December 22 2016

A message from Mike Loh.

"Here's an article in this week's Aviation Week on my involvement in the currently flying Air Force One. I think our class may find it interesting."

Nulli Secundus,
Mike

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General Who Negotiated Air Force One Says Trump Can Get A Better Deal

Competition drove down cost of past presidential aircraft.

Dec 20, 2016Lara Seligman | Aviation Week & Space Technology

Boeing’s proposal for a new Air Force One was thrust into the spotlight in December when President-elect Donald Trump threatened to cancel the estimated $3.2 billion project. Now the U.S. Air Force general who secured the legacy Air Force One presidential aircraft is echoing Trump’s call for a better deal, challenging the service to negotiate a price more in line with what it paid in 1986—$539 million in today’s dollars.

John Michael Loh, who headed Air Combat Command before retiring with four stars in 1995, had just been appointed Air Force director of operational requirements in 1985 when he was tasked with buying new aircraft for then-President Ronald Reagan. Loh, then a two-star general, immediately called in Boeing, the incumbent, for a briefing, he tells Aviation Week.

Loh was "furious" when he found out Boeing’s estimate to build the two new aircraft was just under $1 billion, especially because a green 747-200 cost just $112 million at the time. So he decided to turn up the heat. He knew McDonnell Douglas’s DC-10 airliner would also fit the requirements for Air Force One but the company had bowed out early, leaving Boeing expecting a sole-source contract.

Loh pressured McDonnell Douglas to compete for Air Force One, using the underperforming C-17 as leverage. Then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was on the verge of canceling McDonnell Douglas’s fledgling C-17 airlifter and pursuing Boeing’s proposal for a new C-X based on the 747, Loh explains.

"I said, ‘Look, if you are interested in keeping your C-17 and building a strategic airlifter, I think you ought to be interested in bidding on Air Force One,’" Loh says. "They got the message."

Both companies ultimately bid for Air Force One, and Boeing was forced to come in low to beat McDonnell Douglas, Loh says. The Air Force ended up with a fixed-price contract for two modified 747-200s for $249 million—$539 million in 2016 dollars. The Air Force called the aircraft VC-25As.

"I actually saved the Air Force and government about $700 million by requiring competition from the initial Boeing sole-source proposal of ‘just under $1 billion,’" notes Loh.

With the right acquisition strategy, Loh estimates the Air Force could get two fully equipped new presidential aircraft for about $750 million overall. With the help of Air Force Material Command and the White House, Loh argues he could draft a new,  "air-tight" requirements document for the Presidential Aircraft Replacement (PAR) in 60-90 days that includes tough tradeoffs among various performance capabilities and cost.

"I not only want to argue the benefits of competition but also the importance of having a smart acquisition strategy that results in best-value quality at a reasonable cost," Loh explains.

The Air Force has a different take. Service spokesman Capt. Michael Hertzog confirms the initial contract price of the two aircraft in 1986 but argues that equating the estimated price of the PAR program to the VC-25A is comparing apples to oranges. On top of the initial contract award, Boeing invested roughly $600 million before the aircraft was delivered, due to unforeseen costs. Additionally, the service has upgraded the initial airframes significantly over the past three decades and will continue to modify the aircraft until they reach the end of their service lives in the 2020s. These improvements are programmed to cost almost $1 billion.

In contrast to the "evolutionary" approach to VC-25A, the PAR will include many of these capabilities on delivery, he says.

"PAR design includes capabilities for fulfilling the presidential mission safely in today’s operational environment," Hertzog explains. "These capabilities and integration complexity drive unique and costly management, engineering and test effort."

But the primary contributor to the increased cost to buy the new Air Force One is the sharp rise in defense aerospace labor costs during the past three decades, which has significantly outpaced broader and more general market measures of inflation, Hertzog says. Given the increased labor costs, those same VC-25As that the Air Force bought for $249 million in 1986 would cost almost $3 billion today, he notes.

