Vol. 41, No. 7 Thursday, February 16, 2012

Parking relief on the way - page 12

by Col. Barry Roeper6th Maintenance Group commander

My executive officer is a pilot. Being a pilot working in a maintenance group, he’s natural-ly subjected to a fair amount of good-natured bantering. You’ll find there’s always a bit of a love-hate relationship between maintainers and operators, whether it’s aircraft, vehicles, radios, or whatever. So when my exec tells me he’s scheduled for yet another training session in the KC-135 flight simulator, I naturally give him grief for taking time off from work again to play video games. Last week, he asked me if I’d like to come and see the simulator. I took him up on his offer.

The first thing I discovered was this is no Xbox. The inside of the KC-135 flight simulator looks, feels, and even smells just like the inside of a real aircraft. I’ve flown in military and civilian aircraft many times during my career, and when the instructor induced some light turbulence, it definitely felt like the real thing. I found it quite interesting and entertaining to watch the instructor challenge the crew by inducing some electrical system malfunctions to see how the crew would handle it. The crew successfully finished their training scenario, and they did very well. Then they invited me to sit in the pilot’s seat and fly an approach. Uh oh! I smell a setup.

Sitting in the pilot’s seat is definitely out

of my comfort zone. I’m a long-time aircraft maintainer, so I know how to read the aircraft instruments and navigation displays, and I’m familiar with how to maneuver the aircraft...at least in theory. Also, I’ve actually flown in the back seat of an F-4E Phantom II (yeah, I’m that old) and had the opportunity to take the control stick during the flight to do a few turns. But this was different. Knowing that I was actually going to have to put the aircraft on the ground was a whole different dynamic for me, and a bit scary.

I know what you’re thinking…dude, it’s just a simulator. Did I mention it looks and feels like the real thing? Plus, I didn’t want to lose face with my exec. No sense giving him ammu-nition for future office banter.

I managed to successfully land the aircraft, take off again, and land it a second time. By the way, my measurement for success was pretty basic: not dying. I felt pretty good about my performance, but I have to make a confes-sion: all I was doing was keeping the aircraft lined up with the runway and on glide slope (and that was tough enough for me).

The copilot (my exec) controlled the throt-tles, monitored our airspeed and altitude, operated the landing gear handle along with anything else that needed to be done to suc-cessfully get the aircraft on the ground (I don’t know what all he was doing…I was too focused on not flying the aircraft into a smoking hole).

He also told me when I needed to “flare” the aircraft. You’ve got to love teamwork! Although we survived both landings, had my second landing been in a real aircraft, my maintain-ers would have been cursing me under their

COMMANDER’s CORNER

MacDill ThunderboltPublisher: Terry Jamerson

Editor: Nick Stubbs

The MacDill Thunderbolt is published by Sunbelt News-papers, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This commercial enterprise newspaper is an authorized publication for distribution to members of the U.S. military services on MacDill. Contents of the MacDill Thunderbolt are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of De-

fense, the Department of the Air Force or the 6th Air Mobil-ity Wing.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, in-cluding inserts or supplements, does not constitute en-dorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, 6th Air Mobility Wing or Sunbelt Newspa-pers, Inc., of the products or service advertised.

Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-mer-it factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.

Display advertising or classified advertising information

may be obtained by calling 259-7455. News items for the MacDill Thunderbolt can be submit-

ted to the 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs office, Bldg. 25, MacDill AFB, FL 33621, or call the MacDill Thunderbolt staff at 828-2215. Email: thunderbolt@MacDill.af.mil.

Deadline for article submissions is noon, Thursdays to appear in the next week’s publication. Articles received af-ter deadline may be considered for future use. All submis-sions are considered for publication based on news value and timeliness.

Every article and photograph is edited for accuracy, clar-ity, brevity, conformance with the “Associated Press Style-book and Libel Manual” and Air Force Instruction 35-101.

