Disclaimer: Truckin On is an unofficial newsletter published every month in the interest of serving Air Force active duty, civilian and retired vehicle operations

and maintenance personnel. Articles submitted by its contributors are not to be considered official statements by the U.S. Air Force.

1 Aug 2015

Dedicated to the Men and Women of

AF Vehicle Operations & Maintenance Past, Present, and Future

Truckin on

Special Points of Interest:

Airman passes on knowledge to CAP cadets: PG 1-2

Joint VOps training at Barksdale: PG 3

Inside this issue:

From Battlefield to Boneyard PG 4 - 5

Government Fleet Top News PG 5

HDT Trucking Info PG 6

Automotive Fleet PG 6

Truck Yeah! . Jalopnik PG 7

Los Angeles Daily News

Transportation

PG 8

The Science of MPG PG 9 -10

Rusted Treasures PG 11

Strategic Air Command PG 12

Airman passes on knowledge to

Civil Air Patrol cadets

By Airman 1st Class Zackary A. Henry, 18th Wing Public Affairs / July 04, 2015

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- (This feature is part of the " Through

Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman,

highlighting their Air Force story.)

As a first lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol on Kadena Air Base, Chance Sheek is an

emergency services training officer, communications officer, and he oversees all of

the cadet training. But during the weekday, he is a senior airman assigned to the

18th Logistics Readiness Squadron working as a vehicle operations vehicle

operator.

Chance first became interested in the Civil Air Patrol when he was 15 years old with

hopes to one day learn how to fly a plane. Shortly after joining, he set out on a

ground search and rescue mission and his interest in flying quickly changed.

"The Civil Air Patrol's ground emergency team conducts over 85 percent of all

search and rescue missions in the continental U.S.," said Todd McLain, the Kadena

Civil Air Patrol leader. "Those missions include things like downed aircraft and lost

hikers, but they also have a hand in disaster relief and support missions as well as

homeland security with the border control."

Senior Airman Chance Sheek (right), an 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operator, teaches a young cadet in the Civil Air Patrol how to use a compass on Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 26, 2015. Sheek is now a first lieutenant in the CAP and is held responsible for ground emergency training such as search and rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zackary A. Henry)

Continued on PG 2 Visit: www.spiritof45.org

http://www.af.mil/News/ThroughAirmensEyes.aspxhttp://www.af.mil/News/ThroughAirmensEyes.aspxhttp://www.spiritof45.org/home0.aspx

Airman passes on knowledge to

Civil Air Patrol cadets

Sheek stayed an active member of CAP up until he learned that

a few friends in his flight were going to an Air Force Pararescue

Orientation Course. It peaked Sheek's interest and after

investigating, he decided he wanted to become an Air Force

pararescueman.

Within one month Sheek had spoken with a recruiter, taken all

necessary tests for special operations, and signed his

enlistment contract.

A couple of months later, after graduating high school, Sheek

graduated basic military training and went on to begin his

pararescueman training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland,

Texas.

After pushing his mind and body through four of the most

intense weeks of his life, Sheek had self-eliminated.

"If you want to know a terrible feeling, look at your team and tell

them you quit," Sheek said. "Even though they are sucking it up,

you look at them and you're just like, 'I am done, I can't handle

anymore.'"

After self-eliminating, Sheek became a student waiting

retraining, but he didn't take this time off. While awaiting his

reclassification, Sheek became a black rope for a drill team and

went on to lead the team in competition as well.

After receiving his reclassification instructions, Sheek went on to

his next technical training for vehicle operations at Fort Leonard

Wood, Missouri. While there, he again stepped up to another

leadership position and became a yellow rope, earning two

letters of acknowledgement.

"I just had to realize that I wasn't the first to fail training for

pararescue and I will not be the last," Sheek said. "It's the

moments after that I feel are the most important. I gave up once

and it was a wake-up call."

Upon completion of his technical training, Sheek went on to his

first duty station at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Shortly

after arriving, he rejoined the CAP. As an active-duty service

member, Sheek was immediately promoted into the adult officer

ranks.

