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Flight Line Air Force Association Chapter 105
2018-2 Tucson, Arizona April 2018
Chapter Officers
President Wally Saeger
Vice President Mark Koechle
Secretary Vickie Jo Ryder
Treasurer Marie A. Lankford [email protected]
VP Aerospace Education
VP CyberPatriot Wally Saeger
VP Government Relations Joseph Cuffari
VP Leadership Develop. Cal Payne
VP Membership Vickie Jo Ryder
VP Veterans Affairs Bill Goodall
VP Military Liaison
VP Programs / Communication Marie A. Lankford [email protected]
VP Community Partners
Dave Carrell [email protected]
VP Community Outreach
Heidi Goldman [email protected]
VP Aerospace Education
(ROTC) Cadet Dylan Brummett [email protected]
VP Awards
Larry Herndon [email protected]
VP AFA Golf Fundraiser
Scott Van Valkenburg [email protected]
VP Public Affairs / Newsletter
Dick Roberts [email protected]
From the Prez -
Happy April AFA Chapter 105 members. This newsletter finds us in the final stages of preparation for our golf tournament to be held Friday, April 13 at the Haven Golf Course in Green Valley. There is still time to volunteer to help or sponsor a raffle prize. All of the proceeds go to sup-port programs for the Airmen and their families in our chapter AOR and promote Aerospace Education for all students.
We started 2018 with a boom—well not quite; thankfully. About 40 chap-ter members and their guests started their visit to the 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron’s Munitions Flight “bomb dump” with a meal sponsored by our own Dave Carrell from his Chick-fil-A franchise. We were briefed by airmen from each sec-tion of the Munitions Flight and wit-nessed the re-enlistment of MSgt Ste-phen Paynter. We then boarded buses for tours of the chaff/flare workshop, the 30mm ammunition processing bay, and the bomb assembly pad where we could see the process for assembling a precision guided munition known as the GBU-38 JDAM (Joint Direct At-tack Munition); a 500 lb bomb body with a kit that provides GPS guidance to the target.
While we didn’t meet in February we made up for it in March with a visit to the DMAFB flight line on March 2 to view the historic and current aircraft participating in The Heritage Flight. This event enables the historic aircraft and current USAF aircraft to be certi-fied by the Air Combat Command Commander to fly together in for-mation at air shows across the US.
We followed this up with our normal March 23 meeting where Lt Col Kath-erine Geranis, the 355th Logistics
Readiness Squadron Commander. Her presentation covered the mission of the LRS and how it supports the mission of the 355th Fighter Wing and the other units of the Desert Lightning Team.
In between, your chapter officers sup-ported two Airman Leadership School graduations, a visit by the team judging D-M as one of two candidates for the CINC Installation Excellence Award, a quarterly Davis-Monthan Tucson Valley Committee meeting, the Desert Light-ning Team Annual Awards presentation, and the 2018 Chief’s Recognition dinner which recognizes the newest Chief Mas-ter Sergeants and CMSgt-selects on D-M.
We have several Teacher of the Year submissions to evaluate before April 15 so thank you for your help in identifying them and getting them nominated. Please be on the lookout for deserving teachers for next year.
Just a reminder that our chapter will be hosting the Southwest Region Confer-ence June 23; so watch for the email an-nouncing it. Please feel free to attend.
There is never any lack of things to do in the chapter to help make us better and help us better support our airmen and their families so feel free to contact any of the people on the left to find out how you can help.
I would like to thank SSgt Mark Lindsay for his efforts and support as our chapter secretary. He reluctantly had to resign for personal reasons so Vicki Jo Ryder has volunteered to step into that office.
Remember EDUCATE, ADVOCATE and SUPPORT.