COMMANDER’S ACTION LINEThe Action Line provides a two-way communication between the 6th Air

Mobility Wing commander and the MacDill community. A 24-hour recording service is provided so personnel may submit questions, concerns or com-ments. Call the Action Line at 828-INFO (4636) or e-mail macdillwingcom-mander@macdill.af.mil

Col. Barry Roeper

I’m no pilot; but I played one in the simulator

See CORNER, Page 19

Your T-bolt TodayNews/Features: page 4 February for dental health

News/Features: page 22

Women’s History run ~Please make teams of four; singles will be placed together

~Prizes for top finishing teams ~PLEASE RSVP to Capt. Carolyn Jensen or

Staff Sgt. Tara Richardson 828-8116

COMMENTS:

Community: page 21

Events, Chapel, more...

by Nick StubbsThunderbolt editor

Team MacDill service members may be ready for dangerous missions, deployments to war zones and all manner of risky activities, but there’s one scary task that rolls around every year that can strike fear into the toughest war-rior: doing income tax returns.

Not to worry, as the volunteers at the Mac-Dill Retiree Activities Office are here to help – and for active duty members, their family mem-bers and Department of Defense workers, the service is free.

The RAO at MacDill is the largest in the Air Force, and takes on a massive load of tax filings each year, said retired Air Force Col. Billy Gra-ham, the RAO director. About 4,000 tax returns are done each season, and this year will be no different. Already the appointment book is full through the filing deadline, and 21 volunteers will be working every day until the filing dead-line and beyond to crank out the free return preparations.

The RAO is still taking walk-ins, with on-the-spot priority given to active-duty members in uniform.

“We get them in right away and out,” said Graham. “Active duty is our top priority.”

All the filing assistants at the RAO have un-dergone basic tax preparation training, attend-ing “tax school” in January, said Graham. In ad-dition, four full-time counselors in the office are certified to prepare more complicated returns, including those with multiple income schedules to report.

All preparations are done the same day as the appointment, with the filings done electron-ically. The electronic filing means those due a refund will often see it within a few days, said Graham, who estimates that the free RAO ser-vice saves filers as much as $500 over going to a private accountant.

“We can only do what we do with great sup-port from the commander,” said Graham, who also credits the large number of volunteers who come in to assist with the tasks. “We’re not re-quired to do this (free tax return preparation), but we can because of our size and the support we get.”

While the tax filing deadline signals the end of the tax season, the RAO volunteers will con-tinue on assisting filers beyond that date, said

RAO team cranking out tax returns

Photo by Nick Stubbs

Claire Rutledge, a tax assistant at the Retired Activities Office, assists Tech. Sgt. Ryan Auker-man with his tax filings at the RAO office.

See TAXES, Page 10

News/Features: page 12

Parking getting better

Free service a bonus for Team MacDill members

Sports: page 18

Pigskin Picker

NEWS/FEATURES

News/Features: page 16

Wood hobby shop steps it up

Settlement of estate

Army Maj. James Scott has been ap-pointed as the Summary Court Officer (SCO) to handle the disposition of personal property of Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Wieczorek.

Anyone indebted to or having a claim against the estate of Wieczorek should con-tact Scott at 813-529-3329 or jason.scott@centcom.mil.

Community: page 6

Black History

NEWS/FEATURESby Maj. Masoud Milani, DMD 6th Dental Squadron

February is the Na-

tional Children’s Dental Health Month. The 6th Dental Squadron team would like to remind you of the important role you play with ensuring the long-term oral health of your children.

Care of your child’s teeth begins in infancy.

From the time your little one begins to cut that first tooth, there are things you can do to promote their dental health. Often, par-ents seek to soothe their baby during a nap or at bedtime by giving them a bottle of milk or juice.

Unfortunately, this con-stant exposure to sugary liquids creates a thin film of plaque on your child’s teeth. While your child sleeps, the bacteria in the plaque are hard at work causing tooth decay.

It is true that baby teeth (sometimes called primary or milk teeth)

are eventually replaced by permanent teeth. But don’t underestimate the importance of your child’s first set of teeth. They not only make a huge impact on appearance, but they play a crucial role in your child’s ability to speak and chew effectively. To help prevent this type of tooth decay:

Whenever possible, use a pacifier for comfort instead of a bottle.If you must use a bottle at sleep time, make sure that it contains

only water.After every feeding, wipe your child’s teeth and gums with a clean

cloth.Dental Sealants prevent tooth decay

When your child is about six years old (or as soon as the first perma-nent molars erupt), talk to your dentist about applying dental sealants. A sealant is a clear material that is applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth that are most prone to cavities and tooth decay.

Completely painless in their application, sealants create a barrier on the teeth, particularly in the grooves that are difficult to reach with a toothbrush. This barrier keeps out plaque and food, significantly reduc-ing the risk of tooth decay.

