Page 5 - Bullseye 5-29-15

BULLSEYE Feature 5May 29, 2015

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Frankenphone: Creech Airman improves RPA communications

By Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen Although he’s gathered skills off duty, U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen
his talents aren’t bound to just life outside
432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing the military. Marion has contributed his Staff Sgt. Marion is a 42nd Attack Squadron sensor operator at Creech Air Force
talents to furthering the Air Force mis- Base, Nev. Marion was recognized by Air Force leadership for constructing a device
Public Affairs sion when he repurposed materials in dubbed “Frankenphone 3.5 Ultra High Definition,” which simplifies life in the
two different Air Force specialty codes. ground control station while flying remotely piloted aircraft, allowing operators
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — to seamlessly execute the mission and save lives.
In a crowded room of remotely piloted “I was in cable antenna maintenance
aircraft sensor operators, it would be prior to being a sensor operator and I incredible, according to Gen. Herbert J. strikes by having to repeat messages to
easy to overlook him, yet his accomplish- took equipment in its original form. Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat whole aircrew,” Marion said.
ments scream for attention. His peers Without needing specialized tools to get Command.
have labeled him a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ the job done, I was able to repurpose it,” He went on to say another aspect of
and after getting past his quiet first im- Marion said. “It’s amazing,” Carlisle said. “It’s a coordination the Frankenphone stream-
pression, it’s easy to see why. classic case of innovation. Ultimately, we lines is the approval process. By allowing
Most recently he distinguished him- needed to build a piece of equipment that key leadership and the aircrew to be on
For Staff Sgt. Marion, a 42nd Attack self by fashioning a device that helped would allow us to talk through a phone the party line, it provides quality control
Squadron sensor operator, it all began increase communications quality, and while we’re still on the radio and (flying and the ability to verify the information
before he even considered wearing the reduced piloting complications while the aircraft). Frankenphone is the kind of the JTAC is passing in real time to elimi-
uniform. When he was a child, at the flying RPAs. innovation (the Air Force) needs.” nate miscommunications.
age of 13, he began welding. He started
building go-karts first and at age 17 Now, two years later and on its third RPA pilots were presented with a Because the Frankenphone is made
he started his first official welding job variation, the pocket-sized contraption challenging method of relaying messages of recycled materials, it can cost as little
building race cars. At age 20, he began has been dubbed “Frankenphone 3.5 with joint terminal attack controllers and as nothing or up to $250 if new parts
building computers and working with Ultra High Definition,” due to its crude to the rest of the aircrew. are used and it takes less than an hour
circuitry until he decided to enlist in manifestation. It doesn’t look like it is to make.
the Air Force at 23. much of anything, but it’s incredibly When a joint terminal attack con-
simple and a highly effective way to troller called into the phone line, a pilot “The Frankenphone is allowing us to
“I just married my wife and we were complete the mission. would hold a phone to their ear with seamlessly execute the mission, while it
planning on starting a family; the job I their shoulder while flying the aircraft saves the Air Force money,” said Lt. Col.
had paid well but the military was stable,” Like its name suggests, the phone is and monitoring computer readouts, in Gregory, the 432nd Operations Group
Marion said. “And I wanted to serve my patched together from pieces of equip- addition to the pilot’s intercom system deputy commander. “A less than $250
country as well.” ment that are heading for the scrap pile. headset, which made this an unneces- modification has helped ensure ground
sarily difficult process. forces in combat zones return safely to
Although a skilled welder, this wasn’t “It’s made of a phone receiver that has their families. There’s no doubt in my
what earned him his label among his been retired, and an old headset which As if that wasn’t challenging and mind that we have saved coalition lives
peers. It was the combination of hands- either had microphones or speakers quit inconvenient enough, the pilot would with this device.”
on abilities which took him years to working,” Marion said. then have to relay the information to the
acquire through woodworking, circuitry, rest of the aircrew via radio, repeating To ensure the Frankenphone contin-
landscaping, sheetrock work and house Faced with budget constraints, RPA themselves multiple times and delaying ues to save lives and the knowledge is not
rewiring. crews were operating with outdated com- mission engagements. lost after Marion changes duty stations,
munication systems while still having to he has created continuity on how to build
“Anything I’ve set my mind to, I can ensure accurate mission planning and “The Frankenphone really simplifies the Frankenphone to allow others in his
do. I just do some research,” Marion said. execution with ground forces. While the life in the ground control station,” said field to continue to evolve the device for
“My wife’s always surprised by the stuff design is simple, what the Frankenphone Capt. Christine, a 432nd Wing pilot. future needs.
I can do and build.” does for the Air Force is nothing short of
The Frankenphone solves all those “I’ve seen so many good ideas disap-
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen problems by tying the phone line into pear when someone (changes assign-
the pilot’s headset intercom system. It ments) and this device is still needed by
Staff Sgt. Marion, a 42nd Attack Squadron sensor operator, displays his invention, essentially puts the aircrew on a party squadrons on Creech AFB,” Marion said.
the “Frankenphone 3.5 Ultra High Definition,” March 24 at Creech Air Force Base, line mitigating the need to repeat mes- “Taking that knowledge with me without
Nev. The Frankenphone gets its name because of the way it’s patched together from sages numerous times and improving passing it along would have been wrong.”
decommissioned pieces of equipment. It’s a simple design, but the Frankenphone communication clarity.
improves air-to-ground communications by putting the aircrew and joint terminal Editor’s note: This feature is part of the
attack controllers on a party line, mitigating the need to repeat messages numerous “This eliminates a lot of the coordina- “Through Airmen’s Eyes” series on AF.mil.
times and improving communications clarity. This in turn allows operators to tion piece by getting everyone on a con- These stories focus on a single Airman,
seamlessly execute the mission and save lives. ference call and getting everybody on the highlighting their Air Force story.
same page, versus via radios and delaying