As an officer in the CAP, it was Sheek's responsibility to guide

the cadets. He is able to take from his past experience and life

lessons to better teach them.

While stationed at Altus, Sheek found a way to use the skills

and ambition he learned from pararescue and used that passion

to receive his emergency ground team leader certification. As

part of his certification, Sheek had to perform multiple search

and rescue tactics and basic first aid, such as wound dressing

and splints.

"I chose emergency services because it was fun," Sheek said.

"In a small unit, carrying some gear with a few other volunteers

and at such a young age, I could help save a life. I don't think

there is a better feeling."

Just a short year later, Sheek received orders to Kadena Air

Base, Japan, as a vehicle operator. After arriving, he quickly

discovered there was an overseas CAP unit and joined as soon

as he could.

Sheek uses those skills from pararescue training to lead cadets

through search and rescue exercises and teaches the cadets

skills like using compasses, land navigation, radio usage and

basic medical skills.

Since joining the CAP unit at Kadena AB, Sheek earned a

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his work with

the CAP and as a lifeguard at a local pool.

"I believe a part of why he is doing so well in the Air Force (are)

the skills and lessons he learned as a CAP cadet," McLain said.

"He is a very good leader, loves to get involved and hands-on,

and he has a wealth of knowledge. It's what makes him a hard

worker."

Sheek said his time in the CAP program is nowhere near its

end; it has been a lifelong passion for him and he plans on

continuing to give back to the program that has helped him out

so much through his life and career as an Airman.

"It's really great getting to pass on your knowledge," Sheek said.

"You pass on that experience and you get to see a young quiet

cadet who was too shy to even speak at first, start testing for

rank, passing physical training tests, and taking (the) lead on

programs, it's extremely rewarding."

Senior Airman Chance Sheek, an 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operations vehicle operator, stands next to forklifts he works with every day on Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 29, 2015. During the week, Sheek does anything from driving around distinguished visitors to loading trucks, but as a member of the Civil Air Patrol, he leads cadets through search and rescue exercises and teaches them skills like using compasses, land navigation, radio usage and basic medical skills (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zackary A. Henry)

2

Joint Vehicle Ops Training at Barksdale

Reservists ride alongside Vehicle Ops Airmen by Airman 1st Class Curt Beach 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

6/18/2015 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Five

reserve Airmen assigned to the 403rd Logistics Readiness

Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, came to

Barksdale for real-world training with 2nd LRS vehicle operations

Airmen here June 1-15.

"We've received the opportunity to do a lot of hands-on training

here," said Staff Sgt. John Simmons, 403rd LRS safety

representative.

"Some of the things the active duty Airmen do on a daily basis

are things we only get to do once a month. It's the kind of

training you hope to get on an annual tour. We need to be

deployment-ready at all times, and this tour helps us to be at that

level."

This annual, two-week tour arms the reservists with necessary

skills and knowledge on vehicles and equipment their home

station doesn't have available.

Working together with Barksdale Airmen, they received training

on vehicle recovery, wreckers, towing vehicles, tractor trailers

and documenting cargo operations.

"The goal is to see how we assimilate with the total force," said

Capt. Fiona Pham, 2nd LRS deployment and distribution flight

commander. "This tour gets the reservists important training they

need and lets us know what we need to have in place for

back-filling."

When P5 deployment tempos begin October 1, 2nd LRS is

anticipating a significant manpower loss, so it's critical to have

capable, experienced people ready to fill the gaps.

"When these deployments kick off, the [B-52s] will be staying,

people will be going, but the mission must go on," said Pham.

"We know there will be guys like these who will be ready to hit

the ground running."

Tech. Sgt. James Baggott, 403rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle control officer from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and Staff Sgt. John McCaw, 2nd LRS vehicle operator, secure a wheel of a pickup truck on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., June 12, 2015. When P5 deployment tempos begin October 1, 2015, 2nd LRS is anticipating a significant manpower loss, so it's critical to have capable, experienced people ready to ensure the mission moves forward. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Curt Beach)

Tech. Sgt. James Baggott, 403rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle control officer from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., secures a pickup truck to a 20-ton wrecker on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., June 12, 2015. Baggott was one of five reserve Airmen to come to Barksdale for two weeks as part of an annual tour for training with the 2nd LRS vehicle operations Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Curt Beach)

Editors Note: I reprinted this article as it was written,

and in its entirety; however, it has been reformatted

due to space limitations. To view the original story, and

one additional photo, see: Reservists.