Daily brushing and flossing is your best insurance against cavitiesStart brushing your child’s teeth with water as soon as the first

tooth appears. Begin flossing when two of their teeth touch. You will need to brush and floss your child’s teeth daily until they can be taught to do so effectively on their own. Make sure the drinking water in your area is fluoridated. If not, talk to your dentist about ways to get the adequate amount of fluoride for your children’s teeth.

Good oral health practices should begin in infancy and continue throughout adult life. In your child’s early years, you the parent or guardian must provide this care. Later, you will need to instruct, mon-itor, and motivate your child to help maintain good oral health habits.

Remember that attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life.

Courtesy of the 6th Medical Group

St. Petersburg College is prepar-ing to graduate yet another dental hygiene class! MacDill Air Force Base is one of the two bases spon-soring the Dental Hygiene Scholar-ship program available to enlisted dental technicians.

The class consists of six active duty enlisted students integrated with the civilian school popula-tion at St. Petersburg College. The enlisted students first must be ac-cepted by the military board and then their package is forwarded to the school for further review and admission. St. Petersburg College enables military dental techni-

cians advancement in their career by awarding an associate’s degree upon graduation. The graduates are then given the opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degree online following the two year pro-gram.

The students come from various bases around the world to attend hygiene school and upon gradua-tion will be given orders to an Air Force military installation in need of a dental hygienist. St. Peters-burg College helps students learn the valuable skills needed for them to provide the best possible oral healthcare. Students are taught to evaluate and treat their patient’s oral health condition, evaluate

their nutritional status, and treat patients with special needs or im-munosuppressive disorders.

The college is equipped with a dental hygiene clinic to give stu-dents the opportunity to provide dental hygiene services to the com-munity through various public health facilities and community outreach programs. Our military dental facilities will greatly ben-efit from having the knowledge of a registered dental hygienist in order to provide optimal care to our patients as well as build strong community relationships established through the oral care services provided to the public by students attending St. Petersburg

College. Oral Health Tips from Dental

Hygiene Students for National Children’s Dental Health Month:

u Oral Health care starts from day one of an infant’s life. Wip-ing their gums with a moist wash cloth after feeding will reduce the chance of baby bottle tooth decay, now termed early childhood caries.

u Avoid sipping on sugary drinks throughout the day, replac-ing juice or soda with water.

u Chewing sugarless gum can help eliminated bacteria and food debris by stimulating saliva flow.

u Cooking with tap water most often will provide the adequate amount of systemic fluoride.

National Children’s Dental Health Month

Enlisted Military Dental Hygienist Program features a number of active-duty students

The official poster of the 2012 National Chil-dren’s Dental Health Month.

Courtesy of Air Force Print News

A Chicago registered nurse would go on to become the first African-American female to hold a commercial pilot’s license.

Janet Bragg was born in March of 1907 in Griffin, Ga., and after grad-uation from an Episcopal school, attended college at Spelman Seminary in Atlanta where she earned a registered nursing degree in 1929.

After obtaining a nursing position at Wilson Hospital in Chicago, Bragg decided in 1933 to attend the Aeronautical University ground school, where she learned the basics in meteorology, aeronautics and air-craft maintenance. But, because the school had no airplane, there was no type of flight training available.

Bragg decided to change all of that. Making the decision that it would be cheaper to buy a plane, rather than rent one, she bought her first plane for $600 -- one of three that she would eventually purchase. Next came the issue of an airport to use for the training. Because black pilots were not allowed to fly out of airfields used by white pilots, Bragg de-cided that if black pilots were going to fly, she would need to set up her

First African-American woman to earn commercial pilot’s license challenged racism

NEWS/FEATURESCelebrating Black History Month

Courtesy photo

Janet Bragg faced many obstacles to become the first African-American femaled commercial pilot.

See PILOT, Page 11

by retired Col. Billy GrahamRetiree Activities Office director

The 2012 tax filing season is now in full swing. The MacDill RAO currently has no spaces avail-able in our appointment calendar. We are now providing only walk-in service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. This service is available on a first-come-first-served basis. Ac-tive duty personnel in uniform are given priority. Call our tax office at 828-0248 if you need fur-ther information, or call the RAO at 828-4555. Income tax service is offered at no cost to retired and active duty personnel of all service branch-es, as well as widows and widowers of military personnel.

