Air Force Reserve Command dispatched a third specially equipped C-130H transport aircraft on June 27 to California to fight raging wildfires there. The aircraft, from the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., deployed to McClellan Airfield in Sacramento to assist firefighters in battling the Corral fire north of Sacramento and the Piute fire south of the city, including the Sequoia National Forest near Lake Isabella. This C-130, along with seven others operating out of McClellan as of the end of June, are fitted with the modular airborne firefighting system that allows the aircraft to drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per mission. Since June 26, when the missions began, these C-130s have dumped more than 117,000 gallons of fire retardant on the flames. (McClellan report by SrA. Stephen Collier)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.