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Air Force Safety Chief visits Cannon

  • Published
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Maj. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, Air Force Chief of Safety, made an in-person appearance March 12 at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. In 2014, Air Commandos flew 100,000 combat hours across five continents without a single Class A mishap.

And they did it predominantly at night, often hugging terrain right in the enemy’s back yard. Air Force Special Operations Command Air Commandos proved again that they could be part of one of the most combat-intensive commands in the Air Force and still keep safety a top priority by taking home three Air Force-level safety awards for 2014.

After touring the base and meeting with Cannon’s safety team, Neubauer took time to meet with four Air Commandos who made outstanding individual contributions to AFSOC’s flawless safety record. From building new inspection procedures and preventing a collision with a general aviation aircraft, to landing a single-engine aircraft after its commander was incapacitated by food poisoning, these Airmen were able to execute the mission and get the job done safely.

AFSOC won the Major General Benjamin D. Foulois Award for the second consecutive year as the Air Force’s best flight safety program. This prestigious award recognizes the major command with the best flight safety record.

The MAJCOM led the Air Force with no Class A mishaps in two years, despite the challenges of flying six separate types of aircraft, mostly at night, for 115,000 total hours.

As the workhorse of Special Operations Forces troop movement and intra-theater airlift, AFSOC aircraft overcame the constant hazards of landing in austere and unimproved fields. AFSOC also created Africa’s first web-based Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard map, increasing crews’ awareness of bird conditions across the continent.

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