DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS
FEATURE
NEWS
EDUCATION
Most of Europe will move its clocks forward by one hour when daylight saving time begins Sunday. In Germany, daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. (set clocks forward to 3 a.m.).
First place recognition in Army digital photography contest, Page 3
Air Force Expeditionary Center commander visits 521st AMOW units, Page 5
Smith Elementary School students compete in robotics challenge, Page 8
March 29, 2019 | Volume 43, Number 12
A wonder team
Read the KA also online at KaiserslauternAmerican.com
US, French Airmen build trust in the skies over France
A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, flies through the skies over Orleans, France, March 19. French aircrews flew on U.S. C-130Js to develop their capability with the new model aircraft. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lindsay Hallford, 86th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion C-130J engine mechanic, right, walks alongside U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nicole Merriss, 86th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion craftsman, left, and U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Ariel Houser, 86th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion apprentice, middle, on the flight line at Crete Naval Base, Greece, March 8. The team completed a propeller swap on a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.
Story and photo by Senior Airman Sara Voigt 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs For the daily life of maintainers, getting called to work at a moment’s notice is routine. Not only are they specialists in aircraft maintenance, they are also specialists in dealing with the unexpected. On March 8, Tech. Sgt. Lindsay Hallford, Senior Airman Nicole Merriss, and Airman First Class Ariel Houser, got the call to fly out of Ramstein Air Base, to perform maintenance on a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft that broke down at Crete Naval Base, Greece. The Maintenance Recovery Team was notified that they would be arriving in Greece on a
C-130J within 24 hours. As usual, they were ready to go. “We flew to Crete to repair a C-130J aircraft and make it mission capable again,” said Hallford, an aerospace propulsion C-130J engine mechanic. “We had to remove and replace the affected propeller assembly.” The team arrived at the naval station’s flight line just before dawn, and wasted no time getting to work. The hours rolled by as the maintainers worked into the night, overcoming unforeseen obstacles and adapting with precision and skill. “The aircraft is equipped with an anti-ice system that keeps ice from See TEAM, Page 2
by Senior Airman Devin M. Rumbaugh 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ORLEANSBRICY AIR BASE, FRANCE
Members of Team Ramstein traveled to Orleans-Bricy Air Base, France, to conduct C-130J Super Hercules flying training with the French air force for an off-station training March 18 to 19. Pilots and loadmasters from the U.S. and French air forces flew on each other’s aircraft to familiarize themselves with the similarities and differences in their operating procedures. “One of the big things is that France is one of our partner nations,” said Capt. Christopher Espinosa, 37th Airlift Squadron executive officer. “We don’t get to train with them a lot. Being able to come out here and build a relationship that we can foster and train further in the future is an amazing opportunity.” The French air force 2/61 Transport Squadron recently started the transition
from their aging C-130H Hercules models, and began training on their newly acquired C-130J models in early 2018. “For me specifically, I am training to become a multi-element flight lead and need to fly with three aircraft,” said Espinosa. “For us to be able to fly out two U.S. aircraft, and for the French to support a third, is an awesome training opportunity. Furthermore, we’re able to interfly with them, they are able to fly on our aircraft and see how we operate. We can provide some training for them, for this trip specifically, we trained on cargo delivery system procedures as they begin to develop their capabilities with the same aircraft that we have.” This training marked the first joint C-130J training for both nations, working together and developing relations along the way. See TRUST, Page 6