By Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

Milt Davis Sr. will be remembered as a pioneer of AEDC. His knowledge not only helped facilitate the development of wind tunnels in the early days of the center, but his expertise will be relied upon for years to come

Davis passed away on June 27 at the age of 93. During his more-than-30-year career at AEDC, Davis was involved in wind tunnel testing, design and devel-opment. He was honored as an AEDC Fellow in 2006.

At one point, Davis, his son Dr. Milt Davis Jr., also an AEDC Fellow, and his grandson Chris Davis, were all simulta-neously employed at Arnold Air Force Base.

Well before he left what some have referred to as a “legacy of technical ex-cellence” at AEDC, the Colorado-born Davis started on the path that would eventually lead him to Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee. Not long after gradu-ating high school in 1942 at the age of 16, Davis began work at his first real job - an under-aircraft model maker at theNational Advisory Committee for Aero-nautics, the predecessor to NASA.

The job at NACA lasted only six

months, but it further bolstered Davis’ desire to become an aeronautical engi-neer and work in wind tunnels.

After his stint at NACA, Davis looked to attend college. World War II had begun less than two years prior and, shortly after turning 18, he joined the Navy. He served in the V5 and V12 College Training Programs, Navy

Arnold AFB, Tenn. July 22, 2019Vol. 66, No. 14

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE PAIDTULLAHOMA TNPERMIT NO. 29

Students participate in 2019 Reach for the Stars

Competition

NFAC test director and team recognized by the Vertical Flight Society

…Page 3

Contractors credited with saving life of co-worker

…Page 3 …Page 10

AEDC instrumental to program that put man on the moon

By Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

July 20 marks the 50th anni-versary of Neil Armstrong exit-ing the lunar module known as “Eagle” and becoming the first man to set foot on the surface of the moon.

AEDC played an integral role in this “giant leap for man-kind.” In years leading up to the Apollo 11 moon landing, per-sonnel at Arnold Air Force Base were involved in thousands of hours of testing to ensure the success of the NASA Project Apollo program. The aim of this spaceflight program was to ac-complish a goal set by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 – to land a man on the moon and return him to earth by 1970.

NASA designed a test pro-gram for AEDC to support the Apollo program. The goal of this program was to obtain data on aerodynamic heating, sta-bility during reentry, reentry ablation, interaction between separating components during escape operations, and aerody-namic loading throughout the flight regime, as well as to help address issues that arose during development.

Getting man to the lunar surface would be no easy feat, and the challenge was not taken lightly by those at AEDC. Ap-proximately 55,000 hours of test work involving more than two dozen of the center’s then-40 test facilities were completed throughout the 1960s in support of the Apollo program.

More than 3,300 hours of

wind tunnel tests were conduct-ed at Arnold AFB from 1960 to 1968. This represented well above 30 percent of the total wind tunnel work performed for the Apollo program. Over the same timeframe, more than 1,700 rocket firings were per-formed at Arnold.

Although Project Apollo had not yet been officially estab-lished, tests that would support the development of the Apollo spacecraft began at Arnold in

1960. In June of that year, the first aerodynamic test was con-ducted on a scale model of a proposed Saturn launch con-figuration in the 1-foot transonic wind tunnel.

The first propulsion system test on a proposed Saturn launch vehicle configuration occurred in January 1961, the year the Project Apollo was established.

Throughout the testing pro-cess, the Saturn rocket, which was developed in support of the

Apollo program, went through several configurations. The original Saturn I was upgraded to the Saturn IB. That would eventually be upgraded to the Saturn V, the rocket used to get the manned Apollo spacecraft past earth orbit and to the moon.

Initial activity in support of the propulsion systems for the Apollo spacecraft modules involved an exploratory program using a one-third-scale rocket engine. These tests were run in a simulated space

environment for the Apollo ser-vice module, which is the space-craft that remained in orbit around the moon while two astronauts ex-plored the moon’s surface.

By the time the first Saturn was launched from Cape Canav-eral in October 1961, more than 600 hours of testing on the Saturn had been completed at Arnold. Additional testing would occur in the years to follow.

E.N. Shelton prepares a scale model of the Apollo three-man capsule, with escape tower and jettison rocket attached, for aero-dynamic testing in the von Kármán Gas Dynamic Facility 40-inch supersonic wind tunnel in 1962. Later testing established the need for canard control surfaces at the apex of the escape rocket. (U.S. Air Force photo)

See INSTRUMENTAL, page 5

AEDC Fellow Milt Davis Sr.’s contributions remembered

Milt Davis Sr.

See DAVIS, page 5

Listen, reflect, act, learn keys to be “second to none”

By Col. Jeffrey GeraghtyAEDC Commander

Team AEDC, it has been a pleasure to get back to work at my new home here in Tennessee. The community is so welcoming, and the workforce clearly aspires to be second to none! I will hit the road soon to get a first-hand understanding of the Wing outside of Arnold AFB, but first I wanted to com-municate how I tackle the challenge of command in general. As a Commander I consider myself a servant-leader. I serve the mission and the people who contribute to that mission. To do so, I will continuously listen, reflect, act and learn.

I “listen” with my eyes and my ears. On day one on the job, I sat down to read my core job description, which is documented in a couple of short pub-lications titled Air Force Culture and Commander’s Responsibilities. They charge me with the responsibility for leading people, executing the mission, managing resources, and improving the unit. It is no mistake that these short documents are second to none in the litany of Air Force instructions; they are numbered 1-1 and 1-2, respectively.

I also read every metric and comment in the most recent climate survey and the entirety of every recent inspection report. I listen carefully to face-to-face conversations with everyone I meet while I’m out and about. Since I can’t get out and about as often as I like to—as often as I did as a squadron or group commander—I pay extra-close atten-

Col. Jeffrey Geraghty

See TEAM AEDC, page 2

2 • July 22, 2019

Values

Vision

• Ethics. We are uncompromising in our integrity, honesty, and fairness.

• Safety & Health. We are relentless in keeping people safe from harm, andwe provide a safe and healthy work

environment.• Security. We are disciplined and vigilant in protecting sensitive AEDC information and ensuring system integrity to support

national security and our customers.• Excellence. We thrive on challenge, accomplishment, and mission success.• Quality. We are passionate about doing

our work right the first time.• People. We have a mission-focused,inclusive workforce who have a diverse skill set, are committed to success, demonstrate innovation and have a can

do attitude.• Culture. Our team is proud of our diver-sity, inclusiveness, and collaborative work environment. We are proud of what we do

and how we do it.• Relationships. We build positive, long-term business relationships through trust,

respect, and collaboration.• Innovation. We overcome challenges through creativity, perseverance, technol-ogy, and flexibility. We actively seek to

continually improve.• Sustainability. We plan and act for thelong term benefit of our communities and

our environment.

High Mach Staff:Kathy Gattis,

NAS Executive Editor

Jill Pickett NAS Editor

Arnold Air Force

Base

Richard TigheGeneral Manager,

National Aerospace Solutions

High Mach is published by Lakeway Publishers, Inc. a pri-vate firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, Arnold Air Force Base, Arnold Engi-neering Development Complex (AEDC) or National Aerospace Solutions (NAS), under exclu-sive written contract with NAS at Arnold AFB, Tenn., 37389.

Everything advertised in this publication will be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital sta-tus, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.

The High Mach office is located at 100 Kindel Drive, Suite A236, Arnold AFB, Tenn. 37389-1236. Editorial content is edited and prepared by NAS. Deadline for copy is Wednes-day at close of business one week before publication.

This commercial enterprise newspaper is an allowable NAS contractor publication for personnel at Arnold AFB.

