DAYTON, Ohio -- One aspect of an amazing story is its ability to be shared, and a group of Airmen from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana recently did just that at one of the nation’s largest airshows.
Six Airmen from the 434th Air Refueling Wing setup and operated Grissom's interactive flight deck and boom pod displays at the Dayton Vectron Airshow in Dayton, Ohio, in an effort to educate the public about the wing’s mission while sharing their experiences as Citizen Airmen.
“I am very happy with the effort and enthusiasm from volunteers and how they portrayed Grissom,” said Chief Master Sgt. Richard Scully, 434th Maintenance Group quality assurance superintendent. “We worked long hours, but the Airmen really enjoyed it because they got to tell their stories!”
The displays are part of a 434th ARW program that uses members from all functional areas of the base to supports events such as airshows, open houses and community outreach programs.
"The flight deck and boom pod are designed to give visitors a visual display of aerial refueling from a perspective of the pilots and boom operators," said Scully. “It can be hard to visualize the refueling mission from the ground, but the displays allow visitors to see an aircraft approach and refuel just as if they were flying themselves.”
While waiting to see the displays visitors had an opportunity to speak with Airmen about their experiences in the Air Force.
“We were able to talk to a lot of people and let them know what we do,” said Staff Sgt. Kelsey St. Clair, 434th Maintenance Squadron structural aircraft specialist and event volunteer. “We also answered questions about the aircraft and its mission; it was a really great experience!”
Over the course of the two-day event, approximately 5,000 people toured the displays.
"We stayed very busy throughout the entire event," said Senior Master Sgt. Douglas Stogsdill, 434th Maintenance Squadron fabrications flight chief and event supervisor. "We had nothing but positive responses from people visiting the displays."
For many of those visitors, this experience was their first time to see inside of a military aircraft, yet alone experience aerial refueling from a boom operator or pilot's perspective.
"This was really really cool!," said AJ Durosko, an airshow attendee from Pinkerington, Ohio who toured the static displays. “I felt like I was flying the plane."
The displays were built by Grissom maintainers who are also responsible for their set-up and operations, however Airmen throughout the base are able to participate in the program.
“This is a wing program, so anyone on base can participate,” explained Scully. “We encourage Airmen from all Air Force careers to help so people can have a diverse perspective of the different jobs and opportunities we can provide.”
For more information about participating in the program contact Scully at 765-688-4709.
The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.
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