Positions
Assistant Director of Operations
Readiness Section Chief
Flight Commander
Aircraft Commander
Squadron Crew Controller
Squadron Training Officer
Runway Supervisory Unit Instructor Controller
Flight Scheduler
Experiences
As Assistant Director of Operations, I directed daily operations of a strategic airlift squadron consisting of over 320 flying and ground personnel and 15 aircraft during the Iraq war and following occupation, some of the unit’s busiest times. Daily operations included reviewing the status of flying missions in operation around the world, interacting with crew schedulers to ensure upcoming missions were filled with the correct experience mix of crew, filling local ground events with qualified crew members, reviewing and approving flying orders, resolving issues with missions or training flights in progress, coordinating with section chiefs to fix internal issues, and coordinating with base and local agencies to ensure successful mission execution. In this capacity, I was a part of the command staff responsible for short and long term planning. In the absence of the Commander and Operations Officer, I was responsible for all personnel issues. In addition, I was the principal reviewer of Defense Travel System travel vouchers for integrity, accuracy and accomplishment.
As Readiness Section Chief, I was in charge of three offices of a strategic airlift squadron consisting of over 80 personnel; the deployment training and deployment equipment section, a $250K professional equipment and uniform supply office, and the 24 hour operations center. The deployment training and deployment equipment section was responsible for ensuring all aircrew and ground personnel were properly trained and equipped for worldwide deployment. The professional equipment and uniform supply office stocked required equipment and uniform items to resupply the unit’s personnel. The operations center was manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to support crews operating worldwide and crews getting ready to depart. During my time in the office, we expanded from approximately 25 personnel to over 80, corrected over 700 documented problems with training and supply, rebuilt the entire unit’s deployment records, started a contingency plans office and won the base Readiness Team of the Year award.
As Flight Commander, I supervised over 50 mid-level to junior officers. This included ensuring the officer was getting the required training, was ready to upgrade on time, performed annual performance evaluations, managed all unit officer vacation scheduling, and mentored them on future assignments.
As Aircraft Commander, I was responsible for the safe and expeditious movement of the aircraft and crew around the world. In this capacity I managed the actions of the crew during ground and flight operations, directing actions to prevent damage or injury. I also was directly responsible for mentoring and training of the inexperienced pilots. During off times, I coordinated with agencies to provide lodging, dining, and transportation for the crew. During emergency operations, I used Cockpit Resource Management skills to direct crew members to handle different tasks supporting the safe flight and resolution of the mission.
As the Squadron Crew Controller, I coordinated with base agencies to ensure requirements for missions and local flights were fulfilled prior to beginning the flight. I also managed four crew schedulers to ensure they filled missions with the correct experience mix of crew members and reviewed flying orders for accuracy before submitting for approval.
As Squadron Training Officer, I developed a comprehensive qualification training program designed to familiarize new instructor pilots with local area training procedures, air traffic patterns and student training policies. I was responsible for developing training programs to enhance understanding and acceptance of new training requirements and procedures.
As Runway Supervisory Unit Controller and Instructor Controller, I managed four people, instructed controller trainees, and controlled air traffic operations for T-37 flight operations in one of the US Air Force’s busiest air traffic locations. Duties included controlling air traffic, maintaining traffic logs, spotting safe and unsafe aircraft configurations, handling aircraft emergencies by clearing traffic, providing support to the distressed aircraft, and coordinating with emergency services.
As Flight Scheduler for six years, I managed the highly dynamic daily scheduling of over 400 students and 80 instructors in a fast paced training environment, coordinating with other schedulers and maintenance to ensure maximum resource utilization while ensuring absolute best level of training possible.