The content of High Mach does not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force, Arnold AFB, AEDC or NAS. The ap-pearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute endorsement of the products or services advertised by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, Arnold AFB, AEDC, NAS or Lakeway Publishers, Inc.For general information about High Mach, call (931) 454-5655 or visit www.arnold.af.mil.

Core Values• Integrity first

• Service before self• Excellence in all

we do

Use High Mach to market your products and servic-es. Contact Renee at 931-455-4545 or tnadvmgr@lcs.net.

“NAS delivers the best aerospace testing

capabilities today and in the future.”

Smoking Policy1. The following revised Arnold AFB smoking policy is effective immediately and applies to all individuals on

Arnold AFB.2. Traditional Tobacco products (e.g. cigars and cigarettes):

a. Smoking is permitted solely in Designated Tobacco Areas (DTAs) identified by designated signage. If nosignage exists, smoking is not permitted in that area. It is the responsibility of all smokers to keep DTAsclean of cigarette butts.

b. Tobacco use on the Arnold AFB Golf Course is permitted, but discouraged based on the health hazardsof tobacco use and secondhand smoke. No smoking is permitted within 50 feet of golf course buildingsexcept in the approved DTA.

c. Smoking in government-owned/leased vehicles is strictly prohibited. Personnel are allowed to smoke in theirpersonal vehicles at any time; however, at no time will personnel discard cigarette butts outside their vehicle.

d. For government employees, the fact that a person smokes has no bearing on the number of breaks theymay take. Breaks should be taken in accordance with the current supervisory and personnel policies thatafford all employees the same break opportunities consistent with good work practices and accomplish-ment of the mission.

3. Smokeless Tobacco products (e.g. snuff and dip):Smokeless tobacco products are not to be restricted to DTAs. Smokeless tobacco use will be permitted in allworkplace areas (inside and out) subject to reasonable safety and sanitary conditions. Specifically, containersof tobacco waste product, including sealed containers, must not be left unattended or disposed of in trashreceptacles. Users of smokeless tobacco must flush tobacco waste down the toilet.

4. Electronic Cigarettes (also known as “e-cigs”):Pursuant to Air Force Instruction (AFI) 40-102, Tobacco Free Living, e-cigs are considered to be equivalent totobacco products; however, e-cigs are not restricted to DTAs and are allowed to be used outdoors at a minimumdistance of 25 feet from building entry/egress points. (This policy is dated July 27, 2016)

Team AEDC,I believe in free and open communications

with our Team AEDC employees, and that’s why we have the Action Line available. People can use the Action Line to clear up rumors, ask ques-tions, suggest ideas on improvements, enter complaints or get other issues off their chests.

The Action Line has been expanded to in-clude an option for your ideas, comments, or suggestions on the AcqDemo personnel sys-tem. Simply call the normal x6000 commander’s action line. You will then be prompted to select option 1 for the Commander’s Action Line or Op-tion 2 for the AcqDemo line. They can access the Action Line via the AEDC intranet home page and by calling 454-6000.

Although the Action Line is always available, the best and fastest way to get things resolved is by using your chain of command or by con-tacting the organization directly involved. I en-courage everyone to go that route first, then if the situation isn’t made right, give us a chance.

Col. Jeffrey GeraghtyAEDC Commander

Action Line

Effective May 6, 2019, the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) will use Direct Hiring Authorities (DHA) or Expedited Hiring Authorities (EHA) for all non-bar-gaining unit positions for both internal (existing Air Force employees) and external candidates. Various recruitment sources/methods ranging from by-name-requests, email notifications to prospective candidates, resume repositories, online job boards, etc. are being utilized. Those interested in applying for future AFTC career opportunities are encouraged to create/update their resume on the AFTC Enterprise Recruitment site, a resource for selecting officials to identify viable can-didates for current vacancies. The AFTC Directorate of Personnel, Personnel Programs Division, is responsible for this message, DSN 527-8172 and/or 527-4616.

AFTC Civilian Hiring

Col. Jeffrey GeraghtyCommander

Jason AustinChief,

Public Affairs

Incoming AEDC Flight Systems Combined Test Force Director Lt. Col. John McShane, right, accepts the Flight Systems Combined Test Force guidon from AEDC Test Operations Division Chief Col. Keith Roessig during a June 28 Change of Leadership ceremony in the Propulsion Wind Tunnel Model Installation Building at Arnold Air Force Base. McShane comes to Arnold from Washington, D.C., where he most recently served as a Program Ele-ment Monitor for Advanced Aircraft Technology at the Directorate of Special Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics), at the Pentagon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Bradley Hicks)

New Flight Systems CTF Director installed

tion to face-to-face conversations with my key advisors who can get out and about, including subordi-nate Commanders and Superin-tendents, Chief Master Sgt. Rob Heckman, and our visiting wing Chaplain, Captain Daniel Hurst.

I’m hearing, and I believe, that you are contributing tremen-dously to our national security. Team AEDC’s critical contribu-tions to national defense must continue unabated while they simultaneously grow into impor-tant new mission areas. Like any high-performing team, you also know where we need to get better. These improvement opportuni-ties include increased manpower and pay, improved recruiting and retention, clarity about what it means to be a Wing-level orga-nization, and transparency from supervision and leadership.

From listening, I move on to reflection. First, we should take a moment to reflect on how in-credibly important your contribu-

tions are to our national security, and what the world might look like without your effort. True to Hap Arnold’s vision, American Airpower today is still second to none! However, our preeminent status is not a given. Only you make that pos-sible. The effort we commit to the mission to-day is what will ensure we remain second to none for de-cades to come. Great powers are competing fiercely to bump American Airpower into second place. I believe, and you should too, that we at AEDC are the most important Wing in the most important Major Command ensuring our Air Force remains second to none! I don’t want our children or grandchildren to live

in a world dominated by another nation’s Airpower. We must be proud of the mission we serve, and we all must serve with integ-rity, selflessness, and excellence.

From reflection, I move to ac-tion. To help you execute

the mission which ensures American

Airpower pre-eminence, my first actions as commander included giv-ing a thumbs up to the

AEDC Hu-man Capital

M a n a g e m e n t Plan, a step toward

optimizing our most critical resource: your time. The plan was authored by my Vice Di-rector, Mr. Wayne Ayer. My only action, however, was empower-ment. Although I reviewed the plan and helped him refine it, I didn’t sign it, because as my Vice

Director he has the full author-ity to sign it himself and set off on the hard work of implement-ing the ideas within it. The plan will increase our ability to add re-sources to the equation for AEDC: we have requested the addition of 396 government positions over the next five years. The plan also helps justify the re-tiering of posi-tions within the AcqDemo system, where appropriate, to increase pay for a quality workforce who has nearly unlimited options. My next actions will be to travel to each of our geographically separated units to get a better understanding of the mission-related needs of the work-force across the Complex.

Throughout my command I will listen, I will reflect on what I hear, and I will take action to help you accomplish the mission that will win the future fight. Thank you for the privilege of service to you and the mission you execute. It is an honor to lead a force that aspires to remain second to none!

TEAM AEDC from page 1

AFMC conducts focus groups across enterpriseBy Marisa Alia-NovobilskiAir Force Materiel Command Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) – The Air Force Materiel Com-mand’s AFMC We Need teamwill travel to operating locationsacross the command to conductin-person focus groups beginningJuly 22.

The AFMC We Need enter-prise-wide initiative, launched in late June 2019, seeks inputs and recommendations from AFMC civilian and military Airmen that can help posture the command to best support the National Defense Strategy today and in the decades to come.