Wally Saeger, President
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Tucson Chapter’s March Meeting
Lt Col Katherine Geranis
Lt Col Geranis is the commander of the 355th Logistics Readiness Squadron at DMAFB. The 355th plans, supplies
and distributes logistical support in-garrison and within the deployed environ-ment while continually supporting the war fighter with anything, anytime, anywhere. The squadron consists of a broad spectrum of diverse flights, including the Vehicle Maintenance Flight, the Material Manage-ment Flight, the Fuels Management Flight and the Deployment and Distribution Flight. The 355 LRS is a squadron within
the 355th Mission Support Group. Her squadron plans, supplies and distributes worldwide expeditionary combat support for the 355th Fighter Wing’s 82 A-10s, 21 E/H/C-130s, and 11 HH-60 aircraft. She di-rects operations at Air Combat Com-mand’s second largest LRS and oversees the actions of 403 personnel that assist her in managing $121M supply account, a 3.4M gallon fuel storage area valued at $49M, and all installation transportation to include the operation and maintenance of an 857 vehicle fleet worth over $67M. Additionally, Lt Col Geranis is responsi-ble for all aspects of the Desert Lightning Team’s deploy-ment contingency operations as well as installation beddown and reception. She ensures the readiness of 1,600 Unit Type Codes totaling 6,200 personnel and 2,300 short tons of equip-ment. The Mission of the 355 LRS is to deliver flawless logistics every day to execute the mission of the Desert Lighting Team. Provide a trained and ready team of unbeatable logis-tics warriors to meet any contingency whenever called upon, forever leading the way, always OUT IN FRONT!!! Lt Col Geranis is a graduate of the University of North Car-olina with a B.A. in Sociology and a M.A. from American Military University in Transportation and Logistics Manage-ment. She became a Lt Col in May 2017. She has deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Qatar.
Tucson Chapter’s January Meeting
Tour of Davis-Monthan AFB Bomb Dump DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. — Tucked away at D-M AFB, the 355th Equipment Mainte-nance Squadron munitions flight builds bombs. The munitions flight, also known as AMMO, supports the D-M AFB mission by assembling whatever types of munitions
are needed. “The main focus for us is to support the flight line,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Timothy Starling, 355th EMS munitions flight production supervisor. “If they request it and we have the components to do the job, we are going to get it done and get
it out to the flightline so the pilots can fly and drop the bombs that they want to drop.” After the components are delivered, AMMO crew members must do a preassembly inspection on every single compo-nent. The bombs then get loaded onto a munitions assembly conveyer where it is assembled according to their technical order. “There are actually hundreds of different variations of bombs, but the two bomb bodies that we use are the Mark 82 which weighs 500 pounds and the Mark 84 weighing in at 2,000 pounds.” Starling said. “What cre-ates the different variations are the components we use to assemble them.” The munitions flight supports three A-10C Thunderbolt II units, two C-130 units and one HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter unit here. “Our smallest rocket build that we do is about 1,200 rock-ets,” Starling said. “We can get that done with breakout, building and cleaning up in about two days.” During our visit to this facility, we were privileged to wit-ness the re-enlistment swearing-in of MSgt Stephen Paynter by Capt Matthew Pardini. A box lunch was provided by chapter member Dave Carrell of Chick-fil-A and his team.
Changes Coming to TRICARE Retiree Dental Program
Do you have TRICARE Retiree Dental Program coverage now? If so, then you need to know that the TRDP will end on Dec. 31, 2018. Anyone who was in TRDP this year or would have been eligible for the plan will be able to choose a dental plan from among 10 dental carriers in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). You can begin reviewing program options now at www.opm.gov/fedvip. You’ll be able to enroll in FEDVIP during the 2018 Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 10, 2018; coverage will begin on Jan. 1, 2019.