There have been recent postings on the web site www.military.com regarding changes that might impact retired military personnel and vet-erans in general. Here is a summary of the chang-es that we thought might be of interest to you.

Veterans covered under the Veterans Group Life Insurance program now have the opportu-nity to increase their coverage to the current maximum coverage under the Servicemem-bers’ Group Life Insurance program. Veterans can increase their coverage by $25,000 at each five-year anniversary date of their policy, to the current legislated maximum SGLI coverage of

$400,000. For more information about VA’s in-surance program or other VA benefits, visit the VA web site at www.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.

Do you need to finance a home? VA Home Loans allow qualified buyers the opportunity to purchase a home with no down payment. There are also no monthly mortgage insurance premi-ums to pay, limitations on buyer’s closing costs, and an appraisal that informs the buyer of the property value. Although there is no maximum VA loan, lenders generally limit the maximum VA loan to $417,000.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has an-nounced a change in regulations regarding pay-ments for emergency care provided to eligible veterans in non-VA facilities. The new regulation extends VA’s authority to pay for emergency care provided to eligible veterans at non-VA facilities until the veterans can be safely transferred to a VA medical facility. For more information about emergency care in non-VA facilities, visit the VA website http://www.nonvacare.va.gov/

The retail pharmacy contract between Ex-press Scripts, Inc. and the Walgreens pharmacy chain has expired as of Jan. 1. TRICARE benefi-ciaries changing from Walgreens pharmacy can simply take their current prescription bottle to their new network pharmacy to have the pre-scription transferred. To find a nearby network pharmacy, use the “find a pharmacy” feature

on Express-Scripts website at www.express-scripts.com/tricare. If you need help finding a pharmacy, changing your medications to Home Delivery, or if you have other questions, contact Express Scripts at 877-885-6313. For more in-formation, visit the TRICARE website at www.tricare.mil/walgreens/.

In an effort to meet the required heavy reduc-tion in forces, Congress has given the Depart-ment of Defense the authority to reinstitute Temporary Early Retirement Authority — better known as “15-year retirement”. Servicemembers who plan to take the TERA package are encour-aged to do thorough research to be sure you are well informed of the advantages and disadvan-tages in pay and benefits that might affect your finances in the future.

For your convenience while visiting MacDill AFB, the UPS Store - located in the AAFES Mall - offers services such as passport photos, mail services, postage stamps, public notary, fax and photocopy (black & white or color), busi-ness cards (design and print). The MacDill UPS Store also serves as a drop-off point for “Old Cell Phones to Troops.” For more information, call 840-2500 or email store6154@theupsstore.com

The MacDill RAO needs volunteer counselors. Stop by our office at MacDill AFB, located be-tween the AAFES mall and commissary. We are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

NEWS/FEATURESMontlhy RAO message

Graham, as there are always late filers and those who run into difficulty getting their paperwork together by the deadline.

“Helping as many people out as possible is our commitment,” said Gra-ham, who noted that the office also assists others who are key supporters of the RAO throughout the year, such as commissary employees.

“They support us, so we try to support them,” said Graham.The RAO is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for walk-ins who need to file.

Walk-in service is available on a first-come-first-served basis, with the exception being active duty personnel in uniform, who are given priority over other walk-in customers.

Call the RAO tax office line at 828-0248 for more information.

TAXESFrom Page 3

Chapel seeking Youth Ministry CoordinatorThe MacDill chapel is accepting bids for a part-time youth ministry

coordinator, paid by the chapel tithes and offering fund. A minimum of two years experience in designing and leading a comprehensive youth ministry is required. Bid documents can be picked up at the base chapel, building 355, weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Resumes and sealed bids will be accepted through Feb. 28. Interviews will be conducted February 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Chapel. The sealed bids will be opened at noon, February 29, in the Chapel conference room and the basis for award will be “best value to the government.” Anyone with interest may attend. The Youth Ministry Coordinator will be required to complete a background check. For additional information, contact Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Stewart at 828-3621.

Florida Strawberry Festival free admissionActive duty, reserve, retired and military veterans along with law en-

forcement and first responders (EMS & firefighters) will receive free ad-mission with a valid ID to the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, March 7. For more information contact Keelee Tomlinson, 752-9194.

Presidents Day hoursThe commissary will be open on President’s Day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

No early bird hours. In recognition of President’s Day, the 6th Medical Group will be closed Feb. 20. Patient Care will resume on Feb. 21.