“We’re nearing the end of phase one of the initiative, which centered on AFMC headquar-ters and the launch of the online

feedback questionnaire,” said Col. Patrick McDonnell, AFMC We Need operational team lead. “To date, we’ve received nearly 2,000 responses and have started the process of analyzing the data to identify trends. Phase two will focus on gathering data from our center and wing personnel. The online questionnaire will remain open for inputs through mid-Au-gust.”

Select personnel from across the command will travel to AFMC headquarters for training and to support focus groups at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, July 15-19. Teams will then com-mence travel to AFMC operat-ing locations July 22, with focus groups at Eglin AFB, Florida, Warner-Robins Air Logistics Cen-ter, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts Gunter-Maxwell AFB, Alabama

and Holloman AFB, New Mexico July 22-26; Edwards AFB, Cali-fornia, Hill AFB, Utah and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Tex-as, July 30-Aug. 1; and Arnold Engineering Development Com-plex, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma and Scott AFB, Illinois. Aug. 6-8.

Leadership at each AFMC lo-cation has identified individuals to participate in the focus group events. Select AFMC and Air Force leaders will also take part in one-on-one interviews. All AFMC Airmen have the oppor-tunity to provide recommenda-tions and inputs through an online questionnaire.

“This is an opportunity for everyone to participate and help shape our command for the fu-ture,” McDonnell said. “We strongly encourage everyone to contribute, either online or in person, should the opportunity

arise.”The AFMC We Need initiative

aims to highlight opportunities and challenges across the mis-sion footprint, from research and development to test and evalua-tion, acquisition, sustainment and installation and mission support. At the end of the study, a series of recommendations will be pro-vided to AFMC leadership for re-view and potential action.

To learn more about the AFMC We Need study and how to participate, visit the AFMC We Need website. A questionnaire is also available.

Study updates will be posted to the website and across AFMC social media channels as they be-come available.Website: www.afmc.af.mil/About-Us/AFMCweNeed Survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/AFMCWeNeed

July 22, 2019 • 3

By Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

When a member of their con-struction crew went into cardiac arrest on the jobsite at Arnold Air Force Base, Robert Hart and Vincent “Red” Halligan did not hesitate.

The two contactors, both of whom are with Morsey Con-structors, acted quickly and ad-ministered CPR to their uncon-scious co-worker.

Emergency responders at Ar-nold are crediting Hart and Hal-ligan with saving the life of their fellow crewmember, and their efforts have also been recognized at the highest level. Certificates of appreciation from U.S. Air Force Fire and Emergency Ser-vices Fire Chief Jeffrey Wagner were recently presented to Hart and Halligan.

“The exceptional care you provided directly contributed to the saving of the life of this pa-tient,” the certificates read. “This certificate is presented with our appreciation and gratitude for a job well done!”

Ashley Koepp, the Morsey Constructors crew superinten-dent, and Hart, the general fore-man of the job, were going over construction drawings just before the start of their workday June 19 at Arnold when their attention was diverted.

A member of their crew tore his truck through the gravel parking lot in front of the Conex storage container doubling as Koepp’s office. Hart and Koepp exited the office to admonish the employee, but the situation they encountered was far more seri-ous than what they initially per-ceived to be erratic driving.

The worker in the truck was actually rushing to Koepp’s of-fice to alert him to an emergency on the worksite. Another mem-ber of the crew was lying in the gravel lot outside of the test fa-

cility where the contractors had been working. The man was un-conscious and not breathing.

Koepp called 911 while Hart jumped in to assess his co-work-er’s condition.

“To be completely honest, that’s the point when God took over,” Hart said.

Hart began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Seeing that he was surrounded by “four sets of boots,” Hart asked if one of his crew members could deliver chest compressions. Halligan im-mediately responded.

Hart, who received CPR training in 1997, monitored his co-worker’s vital signs while Halligan, who is up-to-date on his first-aid CPR training, sup-plied constant and consistent compressions.

“Red worked his butt off with the chest compressions,” Hart said. “I mean, he worked his butt off.”

For a moment, it appeared the efforts of Hart and Halligan had paid off. Their co-worker re-sponded with a weak pulse and by attempting to breathe. Hart encouraged him to fight and re-gain consciousness, but the man again stopped breathing. This oc-curred several times as Hart and Halligan delivered CPR.

“He died three times while we were doing CPR on him,” Hart said.

Still, Hart and Halligan con-tinued CPR. Within moments, Arnold Fire and Emergency Ser-vices arrived on the scene.

“The timing was excellent,” Hart said. “You can tell they’re trained. They know what they’re doing.”

Emergency responders defi-brillated the patient and loaded him into an ambulance for trans-port to a local hospital. Arnold FES Assistant Chief Gary Horn said Hart and Halligan continued CPR on their co-worker up until he was shocked and loaded onto

the gurney. Horn described their techniques as “perfect CPR;” Hart provided excellent ventila-tion while Halligan’s chest com-pressions were performed at the ideal rate and depth.

After their co-worker had been transported from the site, Hart and Halligan began paper-work on the incident. They re-flected upon the situation while completing their reports. It was then that Hart said his belief that God has reasons why things hap-pen and when they happen was reaffirmed.

“Red, out of the blue, says, ‘Hey, let me tell you some-thing.’ His face was glowing,” Hart said. “He said, ‘Today is my wife’s birthday. I said, ‘That’s awesome. Happy birth-day to her.’”

After a pause, Halligan told Hart he had lost his wife two years prior.

“He said, ‘The first time I ever did CPR was on her and I lost her. This is the second time,’” Hart said. “I knew then, I thought, ‘Well you got your vindication today. You do now realize that we don’t pick and choose who lives and dies. It’s God.’ He said, ‘I do now.’ Boy that moved me… that was just moving.”

Arnold FES continued CPR on the patient during the trans-port. Horn said the man came to in the back of the ambulance.

“The first thing he said was, ‘Ow, my chest hurts,’” Horn said.

Horn said the quick reaction of Halligan and Hart and their continuous, steady rhythm of CPR prior to the arrival of Ar-nold FES was instrumental in saving the patient’s life.

“Starting early CPR and ear-ly defibrillation, that’s the key to success,” Horn said.

Hart and Halligan remained uncertain of their co-worker’s fate for some time after he was

loaded into the ambulance. Horn said Arnold FES officials were later able to share the good news about the man the two had worked to save.

“They broke down in tears. They couldn’t believe it,” Horn said. “They thought they had lost one of their co-workers. Their fast actions saved his life.”

That co-worker received triple bypass surgery and is on his way to recovery. Hart said those at Morsey couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

“God gave him another op-portunity to do something awe-some,” he said.

The patient may have been fortunate to have Hart and Hal-ligan around, but he also had some additional luck on his side.

“The doctors told him that his heart quit beating and that saved his life because he had so much blockage that if his heart would have kept trying to beat, it would have damaged it,”

Koepp said. “So a number of things was in his favor.”

Horn said Arnold FES is in the process of implement-ing an emergency medical dis-patch program. This program includes a dispatcher who will walk callers through the CPR process.

“It eases peoples’ minds when doing CPR,” Horn said.

The family of the co-worker they saved has reached out to Hart and Halligan to express their appreciation. Hart said he and Halligan will likely meet and talk with him once his re-covery has progressed further. Hart added he is looking for-ward to that moment.

Hart said he does not consid-er himself a hero. He said God chose to let his co-worker live that day and that he was merely a helper.

“I don’t want him to feel in-debted to me at all,” Hart said. “I feel as though he would’ve done the same thing for me if God put that conviction on him.”