3

http://www.barksdale.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123451258

Unit trains to dispose of America's military leftovers

by Chuck Carlson Battle Creek Enquirer / June 18, 2015

It's called a Mine Resistance Ambush Protected vehicle more

commonly known as an MRAP in the pantheon of endless

military acronyms and it's a fearsome piece of machinery.

Designed and built to withstand the improvised explosive

devices that hounded American soldiers in the early years of the

wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they were so successful that the

Department of Defense ordered thousands of them.

Then the wars, as they always must, wound down, and

America's military no longer needed the MRAP.

"They cost $600,000 to $700,000 each and we ordered a ton of

them," said Jake Joy, spokesman for Defense Logistics Agency

Disposition Services based at the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal

Center. "Now we have more than we need and a lot of them

have been cut up. It's more cost-effective than bringing them

back."

Indeed, when conflicts around the world that involve America

end, somebody has to clean up what remains, and that's what

the disposition service, made up of both civilian and military

volunteers, do.

"From paper clips to war ships, we dispose of it for the military,"

said Mike Cannon, a retired Air Force colonel who has been

director of the agency since November.

And that includes the MRAPs, which can be reduced to 16 by

16-foot chunks of metal in eight hours by an experienced

two-man crew.

In an effort to show this little known but clearly in demand unit, a

demonstration of just what the disposition team does was

opened to the media Thursday morning at the Battle Creek Air

National Guard Base.

In fact, a new group of volunteers was being put through its

paces, charged with breaking down a collection of equipment

they might face anywhere in the world the team is deployed.

"This is their final training," said Lt. Col. Tim Bunnell, who has

been assigned to the unit for 31/2 years.

Bunnell said the trainees spent two weeks in Battle Creek, one

working the technical side of disposal and the other the more

practical side where they can use torches and other gear to

actually cut up equipment.

Continued on PG 5

Civilian and military personal rack up shredded ammunition cans at the Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek Thursday. (Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

Lawrence McNinch, exercise site chief, explains the process of cutting up a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle Thursday. (Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

Military personnel cuts a portion of a military vehicle apart as part of the Disposition Services project Thursday at the Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek. (Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

4

Unit trains to dispose of America's military leftovers

The disposition service team, which consists of 450 volunteers

both civilian and military and can be deployed anywhere in

the world to clean up and cart away whatever the United States

military no longer needs. And the military uses a lot of stuff.

Joy said the goal is to find as many places to sell or give away

used equipment as possible. But in the end, millions of tons of

used material is turned into scrap metal and sold. "We don't

leave anything behind," he said.

In fact, on the base's flight line, an array of objects that needed

to be cut up included old computers and monitors, several sets

of washers and dryers and several exercise bikes.

Cannon said the bikes might seem an innocuous enough item to

leave behind in a conflict zone.

"But bad guys in Afghanistan or Iraq could use the timers from

the bikes for bombs, so it must be removed and destroyed," said

Cannon, who added the unit does not deal with classified

paperwork or radioactive material. "Those are the little things

you don't think about."

But, as was made all-too clear recently, even this unit

understands that danger lurks everywhere.

Krissie Davis, an Alabama native and a civilian disposition unit

member, was killed June 8 during an indirect fire attack on

Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Another was wounded.

"It's not without its hazards," said Cannon, who said currently 18

civilians and 25 military members are deployed around the

world, and others are awaiting their assignments.

That includes Clair Correa, a California native who has been

training in Battle Creek.

"I love providing the help that's needed," said Correa, who said

she will likely deploy next year to either Afghanistan, Iraq or

Kuwait. "Whatever they bring in, we have to take out and I like

that."

