Forum: Air Force Life

We are entering our ORE/ORI phase this year, and I am putting together a presentation for our members who have never been through one of these. It has been about 5 years since our last ORE/ORI. Many of the briefings we have had so far have been high level and don't provide a detailed enough picture on what someone can expect during ORE/ORI's. I have my own memories and perceptions which I will share, but I am looking for additional input so I can provide a wider perspective.

I am mainly looking for detailed info beyond walking around all day in MOPP gear sucking rubber and sweating your A$$ off. I remember being shell shocked during my first ORE/ORI because I had very little info on what to expect.

Any info or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Additionally I am looking for info from people who have recently gone through the ORI and can provide some tidbits on what their units were getting dinged on.

By the way we get to do ours at Gulfport in August. I am sweating just thinking about it.

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Tell your newbies that above all, they need to keep their sense of urgency and sense of humor. That'll get them a long way. Most ORIs only last four days at the most--anybody can hang in there for that long.

IF they do everything (and I do mean everything) by the book and they'll be ok.

You do NOT want to be in a unit that flunks an ORI. I was in such a unit back in the late Sixties and it really sucked! We went throuth three ORIs in nine months! Oh, and got a new commander for the last one <grin>.

Forum Veteran Joined: Jul 01, 2007 - 07:22 PM Posts: 620

Also, make sure they know what each alarm condition really means and what to expect and do/not do for each. Tell them that their jobs haven't changed, it is just an added precaution with the MOPP gear. Strictly enforce safety measures and tell them that if something looks dumb, dangerous, or different to bring it up to their supervision. All an ORE/ORI does is test the ability of the base to perform its normal functions in a wartime environment.

Don't forget your paperwork. Check your 781K writeups and verify that you either have a valid document number for parts on order or that the writeup still applies. Inspect your cockpit for missing screws, etc., if the ORI inspectors find a missing fastener without some type of documentation, they will ground your aircraft for FO and you will miss your generation time.

What's that little ORI jingle? "An ORI is a situation in which you stop doing what you were doing in order to simulate doing what you were just doing so that you can show someone else that you can simulate doing what you were just doing as well as you were doing it before you stopped doing it to simulate doing it!" (From the AFIA Inspection School Workbook)

Best Regards,

I can tell you that if your a weapon loader you better have your ducks lined up. The majority of ORI fails come from the weapons area. Like " personel tossed Argon bottles to each other". or "it took 1 hour to load an AIM-120 missile"

Cheers,

ViperDude.

If everyone has a since of urgency and is doing things by the book everything should be ok. Walk around with your airman manual and you should be fine when asked anything just look it up (do not guess). Follow all tech data and have it on hand. Do not skip steps or rush anything just to get a jet launched. Take your time, relax and follow all checklists. If you do not know a answer ask someone or look it up, do not guess. Engine run people know all EP's and cautions and notes. Know things like why you motor to cool if you still do that. Some questions from inspectors come from after you have done a job simply because they want to know that you followed the book to the T. Have all training 623's or TBA up to date and make sure you are qualified to do something before you do it! Know how to take care of oil and other haz materials. Where is your MSDS, does the youngest airman know how to use it? PPE, PPE PPE. Torque wrenches, and how to use them, what book would you find torque wrenches in? Do jobs in GO81/Cams match in the forms. Is the status of the jet correct in the forms? Do the things that you are doing right and be proud of what you do. Most of it is all attitudes, professionalism, and integrity.

We are only 11 days out from our ORI as I write this. One thing is a couple of weeks before deploying send a team of people to Gulfport to make sure that the base is ready to recieve your unit. When we went down for out last ORE none of the vehicles would run and there was alot of little issues that made things harder than they should have been. I guess the premenant folks at GPT maintain their own stuff, but leave it up to the deploying units to maintain/fix all the crap that they let the deployers use. Also the most valuable thing you can do is visit units that have just gone through it.

My unit just completed a UCI and one of our biggest aids was the IG reports from other units. Talk to your QA office or try to find the IG's website. You will be able to see what items have been focused on by inspectors recently. And just like the others have said Tech Data, PPE, and attitiude. Good Luck!

ViperDude wrote:

I can tell you that if your a weapon loader you better have your ducks lined up. The majority of ORI fails come from the weapons area. Like " personel tossed Argon bottles to each other". or "it took 1 hour to load an AIM-120 missile"

Cheers,

ViperDude.

Yep read that in a report and about $hit myself...

As a loader myslef I can say Viper is right on.

With almost everyone moving in/out of AEF constantly and performing "real world" missions, why don't the IG Teams inspect us while going to/from the AEF and grade us while we are there? After all don't they always tell us; "you need to know this stuff when you're going into a real-world AEF..."

Oh, never mind; I just remembered, cause most of what we do in the ORE/ORI isn't what we do in an AEF.

At the AEF, they have "their own way" to do things in the "real world." WTF

"This isn't an ORE or ORI like you have back home......" is that what he just said during in-processing? Bang Head

Never mind we're suppose to train like we fight, and fight like we train.... Rolling Eyes

ORE/ORI Defined: Biggest waste of US Taxpayer (OUR!) money that the USAF can "legally" execute.

Don't get me wrong; they are important, and what everyone has said here so far is right on the mark. The big thing is the sense of urgency. Another I've found is never say, "I don't know" to ANY inspector, or AROUND any inspector. Always use terms like; "I don't have that information with me" or "I'll need to refer to my T.O./Instruction/Airman's Manual" Wink

You don't want a bad ORE/ORI(Especially when approaching a BRAC!) as you'll be wasting more time/money to accomplish the same thing over and over again. After all, if you do poorly on your ORI, some other unit who did well on their last ORI will just be rewarded by taking your place in the AEF.....
...um you get the idea... Doh

I should stop drinking, it makes me too much of an optimist?

Keep 'em flyin' Thumb

TEG

Hi all, guess i'll bust into this forum to intro myself I'am former USAF jet eng. tech 52s both G and H 141s C5s 130s T-38s and 37s most all civil from 737s to 47s and for the last 6 yrs. I've been in the ADG shop here at hill ( don't curse me ) been surfing this site daily at work when time allows and like reading posts from gums and roscoe and many of you others. pretty sure I know who happy gilmore is ? anywho been thru many ORIs but that was way back in the day. just be cool and do that voodoo you do so well, be safe and go by the book as you always should and be safe and it will pass.