Feb. 17, 2017
Public Affairs, Volume 64, Number 7
Emerging Technologies CTF conducts its first test By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
The newly-formed Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force completed its first test high above Edwards Feb. 13. The test was conducted for the 412th Range Squadron, which wanted to see if it was possible to use a small unmanned aerial system to calibrate the range squadron’s telemetry antennas located on a hill east of Lancaster Blvd. The antennas are an important part of Edwards AFB’s flight test operations and are needed to transmit and streamline data from aircraft to testers on the ground. The antennas have to be calibrated at least once a month. The overall test objective was to validate the use of an sUAS as a flying radio frequency boresight. A quadcopter was affixed with an antenna and transmitter, and was flown on three test sorties up to an altitude of 500 feet above ground level and 3,000 feet away from the antennas. “The specific test objective that we were trying to meet was to determine whether the test aircraft has enough hover precision and signal strength for telemetry antenna calibration,” said Capt. Justin Merrick, ET CTF, lead engineer. “The sorties were to test short- and long-range calibration utility in the L, S and C frequency bands. The short-range data will be used to compare to the boresight tower calibrations that the 412th RANS currently performs. The long-range data will be used to compare to the sun calibrations that RANS also performs.”
Pilots from the Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force prepare to land a quadcopter after a test sortie Feb. 13. The quadcopter was tested to see if it can perform as a flying radio frequency boresight to calibrate Edwards AFB’s telemetry antennas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
Test data collected included stability data from the quadcopter when hovering, calibration data, signal strength and time data to determine how long the calibrations took as well as flight time and transit times, added Merrick. “Our biggest challenge is pacing. Due to the short battery life (of the quadcopter), we have to try and accomplish the test points, especially the transitions between points, as quickly as possible. On the flip side of that, we have to make sure that we are not going so fast as to compromise the safety and efficiency See Quadcopter page 4
April’s Capstone marks end of two-year inspection cycle
By Christopher Ball 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
MICT may sound like something you buy at a fast-food chain, and terms like TIGIRS, IGEMS and Capstone may lead some people to think of an action adventure video game or movie. The acronyms, in reality, are some of the tools used to evaluate wing-level effectiveness across the Air Force. They stand for Management Internal Control Toolset, The Inspector General’s Inspection Reporting System and the IG Evaluation Management System, respectively. Capstone is the visit from the Air Force Materiel Command Inspector General Team that closes out the two-year Unit Effectiveness Inspection cycle. April 25 through 28, the AFMC IG office will send a team to Edwards Air Force Base to conduct the 412th Test Wing’s Capstone inspection visit. Kimberley Strong, 412th Test Wing
Inspector General director of inspections, explained that the Capstone is an incarnation of what was formerly known as the Unit Compliance Inspection, but the inspection system has evolved. Under the old system, she explained, a big group of inspectors came from AFMC. “We spent three to six months prepping – cleaning, painting, even hiding things – and once the inspectors left we were good for two years,” she said. With the newer method, the UEI is a “continual evaluation of performance throughout the inspection period – a photo album versus a snapshot. The inspection period begins immediately after the close-out of the previous UEI report,” according to Air Force Instruction 90201, the Air Force Inspection System. Strong said for this Capstone there will be fewer inspectors, and more of the self-assessment will be done virtually. “This time we’re looking at about
100 inspectors, compared to the 170 that came the last time. Eventually, they want to reduce by about 25 percent for each inspection,” she said. “They will be looking at our self-assessment programs when they come down: How well do we inspect ourselves?” Strong said the 412th TW is already doing a great job of its self-assessments. “We shouldn’t be doing any prep for this inspection,” she said. “We should be going on just like we do every day and we should always be inspection-ready.” The inspection-ready concept should cut out the preparation – that spin-up for the inspection – and should reduce stress on 412th TW personnel, she said. The key to getting through the Capstone inspection, according to Strong, is honesty. “Identify the things you know you’re not compliant in. It’s OK to be non-compliant as long as we know we’re non-comSee Capstone page 3