However, Loh calls the Air Force’s arguments "nonsense," arguing that the $1 billion upgrades since 1990 are "almost routine" for every class of aircraft over its lifetime. Meanwhile, he says the statement about labor costs is "specious," as the approximately $380 million public price tag of a green 747-8 includes today’s aerospace labor costs.

Loh argues the Air Force could make more of an effort to inject competition into the PAR program. Airbus’A350 would also fit the bill for the new Air Force One, he says.

"Airbus should be pressured to submit a proposal just like I pressured McDonnell Douglas to compete for Air Force One in 1985," Loh says. "What worked then was the thinly-veiled threat of cancelation of the C-17. What can work now is the thinly-veiled threat of no more U.S. contracts for Airbus, or at least difficulty in gaining more U.S. contracts." 

"Boeing has no birthright to be the sole builder of Air Force One’s forever," he stresses.

However, Airbus has so far not expressed any interest in the PAR. Additionally, the Air Force is likely aware it would be hard to sell a European-built presidential aircraft to Congress or the public. As the requirements stand today, Boeing’s 747-8 is the only U.S.-built airframe that meets them. But Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James recently noted the White House, not the service, set the new aircraft’s requirements – and they could change.

James said during a Dec. 19 event in Washington. "There’s a variety of approaches and again, the new team will get a full chance to explore that."

Barring a late Airbus entrance into the ring, Loh says the Air Force should insist on competition for each of the subsystems on the modified 747-8, "from the engines right on down to the last rivet." This approach may delay fielding of the new aircraft by six months or so, Loh estimates, but "it’s worth it."

"I’m just bewildered by the size and scope of this program and how different it is from the one I helped to bring in back in 1986," Loh says. "The Air Force has paid little or no attention to either generating competition or thinking through a smart acquisition strategy for best value. Instead, they assume Boeing was the only choice and let Boeing put together a gold-plated program that has a big development program in the front end that is totally unnecessary, and every bell and whistle imaginable on the airplane that ends up with a $3-4 billion dollar program."

Open the original article HERE.

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December 19 2016

From MSgt John Pallaschle, USAF, regarding Dale Thompson's "Operation Ghost Rider" story:
___________________

"Excellent Story. I was a Flight Line Maintenance Personnel (Crew Chief) at RAF Lakenheath, 493rd AMU, during Operation Eldorado Canyon, so this was a very interesting read. I did  launch one of the aircraft on that day, but can't remember the aircraft tail number. My aircraft 70-2385 also participated, it was one of the in-flight spares.

We are planning an F-111 reunion in the future. If you know of any 111 personal that may be interested, we would be glad to have them join. Thanks. https://www.facebook.com/groups/696710033820630/

The F-111Historical Association: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1684823488471033/

Apparently there are several maintenance personnel who remember Colonel Dale Thompson from Upper Hayford, and his story of Ghost Rider brings things full circle to them. Many times us maintainers were tasked to do things, but never knew the complete story behind the task. One thing for sure, the members on our sites have a true love for the F-111"s, and their pride for the F-111's is more than exceptional.

Thanks
MSgt John J Pallaschke
Retired USAF

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November 11 2016

Veteran's Day memories from Ed Leonard's daughter, Tracy.

"This Veteran’s Day marks the second anniversary of the death of my father, the consummate war hero. I think of him every day, but when I think of him I see him as more than this tired cliché. I know he saw his own life as a pilgrimage, with a twist of magical realism to sustain him during hard times. Not an extravagant man, he always cherished the simple things. And in the end, it was the simplicity of an ice cream cone during a short road trip we took together that sums up my memory of him best. At the time, racked with pain, his back crumbling, he had asked me to drive him to the VA in Portland for medical care because he was deteriorating away slowly in bed at home.

It must have been an excruciatingly painful ride along that narrow highway, but when he spotted a roadside ice cream shack up ahead he made me pull over so he could go in and order a vanilla soft-serve on a wafer cone. It seemed like a nutty idea for him to climb out of the car and make his way into that store, but he didn’t want me to bring his treat back to him….he demanded that he go in and get the damn thing himself. And it took him over half an hour.