Civilian and military personal throw used ammunition cans into the grinder as part of the Disposition Services project at the Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek Thursday. (Photo: Al Lassen/For the Enquirer)

Continued from PG 4

Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto.com

Hewlet t-P acka rd Co mpa ny

managing public sector

vehicles & equipment

The Struggle to Find Good Technicians

June 2015, Government Fleet - Cover Story

by Thi Dao

Many fleet managers say one of the biggest challenges is in finding

qualified technicians for their operation. Public fleet maintenance is

not a well-known profession, and unfortunately, for those who do

know about it, its not known as a well-paid profession. What it

does offer, however, is stability and benefits. Or, at least, thats

what most people think.

However, in a survey of public sector technicians, some are saying

the public sector is not the secure environment it used to be.see

full story at: Technicians.

5

https://plus.google.com/102613569125714349404http://www.government-fleet.com/channel/maintenance/article/story/2015/06/grow-them-or-steal-them-the-struggle-to-find-good-techs.aspx

Daimler's SuperTruck Revealed

June 2015, TruckingInfo.com - Feature

by Stephane Babcock

When Daimler Trucks North America set to work meeting the

U.S. Department of Energys SuperTruck program goal of a

50% improvement in freight efficiency, it started off with a clean

sheet actually, eight of them.

The SuperTruck team was organized into eight different

workstreams, each emphasizing different areas of the vehicle,

including engine, aerodynamics, powertrain integration, energy

management, parasitic losses, weight reduction, waste heat

recovery and hybrid, according to Derek Rotz, principal

investigator for DTNAs SuperTruck project. Each workstream

was given explicit efficiency goals to meet, so that the overall

SuperTruck would reach or exceed the 50% goal.

Each of these global Daimler teams focused its energies on

getting the most out of its platform to create a truck that would

not only meet the DOEs expectations, but drive right past

them. The teams started off spending a considerable amount of

time using computational tools for analysis and detailed 3-D

modeling. According to Rotz, this made the preliminary stages

faster and more cost effective than building and testing

prototype vehicles.

They investigated several innovative and unconventional

concepts, and we took integration to an entirely new level,

Rotz says. The vehicle was essentially proven out in the

digital world before physical prototypes were built, which gave

us an increased sense of confidence that the target on the final

SuperTruck would be met.

Editors Note: This article is abbreviated due to space limitations.see full story at: SuperTruck.

With a 115% freight efficiency improvement and 12.2 mpg, the DTNA

team had to pull out all the stops to turn its goals into realities. Photos:

Stephane Babcock

The car and truck fleet and leasing management magazine

Video: Video Tech Improves Visibility Around Trucks

June 23, 2015

Samsung Safety Truck Tested in Argentina

Samsung recently tested video-based safety technology that

allows drivers behind a semi-trailer truck to see whats ahead

of the truck, according to a company blog.

The system uses a wireless camera attached to the front of the

truck to generate a live video image on the rear of the truck.

Samsung has tested the system in Argentina, which has many

two-lane roads.

The system is designed to give drivers a better view when

deciding whether to pass a big commercial truck, Samsung

said.

Though the prototype truck is no longer operational, the

company is pleased that preliminary tests verified that the

technology works.

The next step is to perform the corresponding tests in order to

comply with the existing national protocols and obtain the

necessary permits and approvals, according to the blog. For

this, Samsung is working together with safe driving NGOs and

the government.

Articles contributed by Dan Berlenbach, CMSgt (Ret/2T1)

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http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/article/story/2015/06/supertruck-revealed.aspx?utm_campaign=Fuel-Smarts-20150623&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter&btm_ea=ZGFuaWVsLmJlcmxlbmJhY2hAbG9uZ2JlYWNoLmdvdghttp://global.samsungtomorrow.com/the-safety-truck-could-revolutionize-road-safety/https://www.youtube.com/embed/n-Bf36DLLmk

. JALOPNIK

GovPlanet has been auctioning off surplus military Hummers to

the masses for months now, but buyers were hard-pressed to

get them road legal. Starting now, all these trucks will be sold

with SF97; a form you can take to the DMV to get a regular

title and license plates.