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Know your Tucson Chapter 105 Officers Chapter Secretary and V.P. Membership
Vickie Jo Ryder
Vickie Jo is currently serving as Secretary and Membership Chairperson of the Air Force Association (AFA) Chapter 105. Vickie Jo is a retired USAF civil servant with 32 years of service. The majority of that time was divided between Air-
man and Family Readiness Centers and Education Centers spanning half the globe. Her final assignment was as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) at Davis Monthan AFB for 4+ years. Overseas assignments included Andersen AFB, Guam, Lajes Field, Por-tugal and two wonderful tours at Aviano AB, Italy. In addition to AFA, Vickie Jo also vol-unteers as facilitator of the International
Spouse Group through the Airman and Family Readiness Cen-ter (10 years) and Tucson Community Cares Foundation (9 years). She is also active in the DM Officers’ Spouses’ Club and Retiree Officers’ Spouses’ Club. Vickie Jo earned her M. Ed. in Counseling at the University of Guam and a B.S. in Secondary Education at Southern Illi-nois University- Carbondale, IL. Vickie Jo feels truly blessed to have been a military family member her entire life. She has enjoyed her many adventures growing up in the Army and then in her many years as an Air Force Spouse.
Aero Club of Arizona Annual Banquet
The Aero Club of Arizona held their Annual Banquet in
Green Valley at the East Social Club on Saturday, March 10,
2018. After a great dinner, Lt Gen Mark Kelly, the Twelfth
Air Force Commander was the guest speaker and presented
his perspective on what the airmen of today are doing every
day to provide for the safety and security of everyday Ameri-
cans while deployed around the world. After his remarks,
AFA Chapter 105 President Wally Saeger was presented a
check for $250 for the chapter’s scholarship fund on behalf
of the Aero Club of Arizona.
Chapter President Wally Sae-ger (right) accepts the $250 donation from Aero Club of Arizona President Hayward Sumner (left). From left to right are: Hayward Sumner (ACA President), guest speaker Lt Gen Mark Kelly (12AF/CC), Dick Roberts (ACA Treasurer), and Wally Saeger (AFA Chapter 105 President)
Tucson Chapter Hosting Southwest Region Conference
Your Tucson AFA Chapter is hosting the Southwest Region Conference June 23 at the Radisson Tucson Suites, 6555 East Speed-way. While the conference is a way for the Southwest Region President, John Toohey, to communicate face-to-face with his state and chapter presidents on an annual basis, anyone is welcome to attend. The Southwest Region covers Arizona, Nevada and New
Mexico.
This is a chance for our chapter members to hear from key National Officers. We have Gene San-tarelli, a National Director and member of our chapter confirmed. Also invited is “Mac” McAloon, the VP for Field Operations; he is the voice for how chapters and states are to operate to support the mission of the AFA—The Field is the heart & soul of the AFA.
The all-day event will conclude with a dinner at the Radisson where our invited guest speaker is Congresswoman Martha McSally (a proud Tucson Chapter member and retired USAF Colonel and A-10 pilot).
The cost for the conference is $130 for those who register by April 30 and includes snacks, lunch & dinner. Separate tickets for lunch & dinner are available for those who want to go to these events but not attend the conference.
On Friday, June 22, we will have tours on the base including a full load demonstration of an A-10 by the 355th Maintenance Group and hopefully a mission brief and HC--130J simulator demo by the 563d Rescue Group. The day will end with a Welcome Social at Club Ironwood with light snacks and pay-as-you go bar.
If you’re interested in attending, you can register using the following link or wait until you receive an email thru our GoDaddy ac-count.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/air-force-association-southwest-region-conference-tickets-44349681090
The Radisson Tucson Suites is offering a special rate of $94 per night for double occupancy with a full breakfast for the two occu-pants in case you want to enjoy a “Staycation”. This rate is good June 19-27. Use the link before to take advantage of this great offer. www.radisson.com/afa
While the Region Conference won’t be as entertaining as our chapter meetings, it is sure to be informative and provide insight at a higher level of how the AFA operates.
