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AMC continues focusing on Mobility 2000 concept of air operations

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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (USTCNS) --- Air Mobility Command is still ringing in the new millennium with its concept of air operations designed to reduce aircrew workload and increase mission productivity.

The concept -- Mobility 2000, more commonly known as M2K -- uses a triad of aircraft technology, enhanced communications and integrated flight management.

It integrates existing command and control systems with emerging communications technology, and adapts it to the ever-changing international Air Traffic Control environment. M2K officials believe the concept provides better support to aircrews so they have more productive missions.

AMC spent the last four years laying the foundation for M2K, and in July began testing procedures on select Atlantic Express missions under the M2K umbrella.

It officially kicked off with a Sept. 19 flight by AMC commander and commander in chief U.S. Transportation Command, Gen. Charles T. "Tony" Robertson Jr. He flew an M2K mission to Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to brief operational aircrews, base command and control, maintenance and aerial port members and other 60th Air Mobility Wing staff on the project.

"This is a must do! Do not waste another day! It's my top AMC initiative … I need everyone at every level to understand it and be involved," said the general.

Along with the general's visit, a team of experts explained the changes M2K would bring to aircrews and solicited input that will help develop the next steps that are to occur.

During the team's subsequent visit to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, they provided an orientation brief to visiting Pacific En Route commanders who were there attending their annual conference.

One of the more visible aspects of M2K is a process called "papering the crew."

AMC has partnered with Delta Air Lines to learn how the commercial sector performs flight dispatching. M2K developers have created an Integrated Management Tool, or IMT, that allows certified flight managers to plan and monitor AMC aircraft from within the Tanker Airlift Control Center.

Using the IMT, flight managers create and deliver a complete flight package to aircrews at their home stations prior to takeoff.

"We don't want to become like an airline, but we do want to borrow their best business practices and systems to improve our own," said Col. Greg Padula, deputy M2K project officer.

This past summer, during multiple Atlantic Express missions, newly FAA-trained and certified flight managers electronically delivered a complete set of flight papers to aircraft commanders.

Home station aircrews from Charleston AFB, S.C., Dover AFB, Del., McGuire AFB, N.J., and even Ramstein Air Base, Germany, arrived at their current operations center to find a folder filled with a completed flight plan, weather updates and aircraft load information. The only tasks for the aircraft commanders were to review the package and prepare for takeoff.

"It's a big step forward for our pilots as we shift a significant portion of the administrative burden of preparing for the flight to the highly skilled aircrew members on the ground --our flight managers -- thereby allowing the flight crew to focus on reviewing operational data," said Padula.

Although these flight managers are just one piece of M2K, they have made a tremendous impact on the way AMC does business with its aircrews.

The IMT, which uses a three-screen computer system, taps into nine different databases that provide 47 pieces of information; flight managers provide aircraft commanders with FAA-approved flight plans, diplomatic clearance information, and related satellite weather pictures.

"We are the aircrews' 24-hour focal point from the time they show to pre-flight the aircraft, while airborne, and while wrapping up post-flight duties at their destination," said flight manager Senior Master Sgt. Ken Martin. We constantly receive reports on the aircraft's position along its entire flight path. We produce an awesome package of information that helps reduce aircrew workload at show time and also improves efficiency."

Being able to track the aircraft and communicate with the crew during the flight is crucial for mission success, Padula added.

One example of how M2K initiatives could have saved the Air Force $82,000 in flying time came during Desert Thunder. The TACC was notified that one of AMC's aircraft flying from Ramstein to Saudi Arabia had its diplomatic clearance revoked while in flight. Because the TACC could not contact the crew, they were turned around after it arrived near Saudi airspace.

They diverted to Sigonella Air Base, Sicily, with additional five hours of flying time and an incomplete mission.

With M2K, there are different ways to communicate with the aircrew to include both satellite and radio frequency communication.

"Crews need to be aware of what their situation is at all times. In the past, if the original information had changed, there wasn't a reliable way to get those changes to them," said Padula. "Transfer that into a wartime scenario, and you can see why we need to have access to our resources."

Because M2K is in a prototype phase of operations, AMC will continue to refine the procedures in a rapid spiral during the next year. To be fully operational, AMC will need to hire and train 100 flight managers, who are key to making M2K work. Currently there are six trained flight managers on duty.

Along with hiring more flight managers, AMC will continue to define the process and be instrumental in managing this change for its customers.

"Our plan is to crawl, walk and then run," said Lt. Col. William Sweger, M2K Project Manager. "We want to implement this in a safe manner, in a way that crews will feel confident. They have the final decision to the plan they're flying, but I think they'll come to better appreciate how much time we're saving and how flexible it will allow them to be."

When Sweger briefed Air National Guard pilots on M2K, their reaction, he said, was "it's about time." Many guard and reserve members fly for civilian airlines and understand the process. This is still a relatively new concept for AMC, its aircrews, and its customers.

"We have advocates on both the East and West Coast as well as in the European and Pacific En Route theaters. The key here is to ensure that as we refine these new processes, we do it with those in the field in mind," Sweger added. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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