BRIEFS

own airfield. With the help of her instructors at the Aeronautical University, Bragg created the Challenger Aero Club and together they purchased land and built an airfield in the all-black community of Robbins, Ill.

In the spring of 1934, after amassing 35 solo hours, Bragg passed the test for her pri-vate pilot’s license. She continued her interest in aviation, writing a weekly column in the all African-American newspaper, the Chicago De-fender, called “Negro Aviation,” and continued

to generate an interest in flying for the Chicago area African-American community.

In 1943 Bragg, and several other African-American female pilots, applied for duty with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots to do their part during World War II. But again they were rejected because of their race. She attended instead the Civilian Pilot Training Program flight school at Tuskegee, Alabama, intending to obtain a commercial pilot’s license. She suc-cessfully completed the course work and flight

tests, but was prevented from receiving her li-cense by a bigoted instructor.

Not to be deterred, she went to Chicago, where she passed the examination and earned the first commercial pilot’s license ever issued to a black woman.

Bragg, along with her brother, decided to go into the nursing home business and successful-ly owned and operated several nursing homes into the 1970s. She passed away in Blue Island, Ill., near Chicago, in 1993 at the age of 86.

PILOTFrom Page 6

Graphic by Senior Airman Melissa Paradise

by Nick StubbsThunderbolt editor

Look out big-box building suppliers and cus-tom cabinet shops, the wood hobby shop at Mac-Dill is stepping up its game, offering not only a shop for do-in-yourselfers, but a full-service custom furniture building, along with on-site planning and installation.

The wood hobby shop at MacDill has always been a good option for those do-it-yourselfers handy with woodworking, or those looking to have a piece of furniture built for a good price. But with the addition of a new computer con-trolled CNC router capable of cranking out cus-tom cabinets and other wood products, along with a crew that can come to your home to plan and install cabinets, the hobby shop is going pro.

The best part is, customers can save up to half what they would pay at an area store for

NEWS/FEATURESWood hobby shop to give cabinet shops a run for their money

Photo by Nick Stubbs

Michael Newman, superintendant of the wood hobby shop, at the computer controls of the new CNC router machine acquired recently. The machine creates custom designs with computer precision.See WOOD, Page 20

by Mack DillFollow me on Twiter: @MackDillEmail me: Macdill33621@yahoo.com

Hello Sports Fans. I have to admit this is a tough time of year for me. Football is over, base-ball hasn’t started and I’m left watching reruns of the Iron Bowl on ESPN Classic. But all hope is not lost. Just as the dove brought the olive leaf back to Noah on the Ark, those four little words we’ll hear this Saturday will signify that there’s baseball life in the distance: “Pitchers and Catchers Report.” And with that, we’ll be two weeks away from Major League Baseball Spring Training! Soon the entire Tampa Bay area will be alive with the MLB teams which make up part of the Grapefruit League. I’m in the process of putting together my 2012 Spring

Training preview. Be on the lookout for that in the coming weeks.

So while we wait for baseball to start, let’s take a look at what’s going on in the sports world this week. Here are some of the stories worth following and some events worth watching.

In the NBA the big story is New York’s break-out sensation Jeremy Lin. Actually, breakout sensation is putting it mildly. You can’t go on Twitter without seeing the latest and greatest entry in the “Jeremy Lin Name-Morph Game”. He’s Lin-tastic. New York is awash in Lin-sanity. His skills and his story is Lin-credible. And my personal favorite, “Super Lin-tendo”. Nice.

It really is a great story. Here’s a guy who comes out of nowhere and ignites a New York team that produced more yawns than rebounds. The Knicks had to dig deep on the depth chart when they lost both Carmelo Anthony and Am-are Stoudemire. How deep? Well let’s put it this way: Lin was sleeping on his brother’s couch because he didn’t have a guaranteed contract. Rounding to the nearest million, both Anthony and Stoudemire will each make $18 million more than Lin this season. That’s deep.

Now let’s talk bang for the buck. At the time this was written, the Knicks have a 5 game win streak in the first 5 games Lin started. Now it’s called a Lin-streak. He set an NBA record by scoring 109 points in his first 4 starts. That’s Lin-spiring. And to put the icing on the cake, he led the Knicks to a big win over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers by scoring 38 points. I’m telling you, it’s a Lin-derella story. Let me just get this all out now and be done with it. Even though it’s Lin-conceivable that a guy can come out of nowhere and provide the Lin-cendiary spark to a failing team, it seems that he provides the Knicks with Lin-surance for the wins by using his Lin-genuity. Okay, I’ll stop. This column is getting a little Lin-fested.