“A Little Bit of History”
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 by lengthening the fuselage by slightly over three feet and add-ing a second seat, instrumentation, and flight controls. It was initially designated as a variant of the P-80/F-80. Design work on the Lockheed P-80 began in 1943 with the first flight on 8 January 1944. Following on the Bell P-59, the P-80 became the first jet fighter to enter full squadron service in the United States Army Air Forces. As more advanced jets entered service, the F-80 took on another role—training jet pilots. The two-place T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualified to fly propeller-driven aircraft. The two-place T-33 proved suitable as an advanced trainer, and it has been used for such tasks as drone director and tar-get towing. The U.S. Air Force began phasing the T-33 out of front line pilot training duties in the Air Training Command in the early 1960s as the Cessna T-37 Tweet and Northrop T-38 Talon aircraft began replacing it for the Un-dergraduate Pilot Train-ing (UPT) program. The T-33 was used to train cadets from the Air Force Academy at Peterson Field (now Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs). The T-37 replaced the T-33 for Academy training in 1975. The final T-33 used in advanced training was replaced 8 Feb-ruary 1967 at Craig AFB, Alabama. A total of 6,557 T-33s were produced, 5,691 of them by Lockheed, as well as 210 by Kawasaki and 656 by Canadair. General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) Wingspan: 38 ft 10 1⁄2 in (11.85 m)
Height: 11 ft 8 in (3.55 m) Empty weight: 8,365 lb (3,794 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 15,061 lb (6,832 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Allison J33-A-35 centrifugal compressor turbojet, 5,400 lbf (water injection), 4,600 lbf continuous (24.0 kN) Performance Maximum speed: 600 mph (521 knots, 965 km/h) at sea level Cruise speed: 455 mph (396 knots, 732 km/h) Range: 1,275 mi (1,110 nmi, 2,050 km) Service ceiling: 48,000 ft (14,630 m) Armament Hardpoints: 2 with a capacity of 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs or rock-
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2018 Heritage Flight Training Event Each year, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson AZ hosts the Her-itage Flight Training Conference where vintage aircraft like the venerable P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-40 War-
hawk, P-38 Lightning, and F-86 Sabre get to fly with current US Air Force aircraft like the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Viper, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. The goal of Heritage Flight is to certify the vintage aircraft to fly with their
more modern brethren in air shows across the US. The Commander of Air Combat Command (ACC) attends the event so that he can certify the pilots at the end of the week-end. While the flying takes place over the course of the 3 days,
each morning, select people are allowed to view the par-ticipating aircraft on the flightline before flying be-gins. About 65 Tucson Chapter 105 and Sierra Vista Chap-ter 107 members, and their guests, were able to attend the Friday morning session along with individuals from the DMAFB population. After finishing their tour of the aircraft, we were treated to breakfast by our chapter 105 member Dave Carrell;
owner of a local Chick-fil-A and great supporter of chapter activities. After the AFA folks were fed, the feeding line was opened to the rest of the people in the area that were hungry.
Dave Carrell, Emily Cordero, Dan-
ielle Reagan, Jauan Mulvena and
Stephanie Paine from Chick-fil-A and
Marie Lankford and Vickie Jo Ryder
from AFA Chapter 105 wait to serve
those attending 2018 Heritage Flight
Training Conference.
NEW WINGS FOR A-10 MAY KEEP IT FLY-ING PAST 2030: AIR FORCE SECRETARY
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Friday that new wings for the workhorse A-10 Thunderbolt will keep the close-air support aircraft in the inventory for another dozen
years or more. Last week, Wilson told the House Armed Services Committee that funding for the re-winging of the A-10s in the fiscal year 2018 budget would keep the "Warthogs" flying at least to 2030.
At an Air Force Association breakfast Friday, Wilson ex-tended the potential retirement date for the A-10, whose first production model was delivered in 1975. She said the A-10s would remain in the fleet to 2030 "and possibly be-yond."
Last year, the Air Force told Congress that 110 of the 283 A-10s in its fleet were in danger of being permanently grounded unless money was appropriated to re-wing them.
