Public Affairs, Volume 63, Number 60
Serving the community of Edwards Air Force Base California www.edwards.af.mil - www.facebook.com/EdwardsAirForceBase
Sept. 23, 2016
Experimental bomber returns home after six decades
The fuselage of the XB-47A Stratojet heads south on Rocket Site Road toward Rogers Dry Lake and its temporary home at North Base. The aircraft arrived disassembled aboard several flatbed trucks Sept. 19. It is expected to be reassembled, refurbished, and displayed at the Air Force Flight Test Museum within the next year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Christopher Ball)
By Christopher Ball 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
A historic aircraft with close ties to Edwards Air Force Base returned to its roots after more than six decades Monday morning. The XB-47A Stratojet bomber, an icon of aerospace history,
returned to Edwards Air Force Base at approximately 9 a.m., arriving disassembled on several flatbed trucks. The aircraft entered the base on Rocket Site road, then proceeded across Rogers Dry Lake to its temporary home on North Base for reassembly and restoration by Air Force Flight Test Museum volunteers. George Welsh, AFFT Museum director, said the restoration will be done in stages. “The assembly and external restoration of the aircraft should take about one year,” he said. Once the aircraft is assembled and cleaned up, it will be painted and ready for display at the museum. Then the restoration team can go to work refurbishing the internal areas of the plane – like the cockpit and bomb bays – that will be seen by the public. “It will be an ongoing effort,” he said. “I think it would be really cool for visitors to see volunteers restoring the cockpit.” The XB-47A was the precursor to the U.S. Air Force’s strategic bomber aircraft family, to include the B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit. Its multi-engine and swept wing profile were major innovations in post-World War II combat jet design, and contributed to the development of modern commercial jet airliners. See XB-47, page 3
Edwards first responders show support for fallen K-9 officer By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
The Edwards Air Force Base Fire Department and 412th Security Forces Squadron joined first responders from across the state to honor a fallen K-9 officer from the California City Police Department Sept. 19.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
A memorial service was held at the Strata Center in California City’s Central Park for Ty, who died Sept. 7 while undergoing a procedure to fix his already surgically repaired back. Ty was injured when trying to subdue a suspect last month in California City. Edwards has mutual aid agreements with California City law enforcement and emergency responders, which creates a close working relationship with the city that is home to many base workers and is just 20 minutes north of the installation.
California City Police Department K-9 officer Ty in action at Tortoise Days Celebration 2016 at California City Central Park this past May. (Courtesy photo by Kane Wickham/Mojave Desert News)
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Sept. 23, 2016
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Small suggestion leads to big help for hungry Airmen By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
It was easy for Airman 1st Class Gabriel Osirus III to see. The 412th Medical Group Mental Health technician eats at the Joshua Tree Dining Facility regularly and noticed some of his fellow Airmen having trouble. “When you get food to go, sometimes you have to stack up the boxes and then you have a little salad dressing container on top of that. I see a lot of people needing help opening the door,” said Osirus. “People were dropping their food or having to make separate trips to their car if they had multiple boxes. I just thought it’d be nice if we had bags we can put our food in.” Many Airmen pick up multiple boxes of food to bring to their wingmen at their units, which can be cumbersome and risky during windy days. When Chief Master Sgt. Todd Simmons, 412th Test Wing command chief, came to visit the 412th MDG mid-August, Osirus stood up and suggested the bag idea to him during a question-and-answer session. “We have the smartest Airmen coming into the force today, even more than when I came in,” said Simmons. “We (wing leadership) want them to use their brains and pass along ideas. If they see a need for the Airmen, let us know.”
Plastic bags are now available at the Joshua Tree Inn Dining Facility thanks to Airman 1st Class Gabriel Osirus III (left) who proposed the idea to Chief Master Sgt. Todd Simmons, 412th Test Wing command chief (right). (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
The chief talked to the 412th Force Support Squadron, and after some paperwork and approvals, plastic bags are now available at the dining facility. For his idea that came to fruition, Osirus was congratulated by Simmons and given a 412th Test Wing coin.
