Sunday, July 29, 2012
28 July
Our first group of replacements should arrive within the next day or two. It will mean a third person in the room but well worth the sacrifice. We have a detailed training plan to get them up and running because the sooner they are trained the sooner we are out of here. Now we just need the planes to hold up - or I should say our mission equipment. The planes are doing really well but our mission gear is experiencing odd hiccups more often. As with a lot of these new programs there is a strong push to get the equipment in the field as soon as possible so the normal in depth testing is sacrificed. As a result we don't know the long term problems that can develop and it looks like we are starting to see the effects of extended use of the equipment. The problem is we have very limited spares dues to the nature of the program. It was only intended to be a six month test program but due to its success it was requested to extend and we are now at the one year mark with no end in sight. As a consequence we are now requesting replacement equipment that was never budgeted for initially. The program guys in the states are reluctant to spend a lot of money because the test was a success and their focus is now onto the next stage which is moving it to a UAV. Meanwhile the command over here has a much different perspective and they have no patience when it comes to the aircraft being down. We are caught in the middle trying to explain to the guys in the states that the command does not see it as experimental and to the command that this is still new and we really don't know how it is going to hold up. Not to mention that in the big scheme of things this program is a pretty low priority. I feel for the guys coming after us because I think they are going to have more problems than we have. Besides our pod technician having a minor breakdown (he's young and stresses a lot) we are all doing well and for the most part getting along. I'm trying not to focus on the days and before I know it I will be home. As of today I have the Olympics to distract me and if all goes well my time here will be over before the games are.
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Haze
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Has anyone mentioned the lives that have been saved? And maybe the New York Times might be interested in the State side program guy's view???
ReplyDeleteAh, that is one of the problems we have with this program - how do you prove a negative? We have no way of knowing how many attacks we have disrupted or stopped from even happening so you can't point to any individual and say we saved his life. It is just a classic case of the struggle between the designer and the user. Everyone means well but the focus is different.
DeleteAh yes.....sympathize with your middle position. In a way, that is one of the downsides of being too organized, very efficent. People expect results with no concept of the effort it takes to make things run smoothly. We will be glad to hear from your experienced lips more details...or maybe you would rather talk about other things? Your call (: We will count on you to fill US in on the Olympics...we have seen almost none of the games. Thanks for your blog time. We have loved this interaction.
ReplyDeleteThe details and the Olympics I can help you with and I will be happy to share because that will mean I am home :)
DeleteWendi said you would be a good sport about bull riding...I think you will be amused. Not by the danger, that is real enough but at the build-up. Cowboys from Mt. Olympus with lights and music.(:
ReplyDeleteIf you think so then I am willing to give it a shot :)
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