Update: Heres what GovPlanet (a marketplace of IronPlanet

which sells all kinds of amazing stuff) has to say exactly:

Literally hundreds of retired Humvees, Hummers, HMMWVs or

whatever you want to call them are auctioned off every month

from storage facilities all over the country. Which is cool, but

the stipulation that they be kept for off-road use only makes

them an even bigger pain in the ass to own than a Hummer is

inherently.

Nevertheless, people seem to be buying them in droves. The

more that hit the market, the further prices seem to be getting

pushed down.

Just a few months ago bids were starting at $10,000 and

soaring up over $30,000 pretty quickly. This weeks Hummer

auction starts the bidding at $7,500. If you want to see where

they end up, check out the listings right here.

But this weeks round will be the first to be sold with SF97;

which is quite simply the United States Government Certificate

to Obtain Title to a Vehicle. GovPlanets reps have assured me

that one of these slips will be issued with every surplus

Hummer sold through their auctions and it should make it a lot

easier to get these things registered and get license plates.

Surplus vehicles sold through GovPlanet are typically given to

buyers with an off-road title that basically asserts who the

owner is but precludes it from street use. With an SF97, you

should be able to get a regular-old title for that new-to-you

Hummer just like any other car. Ergo, drive it on the street.

Of course we all know nothings easy when it comes to the

DMV but another form from the government cant hurt your

odds. Right?

Military Will Finally Sell You a

Surplus Humvee Starting At

$10,000

Starting December 17, 2014 the

general public will able to buy trucks

from a surplus of "asRead more

Here's What People Paid For

the First Publicly Sold Surplus

Humvees

The first-ever public auction of 25

legit, real-deal, US military Humvees

is done, and a frenzy ofRead more

By deciding to issue SF97s on the Humvees, it allows

owners to acquire the proof of ownership document from

their local DMV, which in this case is a title to the vehicle.

Previously, Humvee buyers had a bill of sale, but not a way

to obtain a title. Going forward, Humvees bought on

GovPlanet will have an SF97. In addition, for people who

have already bought, they are eligible to request an SF97

from GovPlanet.

It Just Got A Lot Easier To Own a Surplus Military Hummer

Andrew P Collins 6/23/15

7

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/military-will-finally-sell-used-humvees-to-the-public-s-1671735866http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-what-people-paid-in-the-first-open-surplus-humvee-1672585638http://www.govplanet.com/jsp/s/auction.ips?msg=13252&sort=p%20deschttp://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/208423http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-are-the-some-of-the-most-bizarre-dmv-horror-storie-1711970247http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-are-the-some-of-the-most-bizarre-dmv-horror-storie-1711970247http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/military-will-finally-sell-used-humvees-to-the-public-s-1671735866http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/military-will-finally-sell-used-humvees-to-the-public-s-1671735866http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/military-will-finally-sell-used-humvees-to-the-public-s-1671735866http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/military-will-finally-sell-used-humvees-to-the-public-s-1671735866http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-what-people-paid-in-the-first-open-surplus-humvee-1672585638http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-what-people-paid-in-the-first-open-surplus-humvee-1672585638http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-what-people-paid-in-the-first-open-surplus-humvee-1672585638http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-what-people-paid-in-the-first-open-surplus-humvee-1672585638http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/it-just-got-a-lot-easier-to-own-a-surplus-military-humm-1713440543

Los Angeles Daily News

TRANSPORTATION

Fear of longer commutes puts pressure on U.S. cities to act

by Joan Lowy and Justin Pritchard, The Associated Press

Posted: 06/28/15

At 4:35 a.m. each weekday, Stan Paul drives out of his

Southern California suburb with 10 passengers in a van,

headed to his job as an undergraduate counselor at UCLA.

Some 80 miles and 90 minutes later, the vanpoolers finally

arrive to start their workday.

On the return trip, Los Angeles infamously snarled traffic often

stretches their afternoon commute to three hours. Since Paul

joined in 2001, he has spent roughly 1 years aboard the van

pool and traveled far enough to complete a round trip to the

moon.

These super commuters, they dont just give you a days

work, he said. They give you their lives.

Transportation experts say Pauls long journey offers a warning

for the future, when traffic rivaling a major holiday might

someday be the norm for many more Americans.