So what else is going on in the world of sports? Oh, there’s plenty in the don’t-put-me-out-to-pasture-yet-department. Randy Moss, 35, is “un-retiring,” 47-year-old Jose Canseco is trying out for a baseball team in the Mexican League, and Terrell Owens, 38, is using Arena Football as a platform to try to get back to the show. I’m sure that Bret Favre is lurking in the shadows out there as well. Let’s hope not. All things consid-ered though, I would love to see Moss get back into the game. We’ll keep an eye on that story.

As far as what to watch this week, here are a few games that I’m recommending:

Friday – check out the NBA action of the Dallas Mavericks at the Philadelphia 76ers. I’m

not sure that Mav’s power forward, Dirk Nowit-zki, really deserves his all-star status this year, but I guess you can’t snub the MVP of last year’s NBA finals. Meanwhile the Sixers reached a huge milestone: they’ve won 20 games in less than 30 played. They’ve only done that twice in the last 27 seasons thanks to allowing less than 87 points per game - second best in the league.

Saturday – set up your day for a basket-ball double-header. In NBA action, San Antonio is playing the Clippers in LA. I have to admit that I’ll tune into the game just in case Blake Griffin decides to jump over any cars. For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili is back on the floor. When he’s playing, San Antonio’s win percentage goes up 85 points. Better get him in the game coach. This isn’t your daddy’s Clippers team.

In NCAA action, Ohio State takes on Michi-gan at Michigan – always a good rivalry. Ohio State didn’t show up against Michigan State and only hit 26 percent from the floor. If they can manage to find the bucket, they’ll handle the Wolverines. What’s even worse news for the Buckeyes? Michigan is unbeaten at home.

Sunday – Here’s your chance to see Jeremy Lin in action as the Knicks take on the Mavs. Be sure to tune-Lin. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

Monday – In NCAA Women’s Basketball as Vandy plays at Kentucky. Kentucky was rolling, as usual, and then they hit walls called LSU and Tennessee. Vandy handled both of those teams so don’t miss this one. Both teams have lots to prove and plenty to lose.

Tuesday – It’s time to tune in for Hockey as our Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Ducks of Anaheim. Both teams are trying to make runs, but it may be too late for both. Still, we have Stamkos and he’s lightning in a bottle.

Wednesday – Keeping the action on the lo-cal interest, tune in to see if USF can upset the Syracuse Orange in NCAA basketball. Sure, Georgetown dominated our Bulls but that was just good practice for facing the #2 team in the country. Let’s hope the Bulls don’t wait 11 min-utes to get on the scoreboard this time.

Thursday – We’re getting close to March Madness so I’m sticking with NCAA basketball and I’ll be checking out Duke coming to Talla-hassee to take on Florida State. The Seminoles have already beaten Duke once this season and that was at Duke’s house. They also have a win over that other popular North Carolina team from Chapel Hill, so this may just be the year for the Noles. Can’t wait.

Okay, so that’s it for the week. Enjoy the games and as always, I hope your team wins.

SPORTSSports with Mack Dill

breaths while they were performing their “hard landing” inspec-tions and possibly changing a strut. Oops.

So I learned several things in the aircraft simulator. First, I’m no pilot. Second, the KC-135 simulator really does provide excellent (and cost effective) training for our pilots. But most importantly, I got an opportunity to walk (or in this case fly) in someone else’s shoes to gain a much better perspective on what their job is like. Not everyone will have the opportunity to fly in an aircraft flight simulator, but if you ever get the opportuni-ty to walk in someone else’s shoes, whether it be standing at the main gate checking IDs in the morning, serving food at the Dining Facility during lunch, helping change an aircraft tire on the flight line, or spending time inside the Phar-maCare center during the noon rush hour, take it! You’ll be glad you did.

A special thanks to the folks that made my KC-135 flight sim-ulator experience pure joy: Capt. Ryan Reed (my exec/copilot), 1st Lt. Robert Jur-gensmeier (91st Air Refueling Squadron pilot and former air-craft maintainer), and Keith Herve (simula-tor instructor and re-tired KC-135 pilot).

