Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 kicks off

Blog Editor Note: For my NW US readers be sure to have a scanner tuned to 349.400 MHz and monitor the McChord Field (KTCM) AMC Command Post frequency for activity.

Other aero frequencies to watch from Joint Base Lewis McChord:

106.100 ATIS (VHF)
118.175 Ground Control
124.800 Tower
126.500 A/D
134.100 AMC Commercial Contract Aircraft only
225.525 A/A Interplane
239.000 A/D
259.300 Tower
270.100 ATIS (UHF)
279.650 Ground Control
290.900 Ground Control
311.000 AMC Command Post
340.300 AFSOC Training
341.800 AMC Training
342.300 PMSV Metro
372.200 PTD
377.150 A/D (replaced 391.900 MHz)
379.400 AMC Training

I should also note that 264.900 was used at the 2007 rodeo at McChord for air drops and training.

Here is a list of players seen on Mode-S so far enroute or around McChord using the Rodeo c/s:

AE2FA9 08-8197 RODEO90 C-17A United States USAF 62AW
AE0810 99-0170 RODEO61 C-17A United States USAF 3WG|517AS
AE023C 63-8888 RODEO60 KC-135R United States USAF 6AMW|91ARS
AE07C1 63-8017 RODEO59 KC-135R United States USAF 97AMW|55ARS
AE0427 61-0290 RODEO58 KC-135R United States HI ANG 154Wing|203ARS
AE015D 63-8879 RODEO56 KC-135R United States USAF 92ARW
AE0584 87-0039 RODEO55 C-5B United States AFRC 439AW|337AS
AE2FAC 08-8200 RODEO54 C-17A United States USAF 305AMW|6AS
AE0559 83-1285 RODEO53 C-5M United States USAF 436AW|9AS
AE1456 05-5152 RODEO52 C-17A United States USAF 15WG|535AS
AE05DF 87-9282 RODEO51 C-130H United States AFRC 440AW|95AS
AE0236 87-0124 RODEO50 KC-10A United States USAF 305AMW
AE0801 98-0055 RODEO49 C-17A United States USAF 97AMW
AE1BED 06-8611 RODEO48 C-130J-30 United States USAFE 86AW|37AS
AE048C 63-8883 RODEO46 KC-135R United States USAF 97AMW|55ARS
ADFDED 94-6708 RODEO43 C-130H United States WV ANG 130AW|130AS
AE01B7 84-0081 RODEO41 C-21A United States USAFE 86AW|76AS
AE49C5 09-9209 RODEO40 C-17A United States USAF 62AW
AE2FA4 08-8192 RODEO37 C-17A United States USAF 62AW
AE0169 86-0204 RODEO35 C-20B United States USAF 89AW|99AS
AE146C 07-7174 RODEO34 C-17A United States USAF 436AW|3AS
AE1BF2 07-4639 RODEO33 C-130J-30 United States USAF 19AW
AE04E8 60-0356 RODEO31 KC-135R United States USAF 22ARW
AE29DE 08-3174 RODEO27 C-130J United States USAF 317AG
AE49C2 09-9206 RODEO25 C-17A United States USAF 437AW
AE0368 63-8013 RODEO22 KC-135R United States OH ANG 121ARW
ADFDEC 94-6707 RODEO21 C-130H United States WV ANG 130AW|130AS
AE145C 06-6158 RODEO19 C-17A United States USAF 60AMW|21AS
480C04 G-275 RODEO17 C-130H-30 Netherlands 336sqn
343083 T.10-03 RODEO12 C-130 Spain Air Force ALA35
761054 4180 RODEO10 C-130 Pakistan Air Force

by Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski, Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 Public Affairs

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., (AFNS) -- Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 kicked off here July 24.

Airmen from around the world, including seven international teams, are participating in the biennial competition that focuses on mission readiness, featuring airdrops, aerial refueling and other events that showcase the skills of mobility crews.

