PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The old
adage that practice makes perfect is not just a saying; it's a way of life for
service members. But what happens when the place you need to practice does not
exist nearby?
Airmen of the 45th Space Wing and the 920th Rescue Wing
innovated a solution to the distance problem that will result in annual savings
of approximately $288,000 by painting a pair of deck landing pads (DLP) on the
east-west runway of the Patrick AFB airfield this month.
The deck landing
pads here are a pair of easy to miss-'blobs'-of-paint unfamiliar to many
fixed-wing pilots, but to the 920th Rescue Wing, the 301st Rescue Squadron and
the Air Force at large, they are a place to practice naval deck
landings.
"With the painting of the deck landing pads, pilots here no longer
have to travel to an off-site location to meet their mandatory training," said
Capt. Gibson Sprott, 45th Operations Support Squadron Airfield Operations Flight
Commander. "In the past, the 301st would have to conduct the training at either
an offshore aircraft carrier or at a naval air station such as Jacksonville
Naval Air Station, Florida."
While simple in concept, the process to paint
U.S. Navy markings on a U.S. Air Force airfield took over two years to
strategically plan, coordinate and execute, said Sprott.
The 45th Space
Wing Airfield Management Office ensured funding was available from the 920th
RQW, secured design approval from Air Force Space Command Air, Space and
Cyberspace Operations Directorate, and determined the proper placement for the
DLPs, according to Sprott.
Upon completion, Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno, 45th
Space Wing commander, visited the airfield markings and recognized the team
involved in the innovative endeavor.
"The Air Force has made an excellent
investment that will pay for itself after its second use," said Armagno. "This
is a true success story of the 45th Space Wing's Year of Innovation."
The
airfield marking project was a wing-wide effort that cost a total of
$13,500.
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)