|
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. - What do a flight
planner, a weather forecaster and a computer tech have in
common? Probably more than you think. It's clear they all
need each other in order to do their jobs and, ultimately,
ensure the safe flight of Fairchild's KC-135 Stratotankers
but that's not all.
|
Timothy Scheidt, a 92nd Operations Support Squadron weather forecaster, Glen Forward, a 92nd OSS flight planner and Ralph Homan, a 92nd OSS software support representative, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash
on March 25, 2015. The three men have worked together for the last 13 years and have learned that without each other it would be nearly impossible to get the mission done ... ensuring the safe flight of KC-135 Stratotankers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Taylor Bourgeous)
|
Glen Forward, a 92nd Operations
Support Squadron flight planner, Timothy Scheidt, a 92nd OSS
weather forecaster, and Ralph Homan, a 92nd OSS software
support representative, who all have completely different
jobs, have found some uncanny commonalities as well as needs
for each other's specialties that draw them together
personally and professionally.
As a flight planner,
Forward makes charts for the flight crews and determines
what they need from take-off until they land. Everything he
does depends on the weather, a fact he's learned well over
the last 35 years.
Scheidt tracks weather for the
aircraft's take-off and landing times and provides weather
support to the rescue flight as well as the wing staff
agencies. Without the computer support, he could not get his
job done, and in turn could not provide the data Forward
needs.
“We also highly depend on Ralph [Homan] to
keep our computers and programs up-to-date,” said Forward.
As the self-proclaimed “computer guy,” Homan prepares
all of the map database updates and planning updates that
happen inside the computer.
“Glen [Forward] uses all
the applications and the data that I push,” Homan said.
In addition to the closeness of their mutually dependent
jobs, the three men also have an interesting connection
related to their birth dates. The three men were all born in
the first week of February on sequential days as well as
sequential years.
During the last 13 years, the
three men have shared birthday celebrations and have worked
together to get the mission done. But this is not all they
have in common. They all retired from the U.S. Air Force at
the same rank.
Forward started out as a KC-135
Stratotanker boom operator. During his last three years of
active duty, Forward said, “I also had the privilege to be a
flight planner.”
He retired at 20 years as a master
sergeant and has been working as a civilian flight planner
for the last 14 years.
Scheidt said, “I've been a
weather guy since I joined the Air Force.”
He was on
active duty for 21 years as a weather forecaster before
retiring as a master sergeant and has been a civilian
weather forecaster for 14 years.
For the first part
of Homan's career he was a crew chief on fighter aircraft,
then crosstrained and became a helicopter flight engineer.
He was on active duty for 24 years before also retiring as a
master sergeant.
“The experience I had as a flight
engineer gave me a lot of exposure to the mission planning
software,” said Homan. Once retired, he started his new job
as a software support representative immediately and has
been doing it for the last 13 years.
These three men
who share so much in common personally, and work together
professionally, rely on each other to successfully complete
their respective missions and subsequently, the Air Force
mission.
By U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Taylor Bourgeous
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
Comment on this article |
