Daily Report

Jan. 24, 2011

Growing Pains

The Air Force’s C-27 fleet was grounded at the end of December after the discovery of metal shavings inside the fuel cells of all eight aircraft in the service’s inventory, officials told the Daily Report. It’s not yet clear what...

Tanker Hearing Scheduled for Thursday

The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to convene Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. East Coast time to receive testimony on the results of the Defense Department’s investigation “into the release of proprietary data in the KC-X competition,” according to a...

F-22 Accident Investigation Paused

The Air Force has paused the investigation into the fatal crash of an F-22 fighter on Nov. 16 in southcentral Alaska until weather conditions allow further recovery operations at the crash site. Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces commander, directed...

Switching to Winter Mode

Airmen and WC-130Js from Air Force Reserve Command’s 53rd Weather Reconaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., are now operating out of JB Elmendorf, Alaska, collecting data on winter storms heading towards the US mainland from the Pacific Ocean. Known as...

Long-range Radar Plans

The Air Force plans to issue the request for proposals around the end of March for the next phase of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar program. Teams from Lockheed Martin and Sensis are nearing completion of their contracts for initial...

Massive New Hangar Opens at Taji

The Iraqi Army Aviation Command has opened a new $9.8 million aircraft maintenance hangar at Taji Air Base. “At more than 240 feet long and 50 feet tall, the hangar is the largest maintenance hangar in Iraq and the largest...

RAF Welcomes Newest C-17

Britain’s seventh and final C-17 transport has entered service with the Royal Air Force at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, England. British Prime Minister David Cameron last week welcomed the aircraft during a ceremony at the base. The aircraft joins...

Missing Korean War Pilot’s Remains Identified

The Pentagon announced that Defense Department forensic experts have identified the remains of 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, an F-84 pilot from Moultrie, Ga., missing in action from the Korean War. They were returned to his family for burial with...

Fire Up the Kindles and Nooks

Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has issued his 2011 professional reading list. "Effectively operating within our increasingly dynamic, interconnected, and complex world requires steadfast commitment to personal and professional growth," said Schwartz in a letter to airmen. As a result, he suggests 14 books this year for airmen that he divides into three categories: leadership, strategic context, and military heritage. Schwartz said he will highlight books from the list throughout the year; for the first quarter of 2011, he recommends these three: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin; Technology Horizons: A Vision for the Air Force Science and Technology, by Werner Dahm, former USAF chief scientist; and The All Americans, by Lars Anderson. (SAF/PA release) (CSAF reading list webpage) (Here's Schwartz's 2010 reading list)

Campus Camera

Cinematographers Ed Done and Alan Hayden are with Air Force Academy Cadet Squadron 10 every step of the way, shooting “Wings of Honor,” a feature-length, first-hand documentary on the cadet experience. “We have come to know many of the young...