NFAC test director and team recognized by the Vertical Flight Society

By Deidre OrtizAEDC Public Affairs

The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Verti-cal Flight Society recognized Chris Hartley, AEDC test di-rector at the National Full-scale Aerodynamics Complex in Moffett Field, California, for his role leading Tiltrotor Test Rig, or TTR, activation and testing.

As part of the organizations 2019 Chapter Awards, Hartley received the Award for Out-standing Technical Support.

Hartley said he’s honored to be recognized but com-mented that it’s really the en-tire team that made the test project a success.

“It was a pleasure and an honor to receive the award this year,” Hartley said. “The project was successful be-cause we have an amazing and talented team, and every-one worked across the lines of responsibility to truly act as a combined test force. The team epitomized the spirit of the term, and I was lucky enough be the focal point for the project for the NFAC. I am grateful for the award, but I am more grateful for the tire-less efforts of talented, hard-working team members.”

For nearly 10 years, Hart-ley has supported the TTR development project and led AEDC participation in the development of the rig. He oversaw the integration, ac-ceptance and checkout activi-ties from model prep to tunnel installation and checkout. He

then led the TTR test team in executing the longest wind tunnel entry in the history of the 40-by 80-foot wind tunnel with the successful comple-tion of the 699/TTR wind tun-nel test.

The TTR team as a whole was also recognized, receiv-ing the Franklin Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Powered Lift Field. The

team safely and successfully conducted the full envelope evaluation of the first civil tiltrotor system that will be entering commercial usage by 2020. This test was also the first use of the TTR and served as checkout and opera-tional verification test of the new $30 million national test capability for future genera-tion tiltrotor aircraft.

The Tiltrotor Test Rig test team from the AEDC National Full-scale Aerodynamics Complex receives the Franklin Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Powered Lift Field. The TTR team safely and successfully conducted the full envelope evaluation of the first civil tiltrotor system that will be enter-ing commercial usage by 2020. Pictured are members of the TTR team, starting from far left: William Bartow, Tom Norman, Wally Acree, Sesi Kottapalli, Michelle Dominguez, Gina Willink, Natasha Schatzman and Alex Sheikman. Kneeling in center is Chris Hartley. (Courtesy photo)

The Tiltrotor Test Rig test team at the AEDC National Full-scale Aerodynamic Complex in Moffett Field, California, conducts full envelope evaluation of the first civil tiltrotor system that will be entering commercial usage by 2020. This test was the first use of the TTR and served as checkout and operational verification test of the new $30 million national test capability for future generation tiltrotor aircraft. The TTR is pictured here in the 40-by-80 foot wind tunnel at NFAC. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Contractors credited with saving life of co-worker

Two contractors, with Morsey Constructors, working on a con-struction project at Arnold Air Force Base are credited with recently saving the life of a co-worker by performing CPR when the man went into cardiac arrest. One of them, Robert Hart, left, poses for a photo with crew superintendent Ashley Koepp. (U.S. Air Force photo by Bradley Hicks) (Image was altered by obscuring badges for security purposes.)

4 • July 22, 2019

Five new 2019 AEDC Fellows inducted

By Claude MorseArnold Community Council

The Arnold Community Council (ACC) inducted the 2019 class of AEDC Fellows during a banquet at the Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base June 25, which also marked the 68th anniversary of AEDC’s dedica-tion by President Harry S. Truman, and 5-star General of the Air Force Henry“Hap” Arnold’s birthday.

More than 130 family members, friends and fellow employees attended the banquet honoring new Fellows Gary Clower of Manchester, Dr. Robert How-ard of Manchester, Dr. Doug Garrard of Manchester, Dan Marren of Maryland and Anthony Taylor of Fayetteville.

AEDC Lifetime Achievement Fellow Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, a former AEDC Commander, who chairs the Arnold Community Coun-cil’s AEDC Fellows Committee was the

speaker for the event.The General gave the history of U.

S. aerospace ground testing from WorldWar II forward, including the team ofScientists led by Dr. Theodore von Kár-mán who investigated the German testfacilities at the request of General of theAir Force Hap Arnold.

The long term effect of von Karman’s 1945 report, “Toward New Horizons,” to Arnold that ultimately led to the es-tablishment of AEDC and the U.S. Air Force’s research and development pro-grams for the next 50 years.

Wiedemer then honored 1989 AEDC Fellow Dr. Jim Mitchell and his unwav-ering advocacy and tireless work that led to the construction of Aeropropulsion Systems Test Facility and Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit.

These two facilities are critical to ground testing today for large and high performance jet engines and critical to hypersonic testing.

U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, left, chairman of the Arnold Community Council’s AEDC Fellows Committee, presents Gary Clower with a plaque recognizing him as an AEDC Fellow during a banquet June 25 at Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base. Clower, a Flight Systems planner/scheduler for National Aerospace Solutions, the Test Operations and Sus-tainment contractor for AEDC, was named a Craft Fellow. (Courtesy photo by Claude Morse)

U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, left, chairman of the Arnold Community Council’s AEDC Fellows Committee, presents Dr. Robert Howard with a plaque recognizing him as an AEDC Fellow during a banquet June 25 at Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base. Howard, a subject matter expert and principal investigator for Quanititech, the Technical, Management and Analysis Support Contractor for AEDC, was named a Technical Fellow. (Courtesy photo by Claude Morse)

U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, left, chairman of the Arnold Community Council’s AEDC Fellows Committee, presents Dan Marren with a plaque recognizing him as an AEDC Fellow during a banquet June 25 at Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base. Marren, the director of the AEDC White Oak Site in Silver Spring, Maryland, was named a Lifetime Achievement Fellow. (Courtesy photo by Claude Morse)

U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, left, chairman of the Arnold Community Council’s AEDC Fellows Committee, presents Anthony Taylor with a plaque recognizing him as an AEDC Fellow during a banquet June 25 at Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base. Taylor, who retired from National Aerospace Solutions, the Test Operations and Sustainment Contrac-tor for AEDC, in 2018 as human resources manager-employee relations, was named a Lifetime Achievement Fellow. (Courtesy photo by Claude Morse)

U.S. Air Force Retired Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer, left, chairman of the Arnold Community Council’s AEDC Fellows Committee, presents Dr. Doug Garrard with a plaque recognizing him as an AEDC Fellow during a banquet June 25 at Arnold Lakeside Center on Arnold Air Force Base. Garrard, Senior Staff Engineer for National Aerospace Solutions, the Test Operations and Sustain-ment contractor for AEDC, was named a Technical Fellow. (Courtesy photo by Claude Morse)

July 22, 2019 • 5

In June 1962, the first wind tunnel tests on Apollo spacecraft models were conducted in the AEDC von Kármán Gas Dy-namics Facility’s 50-inch Mach 10 wind tunnel. Early efforts in-cluded aerodynamic testing on a scale model of the Apollo three-man capsule with its escape tower. These tests established the need for canard control sur-faces at the apex of the escape rocket. The escape system, in place in the event of a malfunc-tion during launch, did not have to be used.

In early 1962, the NASA Manned Space Flight Manage-ment Council had agreed that the lunar missions would be carried out via a single three-stage rocket carrying a manned capsule. Rather than landing the capsule itself on the moon, the Council further agreed that a smaller, lighter Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) would be used to descend to the moon and re-turn to the larger capsule follow-ing exploration of the moon’s surface.

By 1963, tests on the LEM descent engines were underway in the AEDC Engine Test Facili-ty J-2 test cell. Around that same time, the Rocketdyne J-2 engine, used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V launch vehicles, was success-fully fired for the first time at AEDC at a simulated altitude of 60,000 feet.

