DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE Air Force Reserve Command MEMORANDUM FOR ARWO Scheduler 29 Aug 15 FROM: 53 WRS Flight Meteorologist SUBJECT: Mission Summary Report G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Mission Type | Tropical Storm | | Tasking | 1205A ERIKA 1130 AND 1730Z FIXES | | Mission ID | 5303 1205A ERIKA | | Departure Base/Time | KHST 08/29/15 09:20 | | Arrival Base/Time | KBIX 08/29/15 16:55 | | Flight Time | 7.6 hours | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- F I X P O I N T S ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Latitude | Longitude | SLP | MWnd | SWS | | | Date/Time | dd mm N/S | ddd mm E/W | mb | kt | kt | Hurricane | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C R E W R O S T E R ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |AC | DEROCHE | |CP | EUSTIS, MEADER | |Nav | ANDERSON | |ARWO | DYKE | |LM | CALLOWAY, CUMBO, PIERIE, MCDONALD | |OTHER| JANYE, 3 NAVY | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- REMARKS: ERIKA TRAVERSED THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA OVERNIGHT AND WE WERE TASKED WITH THE FIX MISSIONS AS IT WAS COMING OFF OF THE ISLAND. WE WERE INITIALLY GIVEN COORDINATES NORTH OF CUBA THEN AT SHOW TIME OUR COORDINATES CHANGED TO SOUTH OF CUBA. AFTER REPLANNING THE MISSION WITH NO HELP FROM THE STAFF (WHO DID NOTHING BUT TAKE USABLE OXYGEN AWAY FROM THOSE WORKING), THE COORDINATES CHANGED AGAIN BACK TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ISLAND.THERE WERE SEVERAL FACTORS THAT MADE THIS MISSION DIFFICULT: 1. LACK OF OVERFLIGHT OF CUBA. ACCORDING TO CARCAH, BIX RECEIVED THE REQUEST YESTERDAY AND IT NEVER LEFT BIX. 2. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN COORDINATES. THIS PROVED TO BE VERY CHALLENGING IN TRYING TO WORK WITH ATC TO ADJUST OUR ROUTE (ESPECIALLY WITHOUT OVERFLIGHT). 3. LACK OF COMPETENT STAFF. THE ONE STAFF MEMBER ON DUTY IN NO WAY WAS PROACTIVE WITH CHECKING CARCAH FOR COORDINATE CHANGES TO BEGIN ADJUSTING THE FLIGHT PLAN. ADDITIONALLY, TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW HELPFUL THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS, AS OUR NAV WAS BUILDING A FLIGHT PLAN FROM SCRATCH THE STAFF MEMBER STOPPED THE NAV TO SHOW HIM A COMIC STRIP! EVERY TIME WE ASKED THIS STAFF MEMBER A QUESTION, THE RESPONSE WAS "I DON'T KNOW". IN ADDITION TO THIS, EITHER NO WEATHER WAS ORDERED WITH BARKSDALE OR IT WAS ORDERED FOR THE WRONG DAY RESULTING IN A LAST MINUTE SCRAMBLE TO GET THAT TOGETHER. WHEN WE WERE RE-TASKED IN MID FLIGHT THE MISSION MORPHED FROM A FIX MISSION TO MORE OF A HYBRID SYNOPTIC AND WIND MAPPING MISSION TO INVESTIGATE A SWIRL THAT CAME OFF HISPANIOLA ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF CUBA (THE CENTER REMAINED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF CUBA). UPON DROPPING SEVERAL SONDES UP AND DOWN THE NORTH COAST OF CUBA (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS WE COULD GET), NHC CALLED US OFF AND WE CONTINUED ALONG OUR REDEPLOY BACK TO BIX. Penetrations Logged: 0 ARWO:____________________________________ Penetrations Verified: Verifier:____________________________________ Penetrations Posted: Awards:____________________________________