RODEO: Flight Suits Rounded up

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Armando A. Schwier-Morales
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  McConnell's pilots, "booms" and navigators will join hundreds of Airmen in the "Air Mobility Olympics" July 24 to 29, 2011.

RODEO, an Air Mobility Command competition, was first held in 1962 and has become the place to test mobility Airmen's skills. In 1979, allied nations were added to the fold.

"RODEO is not just a competition, it's also a breeding ground to share ideas, techniques, skills and a chance to be around highly trained professionals," said Master Sgt. Jason Hall, 350th Air Refueling Squadron chief boom operator.

McConnell's KC-135 Stratotankers and 24 Airmen were chosen to represent and defend the title of "Best Aerial Refueling Team RODEO 2009." Among the 24 are members from the operations group, maintenance group, security forces and comptroller squadron.

"RODEO is not just an opportunity to showcase McConnell, it's also an opportunity to grow as a tanker unit by letting us learn and develop skills," said Sergeant Hall.

AMC allowed bases to begin practicing in May 2011 and since that time McConnell's operations group began flying and added a sense of realism by competing against other McConnell pilots.

"Culmination is how I would describe RODEO because you get to see the fruits of your labor come to pass," said Capt. Steve Harrington, 22nd Operations Support Squadron Receiver Tanker manager. "The training done beforehand and all the training as a co-pilot and pilot culminates during this one week, which comes down to being able to have the airplane do what you want, when you want it to."

While the actual flying time may be limited because of the current operations tempo, Captain Harrington and his crew have found it advantageous to use McConnell's flight simulator.

"With the ops tempo the way it is right now we don't have a lot of training flights, so we are trying to make do with the hours we get, and getting in the simulator has been a great help." Captain Harrington said "To be competitive in RODEO you have to get down to the exact second for meeting our rendezvous and land times, so it's very challenging."

The operations group is only one of several "cogs" in the larger picture. In the near future, countless hours will be spent in the skies and flight simulator training and these are just a few steps McConnell is taking to prepare for RODEO 2011.

For more information about RODEO, visit www.mcconnell.af.mil/library/rodeo2011.asp.