It was around this period that the term “aerospace” would find its way into the AEDC mis-sion statement for the first time. Wording was added to state that AEDC, then known as Arnold Engineering Development Cen-ter, would “conduct research, development, evaluations and

studies in support of timely ac-quisition of required aerospace environmental testing facili-ties.”

In August 1963, a series of tests started using the full-scale service module primary propul-sion system to flight-qualify the 21,000-pound-thrust engine for its lunar mission.

Major projects involving the Saturn V bookended 1965. In February of that year, retro rock-ets, which act as brakes by firing against the direction of flight, developed 100,000 pounds of thrust in the J-5 test cell. This was the highest thrust level ever achieved during testing at AEDC for a solid-fueled motor. That November, a series of tests was conducted in the ETF T-1 cell studying heating around the Saturn V base to ensure no burn through would occur.

From June 1965 to June 1970, 340 rocket engines were fired in the single largest test program ever conducted at the center to human-rate the Saturn V upper stages.

1966 was also a busy year for AEDC in its continued support to the Apollo program. Continu-ing prior work, tests were con-ducted in February in the ETF on the LEM ascent engines that would be used to lift astronauts from the surface of the moon and return them to the Apollo capsule in lunar orbit. Testing also continued on the LEM de-scent engines.

In the early part of 1966, upper-stage configurations for the Saturn IB and Saturn V were tested at AEDC facilities. That June, following work in the J-4 test cell, the 230,000-pound-thrust J-2 rocket engine for the

Saturn S-IVB engine, which served the Saturn V third stage, was fired at conditions simulat-ing an altitude of 100,000 feet.

That same year, two major milestones in the development of the Saturn launch vehicle were passed. The first of these was the first launch of the Saturn IB, which would be used to test the Apollo spacecraft in earth orbit while the Saturn V was be-ing completed. The second sig-nificant happening was the qual-ification of Saturn rocket motors for manned space flight.

Tests of scale-model Apollo command modules were also completed in VKF in 1966. Test-ing on the Apollo service mod-ule rocket engine was performed the same year.

Additional Saturn engine tests followed at Arnold. Tests were also conducted on the heat shield designed to protect the Apollo capsule during its reentry into the earth’s atmosphere, as were more aerodynamic tests on the full Sat-urn-Apollo configuration.

Tests were also conducted at Hypervelocity Ballistic Range G on the Apollo capsule to determine its flight characteristics while trav-eling thousands of miles per hour. A special test cell was also used to look at the possible effects of small meteorites striking the Saturn rocket during flight.

Eight Apollo missions pre-ceded the Apollo 11 spaceflight. Apollo 1 ended tragically in Febru-ary 1967 when the crew was killed by a flash fire that occurred in the capsule during a ground training exercise. The first test flight of the Saturn V, designated as the Apollo 4 mission, occurred that November during an unmanned launch. Apol-lo 7, which took place in October

1968, was the first mission in the Apollo program to take a crew into space. Apollo 8, occurring in De-cember 1968, was the first manned spacecraft to reach the moon. The Apollo 10 flight, which took place in May 1969, served as a practice run for the Apollo 11 mission, as equipment was tested near the lu-nar surface.

The goal set for Project Apollo was achieved less than five min-utes before 11 p.m. Eastern Day-light Time on July 20, 1969. Mil-

lions watched as Armstrong exited the Eagle and made “one small step for a man.”

The more-than-200,000-mile voyage to the moon took the Apol-lo 11 crew four days to complete. The years of testing and develop-ment necessary to bring the lunar landing to fruition had paid off.

The Apollo program ran through 1972. Five of the six Apollo missions that followed the Apollo 11 flight resulted in moon landings.

ROTC and graduated from Georgia Tech as an ensign in 1946. He started out training to become a pilot, but the Navy later transferred him to a cur-riculum geared for offi-cers who would serve in the surface Navy.

Davis earned two de-grees from Georgia Tech – one in basic engineeringand the other in aeronauti-cal engineering.

At Georgia Tech, Da-vis was a student of re-nowned aerodynamicist Alan Pope. He would later join Pope at Sandia Labs prior to making his way to Arnold.

“It is my opinion that Alan Pope had a lot to do with shaping Milt Davis’ creativity, critical thinking ability and engineering at-tention to the details,” said Ron Lutz, AEDC Depu-ty Branch Chief for the Test Operations Division Analysis and Technology Branch, who worked in Davis’ group from 1971 to 1979.

In 1957, Davis came to AEDC. He initially worked for Heinrich Ramm, one of a core group of scientists origi-nally from Peenemunde, Germany’s premiere sci-entific wind tunnel com-plex during World War II that conducted testing on the V2 rocket.

Davis went to work at the 16-foot supersonic wind tunnel, also known as 16S, which was in the process of being built. He worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct the tunnel and, along with other AEDC personnel, helped bring it into calibration.

To prove he was up to the challenge of working at 16S, Davis was charged with conducting an aero-dynamic test on the T-38 Talon jet trainer in the AEDC 16-foot transonic wind tunnel, otherwise known as 16T.

16S made its first run in

1960. Davis said bringing the facility into operation was a highlight of his ca-reer.

“Davis and his team developed major modi-fications to the original design of the wind tun-nel to allow it to substan-tially reach its intended performance,” Lutz said. “He developed the opera-tional techniques needed for the very complex 16S and then trained a team of facility engineers to lead operations during its use.”

Davis is also consid-ered the “father of 4T,” the 4-foot transonic wind tunnel at Arnold AFB. He and his team worked on the design of the wind tunnel, which would be used to study aircraft store compatibility and conduct store separation testing. 4T was initially operated in 1968.

Lutz said during his time working in Davis’ group, he learned more about wind tunnel design from Davis’ instruction than any other time in his career.

“Davis was bold and inventive in his work with an incredible attention to the details,” Lutz said. “He treated us with loyalty and expected that in return. He had kindness and com-passion but did not suffer complacency in our work. He expected excellence and led the Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility En-gineering Branch in that way.”

Wind Tunnel Subject Matter Expert and AEDC Fellow Mike Mills met Davis in 1983. There were plans to perform a repeat calibration of 16S, and Mills was the project’s assigned lead. A meeting was arranged between Da-vis and the young engineer so that Mills could learn more about the design of 16S and about the instru-ments used in its calibra-tion.

“I viewed him as a

mentor and a person who helped me understand how to be a better engineer here at AEDC,” Mills said.

Davis retired from AEDC in 1988, but his in-volvement with the facil-ity was far from over. Fol-lowing retirement, Davis established his own com-pany, Davis Engineering. AEDC entered into a con-sulting contract with this company in 1998, and Da-vis was brought to AEDC to complete a report on in-creasing the Mach number in 16S.

“We knew he had a lot of valuable knowledge about 16S, and we wanted to capture as much of that for the young guys like me since he wasn’t out here anymore and so we would not have to relearn the same things that they learned back in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” Mills said.

Davis Engineering was again hired by AEDC in 2003 to complete a report on the high-temperature operation of 16S. A high-temperature run of 16S had not occurred since the 1970s.

In addition to his knowledge and memory, Davis also brought a wealth of contacts to the table. Mills said Davis contacted his colleagues from the early days of AEDC to help him re-call and document some of the issues they expe-rienced when trying to bring 16S online.

“He was the only one who could have done that because no one else knew a lot of the people who worked on these proj-ects,” Mills said.

The reports Davis provided were detailed, something he was known for throughout his AEDC career. Mills said he maintains access to Da-vis’ documents from the 1960s and 1970s, refer-ring to them as “impecca-ble” and referring to Da-vis as “highly-organized.”

