Forum: Introduce Yourself

I am a Lockheed F-16 Field Service Engineer, currently assigned to Woensdrecht Logistics Center in The Netherlands. My assignments and F-16 experience:

1982-1987 Shaw AFB SC 19th AMU F-16 Blocks 10, 15, 25
1987-1990 Misawa AB Japan 13th AMU F-16 Blocks 15, 30
1990-1993 MacDill AFB FL F-16 Block 25, 30
1993-1996 Spangdahlem AB GE F-16 Block 30, 50
1996-1998 Cannon AFB NM F-16 Block 40

I separated from USAF in 1998 and started working for Lockheed at the Skunk Works, writing tech pubs for F-117s. Fort Worth called me after nine months to see if I was interested in a Field Service job in Taiwan, with Block 20 aircraft. I was assigned to Chiayi AB, ROC from April 1999 to December 2000. I returned to Fort Worth, where I worked in Product Support Engineering from January 2001 to October 2005. I accepted my current assignment in October 2005 and will most likely be here for about five years, more if they want to keep me here.

I am an Avionics specialist, originally what was known as "A" shop (radar, INS, navigation) but was CUT to "B" and "C" shop just like everybody else back in the late eighties. I am primarily known for my work in weapons accuracy and boresight, but my legacy to F-16 users everywhere is the design of the throttle grip removal tool in 1985. This tool was adopted by General Dynamics and found its way into the tech orders two years after I drew it up on a piece of paper and got the machine shop at Shaw to make it.

Since arriving in Product Support Engineering in Fort Worth, I have made many trips to F-16 units in the field, mostly to demonstrate how to boresight aircraft and resolve calibration and usage difficulties with the boresight fixtures. As my earliest supervisors did with me, I have tried to share my accumulated boresight knowledge through the "Boresight Trivia" series of Product Support Weekly Activity Report Articles, which I have heard are now required reading at some F-16 bases.

My most memorable trip was a troubleshooting excursion to Kleine Brogel airbase a few years back; we were assisting technicians with isolating a persistent CADC MFL 003 problem when they called to us from the break area to come and look at CNN...the date was September 11, 2001.

The highlight of my Air Force career (though I had many) was probably working with my colleagues to put on a Thanksgiving dinner at Incirlik Air Base in November 1995. I cooked six turkeys on an open charcoal grill, and we fed over 200 people that day. For that effort, and many others during that deployment that kept up morale and kept away the blues, I received the Commander's Award for the deployment, which is the most treasured award from my military career.

I have been fortunate enough to have two F-16 incentive flights, one in South Carolina and one at Misawa Air Base in Japan. I met Chuck Yeager a couple of years back when I was at Spangdahlem for a couple of months to set up the Lockheed office there.

I think that I have been fortunate to have worked with so many great people for so long, and I still run into someone that I know from my USAF days from time to time. Being around F-16s is still exciting even after all these years, and I will never forget the first time I flipped the main power switch to MAIN PWR and watched the lights come on in the cockpit. It sent a chill up my spine and it still does today.

Today, I live in Kalmthout, Belgium with my wife, daughter, and four cats. Living in Europe again is a big thrill and it is nice to be back with airplanes again and not in a cubicle in Fort Worth.

F-16.net Sponsor

Hi Joe,

Welcome to the forum. I've seen you' ve been posting for a while. You have an impressive carreer record up untill now. As you might know, the webmasters and one of the editors (me) of this site are all Belgians. We should meet one day.

Greets,

You and the rest of the boys are welcome anytime to come on over and shoot the breeze and hear some war stories.

Best Regards, Cool

You were almost at retirement 3 years shy? what happened?

Quote:

1982-1987 Shaw AFB SC 19th AMU F-16 Blocks 10, 15, 25
1987-1990 Misawa AB Japan 13th AMU F-16 Blocks 15, 30
1990-1993 MacDill AFB FL F-16 Block 25, 30
1993-1996 Spangdahlem AB GE F-16 Block 30, 50
1996-1998 Cannon AFB NM F-16 Block 40

Lots of guys were offered early-outs/buyouts during that time frame. One of the more infamous periods in our AF when they culled some of the most experienced people.

Weight Management Program. When I told the guys at Lockheed why I was being separated, all they did was shake their heads.

Best Regards,

It's things like that that really kinda killed the AF for many people. Me included. The reason so many good troops left. Pin head management.

Welcome!

Very cool.

What makes this place great is not only all the subject matter experts, but all the fun personalities.

Have some Belgian fries for me. Very Happy

Joe, you old Pointy Head

Long time no chat
How ya been my friend?

Do yo think Mikey LaFountain got the Weight Program too?

"Why yes I will have 2 bowl burgers a large Fries and onion rings but make it a Small Diet Soda because I am trying to lose weight."

Chat at Ya later.

William G

Good to see honking your own horn Joe Razz

Send me an email grinner30(at)[Link pending approval] Lost your info when I moved from NM to AZ. your a hard man to [Link pending approval]

Hey Dennis!! Congrats on that new baby!!

Best Regards,

Well, I know far too many guys that died on active duty too from being over weight, the run they tried once a year killed them, being out of shape and overweight was their major flaw not the USAF. I hope you are not that bad Joe but if you are, suggestion only, cut back, diet, exercise and you just might live a bit longer.

I think the military fully understood the health benefits in that respect, I knew many that got out for that reason, shame to see them go but some never seemed to care if they were overweight or not. I am not saying you are one of them but I think the USAF was right in their efforts to get folks to try and stay healthy and a bit thiner (for the persons own good) and that of the service.

Not to say anything against you Joe or anyone else, but if a person has a mediacl condition that being overweight cant be helped then I fully understand, anything else...well, it is either not caring or making excuses in my book. I knew ten folks, two that died in front of me that I or no one else could do anything to save them because they were over weight...it is true, I think it was a damn shame, to die for nothing or because the person did not care enough about themselves to gain so much weight.

Shame you did not retire after all the hard work and training, dedication to the Air Force you applied for all those years, glad it all worked out for you as a civilian though. I see folks all over the place on Hill AFB, many hardly fit into their uniforms, I assumed the USAF must have relaxed their program requirements, it cant be healthy and it sure does not look healthy.

Shame it cost some good folks their career but I think the USAF understands the benefits to good health and weight control myself, hope I did not offend but I agree with uncle Sam supporting that program. I had to live by it too ( I found a way to exercise and watch my weight) and if I could, I dont see why others couldn't unless it was a medical issue (problem). Anyway...my thoughts on it, no hurtful feeling meant, I hope none taken.

Forum: Introduce Yourself

Joe Sambor