A team of airmen who fly and maintain the C-17 at Charleston AFB, S.C., pooled their expertise to reduce the number of steps the air crews must follow during pre-flight—cutting the time involved by an hour and a half, reports SSgt. April Quintanilla. The team pared down the 35 sequence of events performed by pilots to 18 steps with assistance from the aircraft’s maintainers. The team presented the revamped safety inspection checklist at a May Flight Manual Review Conference and awaits a decision in August about whether the Air Force will accept the new process and implement it at other C-17 units.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