Although he cannot substantiate it and is un-sure where he first heard it, Mills said he has been told those who worked in Davis’ section once shared a saying – “A memo a day keeps Uncle Miltie away.” This was because Davis was insis-tent that everyone docu-ment their work to pre-vent it from being lost to posterity.

“I always thought that was kind of clever,” Mills said. “If you didn’t want Milt to sort of come down on you for not documenting your work, you wrote your memos. Otherwise, he would be a little difficult.”

A team is currently working to return 16S to operations. Mills said Davis’ memos from de-cades ago, along with his more recent reports, will be used by person-nel working on the re-turn-to-service project to obtain a better under-standing of the facility and implement recom-mended improvements.

“We’re making use of the information Milt left with us to make the up-grades,” Mills said.

In April 2018, Da-

vis was part of a group of AEDC retirees that returned to 16S to tour their old stomping grounds, to hear about the return to service project and to share their insight.

Along with his pen-chant for documenta-tion, Davis was known for being a whiz on the TI-59 calculator in the pre-desktop computer

days, rapidly cranking out equations. He was also regarded for pos-sessing a high standard of engineering and al-ways seeking the right answers based on good engineering analysis.

“When a person like that is a mentor, he influ-ences your view of engi-neering in the same way and it helps raise the bar for all of us,” Mills said.

DAVIS from page 1

Milt Davis Sr., left, and a machinist look at a variable-angle wedge in the Propul-sion Wind Tunnel in 1964. Davis helped develop the device for use at Arnold Air Force Base. The wedge is used to measure wind tunnel Mach numbers. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Milt Davis Sr., center, is pictured with his grandson Chris Davis, left, and son Dr. Milt Davis Jr. outside of the Propulsion Wind Tunnel facility in 2003. At one point, the three men worked at Arnold Air Force Base at the same time. (U.S. Air Force photo)

INSTRUMENTAL from page 1

The rocket motor for the Apollo service module is installed at the AEDC Rocket Test Facility J-3 test cell in 1966. This mo-tor was test fired repeatedly in near-space conditions to help NASA qualify the system as man-rated for the flight to the moon. Around three years after this photo was taken, the Apol-lo 11 spaceflight would successfully get the first men to the surface of the moon. (U.S. Air Force photo)

6 • July 22, 2019

See the July Services calendar on page 10.

Investment in 3D printing helps keep Team Edwards’ fleet aloftBy Giancarlo Casem412th Test Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – 3D printers may still seem like a fad to most consum-ers, however the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, views the technology as a way forward that is only limited by imagination, in-genuity, and creativity of those who employ them.

The 412th Mainte-nance Squadron is lever-aging 3D printing technol-ogy to help keep Edwards’ aircraft flying, no matter their age.

“As our airframes age and parts become more difficult to procure, the ability to cost-effectively reproduce those end item allows the units to main-tain a higher mission ca-pability rate with a lower cost,” said Steven Con-way, 412th Maintenance Squadron. “Technology is rapidly outpacing our current manufacturing ca-pabilities, for any manu-facturing entity to remain competitive, they need to invest in the now, while looking to the future, oth-erwise, they will be left behind in a race that could potentially take decades to catch up in.”

Currently, the 412th Maintenance Squadron has one industrial plastic

printer. Their operators have successfully used the printer for part production and for fitting difficult re-pairs prior to manufactur-ing. It also is used as a training aid to allow more operators to become profi-cient.

A 3D printer works by taking a three-dimension-al image or model, and printing the part one lay-er at a time, upward from the bottom-most layer. The layers are fused together by some sort of adhesive agent. The printer may take hours to finish a part, depending on the level of complex-ity and size. However, this innovative capability enables maintainers to create one-off modifica-tions of aircraft parts at reduced costs in terms of both time and materials to aid in the advancement of Edward’s unique test and evaluation mission.

Manufacturing parts through a 3D printer can cut down on time and cost in comparison to ordering specialized parts, especially if there is no longer a viable sup-ply chain available for a specific part. It also al-lows engineers to design and construct brand-new designs and are able to test them. This capabil-ity provides engineers the creativity to no lon-ger be constrained to the

typical methods of manu-facturing, said Staff Sgt. Cameron Canupp, 412th Maintenance Squadron.

“Any organization or person in the Air Force could use 3D design and printing” Canupp said. “Any idea, from a new type of nozzle for fire trucks to firing mecha-nisms on a 70-year-old gun brought over from the museum. We are only limited by size and ourimagination.”

Staff Sgt. Cameron Canupp and Steven Conway, both of 412th Maintenance Squadron, visually inspect a part manufactured in a 3D printer at Edwards Air Force Base, California. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Williams)

July 22, 2019 • 7

8 • July 22, 2019

By Bradley HicksAEDC Public Affairs

Thanks to an agree-ment between the Air Force and the Food and Drug Administration, help from multiple organiza-tions, and the efforts of members of its workforce, recurring industrial medi-cal support services are once again in place for Air Force civilians employed at AEDC Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 in White Oak, Maryland.

The agreement went into effect in May. The support now available to

the Tunnel 9 Air Force ci-vilian employees includes medical exams, testing and surveillance for stan-dard hearing conservation and respiratory protection programs. It also includes the annual testing and sur-veillance required for Air Force civilian members of the AEDC White Oak Confined Space Rescue Team.

Access to these ser-vices is providing these employees with greater convenience compared to what was previously avail-able.

Tunnel 9 Air Force em-

ployees had access to oc-cupational health support when Tunnel 9 became an AEDC facility in 1997. These services were man-aged by the Chief of Bio-environmental Engineer-ing, AEDC headquarters at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn.

The employees could receive services at the oc-cupational health clinic at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, formerly known as Bolling Air Force Base. According to Tunnel 9 Project Engineer Arnold Collier, who helped facili-tate the recent agreement,

Bolling AFB was only around 18 miles from Tun-nel 9, assuming employees took the “shortcut.” This route, however, involved driving through the heart of Washington, D.C., in midday or rush hour traf-fic.

“Medical testing at Bolling Air Force Base took the better part of a day if you went alone, and a full day if you carpooled with a co-worker,” Collier said.

Years later, the exam process was refined. Air Force employees at White Oak were able to receive the same occupational health support locally from the same private ven-dor providing support to the contractor workforce at Tunnel 9. Collier said medical testing times were reduced to around 3 to 4 hours, around 50 percent of what they were before.

However, this arrange-ment ended about two years ago. Collier then began working with Mas-ter Sgt. Joshua Suggs with the Health Services Office, which is part of the AEDC Test Support Division at Arnold, to find an alterna-tive source of occupational health support for the Tun-nel 9 Air Force employees.

These efforts were aid-ed by members of Team AEDC from the Hyperve-locity Wind Tunnel Test Branch, the Contracting Division, the Finance Management Division and others in the Health Ser-vices Office.

“They faced multiple challenges while explor-ing options for providing

AEDC White Oak the re-quired occupational health support,” Collier said. “Ultimately, a dual-path plan was defined.”

First, the team looked to provide immediate re-lief from overdue medical testing and surveillance. Contracting awarded a purchase order to an oc-cupational health vendor located near Tunnel 9 for fiscal year 2018.

“This purchase order provided us immediate re-lief in updating our occu-pational health exam status to ‘current,’” Collier said. “Tony Clayborne, now re-tired, and Kelly Pitts, also retired, did most of the heavy lifting to put this purchase order in place. All exams were done in a matter of weeks.”

The transfer of medi-cal records to the Medi-cal Aid Station at Arnold AFB was managed by Tech Sgt. Alexisa Hum-phrey and Master Sgt. Lashonda Morehead, both with the Health Services Office.

