The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences has bestowed the 2006 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research upon the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins AFB, Ga. The ALC won the award, which is considered the “Super Bowl of O.R.,” for its work on streamlining C-5 flow days at the depot. The ALC’s entry discussed how it had used operations research to arrive at a radically different approach to managing the repair and overhaul of C-5 transports, using a technique called critical chain to reduce the time it takes to repair and overhaul an aircraft by 33 percent. “This is what happens when the most capable people use the most innovative and advanced tools for this highly complex operation,” said Bill Best, deputy director of the 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Support Group.
Air Force F-16 pilots are testing out new sensors that could help maximize their performance and avoid deadly accidents while flying fast fighter jets under heavy G-forces and stressful conditions.