Photo By Michael Tackitt | OSHKOSH, Wi. (July 27, 2024) – Alex W. Willie, a mechanical engineer from Air Force...... read more read more
OSHKOSH, Wi., (July 22, 2024) – For the first time in its history, Air Force Sustainment Center participated in the largest celebration of all things aviation-related, as the Experimental Aircraft Association kicked off its annual AirVenture Oshkosh airshow at Witman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wi., July 22.
Each year AirVenture hosts a different Air Force major command to represent the Air Force, and this year, it was Air Force Materiel Command’s turn to represent the service. Over 150 military and civilian Airman from across the country represented AFMC and its six centers, including Air Force Sustainment Center, who accounted for nearly a quarter of AFMC’s personnel footprint.
AFSC, headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., featured exhibits from its Engineering, Logistics, Personnel, Small Business, and Software directorates, as well as from its Ogden, Utah and Warner Robins, Ga., air logistics complexes. AFSC’s mission is to forge readiness and accelerate innovation for America’s warfighters. Its exhibits included various items that highlighted 3D printing capability, including a replica of a software-defined GPS receiver. Other exhibits featured fuel testing equipment, hazardous material handling equipment, weapons and armament from an A-10C Thunderbolt II, robotics, as well as augmented and virtual reality trainers. AFSC also participated in the STEM exhibit by showcasing snap circuits for kids to play with while learning about their association with aircraft.
During the week of AirVenture, what is usually a sleepy little airfield in rural Wisconsin transforms into a buzz of frenetic activity that would compete with the busiest commercial airports across the globe. The otherwise serene countryside atmosphere is taken over by the roars of modern fighter jet engines, the chopping of helicopter rotors, and the buzz of piston-driven propeller aircraft, some of which even dating back to World War II or earlier. The total amount of landings during the week makes its air control tower the busiest air control tower in the world every year during this week, surpassing major commercial airports, such as Chicago O’Hare or Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
According to the EAA’s website, the week-long event, which is the largest of its kind in the world, opened its doors to more than 600,000 spectators, visiting from 87 different nations, to witness an event that features around 10,000 aircraft, ranging from small personal aircraft to larger military aircraft, as well as indoor exhibits from over 800 aviation industry-leading corporations, spread across the event’s 1,500-acre footprint.
“It’s been a phenomenal opportunity to showcase AFMC and all of its capabilities,” said Wayne Ayer, the director of Engineering and Technical Management Directorate for AFSC. “Interacting with so many folks that said, ‘we had no idea what it took to support the Air Force,’ that it was really cool to understand what AFMC is and the mission that we do. From a recruiting branding perspective, this was a phenomenal opportunity.”
AFMC’s efforts marked a first for the event, as it was the first time that the Air Force would require two hardened exhibit tent areas, as opposed to just one, with the main tent being used to showcase all six centers, and the other being used exclusively for STEM exhibits.
Ayer, who invests much of his time into AFSC’s recruiting efforts, acknowledged the potential that large events present in terms of bringing in new talent to the center.
“This kind of an event is really good for educating the public on what AFSC does and reinforces the power of the air shows that we do at our respective units,” Ayer said. “You know, with all the hiring and recruiting that I do, I can’t match what goes on [here].”
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 will run until July 28, and the AFMC exhibits are open each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
| Date Taken: | 07.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2024 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 477095 |
| Location: | OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 221 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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