With the short-term solution proving effec-tive, work began on the second of the “dual-path” plan. This path was the establishment of an ar-rangement that would provide recurring occupa-tional health support for Air Force employees at Tunnel 9.

The AEDC facility at White Oak and the Food and Drug Administra-tion are both tenants of the Federal Research Center Campus in Mary-land. Tunnel 9 Site Direc-tor Dan Marren reached

out to the FDA to see if it could offer any assis-tance in the way of occu-pational health services. Personnel from Tunnel 9 later met with Dr. Sa-cha Gutierrez and CAPT. Dornette Spell-LeSane, the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Medi-cal Officer of FDA Occu-pational Health Services, respectively.

“We discussed AEDC White Oak’s mission and corresponding occupa-tional health support re-quirements and FDA’s oc-cupational health mission and capability,” Collier said. “The conclusion of the meeting was that our occupational health re-quirements, coupled with the proximity of our orga-nizations, coincides with the mission of the FDA Occupational Health Ser-vices.”

An interagency agree-ment between AEDC White Oak and the FDA Occupational Health Ser-vices Clinic to provide occupational health sup-port to Tunnel 9 Air Force employees was recently written and approved. Collier said Mike Fain, AEDC financial manager, played an integral role in the writing of this inter-agency agreement.

“To date, one-half of the Tunnel 9 Air Force employees have received their physicals for the year,” Collier said. “We expect the rest of the physicals to be complet-ed before the end of the fiscal year and look for-ward to many years of continued support.”

Changes to how overhead doors are accessedBy AEDC Safety

After reviewing industry standards and surveying the doors that are currently installed on base, the Test Operations and Sustainmentcontractor has developed new rules for its personnel to follow regarding accessing guillotine-style overhead doors and roll-up or horizontally tracked overhead doors.

Guillotine-Style Overhead Doors

First, do not walk under guillotine-style overhead doors. Buildings on base with the guillotine-style doors include 678, 903, 912, 913, 914, 922, 929, 1400 and 1476.

G u i l l o t i n e - s t y l e overhead doors are those that do not roll up or rise up into a horizontal track. They remain vertical.Roll-Up or Horizontally-

Tracked Overhead Doors

Where there is a

personnel door adjacent to an overhead door, pedestrians are expected to use the personnel door.

However, when a

personnel door is not adjacent to an overhead door, and the door is fully open, then the pedestrian may enter or exit using

the overhead door, with the following provisions: a) the overhead door mustbe fully open and if chainoperated, the chain must

be pinned; and b) give right-of-way if there is active vehicle entry and/or exit.

As always, be aware

of your surroundings and please follow the above guidelines when encountering overhead doors on base.

This is an example of a roll-up overhead door at Ar-nold Air Force Base. If there is an adjacent person-nel door, pedestrians must use the personnel door to avoid walking under the overhead door. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Pictured is an example of a guillotine-style overhead door at Arnold Air Force Base. Do not walk under guillotine-style overhead doors. Buildings on base with the guillotine-style doors include 678, 903, 912, 913, 914, 922, 929, 1400 and 1476. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Agreement provides convenient occupational health support to Tunnel 9 personnel

July 22, 2019 • 9

By Donna LindnerAir Force Research Laboratory

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Trans-parent aluminum, a technology first suggested in the science fiction film “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” is now a reality.

With a growing need in the Department of Defense for transparent armor for personnel protection and infrared windows for reconnaissance applications, the Air Force Research Labora-tory along with the Defense-wide Manufacturing Science and Technology program, sup-port the manufacturing of alumi-num oxynitride products provid-ing greater system performance.

The transparent ceramic ar-mor provides superior ballistic protection at less than half the weight and thickness over tra-ditional glass laminates. This provides the warfighter with su-perior protection for both air and ground vehicles.

ALON is a transparent ce-ramic material composed of aluminum, oxygen and nitro-gen. It begins as a powder that is formed into unique shapes and made transparent through the application of high temperature and pressure.

The Air Force Research Lab-oratory and the Defense Produc-tion Act Title III program have been working on this material since 2006 when DPA Title III was improving manufacturing processes to improve the pow-der that is used to form transpar-

ent armor and infrared sensor windows.

The DMS&T program is an investment mechanism that al-lows the department to advance the state-of-the-art for defense-essential manufacturing capa-bility, through the development of technologies and processes necessary for the production of defense systems.

Prior to this program, the largest ALON window size was limited to 2.8 square feet. ALON is now manufactured routinely in sizes up to eight square feet by a small business, Surmet Corporation.

Scaling up is performed in-crementally, due to the multitude of complex manufacturing steps that must be used in order for the process to be accomplished ap-propriately.

AFRL is demonstrating that they are moving closer to pro-viding a commodity material for government capability as a result of this work.

“Obtaining eight square feet is an accomplishment that we have been working on for years and couldn’t have done it without funds from AFRL and DMS&T as well as other orga-nizations,” said Richard Por-ter, Manufacturing Lead of the Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division, AFRL. “Manufacturing a larger win-dow that is both lightweight and durable is an enormous enhance-ment in enabling the warfighter to fulfill the mission.”

Transparent armor is cur-

rently used on U.S. Army Black-hawk and Chinook helicopters. ALON’s excellent durability and impact resistance have made it of interest to NASA for Cupola scratch pane windows on the In-ternational Space Station.

The next step in protect-ing warfighters is creating a curved window. Curved ALON will be attempted, but the use of a different material may be required for this process.

As depicted in the “Star Trek” and “Jurassic World” movies, ALON was used in creating windows in a giant aquarium as well as protective bubble vehicle.

This effort demonstrates that science-fiction can be-come reality thanks to science and engineering.

AFRL produces lighter, thinner transparent armor

The Army UH-60M helicopter platforms use transparent armor systems mounted behind the pilots. (Courtesy photo)

A projectile exit point is shown in the ballistic glass, left. The aluminum oxynitride transparent ceramic armor is shown, right, with a bulge and no exit from the projectile. (Courtesy photo)

Agreement provides convenient occupational health support to Tunnel 9 personnel

Combating corrosionCorrosion control technicians with the 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron apply primer to an A-10 Thunderbolt II July 2 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The squadron is part of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, which provides logistics, support, maintenance and distribution for the nation's premier fighter aircraft including the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt. In addition, the Ogden ALC maintains the C-130 Hercules, T-38 Talon and other weapon systems, as well as the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)

10 • July 22, 2019

See the June Services calendar on page 6.

Students participate in 2019 Reach for the Stars CompetitionBy Deidre OrtizAEDC Public Affairs

Area students spent a Saturday during their sum-mer break to participate in a rocket launching compe-tition called Reach for the Stars.

Members of the Tennes-see Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Coffee County Airfoilers, volun-teers from Arnold Air Force Base, and Olga Oakley, the Air Force Science, Tech-nology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Pro-gram director, organized the Reach for the Stars event for students ages 10-18 from across southern middle Ten-nessee. The competition was held June 1 at the Hands-On Science Center in Tulla-homa.

To start the day’s ac-tivities, AEDC Vice Direc-tor Edward Ayer provided opening remarks and spoke to the kids about the future of rocketry and why STEM is important.

Then with the materials provided by the Air Force STEM program, area stu-dents designed and launched their rockets from the United Technologies Aero-space Systems field near the HOSC.

A winner was selected based on an average of the two launches closest to the target, which was marked 30 feet downrange from the launch pad. This year 11-year-old Aidan Floyd,

from Tullahoma, won the competition with an average distance of 27 feet and 11 3/8 inches.

Oakley mentioned that the Reach for the Stars event is an annual educational out-reach program meant to pro-vide a fun, hands-on learn-ing opportunity for students.

