Page 1 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt 9-11-15

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INSIDE Luke conducts first F-35 load training
STORIES 6WRU\DQGSKRWRVE\
„ Airmen see clearly, 3 Airman 1st Class
„ RAAF gets new uni- RIDGE SHAN
forms, 4 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
„ Be prepared, 5
„ SNCOPEC, 18 Airmen from the 56th Maintenance
„ Flag football games, 23 Group performed simulated weapons load-
ing procedures on the F-35 Lightning II
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28 at Luke Air Force Base.
Where were you?
Sept. 11, 2001 The F-35 weapons load training is de-
signed to teach and enhance knowledge of
Courtesy photo preparation, operation, and safety to weap-
ons load crew and maintenance members
TEAM LUKE REMEMBERS who will load munitions on the advanced
F-35 platform in the near future.
See Page 12
“We teach them all the loading steps
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topher Steele, 61st Aircraft Maintenance
Action line ............................. 2 Unit lead crew chief and instructor. “When
Briefs..................................... 3 the crews come down, we teach them like
Spotlight ................................ 4 they’ve never loaded before. We teach them
Diversions ........................... 20 the basics of how to make the aircraft safe
Sports.................................. 23 for maintenance, handle munitions safely,
work with the fuses and wiring of muni-
QUOTE OF THE WEEK tions, and perform munitions loading pro-
cedures. Once everything is safe, we teach
“The security forces leadership team them how to post-load, which is to look back
met with the Navy master of arms and review everything.”
leadership team at the Naval Opera-
tions Support Center and discussed For students, the expectations are high,
the possibility of joining forces. The and the instruction is fast-paced and hands-
teams developed the idea and then on. In the training hangar, where a clean
GUDIWHG WKH ÀUVWHYHU MRLQW VHFXULW\ DQGHPSWLHG)VLWVÁDQNHGE\LQHUWPLV- On traditional jets, munitions are ejected
posting memorandum of agreement.” siles and bombs for practice, Airmen move
quickly from station-to-station and congre-
Maj. Scott Haselden JDWH DURXQG LQVWUXFWRUV WHDFKLQJ VSHFLÀF
56th Security Forces Squadron details about a particular weapon or system.
WEATHER ´:KHQ\RXJHWRQWKHÁLJKWOLQHZHH[SHFW munitions,” Miller said. “On this jet, it’s all
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Today nomenclature,” Steele said. “I expect you to
be able to tell me everything you’re looking
100°/78° at, tell me all of the bomb prep, the rack
prep, anything that is not included in the
Chance of current loading.”
Thunderstorms
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tation of any new program, there are ob-
stacles to overcome. The new technology
presented in the aircraft increases the
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training course.
“The biggest challenge we have right now
is simply that the F-35 is a new aircraft,”
said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Miller, 61st AMU
lead crew chief and instructor. “There’s
nothing really like it. It’s totally different
from most aircraft.”
Not only do the instructors have to teach
a new system that they’ve only grown ac-
customed to on their own, but the new Air-
men hoping to gain that wisdom must do so
through working with something that is dif-
ferent from anything else they’ve ever seen.
Go to luke.af.mil for Luke Facebook link
Sept. 11, 2015
Vol. 15, No. 34
Senior Airman Erik Smith, 309th Aircraft Maintenance Unit lead crew member, dem-
onstrates weapons load procedures on a dummy bomb Aug. 28 as Staff Sgt. Kyle
Lomonaco, 61st AMU weapons load team chief, looks on. Luke Air Force Base’s
F-35 Lightning II weapons load training program uses a number of props, including
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“The biggest challenge for the Airmen ing sure the rack is powered by pneumatics.
who come here is that they are fresh It’s the little things like that which you have
minds,” Steele said. “They’re new Airmen to make sure everybody knows about. It’s still
coming here straight from tech school. They a hazard, but it’s a different kind of hazard
don’t know what to expect because they’ve from previous aircraft. You’re not necessarily
never seen these bombs or missiles before, worried about explosives now, but loading the
and so we have to teach them from scratch.” jet presents an air pressure hazard.”
Even experienced loaders making the The changes in these systems are more a
switch from older jets have a disadvantage, focus for the instructors now given the grow-
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lum ahead of them as those who have never on older jets.
worked on a plane before now.
“I can see a lot of F-16 maintainers here
“For people coming in from the legacy jets, who are going to be transitioned to the F-35,”
there’s a bit of a learning curve because it’s a Steele said.
completely different system as far as loading,”
Miller said. “For people who were on F-15s As Luke slowly redirects its mission to that
DQG)VRUDQ\RWKHUÀJKWHUPRYLQJIURP of the F-35, efforts are actively being made
DÀJKWHUWRDQRWKHUÀJKWHULVXVXDOO\DSUHWW\ to accommodate Luke Airmen by retraining
smooth transition. Everything is almost the them onto the new platform instead of simply
same, but as far as the F-35 goes, it’s different.” sending them to other bases.
“Once the 63rd AMU opens up, we are going
with explosive propellants upon launch. This to take a couple of our load crews from the 61st
isn’t the case on the F-35. AMU and transition them to the 63rd, and
then probably take some from the 309th and
“Your traditional jet has what they call 310th as well,” Miller said.
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is the adoption of the new autonomic logistics
information system.
The term “pneumatic” describes the fact
that the F-35 uses air pressure instead of “We’re using what they call ALIS,” Miller
explosives to eject its munitions. said. “On legacy jets like the F-16, you have
one program you order your parts from and
“There are different hoses you have to hook do maintenance on, you have maintenance
up since you’re no longer putting impulse carts forms, and then you have your technical
into the jet,” Miller said. “Now you’re just mak-
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