The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying, "Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional." In 1973, shortly after my dad returned, he and I flew out together to visit his parents. At some point over the Rockies our plane encountered turbulence so extreme that even the stewardesses were crossing themselves. I remember grabbing my dad and crying, but when I looked up at him he was calmly reading a magazine and nursing his drink (of course he was!). Without blinking an eye, he explained to me that planes never crash--an ironic statement coming from a man who knew about crashing airplanes! My dad’s life seems to frequently reflect a fiercely independent determination to endure the tumult, blunt force traumas of life, on the one hand while taking the time to savor its simple pleasures on the other, like a vanilla ice cream cone at a roadside scoops shack out in the middle of nowhere..

That our drive to Portland might be our last, that he might actually be going down for the last time, was irrelevant to him. It wasn’t even the point. For the duration of the ride, and in spite of the pain, he savored his cone, misted up as he talked about his brothers in arms (the men I believe he truly loved the most) and reminisced about his childhood. He discussed the state of the Seahawks, revisited his favorite stories about his beloved nephew, Don, and looked out the window in peace and with even a bit of joyous abandon..

I feel blessed to have met some of you and blessed that my father shared stories about all of you with me. I know my dad loved every one of you so dearly. As always on Veterans Day, I will say prayers in his memory and prayers also for all of you.

God Bless.

Much Love, Tracy Leonard"

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Kenny Fields also remembers and replies to Tracy

"Dear Tracy,

"Thank you for sharing with me your personal, wonderful and elegantly worded memories of your father, Ed. And I greatly appreciate your prayer on my behalf.

-->

"My very first meeting with Ed was when he appeared in his Sandy A-1 100 feet above the jungle canopy surrounding me in Laos...perhaps 200 feet distant from my location on the ground while surrounded by enemy troops. After quickly advising him over the radio, "You should be able to spot me now off your starboard wing", I stared in disbelief when his head turned to his left. As countless AAA tracers shot past his plane, barely missing his canopy, I screamed, "No, off your right wing." When his head twisted right, I waved my arm and Ed coolly replied, "I have you in sight Streetcar." Immediately after that, a tracer round impacted Ed's engine, causing it to seize.

"I still have a vivid image of that scene when we first met...with Ed in his cockpit peering down at me as if we had eye contact while bullets and tracers were soaring...and the fact that Ed made such a gallant effort on my behalf is all I need to know what kind of man he was. I fell in love with him at that very moment.... And during my personal contact with Ed in the following years, nothing ever caused any of my love for him to fade.

"My very best,

"Kenny Fields, Streetcar 304"

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November 17 2016

RG Head sends us this note:

Guys,

As many of you know, my book on Oswald Boelcke, Germany’s First Fighter Ace, was published in London on July 1. That event has made this year kind of a "book year" where we have been traveling extensively. We just got back from dedicating a memorial to Boelcke in the little French village, Bapaume, where he fell after his mid-air collision with his wingman over the Somme battlefield. My brother, Jim, and I have been scheduling a visit to Colorado Springs for March 11-18, and I wonder if there is some venue where we could get together. There are three kinds of possibilities: 1) a purely social event for the Class of 60; 2) a professional studies event where I could give a briefing on this amazing ace and his legacy on the USAF and other air forces; or 3) any of you who are interested could attend a currently scheduled event on Friday, March 17, at the Denver Daedalian meeting, a March 18 presentation to the COS Kiwanis Club, or a planned COS Daedalian meeting, not yet scheduled.

For those of our class in the Washington, DC, area, I will be speaking at the Daedalian National Convention on Friday, April 7, in Crystal City.

It would be great to see you all.

What do you think,

Best regards,

rg

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November 7 2016

Nels Delisanti sent us this link to a photographic trip along the Ho Chi Minh Trail:

"Here's what I thought was a very interesting article that you might consider for the web page.

http://www.laosgpsmap.com/ho-chi-minh-trail-laos/

Nels

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October 2016

 -- Remembering Jim Fey --

Rickey Robertson, a writer in Louisiana, has written an article about Jim Fey and his F-100 accident in 1965.

