TSgt. Cade Peterson at Fairchild AFB, Wash., is $10,000 richer for having saved the Air Force possibly $2.6 million annually in deferred mission aborts and material sustainment costs for the KC-10 and KC-135 tankers. Peterson, who is the senior weapon system coordinator for the 92nd Maintenance Squadron, recommended changes to technical orders that introduced a more efficient way to service the main landing gear centering cylinder. TSgt. Larry Carpenter reports that the former tanker crew chief spent 45 hours of his off-duty time to put together a package explaining his idea. The Air Force then spent more than 18 months analyzing and implementing the change, reports TSgt. Larry Carpenter Jr.
With Congress considering another continuing resolution to cover the rest of fiscal 2025, the Space Force’s No. 2 officer asked lawmakers to give the service “flexibility” to deal with budget uncertainty.