Rodeo preparations at full throttle

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Linda Welz
  • 452 AMW/PA
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  (Part 2 of a 3-part series about the Air Force's Airlift Rodeo)

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. -- With Rodeo 2011 competition on the horizon, competitors from the 452nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 729th Airlift Squadron, collectively known as Team March, are diligently working toward a common goal - victory.

"The excitement of the team is getting intense," said Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Medlin, C-17 production supervisor for the 452 AMXS. "We are getting so close."

The last time a March maintenance team competed in Rodeo was 2000 and their airframe was the C-141 Starlifter. Medlin was a crew chief and they won best overall C-141 maintenance team, he said.

"We consider ourselves the underdogs because we haven't been there in awhile," Medlin said. "I don't think anyone is thinking March is going to come in there and win anything."

Hoping to surprise those who think that, Medlin, the only Rodeo-veteran on the 12-person maintenance team, said they have reviewed and practiced safety as well as launch and recovery procedures.

"March has always been on the top in maintenance and just because we haven't been there (Rodeo) in awhile doesn't mean we aren't going to win," Medlin said. "We are going to show them that we are still on top."

For the maintenance group, Rodeo preparation extends well beyond the basic team, said Col. Robert Stormes, 452 Maintenance Group Commander.

"We have volunteers from throughout the group working hard to increase our odds of winning," he said. "While the maintenance Rodeo team is focusing on working the primary aircraft, our HSC (Home Station Check) troops are preparing the backup aircraft just in case it is needed. "

The AGE (Aircraft Ground Equipment) section completely refurbished the equipment the team will be using during the competition and the Plans and Scheduling section has worked hard to schedule the primary aircraft on off-station training missions that will prepare the aircrew and maintainers for the competition, he said.

"It seems that whenever we are planning for training, the aircraft breaks and takes up most of our time," Medlin said. "Because of this, we have been using our experience and doing some of our Rodeo tasks in the best possible manner we can, on the spot, and then learning from that."

According to Medlin, this has led them to adopt a motto from a much younger Bill O'Reilly, who's response to a broken teleprompter during a taping of Inside Edition years ago was a loud, "We'll do it live!"

Whether scheduled or doing it live, many others within the group that have lent a hand to clean, inspect and fix issues with both aircraft to ensure they have a competitive advantage. All these efforts are essential to being able to effectively compete head-to-head with other wings, Stormes said.

"Within maintenance, Rodeo competition is truly a team effort that all can feel good about when we bring home the trophies," Stormes said.

Trophies are awarded to teams who are the best at what they do and prove it while following stringent safety guidelines.

"Safety is a big thing for us," Medlin said. "I tell my crew that we will be observed daily. We have to know our jobs in detail."

The pre-flight maintenance event is where their job knowledge and skills are put to the test. The maintenance crew is responsible for preparing the airplane to perform at its best, Medlin said.

"We go beyond just fixing things," Medlin said. "We are proactive by trying to think of what may happen and then we fix or replace parts as needed to, hopefully, avoid those issues at Rodeo."

The inspectors go through the aircraft with a fine-toothed comb, he said.

"It's got to be pristine as far as cleanliness," he said. "No FOD (foreign object debris) can be on the airplane at all."

This can be a challenge when the aircraft selected to participate at Rodeo is not able to sit idle after it is cleaned. The C-17 must still be used to accomplish daily missions.

"Making sure we keep it clean and FOD-free is a constant thing," Medlin said. "We can't keep it down. We still have to fly it."

Those daily missions allow the team to practice another event: launch and recovery.
There are many different steps in the launch and recovery process. At Rodeo, more emphasis is placed on each step because of the competition, Medlin said.

"Our goal is to win," he said. "The process is precise, timed and graded."

There is one maintenance event that is new to Medlin since he last attended a Rodeo.

"The Maintenance Skills competition isn't something we can really practice for, because we won't know what skills they will test us on until we are there," he said.

They want to make sure the aircraft is flying well for the aircrew to compete in their part of the competition and also fly well so the maintenance crew doesn't have to fix it, he said.

His team has had the opportunity to partner with their Rodeo aircrew during a few local missions which helps them become more cohesive, Medlin said.

"Practicing with our aircrew helps us all know the precise steps we need to take during Rodeo to make sure we are all on the same page."

The four-man aircrew's competition begins with planning a take-off time from March Field that will allow them to put their C-17's wheels down at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., at a precise time given to them by the judges. How accurately they arrive according to that time, coupled with the exact place their front wheel first touches down on the X-marks-the-spot runway, will give them their first score of the week-long, international airlift/airdrop competition.

"We have focused our training mostly along the west coast and Pacific north-west, due to the competition being held at McChord," said Capt. Michael Costas, Chief of 729 AS Tactics. "We are very proud to be representing March ARB and the 452 AMW at the competition and are eager to learn from and share ideas with colleagues and allies from around the world."

With a combined total of more than 24 years service and 12,000 flying hours in the C-17, they have been training together since the middle of June for competitions in air-to-air refueling, low-level navigation, short-field landing, engine-running onload, backing and combat offload.

"I have no doubt they will be successful," Col. Mark Sigler, Commander, 452nd Operations Group, wrote in an e-mail. "The 729 AS aircrew are the finest, most experienced C-17 aircrew members in the Air Force. They have dedicated numerous extra hours of work preparing for the unique aspects of the Rodeo competition."

If you would like to track Team March during the July 23-30 Rodeo competition, become a fan at www.facebook.com/TeamMarch or follow us at www.twitter.com/March_ARB. "We'll do it live!"