As a child, he visited the crash site a few days after the accident and visited it again a few weeks ago where he found pieces of the F-100. We are hoping to acquire information from anyone who was at England AFB at the time and who might have some knowledge about the accident. If you were at the base then or know of anyone who was, please let us know HERE.

The published article may be viewed on the Stephen F. Austin State University Cultural Resources website at: "http://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/9820.asp

[Webmaster's note: The article titled IN REMEMBRANCE OF CAPTAIN JAMES C. FEY USAF BY RICKEY ROBERTSON was included here. However, it has been moved to the Roster Section. You may access it HERE]

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April 2016

A Message from Bob Badger

Classmates:

The problem of missing children, often as a result of kidnapping, is an ever-increasing one. My Masonic lodge, Washington Lodge #78, located in Washington, VA, is involved with the Virginia Child Identification Program (VACHIP), which is a comprehensive child ID program. Virginia Freemasons are the sole sponsor of VACHIP and offer it to Virginia families at no cost to parents and guardians.

Masons plan events that assemble the equipment and volunteers necessary to generate completed ID packages that consist of:

 a brief recorded interview with the child and their parents or guardians

 a digital still photograph

 fingerprinting of both hands

 dental bite impression (depending on equipment availability)

 cheek swab DNA/Scent Sample instructions

The recorded interview and still photo, burned directly onto a disc, can be viewed on your home CD player or home computer, and can be viewed by law enforcement if and when the parent turns it over to them to search for their missing child. The recorded interview disc provides far more individual characteristics, a voice sound-bite and mannerisms, in addition to the digital still photographs. Fingerprinting is a tried and true method of individual identification. The dental bite impression provides a 3-D image of the biting surface of the teeth, which are unique to each individual. The dental impression and cheek swab also collect enough saliva/cheek cells to provide DNA and a source for scent track for canine recovery.

All VACHIP events are requested through and coordinated by the Virginia Freemasons. We are actively seeking donations to assist us in bringing this important community service to every Virginia family at no cost to the parents.

Thanks for considering this. For more information you can contact me at ldcreb@comcast.net

Bob Badger, '60, Master, Washington Lodge #78

For VACHIP website, click: https://vachip.org/

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January 2016

A Message from Dave Reed

SUGGESTIONS FOR KEEPING YOUR DRUG PRICES DOWN

For USAFA Class of 1960 - January 2016

David Reed M.D., J.D. '60

The following are a few suggestions for dealing with how the doc writes a prescription for you and how you may get the doc's help in reducing your costs but please understand that the doc very likely may not have time to be up-to-date with all the complexities of prescribing the most cost-effective medication for you as an individual, thus the burden is on YOU. Feel free to ask at least the following:

1. Whatever medication you take, make sure the doc prescribes the largest pill size available - you can cut many pills at least in half if not in quarters. I personally take a "statin" drug - 20 mg. I use a prescription for 80- mg and cut the pill into quarters. Many pills (such as my statins) seem to be hard-coated making it difficult to cut unless you get one of those pill-cutters - a sharp knife doesn't work.
2. Feel free to ask if the doc has any free samples especially if your prescription is expensive.
Ask if generics are available. Frankly he/she may not know so hopefully you will have done your homework and know the answer so check the sources below before your office visit. Make sure the doc understands you would prefer a generic if your condition warrants it.
3. Ask if there are OTC (over the counter) meds that may work just as well as a prescription one. If your med is a cream or topical or homeopathic-like one, Google-check for a "compounding pharmacy" in your area - I can personally state that as an example the $ difference in a particular post-op vaginal cream from a compounder was unbelievable - $20 versus $200 per month for the scrip. Wife's GYN prescribed the drug - when I was horrified at the pharmacy cost a GYN buddy put us into the compounding track. Excellent example - your doc may know less than they should about even the basics of the costs of the meds they prescribe. I personally have other horror tales. Beware!
4. Doc's offices like to help by calling in prescriptions for you, so if you have a pharmacy with which you are satisfied - fine. If not - get the prescription in your hand and do you own shopping. You may well find a little shopping can save you LOTS. Multiple sources listed below. You will need the scrip for online shopping
5. Get as many pills at a time as you can - typically 90 days. I prescribe myself a 90-day supply of 80 mg of atorvastatin, cut them in quarters and thus have a year's supply. For other meds that may need closer watching for your condition (such as BP meds) ask the doc for advice.
6. Make sure to get as many "refills" on a prescription as the doc will give you. This will save you having to go back for an office visit just to get a new prescription - a pain for the doc and a pain + a possible office-visit charge for you. Especially handy for online pharmacies.
7. If the med you are being prescribed is a new one for you and is expensive, ask for an initial 2-week prescription (and at the same time get a full 90-day one you may not have to fill) to make sure it does what is planned before you shell out lots of money, then find out you have an unacceptable side-effect and have paid lots for a three-month prescription you cannot use.
8. When shopping for drugs online make sure to compare apples to apples - the price per dose of what you want. As I show above my price for 20 of a statin drug I actually take is 1/4 that of what I pay for an 80mg pill. A good online ordering service will have this comparison up front and indicates an establishment that at least appears to be encouraging you to lower your meds cost

