AMC reveals scoring errors at Rodeo
August 26th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Here's your not-new-but-really-kinda-new best C-17 unit: The 62nd Airlift Wing from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Leah Young)
So… how much does it cost to FedEx a trophy from Oklahoma to Arkansas?
Air Mobility Command admitted this week it bungled the calculation of scoring at this summer’s Air Mobility Rodeo at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The command discovered the problem as they prepared to release detailed scoring data to participants.
That altered the score for best air mobility wing, the competition’s top prize. The trophy originally had been awarded to the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., but instead will go to the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
The 97th AMW also will lose its title as best C-17 wing; instead, the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord is the new top unit.
And the 314th AW from Little Rock loses its title of best C-130 airdrop aircrew. The new winner: the 19th Airlift Wing from Little Rock AFB.
AMC officials discovered an error in the C-17 and C-130 Container Delivery System airdrop scores. Here’s the Rodeo commander’s explanation of it:
“There is an automated process in the scoring algorithm which improperly assigned a median score for an event,” Maj. Gen. Frederick Martin said. “This program error was not found in testing. All manual scoring processes were triple checked; however, there was not a final check for one critical portion of the automated scoring process.”
And even in the extremely vetted nature of Air Force internal stories, one commander could barely hide his exuberance at the mistake.
“This is great news!” 62nd AW commander Col. Wyn Elder said. “Our airmen work hard every day to provide the best combat airlift in the world and it’s an honor for them to be recognized at the premier mobility competition in the world for their outstanding work. The fact that the combined 62AW/627ABG team was able to win Best C-17 Wing at a joint base is a testament to the teamwork our airmen demonstrate every single day throughout the world. “
Tags: air force, altus afb, amc, joint base lewis-mcchord, little rock afb, rodeo
Who’s the best in AMC? Look to Oklahoma
August 2nd, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Heading back south with a reason to swagger. (Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman)
The guys from Altus Air Force Base returned to Oklahoma last week with some major bragging rights.
The 97th Air Mobility Wing took back the top prize at the 2011 Rodeo, Air Mobility Command’s bienniel skills competition. The 97th took home another nine trophies, too, which must have made the trip to Joint Base Lewis-McChord especially sweet.
The Rodeo, for those who might not know, is AMC’s biggest to-do. It draws teams from across the world to compete in everything from airdrops to financial management. Here’s a list of winners from this year’s competition:
Best Air Mobility Wing: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Okla.
The Knucklebuster Award: 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.
Best Aerial Port Team: 62nd Airlift Wing/627th Air Base Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Best Security Forces Team: Team McGuire, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
Best Contingency Response Operations Team: 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Best Financial Management: 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
Best Aeromedical Evacuation Team: 446th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Best Aerial Refueling Team: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base (Receiver) and 92nd Air Refueling, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.
Best International Team: Belgium
Best C-5 Wing: Team Dover, Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Best C-130 Wing: 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
Best C-17 Wing: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base
Best KC-10 Wing: Team Travis, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
Best KC-135 Wing: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base
Best Airland Wing: Team Dover, Dover Air Force Base
Best Tanker Wing: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base
Best Airdrop Wing: 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base
Tags: air mobility command, altus afb, amc, columbus afb, dover afb, dyess afb, fairchild afb, hickam, jb andrews, jb charleston, jb pearl harbor-hickam, joint base lewis-mcchord, joint base mdl, laughlin afb, little rock afb, macdill afb, mcconnell afb, petersen, pope afb, ramstein ab, randolph afb, rickenbacker angb, rodeo, scott afb, travis afb, westover arb
A hoedown with Saudis, Botswanans, Kiwis and more
July 26th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Scott Fontaine
Air Mobility Command is hosting their biennial Rodeo competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord this week. (In case you didn’t know, check out this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this. And there’s even more here.) The event brings in folks from across the world, allows them to wear cowboy hats and compete for bragging rights.
Your humble correspondent covered the past two Rodeos at his last gig, and I can attest they’re a mighty good time. Units will put up tents in a central area, grill out and sip a few chilly ones during downtime. There’s usually music thumping throughout the day. But one of the best parts (in my opinion) is rubbing elbows with the international participants. Seven countries sent teams to compete and another 20 are in Washington state as observers, according to an Air Force release. Two years ago, participants could relax on cushions and eat ultra-sweet dates alongside pilots in $600 sunglasses in the Saudi tent, buy a good German beer from the Luftwaffe officers there and grab a burger from the grill outside the Aussie tent.
The Air Force loves its rhetoric about building partnership capacity. And the Rodeo is any example, you can have a damn good time in the process.
Tags: air force, air mobility command, lewis-mcchord, rodeo