The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending packaged signed by President Donald Trump last week included $103 million requested by the service for the re-winging.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at [email protected]
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Community Partner Program For more than 40 years, businesses have been joining the Air Force Association to support both AFA National and local AFA chap-ters. Becoming a Community Partner is a great way to get your business involved with your local Air Force Community. Community Partners are partnership businesses that want to assist both AFA National and the local AFA chapters by becoming involved in Community efforts to support the United States Air Force. By forming a partnership with your local AFA chapter, your business will help AFA fulfill their mission to promote a dominant Unit-ed States Air Force and a strong national defense. Any business or organization can become a CP and have two options for member-ship: Category One (CP I) $90.00 annually- Business can designate one person to receive AFA Membership and enjoy all benefits thereof. Category Two (CP II) $180.00 annually- Business can designate two people to receive AFA Membership and enjoy all benefits thereof. Not only does a Community Partner receive all the benefits of an AFA membership, such as a variety of product and service dis-counts, insurance programs, and much more, but the partner will also receive the following upon joining AFA: Date Medallion Wooden Plaque 8”x5” “Our Business Supports Our Troops" Window Decal If your business is interested in becoming a Community Partner, you should first contact your local chapter.
For questions or for more information on the program, please contact: Dave Carrell, [email protected], (520) 305-4407 Have your business become a part of a great cause and show your patrons that you support our Air Force!
A & E Specialty Marketing Chick-fil-A La Posada Lodge & Casitas Elliott M. Klahr Matt Hountz Juan Loo, Sales & Catering Mgr P. O. Box 4423 3605 E. Broadway Blvd 5900 N. Oracle Rd Rio Rico, AZ 85648 Tucson, AZ 85716 Tucson, AZ 85704 520-281-1369 (P) 520-321-4232 520-887-4800 (P) 520-980-0515 (C) 520-293-7543 (F) [email protected] Ciruli Brothers ascendcollection.com 5 Calle Cristina Chick-fil-A Rio Rico, AZ 85648 Jackson Oil Company Dave Carrell 520-281-1456 Robert Ferretti 6675 E. Grant Rd. 623-217-8005 Tucson, AZ 85715 Vantage West Credit Union 520-305-4407 Cindy Brainer Radisson Suites Tucson P.O. Box 15115 Valerie Friend, General Manager Tucson, AZ 85708 6555 E. Speedway Blvd Chick-fil-A 520-298-7882 Tucson, AZ 85710 Jim Paine 800-888-7882 520-721-7100 Ext.7600 (P) 4885 N. Oracle Rd. Vantagewest.org 520-722-6146 (F) Tucson, AZ 85705 [email protected] 520-408-2456
Tucson Chapter’s Community Partners
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CyberPatriot X
CyberPatriot X is almost over; all that remains is the Na-tional Championships that will take place in Baltimore, MD, April 16-18, 2018. As a refresher, CyberPatriot is the Na-tional Youth Cyber Education Program conducted by your AFA. At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition puts teams of high school and middle school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the net-work of a small company. In the rounds of competition, teams are given a set of virtual images that represent operat-ing systems and are tasked with finding cybersecurity vulner-abilities within the images and hardening the system while maintaining critical services in a six hour period. Teams compete for the top placement within their state and region, and the top teams in the nation earn all-expenses paid trips to Baltimore, MD for the National Finals Competition where they can earn national recognition and scholarship money. What started with 5,584 teams spread across the Open Divi-sion (2,757 teams), All Services Division (1,717 teams) and Middle School Division (1,110 teams) has been narrowed to the final 12 teams in the Open Division, 13 teams in the All Services Division and 3 teams in the Middle School Division. While none of the 10+ teams from our Chapter’s AOR ad-vanced to the finals, all of the teams had an excellent learning experience. The first time team from the Naval Sea Cadets Tucson Battalion located just outside Davis-Monthan acquit-ted themselves exceptionally well by finishing First overall in the Silver Division of the All Services Semifinals. For more information on CyberPatriot and to see the complete results go to afa.org and click on the CyberPatriot tab or go direct to uscyberpatriot.org. Congratulations to all of the teams that competed this year and hope you come back to do it again next year.