ONLINE SHOPPING RESOURCES: ) In my opinion don't believe the BS that all non-USA drugs are dangerous and should be banned. I can easily imagine the millions of $ that Big Pharma spends to make you believe these tales, and in fact as I write there is legislation pending to stop Canadian-sourced drugs being imported. The PAC "donation" corruption here is astronomical.

These are only a sample but in my opinion are reliable ones: sorry - you'll have to "cut and paste" these links. I used to know how to make these clickable but forgot. My brain must be composting...[Webmaster note: I fixed 'em]

1. www.pharmacychecker.com allows you to check a very wide number of online sources and IMHO you would be well-advised to start here. The readout is in $/pill - remember to search for generics. Click on the "detail" button to find out about shipping costs, etc. Then while you are at "details" click on "See Pharmacy Details" - the info on each source is truly amazing.
2. Canada: I personally use and trust Canadadrugs.com [Webmaster Note: This website is no longer working]. Easy to get advice from people whose primary language is CANADIAN-ENGLISH, not Serbo-Croatian!
3. Consumer Reports has an excellent website with lots and lots of pertinent and  honest info: www.consumerreports.org/cro/health/prescription-drugs/best-buy-drugs/index.htm
4. www.goodrx.com allows you to select a drug & dose then search for prices in your own locality - pharmacies, supermarkets, some online sources. Readout is in $ per number of pills you have chosen. Lets you print out a discount coupon.
5. A classmate has suggested the following addition: "Don't forget to check out Express Scripts Federal Pharmacy Services, which provides Tricare pharmacy home delivery.www.expresscripts.com/TRICARE/benefits/homedelivery.shtml

There is an excellent article in the January 2016 Consumer Reports Page 13 entitled Save Money On Your Meds. In particular on page 15 there is a price-comparison table that very strongly makes the case to SHOP AROUND; Quoting directly: "The 3 big drugstores charged the most, as much as 10 times more than the online pharmacies we checked." The following pages (16 & 17) are also very valuable reading.

There is also a very good AARP article entitled "Save Money in Medicare in 2016 - Drug prices can vary dramatically by plan so it pays to shop around during open enrollment. Excellent advice here on a highly complex subject but once again recommending: shop around! Google to find it, please.

SHOPPING ONLINE SUMMARY:

1. Make sure to check multiple sources (a single source may not be the best for ALL meds)
2. Get the doc to prescribe the largest dose and the largest # of refills you can get.
3. Make sure to shop for generics if your doc approves.

A GOOD DOC WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU (IF HE/SHE UNDERSTANDS THE COSTS--AND THEY MAY OR MAY NOT). If you get a run-around find another doc.

If a classmate needs any help feel free to contact me: neptune@ecentral.com.

The above is intended as a personal opinion for the above limited audience and is meant to be used in coordination with a patient's own prescribing physician.