This year's event promises to be the largest rodeo ever, said Col. R. Wyn Elder, the commander of the 62nd Air Mobility Wing, the host unit for the event.

In addition, teams from 20 nations have traveled here to observe the various challenges with the hopes of competing in the future.

During the opening ceremonies, the commander of Air Mobility Command, Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr., inspected the units standing in formation participating in Rodeo 2011.

With him was Brig. Gen. Rick Martin, the Rodeo 2011 commander, who welcomed the teams.

"There is no greater assembly of mobility professionals," Martin said. "Let's celebrate camaraderie ... and let's do it all safely."

Riders on horseback presented the flags of each international team. As representatives of the host nation, parachutists from the 627th Special Tactics Squadron jumped from the back of a C-17 Globemaster III, displaying the American and POW/MIA flags.

This year marks the first time the event is being held since the advent of joint basing, as noted by the 62nd AMW commander, Col. R. Wyn Elder.

Elder thanked the garrison commander, Army Col. Thomas H. Brittain, for his support in putting on Rodeo 2011.

Brittain has overseen Joint Base Lewis-McChord since the two installations merged, and Elder called him, "Without question, the finest Airman in the United States Army."

"We want you all to focus on the competition at hand," Elder said to the crowd. "We're excited to open the doors to Joint Base Lewis-McChord to you and I look forward to the best rodeo competition ever.

"Let camaraderie define victory," the colonel added.

That spirit of competition has been a tradition of rodeos in the past.

For Adjutant Joris Retty, a C-130 Hercules loadmaster from the Belgium air force, this year marks his third rodeo. He was previously here in 2005 and 2009.

When one of his teammates fell ill, he said he jumped at the chance to come back and help coach the rest of his team.

"Nothing motivates me more than the spirit of competition," Retty said. "It's great to meet people from other nations and socialize. I actually went to loadmaster school at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, so it's nice to be back in America. I can't wait to get started."

The competition culminates at the end of the week with the crowning of the rodeo champion. The 62nd AMW from McChord won the last rodeo in 2009.

Air Mobility Rodeo begins at McChord

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE: More than 2,500 servicemembers from around the Air Force and the globe gathered here July 19 to officially kick off the 2009 Air Mobility Rodeo, which runs through July 24.

The Rodeo, sponsored by Air Mobility Command, is a week-long mobility readiness competition that brings teams from AMC bases together to compete in a variety of judged events. The competition focuses on improving worldwide air mobility forces' professional core abilities and features more than 40 aircraft participating in airdrops, aerial refueling and other aerial events.

On hand to kick off the competition were Gen. Arthur Lichte, AMC commander; Maj. Gen. Brooks Bash, AMC director of operations and this year's Rodeo commander; and Doug Richardson, mayor of the surrounding city of Lakewood.

"The local community recognizes and values your service and we are proud to be the host community for this event," the mayor said. "The competitions will be remarkable to witness."

This year's competitions include an aerial port loading and offloading of an aircraft with engines running, a security force's obstacle course, a timed aeromedical evacuation configuration challenge and a timed aircraft egress.

In all, there are more than 50 competitions, each of which is designed to showcase the abilities of mobility Airmen around the Air Force. But the Rodeo isn't just about competition. The event is also a way for Airmen to share ideas and learn from each other.

"Rodeo showcases AMC's best of the best and allows us to train and learn through spirited competition," General Bash said. "Not only does this competition train mobility forces for the fight, it provides a forum for Airmen and our international partners to share the best of tactics and techniques."

This year, more 100 teams are expected to compete, including ones from the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard and the allied nations of Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Malaysia, Israel, the Republic of Korea and Turkey.

"The involvement of our partner nations elevates the Rodeo to a world-class competition," General Lichte said. "It's really a total force effort on display."

And while the teams are here to compete against each other, in the general's eyes, each one is already a winner.

"There may be 16 trophies up for grabs, but we all will win by making things better together," he said. "And that's what the Rodeo is all about."