INNOVATION: How to submit your innovative ideas
(U.S. Air Force graphic by Staff Sgt. Jason J. Barnes)
Commentary by Innovation Team 412th Test Wing
So you’ve got an innovative idea, now what? There are a few avenues available for you to take action on your idea. One of the easiest ways is to submit your idea to a temporary SharePoint site that the 412th Test Wing Innovation Team set up specifically for this purpose. Since hyperlinks are hit or miss depending on the current Air Force policy, simply type the following address into your browser: https://org.eis.afmc. af.mil/sites/412tw/XP/XP%20Web%20Site%20content/ XPT/Innovation/XPTInnovation.htm. You may have heard Brig. Gen. Carl Schaefer, 412th Test Wing commander, mention that we will be launching an online crowdsourcing tool with a planned launch date during the
fourth quarter of this calendar year, and when that tool is up and running, we will transition all of the data from this temporary SharePoint site over to the new tool, so stay tuned and be flexible for the change that’s coming. One thing is certain, if you submit an idea to this site, a real human will contact you. That brings us to the next most convenient way to get in touch with the innovation team. More than anything, we prefer building relationships faceto-face, so we are providing two weekly opportunities for you to come and share your innovative ideas with us. The first is through our Foundry Team. The purpose of this team is to help you work through your concept to develop some maturity in the idea and then connect you to the resources and experts that you may need in order to take your idea to the next level. This team meets weekly from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in the Innovation Center located in Bldg. 2412, the Joshua Tree Dining Facility, on the lower level in Room 103. For more information contact Foundry Team lead T.J. Wuth at theodore. wuth@us.af.mil, or 661-275-8217. The other weekly opportunity to connect with the innovation team is through our Friday Innovation Meet-Up held from 9 - 11 a.m. in the Innovation Center. The innovation meet-up is open to anyone. It is laid back with only one thing on the agenda, to collaborate with you on your ideas. The rooms are set up with whiteboards, projectors, easels with large paper pads...whatever you might need to brainstorm, communicate and collaborate. "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." — Peter F. Drucker
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www.edwards.af.mil
Sept. 23, 2016
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Edwards unit joins rest of Navy in welcoming new chief petty officers By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
U.S. Navy bases and ships around the world held ceremonies Sept. 16 to welcome the Navy’s newest chief petty officers. Chief petty officer, enlisted grade E-7, is the first rank of the senior noncommissioned officer corps for the Navy. At Edwards, a ceremony was held by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron NINE Detachment Edwards, designated VX-9 Det. Edwards, at the base theater. The “Vampires” watched as three of their own donned their new khaki uniforms and pinned on their anchors to officially become CPOs. Richard Crapser, Lawrence Borba and Justin Sexton were introduced as VX-9’s newest chiefs. The ceremony concluded CPO 365 Phase II, a training period that began following the announcement of the Navy’s CPO advancement results Aug. 3. During the last six weeks the chief selectees were put through a series of trials by senior leadership in order for them to learn how to think and act like a chief. Although on a U.S. Air Force base, the ceremony was carried out in traditional Navy fashion with the new chief selectees entering the theater marching and singing the Navy Song, “Anchors Aweigh.” After introductory speeches, the chief selectees stepped forward individually to have their gold fouled anchors pinned on their collars by family members and the combination covers
Chief Petty Officers Richard Crapser, Lawrence Borba and Justin Sexton don their new khaki uniforms and CPO combination covers after pinning on their anchors to officially become U.S. Navy CPOs at the base theater Sept. 16. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
of a chief petty officer placed upon their heads. Last Friday, 4,765 Sailors across the Navy pinned on the rank of chief petty officer. VX-9 Det. Edwards has approximately 120 Sailors and is charged with the testing and evaluation of the Navy’s F-35C Lightning II and its related systems in direct support of the United States Naval Aviation Fleet.
