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AMC earns back-to-back flight safety award

  • Published
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill --  An exemplary flight safety record in fiscal year 2003 earned Air Mobility Command its first back-to-back Order of Daedalians' Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois Memorial Award.

The Foulois Award is given annually to the Air Force major command that achieved the best flying safety record, and is determined by the Air Force chief of staff.

Gen. John W. Handy, commander of U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, received notification of the award in a letter from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper.

"Your success," said General Jumper in his letter, "is a direct result of your commitment to mishap prevention through effective risk management."

In 2003, AMC supported Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the continued Global War on Terrorism. Its operational and training missions during this time brought the men and women of AMC to 151 countries on seven continents where they accrued more than 452,000 flying hours and safely moved nearly 1.5 million passengers - a 221-percent increase over fiscal year 2002.

In addition to the flight hours and passengers flown, the command's humanitarian efforts assisted those in need at home and abroad, launching medical evacuation missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Lili and airlifting volunteers and medical supplies to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

"This award is a testament to the hard work and excellence shown by the people in AMC," said General Handy. "Without their dedication to safety, this would have never been possible."

General Handy also said that winning the award two years in a row demonstrates that the people of this command, not just the aircrews, but the maintainers and all the support personnel on the ground, are committed to the mission for the long haul.

"The Global War on Terrorism isn't going away any time soon, and neither is AMC's mission. There is no other option for our air mobility operations than safe flight operations," said General Handy.

This is the fourth time AMC has been awarded the Foulois Award. It also won it in fiscal year 1994, 1999 and 2002. General Handy is scheduled to formally receive a Daedalian trophy and safety of flight award during the annual Daedalian Convention in June in Riverside, Calif.

The Order of Daedalians was formed in 1921 to honor the sacrifices made by the first American pilots. The Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois Memorial Award is the original Daedalians trophy, and it was first presented in 1938.