434th Maintenance Group

My adventures as a Grissom Honorary Commander continued in September with a visit to the 434th Maintenance Group. This group has the mountainous task of maintaining and repairing the planes at Grissom Air Reserve Base.

From fabricating sheet metal to changing tires to replacing an engine, this crew does it all. They have machines to suck the nitrogen out of the air to fill tires, they have a giant drill press with bits that go up to 3″ in diameter, they even have jacks to lift a KC-135 off the ground.

We visited the nondestructive inspection unit, which is like a science lab for mechanics. They have all the fun toys. They can run all kinds of tests to determine the strength and conductivity of metals. They can do a magnetic particle inspection and use blacklight to find cracks in metal parts. Then they can use a microscopic camera to look at the cracks up close and determine whether they can be repaired. They also have a really cool machine that can test the makeup of oils and help them determine which part of the plane is breaking down and may need maintenance.

You never really think about all the work that goes into keeping these planes running and looking great. All those moving parts and instruments have to be working all the time. The KC-135s were made in the late 50s/early 60s and the 434th Maintenance Group keeps these planes running like new. Many of the parts are no longer manufactured, but this group can fabricate new parts or recycle old parts when needed. They have one amazing task, and they’re doing an amazing job.

At the end of the day, we took a detour to the new $7.5 million air traffic control tower. Wow! It is beautiful and a much-needed upgrade from the old tower. It is amazing to look out those windows at the airfield. We had a great opportunity to walk out on the catwalk just as a KC-135 was coming in for a landing, and we watched it taxi in just a couple hundred yards away. Another awesome day at Grissom!

Grissom 434th Maintenance Group

Teeny tiny drill bit, giant humongo drill bit

Fabricated metal parts

Machine shop

Staff Sgt. Shawn Cherty, 434th Maintenance Squadron metals technology specialist, shows us some of the machines in the shop.

Using an ultrasound machine to test metals

Wheels get repaired, shined up and reused to save cost

Grissom’s new $7.5 million air traffic control tower

About to watch a plane land from 9 stories up at Grissom’s new air traffic control tower

Watching a KC-135 land from atop Grissom’s new air traffic control tower

Kahuna Henge!

Grissom Honorary Commanders: Marine Reserves

I traveled up to Grissom for the Marine Reserves’ drill weekend in March and saw these dedicated young men and women hard at work preparing for a large exercise coming up this summer. The Reserves unit at Grissom is a support unit, providing tactical communications support. They set up radio networks, construct antennas, and assemble all of the hardware necessary for a secure communications network.

What’s most amazing about the Reserves is that they only meet one weekend a month. In that one weekend, they have to do their physical fitness tests, fill out any paperwork, take classes and do all of their hands-on training drills. They have very little time to learn and practice new skills before they’re put to the test at their large exercise.

To make things even harder, supplies are often limited. The Marines performing maintenance on the humvees didn’t have oil to put in the trucks, so some of them were completely out of commission until they get oil. I followed the commander, Major Mathes, around the building in pursuit of helmets for a group of Marines to properly and safely do their drill. Eventually, we scrounged up enough.

I really enjoyed spending the day with the Marine Reserves and Major Mathes. It’s a great group of men and women who like to chat and joke around but can really get down to serious business.

Marine Reserves build an antenna

Major Mathes talks to an instructor about safety equipment

Marine Reserves work to straighten out an antenna

Marine Reserves work on a radio

Reserves take classes on software that can be used in the field

Grissom Honorary Commanders: 434th ARW Operations Group

On March 16, the Grissom Honorary Commanders were invited to check out the 434th ARW Operations Group on base. Ops Group Commander Colonel Chris Amend showed us the air traffic control center and the KC-135 flight simulator on base.

We spent the morning visiting with the expert air traffic control folks at RAPCON (Radar Approach Control) and had the chance to guide some planes to a safe landing in the ATC tower simulator. Grissom controls all air traffic up to 10,000 feet from central Indiana to Chicago. They saw a huge increase in air traffic for the Super Bowl in February but of course handled it with ease.

In the afternoon, we were in for a special treat with the opportunity to take the controls in the cockpit of the KC-135 flight simulator. It was amazing to sit in that pilot’s seat, looking out at the runway at Pearl Harbor, and lift a plane up off the ground and over the harbor. Being 8 months pregnant at the time, I opted to do my simulation without the motion, but with it on, that machine tilts back far enough to throw you back in your seat.