Former test pilot’s family visits new AFFT museum display Lorrie Epling (center), daughter of test pilot Milburn G. “Mel” Apt, and her family, daughters Rachel (left) and Brisley and husband Michael, pose with museum specialist Tony Moore in front of the newly-unveiled display of Apt and the Bell X-2 at the Air Force Flight Test Museum Sept. 16. Apt was an Air Force test pilot and the first man to attain speeds faster than Mach 3. He was killed when the X-2 went out of control and broke up during the record-setting flight that exceeded Mach 3 on Sept. 27, 1956. Moore designed and constructed the Bell X-2 display. (U.S. Air Force photo by Christopher Ball)
Stratojet bomber prototype returns From XB-47, page 1
This XB-47 is the earliest survivor of the B-47 series and served as one of two experimental test airframes. The Air Force accepted the airframe December 1948 and logged almost 100 hours of test flights with the contractor, Boeing, and more than 237 for the Air Force. Testing included flight time at Edwards. There were only two XB-47 prototype aircraft ever built, and both were test flown at Edwards. However the number one XB-47, 46-065, was disassembled and eventually scrapped by the Air Force in 1954, making the number two prototype, 46-066, the sole surviving XB-47. After completing flight testing at Edwards from 1948 to 1954, tail number 46-066 spent the next six decades on static
A flatbed truck hauling engines and other aircraft components of the XB-47A Stratojet enters the northern boundary of Edwards Air Force Base Sept. 19. The historic aircraft returned to Edwards Air Force Base after more than six decades on display at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois. It will eventually be reassembled and displayed at the Air Force Flight Test Museum. (U.S. Air Force photo by Christopher Ball)
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Sept. 23, 2016
www.edwards.af.mil
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This Week in Edwards Flight Test History On Sept. 24, 2010 at Edwards AFB - The 418th Flight Test Squadron concluded flight testing to evaluate modifications of the C-17 “Globemaster III” formation flight system. The system enabled pilots to monitor and fly the large transport with other C-17s at the same altitude and distance in any weather condition. The FFS flight testing took about two weeks to complete. (Edwards History Office file photo)
Third Master Sgt. Derrell Willson retires from Air Force By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
Three generations of U.S. Air Force master sergeants are represented in a painting and in real life in front of Bldg. 1 Sept. 16. From left: retired Master Sgt. Derrell Willson, retired Master Sgt. Derrell Willson II, and now retired Master Sgt. Derrell Willson III. Willson III retired Sept. 16 ending almost 65 years of continuous service to the U.S. Air Force from the Willsons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Gocong)
Combat Challenge Course Oct. 7 at the gym. 11 timed obstacles on the course. All are welcome. Sign up by Sept. 29. Cost is $20. Music, drinks & food on hand. Call Staff Sgt. Jessica Aranda, 277-3891, or Airman 1st Class Samantha Phillips, 277-3272, to sign up.
For the third time in U.S. Air Force history, a Master Sgt. Derrell Willson has retired from the force. Master Sgt. Derrell Willson III, formerly of the 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, retired Sept. 16 in front of Bldg. 1, and in front of his father, retired Master Sgt. Derrell Willson II, and his grandfather – the original Master Sgt. Derrell Willson. Together, the three men have served almost 65 continuous years in the United States Air Force, which includes conflicts spanning from the Korean War to the War on Terror. Inspired to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, Willson III achieved his goal of making master sergeant. He spent his final assignment working on electronics and communications systems to support the F-22 Raptor program here. It was a career path similar to his father’s, which was in the teletype communications field, and not too different from his grandfather’s Air Force career as a radar technician.
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Commander, 412th TW ................ Brig. Gen. Carl Schaefer Installation Support Director ..................... Dr. David Smith Command Chief .............. Chief Master Sgt. Todd Simmons Director, 412th TW, Public Affairs ................... Ed Buclatin Editors ........................... Kenji Thuloweit, Christopher Ball Contributors ........................... Gary Hatch, Dawn Waldman To submit articles or upcoming events send an email to newsroom@edwards.af.mil
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