CORNERFrom Page 2

the same product, said Tammy Zell, Arts and Crafts Center manager.“It’s part of an overall expansion and improvement of services,” said

Zell. “We wanted to help people with everything, from planning and building to the install.”

Zell said the new CNC machine came on line last month, and is the centerpiece of the newly redesigned wood shop, which is undergoing ren-ovation while it continues to operate. The machine allows elaborate carv-ing by computer control, and maximizes wood usage while offering speed and repeatability.

“It’s more of a mass production setup,” said Zell. “It allows us to do a lot more.”

The machine will not be available to the hobbyist who use the shop, but is for hire for everything from a simple plaque to a full kitchen cabi-net job, she said. The machine rate is $50 per hour, which is about how long it takes to carve a fancy 10-inch-square plaque, she said.

For bigger jobs, the machine can crank out carved cabinet door and designs that can save the average customer hundreds or even thousands of dollars compared to even discount stores.

Couple that with the shop’s new service of on-site measuring, plan-ning, and installation service, and the wood shop has made the leap to “full-service,” said Zell.

For those who would rather do it themselves, a set of cabinets can be built and supplied in pieces the customer can assemble, saving even more money.

Zell said all the customer needs is a design idea, and the staff at the shop can make it a reality.

“It can be as simple as a sketch on the piece of paper or a computer design,” she said, adding that the shop has design software and comput-ers on site.

“We also plan to have classes on design and how to use the software to design yourself; it all depends on how much the customer wants to have their own hands on it.”

Right now the mission is to spread the word about the wood shop’s new capabilities and services, said Zell. A package is being prepared for distribution to the various units on base letting them know about what the wood shop can do for them. It also will be distributed to contractors working on base.

“If they come to us first, I think they will find we’ll give them the best bang for their buck,” said Zell.

The wood hobby shop has two full-time staff members and a part-timer. It currently is seeking a fourth staffer. Increasing capacity and ex-panding services is part of an overall strategy to be more valuable to the base and to make the shop more financially self sufficient and viable as a hedge against tightening budgets and lean economic times, said Zell.

WOODFrom Page 16

MACDILL COMMUNITYEVENTS

FridayBoomers Bar & Grill

Friday Bash! 3-7 p.m. Bar snacks & drink specials! Guaran-teed $100 club card drawing, Bar Bingo, and DJ!

SaturdaySeaScapes Beach House

Continental Breakfast by the Bay from 7-9 a.m. All guest $5.95. Club Members & FamCamp Resi-dents FREE. Spouse of Club Mem-ber $4.95.

Sounds & SandFree Music from the “Allen

James Band” 2-5 p.m. Marina Beach Area.

Tuesday-FridaySurf’s Edge Club

Global Tastes Lunch Buffet from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Cost $8. Tue: Italian Wed: Asian Thu: Mexican Fri: Americana

Tuesday-FridaySeaScapes Beach House

Daily Early Bird Dinner Special 4:30-6:30 p.m. Home-style favor-ite meal with iced tea or fountain drink $7.

WednesdayAirman & Family Readiness Center (Brandon)

Discover the Keys to your per-sonal success through this self awareness program utilizing the internationally acclaimed True Colors personality assessment. 1-4 p.m.

ThursdayDeployed Family Dinner

6-8 p.m. Kings Ave. Baptist Church, Brandon. Call 655-9281 for more info.

Protestant servicesSunday - 9 a.m. - Praise Worship Service 9:30 a.m. - FAMCAMP Service (Bldg 2017) 12 p.m. - Gospel ServiceIslamic servicesFriday - 1:30 p.m. - Prayer Service

Catholic servicesSaturday - 4:30 p.m. - Confession

5:30 p.m. - Mass

Sunday - 10:30 a.m. - Mass

Monday to Thursday: 12:10 p.m. - MassFor all other faith inquiries or to view upcoming event information, call the Chapel at 828-3621 or visit the

website at www.macdill.af.mil/macdillchapel

Crash Fire TrainingStaff Sgt. Benjamin Gonsales, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, prepares for a training sce-nario at MacDill Air Force Base recently. Firefighters train year-round to maintain certification and to maximize their proficiency during contingency response.

Photo by Senior Airman Linzi Joseph

~Please make teams of four; singles will be placed together ~Prizes for top finishing teams

~PLEASE RSVP to Capt. Carolyn Jensen or Staff Sgt. Tara Richardson 828-8116

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