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Show July 30, 998 1 Plan ahead to ease deployment pains By Senior Airman Sara Banda 388th FW Public Affairs Office 388th Fighter Wing Deployment Clothing Checklist, Male 1 Belt with subdued buckle Pair combat boots (steel toes directed by unit commander) 3 Pair Battle Dress Uniform 1 Padlock (recommended) 1 2 Towels 1 Washcloth (recommended) 4 Undershirts 4 Undcrshorts 4 Pair black socks 1 Toiletry Kit (suggested y supply) if (BDU) 1 BDU cap or BDU baseball cap (no colored baseball caps may be worn during exercises or actual 60-da- contingency deployments) 1 Pair gloves (may be work gloves) 1 Set of civilian clothes Female 1 Padlock (recommended) 2 Towels 1 Washcloth (recommended) 4 Undershirts 4 Undershorts 4 Pair black socks 1 Toiletry Kit (suggested y supply) 4 Bras Aircrew Required flying gear 1 Set civilian clothes (recommended) 1 Flying jacket (summer winter as appropriate) 60-da- 1 3 The phone rings at 4 a.m. "We 've just been recalled. " says the voice at the other end. It's only minutes before the airman called is dressed and ready to deploy. One problem ... he has no mobility bag. "With the Phase I Operational Readiness Inspection next month, everyone needs to make sure their mobility bag is updated," said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Faucher. 388th Wing Plans and Exercises superintendent. "In fact, one should inventory their bag every quarter. You would hate to miss a bunch of stuff at the last minute." Getting the green bag ready for a deployment is easy according to Sergeant Faucher. He recommends having a wing deployment clothing checklist inside the bag. Another idea is to and socks to use sandwich bags to store items such as help in the inventory process. The checklist shows the minimum requirements for the bag. However, as long as the bag does not exceed 70 pounds, they can add extra clothing or other personal items. "It's a no brainier." said Master Sgt. Gregory J. Nelson. 4th Fighter Squadron unit deployment manager. "The reason for deployment, not everybeing prepared is that in a thing will be able to be bought. Also, there may not be time to pack all these items." As for exercises, he shares an experience he endured early in his career where some of his fellow airmen failed to pack properly. "At my first base, we had a mobility exercise in which we launched and landed 20 minutes later were loaded into a at a simulated deployed location," said Sergeant Nelson. "Three quarters of the people had filled their deployment bag with newsexercise, those papers and books. By the end of the guys were stinking pretty bad." This memory has served as a poignant and potent lesson throughout his career. : : J..-- ." tr ,u no! , l ,1 their field gear (helmet, gas mask, web belt, canteen) and carry their personal readiness folders and training records (as required). real-wor- ld Flight cap Flight suits (Nomex) 1, (Male and Female) 1 Field Jacket or Gortex (with liner) Non-Aircre- Note: Any item worn when processing count towards the w 48-ho- ur 3 Aircrew training 'road map' ensures flyers remain Airman Cindy Richards StaffWriter. Fighter Country Preparing for the threat of war against enemies that possess separate and distinct threats and capabilities is a challenge Air Force leaders face on a daily basis. The goal in any situation involving armed conflict is quite simply to fight and win. The plan for achieving this goal lies in a comprehensive flying training schedule that will yield combat ready fighter pilots. The Ready Aircrew Program helps the pilots prepare for their mission by taking them p through their training process. The program is a road map which shows us where we are now, where we need to be and the direction we need to take to get there, said Capt. Donald A. Johnson, 388th Wing Chief of Training. schedule helps veteran d The pilots (those with at least four years flying experience) keep their flying skills sharp. The program also enables newer pilots to develop their skills and gain experience, according to Captain Johnson. ,. d The Air program lays the foundation for all training requirements. "This training is necessary from the command-level viewpoint because it ensures each unit and squadron can meet the mission for which they are tasked." he said. The number of sorties each pilot needs depends on several factors. "A less experienced pilot must fly 10 sonics per month and experienced pilots must fly eight sorties per month." according to Capt. Steve Pedrotty. 34th Fighter Squadron chief of scheduling. Experienced pilots, such as the wing commander, w ho are not assigned to a flying squadron are required to fly five sorties each morith. is the The number of available main determiner of how many flights are step-by-ste- year-roun- -- Force-directe- ' scheduled per week, said Captain Pedrotty. Other factors include which flyer needs the training the most and pilot availability. Flyers who don't meet the required missions are put on a probationary status and must fly additional sorties. The number of added sorties is determined by the experience of the pilot, said Maj. Paul Smith, 34th Fighter Squadron Operations officer. Pilots unable to meet the additional standards are placed on ready status. "The program is very specific about what pilots have to do to be taken off probationary or ready status," said Captain Pedrotty. "Our challenge is to overcome the numerous other factors that sometimes make it difficult for a pilot to quickly regain his combat ready status in a timely manner." Shortages of funding and available spare parts are, someof the obstacles which can impact a squadron's ability to generate the required number of sorties for its pilots, according to Captain Pedrotty. Temporary duty assignments, leav e and deployments are other contributing factors. Deployments can get in the way of the training, said Captain Johnson. However, the y deployment schedule has helped everyone get back into their normal training routines quicker. Pilots deployed to Southwest Asia who have achieved a combat ready status maintain this classification while flying in these arenas. Upon returning home, flyers resume their normal training schedule. The Ready Aircrew Program helps solud squadron leadership provide tions to age-ol- d training challenges. i "M if'" at at fi t 45-da- fact-base- L- -. ,. rmf nitfNr '7c - 'r o :- Phoio b Airman I inilv Richards Airman 1st Class Derrell Plaisance, 4th Fighter Squadron flight management, checks the flight board for pilot arrival times. |