If we dont change, in 2045, the transportation system that

powered our rise as a nation will instead slow us down, the

Department of Transportation said in a report earlier this year

titled Beyond Traffic. Transit systems will be so backed up

that riders will wonder not just when they will get to work, but if

they will get there at all, the report said. At the airports, and on

the highway, every day will be like Thanksgiving is today.

The projections were based on a population increase of 70

million people and a 45 percent increase in the nations volume

of freight.

That prediction has opened a growing divide between cities

such as L.A. that have been making huge investments in new

transit options and other regions that have been unable or

unwilling to get ahead of the crisis, including the fast-growing

South and Southwest.

In some of the nations oldest cities in the Northeast and

Midwest, urban planners dont have to deal with an expanding

population, but they are hampered by the need to repair roads

and rails when they would rather build new futures for

Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cleveland or Detroit, to

name just a few.

The issue extends beyond big cities. Americans living in more

sparsely populated areas are affected every time they head to

cities for ball games, business, shopping or air travel. Within 30

years, the Department of Transportation projects, drivers will

have to tolerate stop-and-go conditions or slow traffic for some

period of each day on more than a third of U.S. highways.

To avoid this slow-motion catastrophe, the nation would have to

act decisively and soon. Expanding mass transit or building

new freeways takes years, even when money flows freely,

which is rarely the case these days.

Avoiding past mistakes

In many fast-growing metro areas, transportation officials are

trying to avoid becoming the next L.A., Houston or Atlanta

places struggling to undo previous decisions that led to

mind-numbing, time-wasting, fuel-burning traffic jams.

Faced with traffic congestion so notorious that it has become a

cultural touchstone in movies and comedy repertoires, L.A. has

embarked on a transportation building binge funded largely by a

sales tax voters passed in 2008.

New rail lines are extending to Beverly Hills, the airport and

other places that havent had such service in decades.

Regional officials call the $14 billion being spent on transit and

new freeway lanes the nations largest public-works project.

In some ways, the building boom harkens back to the regions

past. Until the rise of the automobile, the city offered an

extensive network of streetcars. The current rail renaissance is

possible because planners preserved old rights of way, allowing

them to build new lines where old tracks had been ripped out or

buried under concrete decades ago.

Similar challenges loom over the Atlanta metro region, where

population growth by 2040 is expected to result in a daily

average congestion speed of 18.8 mph about 10 mph slower

than today. The cost of wasted time and fuel will more than

triple, from $874 per capita to $2,945, according to the U.S.

Transportation Department.

Note: See full story and related article at: Transportation.

In this Wednesday, May 6, 2015 photo, traffic slowly moves along the 110 Freeway during afternoon rush hour in downtown Los Angeles. Within 30 years, the Department of Transportation projects, drivers will have to tolerate stop-and-go conditions or slow traffic for some period of each day on more than a third of U.S. highways. AP Photo Jae C. Hong

8

http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20150628/fear-of-longer-commutes-puts-pressure-on-us-cities-to-act

The Science of MPG

Five properties of physics that affect your gas mileage July 3rd, 2015 by Louise Lerner in Technology / Energy & Green Tech

Credit: John Moreno/Argonne National Laboratory

Physics is inescapable. It's everywhere, making your

Frisbees fly, your toilets flush and your pasta water boil at

a lower temperature at altitude. We've harnessed these

forces, along with chemistry and engineering, to build a

marvelous contraption called a carbut many of the same

properties that allow you to fly along the freeway also affect

how much gas mileage you get out of your car. We talked

to Argonne transportation engineer Steve Ciatti to explore

some of the forces at work in your engine when it's on the

road.

1) Vapor pressure

In summer, gasoline companies produce a blend of gas with

lower vapor pressure, which basically means it is less likely to

evaporate. Liquids evaporate more quickly when it's hot, so in

order to prevent the gasoline vapor from contributing to summer

smog and ozone pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency orders companies to change the formula.

