grants

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Members of the Mississippi’s congressional delegation announced $7.54 million in Airport Improvement Program grants for 42 of the state’s airports. Starkville’s George M. Bryan Airport got $168,891 for airfield guidance system installation, perimeter fencing and obstruction removal. The Golden Triangle Regional Airport at Columbus got a $550,343 grant for drainage system installation, security enhancements, taxiway improvements and terminal building modification. The AIP grants are funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A grant of $341,511 was announced for McCharen Field in West Point and $71,268 for Columbus-Lowndes County Airport. (Source: Starkville News 06/04/17)

Keesler squad & D-Day 73

SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE, France - Two 815th Airlift Squadron crews from Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi participated in a six-ship multinational airborne mission here in the Normandy region June 4, 2017, to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of D-Day in WWII. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Infantry Divisions dropped into France in the opening moments of what would become known as “The Longest Day.” The aircraft followed the same route C-47s did to drop paratroopers on D-Day. The Keesler-based 815th AS is one of nine historical units taking part in various events and ceremonies throughout the region. Now a C-130J tactical unit, the 815th AS was the 815th Bombardment Squadron during WWII. “I’m honored and humbled to be able to fly in such a historic event that celebrates and commemorates all of the people that took part and those that made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Capt. Nicholas Foreman, an 815th AS pilot. (Source: 403rd Wing 06/06/17)

Hurricane Hunters join Navy

KEESLER AFB, Miss. - The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s basic mission is gathering weather data for the National Hurricane Center. The Air Force reserve squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” spent May 30 to June 1 providing weather information for the Navy’s first Gulf of Mexico oceanography unmanned systems operational demonstration. The Navy partnered with the 53rd WRS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Southern Mississippi, to demonstrate unmanned capabilities and explore joint opportunities in support of national defense. “Partnering with the Air Force for the demonstration was really the perfect marriage,” said Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, head of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command commander and Oceanographer of the Navy. Gallaudet flew with the “Hurricane Hunters” on May 31 to learn about their mission. “It is the mission of Task Force Ocean to ensure that the U.S. Navy maintains a competitive advantage … and our close partnership with the Air Force ensures we do just that.” (Source: 403rd Wing 06/05/17)

MANG solider dies in tank rollover

An investigation continues into the death of a Senatobia-based Mississippi Army National Guard soldier killed May 30 in tank rollover incident during a “large-scale training exercise” at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Three other members of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Tupelo, were injured. The 155th has members from all over the state. Lt. Col. Christian Patterson of the 155th ABCT said May 31 that families of the soldiers had been notified, but did not release the name of the soldier who had died. That soldier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 198th Armored Regiment, and was one of four soldiers in an M1A2 Abrams tank that had rolled over. Three soldiers were transferred by military helicopter to the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. Two had been released by the evening of May 31. One remained in stable condition. A group of 3,800 members of the 155th ABCT arrived at Fort Irvin on May 19. Training was scheduled to run through mid-June. Also participating are National Guard members from California, Missouri, and members of the Air Force. (Source: Sun Herald 05/30/17) Gulf Coast Note: Jo Ann Boussouar of Milton, Fla., the mother of the deceased guardsman posted on her Facebook site that she had lost her son, Sgt. Kyle Clayton Thomas, 24, in that accident, according to the Pensacola News Journal.

Baulch leaving LINK for Monroe

Chelsea Thompson Baulch, project manager for the Golden Triangle Development LINK for the past five years, will become executive director at the Monroe County (Miss.) Chamber of Commerce starting June 12. Baulch, who grew up in Monroe County where she still lives, attended Mississippi State University. For LINK, she researched development leads, maintained databases on properties and produced marketing and recruitment materials. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 05/31/17)