Civil Air Patrol Banquet
On March 25, chapter president Wally Saeger at-tended the Civil Air Patrol Neotoma Composite Squadron’s Annual Survival and Awards Banquet where he presented the CyberPatriot Team with their Participation Certificates and coins.
Vietnam War Commemoration Program A coordinated nationwide campaign is being led by the Department of Defense and supported by VA as part of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War Com-memoration Program. The recognition is being carried out through a series of events nationwide at which Vi-etnam Veterans (and Vietnam-era Veterans) are being presented with an official Vietnam lapel pin by top gov-ernment and military officials. A national event will take place at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington on March 29. President Donald Trump has signed a procla-mation declaring this date as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. For more information, read the VA Van-tage Point Blog and see Military.com's Vietnam Veter-ans Day page.
Military Report 3-26-18
L-R: AFA Tucson 105 President Wally Saeger, Lt Col Robert McCord (Squadron Commander), Cadets Zachary Connor, Cannon Smith (Team Captain), Wolfgang Wischki, Ria Blackwood, and Capt Silvia Scotti (Assistant Coach). Not pictured are Cadet Alexander Diaz and Lt Col Laura Markiewicz (Coach)
AFA Tucson 105 President Wally Saeger pre-senting the AFA Outstanding CAP Cadet Award to Cadet TSgt Wolfgang Wischki
VA Launches Web Tool to Track Benefits Appeals
On March 23, the VA and the U.S Digital Service an-nounced their launch of an improved Appeals Status tool to increase transparency and enable veterans to track the pro-gress of their benefits claims appeals. “It’s important that our veterans have the opportunity to track their appeals pro-cess in a timely and efficient manner,” said VA Secretary David Shulkin. “For the first time ever, veterans can see their place on the Board of Veterans’ Appeals’ docket, including the number of appeals that are ahead of them.” The tool, which went live March 21 on VA’s Vets.gov website, will allow veterans to access detailed information about the status of their benefits appeals and will include alerts about needed actions, as well as estimates of how long each step of the process takes. Some veterans who have previewed the new tool said it had given them hope and helped them under-stand that the process might take longer than expected.
Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage
Paid Tucson, AZ
Permit No. 1278
JOIN AFA
Air Force Association Tucson Chapter 105
P. O. Box 15057 Tucson, AZ 85708
Air Force Association Means Americans for Air Power
Upcoming Events
Look for future “field trips” to different squadrons on base; if you have something specific you want to see please let us know! There are MANY events supporting our local Airmen listed below and more to come! As a Chapter, we try to attend all that we can. If you are inter-ested in representing our AFA Chapter at any of these, please inform Wally Saeger ([email protected]) and he will coordinate it. You just have to show up and enjoy these traditional military ceremonies and gatherings. First come, first served!!
SAVE THE DATE
April 2018
-2nd: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!)
-13th: Chapter 33rd Annual Golf Tournament, Haven Golf Course, Green Valley
May 2018
-7th: Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!)
-18th: Chapter Monthly Luncheon, 563d Rescue Group Briefing
June 2018
- 11th Chapter Executive Committee Meeting, 1200, 355th Ops Group Conference Room (all welcome!)
- 23rd: Southwest Region Conference, Radisson Tucson Suites, Hosted by Chapter 105 (Info coming)
SAVE THESE DATES:
- July and August our normal summer break
- 15-16 Sep: Annual National Convention, Gaylord National Hotel, National Harbor (Washington DC)
- 17-19 Sep: 2018 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Gaylord National Hotel, National Harbor (Washington DC)
- 28 Sep, Chapter Monthly Luncheon & Officer Elections, Speaker TBD
AFA’s Mission
Our Mission is to promote a dominant USAF and a strong national defense and to honor airmen and our AF heritage. To accomplish this we:
Educate the public on the critical need for unmatched aerospace power and a technically superior workforce to ensure US national security,
Advocate for aerospace power and STEM education, and
Support the total Air Force Family and promote aerospace education.