Planners keep Rodeo 2007 aircraft flying

by Staff Sgt. Nick Przybyciel
Rodeo 2007 Public Affairs

Senior Airman Christian Recene marshals a C-130 Hercules from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, during its July 21 arrival to McChord Air Force Base, Wash. Rodeo 2007, hosted by Air Mobility Command, is an airlift competition of U.S. and international air mobility forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Jonathan Olds)

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) -- On a gray Pacific Northwest morning in the middle of July, McChord Air Force Base resembled a European airfield at the height of the Berlin Airlift.

While the operations tempo for McChord AFB has been high for the last several years, the influx of aircraft here for the 2007 Air Mobility Command Rodeo dwarfs the normal pace.

"As far as an Air Force base goes, nothing comes close to this," said Lt. Col. Scott Lavigne, the head operations planner for the competition.

Nearly 50 airlift and tanker aircraft touched down at a rate of one every five minutes for more than four hours July 21 as American teams joined international competitors for Rodeo 2007.

Managing the aircraft arrivals as well as the flying operations during the week of competition is a monumental feat of planning and logistics. First, the C-17 Globemaster IIIs stationed at McChord AFB were assigned missions outside the local area, so there would be room on the flightline. International competitors arrived in mid July for orientation to the Pacific Northwest airspace. Then months of planning came together when a McChord AFB 62nd Airlift Wing aircrew arrived at 8 a.m. July 21 as the first of 44 American teams arrived.

A group of seven logisticians from Scott AFB joined McChord planners to coordinate the effort. The same team will help coordinate 147 missions during competition week, which runs through July 27.

"There are 50-plus teams flying missions every day, 24/7," Colonel Lavigne said. "We're the nexus of all the coordination for both the flying and ground portions of the competition. The secret is getting lots of smart captains working for you."

At Rodeo 2007, teams from all over the world compete in events to see who has the best combat airlift capabilities. Nearly every aspect of flying and support is tested. Aircrews are put through a litany of tests -- including a low-level airdrop -- to see who is best of the best. Keeping everything running with clock-like precision is the job of Colonel Lavigne and the rest of his team. There is no leeway built into the scoring system for an error made by the planners.

"Since everything relies on the previous time, it can create a snowball affect," Colonel Lavigne said.

The competition extends past the gates of McChord AFB. Civilian airports -- Seattle Tacoma International Airport being the largest -- sharing airspace with the competition also have to coordinate flights around Rodeo. Months ago, a McChord AFB member began coordinating flight planning with the various agencies involved.

"There's a tremendous amount of communication with the Federal Aviation Administration and area airports," Colonel Lavigne said. "They need to know the rules of our competition so they don't delay our competitors' flight times and get them 'dinged' on points."

Tracking such a unique mission requires specially designed software, created specifically for Rodeo 2007. Since the system AMC officials use to track tactical missions is geared strictly toward tracking air operations, a new one had to be developed to cover both the ground and air events that happen at the airlift competition.

At the 2005 Rodeo, Lt. Col. Mike Mattinson, a Rodeo coordinator, decided it was time to develop a system specifically for the competition. A C-17 Globemaster III instructor pilot by trade, Colonel Mattinson said he has spent the better part of the last 10 years tinkering with his office software, teaching himself a bit of programming along the way. As a result, he has become a point-man for the command's senior leadership when it comes to figuring out office technology.

For this year's competition, Colonel Mattinson crafted new software from scratch. New features, such as a "rainbow" summary that gives coordinators an effective visual of all assets, missions and flight times are included.

"It's a good system. There's a lot of versatility," said Capt. Lisa Pierce, one of the people Colonel Lavigne recruited to be part of his team.

The fact that Captain Pierce has no complaints bodes well for her. For the duration of the week-long competition, Captain Pierce and her fellow planners will spend at least 12 hours per day working to keep the sky and ground organized.