Scott AFB Airmen prepare for international skills competition

Published July 13, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
375th Air Mobility Wing, Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Airmen from Scott Air Force Base will travel to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., (McChord Field) to compete in the 2011 Air Mobility Rodeo competition July 24-29.
Sponsored by Air Mobility Command, the event focuses on building international partnerships through competition. It features events showcasing the unique and wide-ranging capabilities of airlift and air-refueling members, maintenance, aerial port, aeromedical evacuation personnel, contingency response, flight attendants, and military security forces. Also each team is required to nominate one member to participate in the fitness challenge.

This year Scott AFB will be sending participants from the 73rd Airlift Squadron, 54th Airlift Squadron, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 375th Comptroller Squadron and the 311th Airlift Squadron.

This marks the first year Scott has sent a group of flight attendants to compete and the second year flight attendants have ever participated in any AMC rodeo according to Tech. Sgt. Oriel Rodriquez, 73rd AS flight attendant team chief.

The team is a combination of active duty and reserve flight attendants who will be participating in a culinary competition and evacuation exercise. It is also the first year for a culinary competition.

"Think Iron Chef America with the secret ingredient being Beef," said Rodriquez.

Tech. Sgt. Danielle Sloan, 73rd AS, and Staff Sgt. Amy Gillilan, 54th AS, will be representing the flight attendants in the culinary portion.

"We will be given three hours and money to shop and prepare a meal for 20 individuals," said Gillilan.

The competition scoring will be based on presentation, taste and originality.

"The hardest part about the preparing for the Rodeo is timing," said Sloan. "We are slow in some areas and really quick in others. It's working together to get our timing down, from the beans to the meat course."

Three other FA members will be attending to take part in an evacuation exercise. The team will be given 90 seconds to evacuate the aircraft. Competition scoring areas will include safety, timing, and aircrew checklist/compliance.

"We have been running evacuation scenarios and building a strong strategic plan to take the win," said Rodriguez.

Five members from the 375th AES will also be participating in a separate evacuation with a different configuration of patients and pallets on a KC-135.

"We have been preparing for the Rodeo since the beginning of May," said Capt. Adrianne Ketelsen, 375th AES chief flight nurse examiner. "The KC-135 is used worldwide but our primary aircraft here is a C130/C21. We usually do not fly on the KC-135 unless we are deployed, which is why we have been training to refresh our skills."

The team will be in charge of mission planning, configuring aircraft, flying and taking care of patients among other mission related duties.

Those selected for the teams were picked based on their past work performance.

"Selection was open to everyone in the aeromedical squadron, and we had to submit packages," said Staff Sgt. Jason Carrico, 375th AES. "We are unofficially the best of the best and it is an honor to represent Scott."