“The students get really excited every year for the

Reach for the Stars compe-tition and the opportunity to design and build their very own rockets and then watch as the rockets are launched,” she said. “The kids do a great job and put a lot of effort into their rockets. We want to thank all who participated and especially the volunteers for their help in making it a successful day.”

To kickoff the Reach for the Stars event June 1 at the Hands-On Science Cen-ter in Tullahoma, AEDC Vice Director Edward Ayer provides opening remarks to the kids about the future of rocketry and why STEM is important. (Courtesy photo)

One of the rockets that a student designed and built as part of Reach for the Stars event readies for take-off June 1. The Reach for the Stars event is an an-nual educational outreach program meant to provide a fun, hands-on learning opportunity for students. (Courtesy photo)

With the materials provided by the Air Force Sci-ence, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program, area students design and build their rock-ets at the Hands-On Science Center June 1. Their rockets were launched from the United Technolo-gies Aerospace Systems field near the HOSC. A win-ner was selected based on an average of the two launches closest to the target, which was marked 30 feet downrange from the launch pad. This year 11-year-old Aidan Floyd, from Tullahoma, won thecompetition with an average distance of 27 feet and11 3/8 inches. (Courtesy photo)

July 22, 2019 • 11

By Bryan Ripple88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Blue Horizons Program at Air University is a CSAF-chartered, future-oriented think tank that creates and tests prototypes of new strategic concepts and ca-pabilities.

Three Blue Horizons Fel-lows, with different technical backgrounds, including a former member of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center here were among those who gradu-ated June 3 as part of this year’s class of 16.

As part of their research, Maj. MacKenzie Birchenough, a developmental engineer, and former Deputy Chief of the Commander’s Action Group at AFLCMC; Maj. Laura Hun-stock, a combat systems officer; and Maj. Kelly Martin, an intel-ligence officer, formed a team called, “Project Medusa,” to de-velop a prototype landing strip to ensure continuity of airlift operations at austere locations during future military conflicts.

Fellows spend a year in spe-cialized academics and focus research on a CSAF-directed question. Their research is on developing and testing proto-types of ideas that can help the Air Force meet future threats.

“As the United States turns its focus toward a potential near-peer conflict, the Air Force may no longer have access to its cur-rent mature basing structure,” said Birchenough. “In future fights, contingency operations will depend on the ability of mo-bility platforms to operate out of austere locations and under compressed timelines,” she said in describing the background for Project Medusa.

Students actually go through an entire prototyping phase so that at the end of the year they can brief the CSAF on the prob-lem they were able to address, what they did about it and then give a recommendation, with the ultimate goal of being able to transition it at the end of their year.

“We started out thinking about the differences between the way we fight today in the Air Force and what tomorrow’s fight might look like, said Hunstock. “Knowing that we’re going into more of a near-peer competi-tion, one of the things we talked

a lot about was how we’re going to have to move away from our centralized basing that we use today and more into a dispersed and agile type of basing.”

The team wanted to narrow the scope of the problem down, so they looked at the issue of not having the availability of run-ways everywhere that the Air Force might need to go.

“We wanted to try to find a way that we could get into those austere locations to rapidly cre-ate landing zones for our aircraft where we don’t already have them,” Hunstock said. “That also means with this type of bas-ing situation, you’re not going to have a month or two to go in and build your normal concrete runways. We need something that’s going to take a lot less time and require less people and less heavy equipment.”

While trying to think com-pletely out of the box, which is what Blue Horizons Fellows are asked to do, the team came up with an innovative idea that might seem on the edge of real-ity.

“The idea that we came to was using biomanufacturing to build runways, which can also be translated into things like ramp space or any hardened surface that you might need. By saying biomanufacturing, what we mean is that we’re applying bacteria to the surface, feeding it and effectively growing a run-way. This process could poten-tially replace the need to bring in cement, heavy equipment and dozens of personnel to create a concrete runway,” Birchenough said.

“While our prototype is a small step toward enabling full runways to be built with some-thing other than concrete, it demonstrates this technology is absolutely feasible outside of the laboratory and could be used to support the warfighter much sooner than expected,” said Birchenough.

They started by testing dif-ferent protocols with two foot by two-foot boxes, but their fi-nal prototype was a 2,500 square foot site to demonstrate the pro-cess on a much larger scale. Working with bioMASON, a biomanufacturing company in Durham, North Carolina, the team created the site near there.

The 2,500 square foot proto-type turned out great, working exactly how they expected it to, Birchenough said.

“It showed that we could re-produce what we had done in the laboratory and on a larger scale. The really exciting thing about this process is that it utilizes the local soil and requires very little equipment. Basically, you need an agricultural sprayer and some water tanks, so there is very lit-tle in materials you need to bring to the site,” said Birchenough.

“We learned that while bio-technology sounds like it is part of a future science fiction type of idea, it’s actually here and now, and it’s absolutely leverageable for the DOD and we need to be investing in it at a much higher rate,” she said.

The team was lucky to work with the Air Force Strategic De-velopment Planning and Experi-mentation office as well as the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate on the project, ac-cording to Birchenough.

The SDPE office contribut-ed more than $500,000 toward Project Medusa, and made sig-nificant contributions across the entire Blue Horizons portfolio this year, said Birchenough.

A follow-on effort will begin this summer between bioMA-SON, AFRL, and DARPA that will continue to mature the tech-nology and build up different soil samples to see how well the technology functions across dif-ferent Areas of Responsibility.

“AFRL is excited to continue the support for the follow-on project,” said Dr. Chia Hung, a research biological scien-tist with AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. “We will continue to work with bio-MASON in their optimization of the cementation process and we will also assist to identify unique requirements for differ-ent user cases. Based on what is learned from Project Medusa and will be learned from the fol-low-on, we will be better poised in helping to mature this tech-nology for many users in not just the Air Force, but also other services within DOD.”

The Project Medusa team briefed their recommendation to Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff, on May 16. Six other teams of BlueHorizons Fellows also madepresentations.

“Our recommendation to CSAF was to invest in bio-manufacturing with a faster transition to the user, to contin-ue this effort with both AFRL and SPDE to make sure that this technology will have great use out in the operational Air Force, as well as making sure the feedback of the user is in-corporated into it from the get go,” said Hunstock.

Future deployers: Don’t forget to feed the runway

The Project Medusa Team members received strong support from bioMASON, the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, and the Air Force Civil Engi-neering Center. They gathered at the team’s 2,500 square foot prototype site in Durham, North Carolina, to see the bacteria feeding process and test the strength of the surface. From left to right: Dane Thomason and Michael Dosier with bioMASON, Majors Laura Hunstock, MacKenzie Birchenough, and Kelly Martin, the Project Medusa Team, 2nd Lt. Alex Compean, from AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Glenn Johnson, from the Air Force Civil Engineering Center, and Kenley McAdams, also from bioMASON. (Photo courtesy of James O’Rourke)

Kenley McAdams, from bioMASON, applies a feeding to the bacteria to harden the surface of the Project Medusa 2,500 square foot prototype in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo cour-tesy of James O’Rourke)

F-16 pilots participate in exerciseThree Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, fly in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex beside a KC-135 Stratotanker while conducting a mission during RED-FLAG-Alaska 19-2, June 17. The 18th AGRS prepares combat Air Force, joint and allied aircrews through challenging, realistic threat replica-tion, training, test support, academics and feedback. RED-FLAG-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces sponsored exercise which tests joint and international participants to execute multi-domain operations in a simulated combat envi-ronment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Burt Traynor)

12 • July 22, 2019