It was amazing how much muscle power it takes to steer the plane and bank it left and right. But once he switched on the autopilot, it’s just a matter of tapping a button. The real fun part was learning how to land. But with expert guidance from our instructor, I kept an eye on the gauges, lined up with the runway and landed her safely on the ground.

I am so honored to be part of this Honorary Commanders program and have the opportunity for these rare experiences.

In the pilot's seat of the KC-135 Flight Simulator

Landing a plane in the KC-135 Flight Simulator

Honorary Commanders visit KC-135 flight simulator (U.S. Air Force photo)

ATC Simulator

Grissom RAPCON

New Grissom Air Traffic Control Tower to open summer 2012

Honorary Commander for Grissom Air Reserve Base

Last Sunday, I took my oath as an honorary commander for Grissom Air Reserve Base. I was one of seven selected for this awesome program, which provides community leaders with a rare, inside look at the base, its mission and its hard-working people. It’s one of the best military base community outreach programs in our country.

Each honorary commander is matched with key commanders at Grissom. I will be working with the Marine Corps Reserve on base, taking a look at the life of a Marine, learning more about the history of the Marines, and witnessing them in action. I’m excited to get to know these hard-working individuals as I interact with them throughout the year.

In addition to my focus with the Marine Reserves, I also get opportunities to learn about other units at Grissom as all seven commanders will come together several days throughout the year for activities in each command post. The one I’m looking forward to the most is the KC-135 refueling flight. I already had the chance to do this in August 2010, but it was such an exhilarating experience to see two planes connect at 30,000 feet that I can’t wait to do it again.

Stay tuned to keep up with my year as a Grissom Honorary Commander!

Col. William "Tim" Cahoon, 434th Air Refueling Wing commander, speaks at Honorary Commanders Induction Ceremony

Honorary Commanders take oath of office

Receiving my Honorary Commander certificate from Col. Cahoon

Grissom Marine Corps Reserve Honorary Commander

Honorary commanders take oath today – 2/12/2012

Grissom’s honorary commanders: Part 1 – 2/16/2012

Grissom’s honorary commanders: Part 2 – 2/16/2012

Indy 500 100th Anniversary

This year’s Indy 500 race was the 100th Anniversary and my first time attending The Greatest Spectacle in Racing! This race is one of the greatest highlights of our city – you can go anywhere in the world and tell them you’re from Indianapolis, and they’ll respond with “oh, yes, the Indy 500!”

Of course I was cheering for #67 Ed Carpenter – a fellow Butler University grad and a Park Tudor grad! What a great race he had! Ed stayed in the top 10 for all but a few laps, and even led for 3 laps under caution! Congrats to Ed for finishing 11th!

My second pick was the eventual winner Dan Wheldon, whom I had met during my days interning at Radio Now downtown. I thought he was a very nice, down-to-earth guy, and not much bigger than I am, but then again you have to be tiny to fit in those cars. Congrats to Dan for driving into Victory Lane!

Mom, Dad, Uncle John & Aunt Sarah at the Indy 500

Tribute to our Troops

Pace Cars

Ed Carpenter

Danica Patrick

  View all my photos and videos from the 100th Anniversary Indy 500.

How to make your own recipe book

I made my own personalized recipe book as a Christmas gift this past holiday season. It took some time, but it was really quite simple.

As I made some of my favorite recipes throughout the year, I snapped some snazzy shots of the finished products. Then I gathered all of my recipes and photos and started to create a photobook with my favorite online photo store, Snapfish.

If you’ve never made a photobook before, it’s incredibly simple. You can choose different sizes, hardbound/soft cover, number of pages, different themes and layouts for each page. You can truly make it your own. Just upload your photos, choose your layouts, and drag and drop your photos onto the pages.

Here is my finished recipe photobook.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AbtW7Vs0bs3KQ

(Note: If I said I love Snapfish, why is this photobook in Shutterfly? Because I love a good deal. I did make my gift recipe books in Snapfish, but after the holidays, Shutterfly sent me a discount code for a free 8×8 book, so I made another one. I chose to link to the Shutterfly book because it doesn’t require you to log in like Snapfish’s share feature.)

If John Lennon Lived Today…

If John Lennon lived today…

…Would we know his name? Would anyone hear his music?

Thirty years after that fateful day that Mark David Chapman shot and killed the music legend that is John Lennon, people are talking about all of the contributions that this one man made to the world. But, if John Lennon lived now, and not then, would his voice be heard?

It’s no secret that the music industry has fallen. Popular music is junk. There’s no musicianship anymore. Anyone who has true talent is shunned away while the talentless pretty faces take over our TV screens and magazine covers. Our culture is obsessed with celebrities with no regard as to what contributions they make to society.

It’s so sad to me to know that a man like John Lennon would never have the chance to share his talents and ideas with the world in today’s society. And if he did make it through and was recognized as a famous musician, he wouldn’t be the John Lennon that we know and love. The whole culture of “celebrity” that exists today would change anyone who was put into that role. I was watching “LennoNYC” on PBS a couple weeks ago, and there was a scene where someone was talking about John walking out into the streets of New York to hail a cab and take his son to swim lessons at the local pool. I just don’t imagine any famous person doing that today.

I’m grateful that John Lennon lived when he did. I encourage you to commemorate the memory of this talented musician by finding one unsigned artist who inspires you and sharing their music with at least one person today.

Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.
— John Lennon

My web design project is live!

My first major web design project has gone live!

This summer, I was immersed in a complete design overhaul of our internal login website for students, parents and faculty at work. I learned lots of new skills, encountered many obstacles, and found new ways to solve problems.

Although it was very stressful and I sometimes wondered if it would ever be completed, I got through it and now I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I am truly proud of not only what I accomplished in this project, but also what it means for our school’s communication efforts.

I wish I could share my work with everyone, but since it is an internal website, I can only offer a screenshot.

Flying in a giant gas tank: The 434th ARW at Grissom ARB

A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a special social media event with Hoosier PRSA and Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana. Yesterday, we went up in a KC-135R Stratotanker on a mission to refuel several C-17s along the Appalachian Mountains (WV, VA, NC, SC, & GA). We had the opportunity to lay down in the pit with the boom operator and sit in the cockpit with the pilots. It was an amazing experience! I’ll let the pictures and videos speak for themselves (see the Roll Call at the bottom of this post for links).

Fun facts I learned about Grissom Air Reserve Base and the 434th Air Refueling Wing:

• Grissom is an alternate landing site for the space shuttle.
• There are no parachutes aboard a KC-135; it’s actually safer to go down with the bird!
• The KC-135s were built from 1957-1965 and are expected to run for another 40-50 years!
• A KC-135 is essentially the same frame as a Boeing 707.
• The KC-135 can reach speeds of 600 mph and can travel about 5,000 miles.
• With 16 KC-135s, the 434th ARW at Grissom is the largest air refueling wing in the Air Force Reserves.
• The 434th ARW averages six refueling missions daily, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see many KC-135s on the ground at base.
• Grissom puts about $100 million annually into the local economy, which is huge for a rural area of Indiana!
• Grissom has a major global impact, too. In addition to providing aerial refueling to the nation’s defense aircraft, reservists from Grissom are currently deployed around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Grissom was an Air Force Base until 1994 when a realignment changed it to a Reserve base, but it is still alive and well!
• The base, originally Bunker Hill Naval Air Station, has been around since WWII.

Roll call:

MobileMe Gallery (all photos and videos): http://gallery.me.com/cassiedull#100051

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cassdull/sets/72157624534240239

Facebook Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103083&id=21104982

Facebook Video: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=575391813242

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyOLN9mhipI

Teaching Photojournalism to Kids

Severely Wounded Soldiers Attend Outdoor Summer Retreat Near Vail, Colorado - John Moore/Getty Images

Last week, I was asked to visit one of our summer school classes and talk about photography. The topic was up to me, so I decided to talk about what I know best – photojournalism.

When I’m out taking pictures, I like to include people in the frame. People just make pictures more interesting. It brings an element of activity and emotion into the scene.

I also especially love the photojournalism style because it captures people “in the moment.” You can catch people’s genuine reactions, whether it’s happiness, sadness, surprise or anger. The activity and emotion represented in candid shots are absorbed by the viewer. Within a second or two, the person viewing the photo can get some sense of a storyline, which is what photojournalism is all about – telling a story through pictures.

I shared this quote from Dorothea Lange with the kids: “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” I think it perfectly explains the goal of all photography: to capture a moment in time in a tangible, visual piece of art.

To show the difference between photos with people and without, I grabbed several pairs of similar pictures – one without people in it and one with people. For example, one was a mountain landscape, and its match was a golfer on a green with a mountain landscape as the backdrop. Then I showed them a few snapshots from award-winning photojournalists and let them guess at the storyline just by looking at what was happening in the picture. The kids definitely enjoyed this exercise, and it was a good backdrop for their photo essay project!

Photojournalism-for-Kids (PowerPoint)