The reformulated gas is cleaner and gets slightly better mileage

for your car. Why? Gas is made up of a mix of moleculesall in

the same family, but some short and some long. You get energy

by breaking the molecules apart. Short ones, like butane, have

less energy, and they cost less (so it makes sense that a

company would want to add more of them). The part the EPA

cares about is that short molecules also evaporate more easily,

contributing to pollution.

So in summer, the EPA restricts how many short-chain

molecules can be in the blend, and your mileage increases

because there's more energy in the gasoline overall.

Unfortunately, it also makes the gas slightly more expensive.

2) Friction

Scientists at Argonne's sister national lab, Oak Ridge, tested

cars' fuel economy at speeds over 50 miles per hour. For each

extra 10 mph over, you lose a little over 12 percent of your miles

per gallon. That increases as you go faster. Going from 70 to 80

mph costs you 15 percent, not 12.

Depending on the make of your car, it could be more or less.

Some cars dropped as much as 25 percent.

"If you're driving at a steady velocity, all the power you're using

is going into overcoming friction," Ciatti explained. "That

equation increases by a power of three as you increase speed.

So keeping the car going at 80 mph is using eight times the

power you'd be using at 40 mph."

The faster you go, the more gas you'll need to move the car

over the same distance.

3) Drag coefficient

The drag coefficient of your car is basically measuring how

easily air goes around it. "You want as little frontal surface area

as possible. If the car is a box, that's bad," Ciatti said. (You can

see the coefficients of various shapes in the sidebar).

Continued on PG 10

9

http://phys.org/tags/vapor+pressure/

The Science of MPG

Continued from PG 9

Five properties of physics that affect your gas

mileage

You can demonstrate this effect yourself, Ciatti said, when you

hold your arm out the window while you're driving on the

highway. If you lay your hand flat, parallel to the ground, the

force isn't too bad. But if you hold your palm out, facing front,

exposing more surface area to the direction of travel, the force is

much stronger. That's the difference drag coefficient makes.

Automakers today pay close attention to drag coefficient,

designing cars so that air slips easily around them. Choosing a

car with an aerodynamic frontcompared with a boxier make

will mean its gas mileage tends to be better.

4) Momentum

Weighing from 1,800 pounds (Smart Cars) up to 5,000 pounds

and more (SUVs), cars have a huge amount of mass, which you

can use for good or ill. It takes a lot of power to get an object of

that mass moving, but once it does, you can use the momentum

to coastespecially during city driving, with frequent stops and

starts.

"One of the worst things you as a driver can do for your mileage

is jam on the gas as soon as the light turns green," Ciatti said.

"The harder you accelerate, the more power you need, and that

all goes to waste as soon as you hit the next red light." A savvier

driver eases off the gas and relies on momentum to carry the

car forward, especially if there's a red light coming up a block

ahead.

"Dampening those jackrabbit starts will significantly improve

your fuel efficiency," he said.

5) Rolling resistance

Remember when we said that if you're driving at a steady

speed, most of the energy you're using is going to counteract

friction? The tires are where that happens, and how much power

it takes is dictated by a property called rolling resistance.

Essentially, the softer the tire is, the more effort it will take to

push it across a surface.

Why don't our cars have solid, hard tires, if that would be better

for gas mileage? Harder tires are more efficient, but they

provide less braking force, especially in rain and snow (because

there's less friction) and they don't absorb shock as well.

That's why your back might be sore after a ride in a

performance car, Ciatti said; the tires on sports cars are built

harder so that they can turn more crisply, but without that

cushion, the ride quality is rougher.

As a result, personal vehicles are engineered to balance all

these factorssafety, efficiency, ride quality, durabilityfor

everyday use.

You have some control over rolling resistance by inflating or

deflating your tires. The manufacturer's recommendation takes

performance, efficiency and ride handling into account; keeping

your tires within that range will increase your gas mileage, Ciatti

said.

Bonus! Air temperature

By far the biggest difference that air temperature makes is

whether it makes you turn on the air conditioning, Ciatti said.

"The A/C is a power guzzler," Ciatti said. "Evaporating and

condensing, which is what's going on in air conditioning, is

horrifically power intensive." Yes, it's worse than opening the

windows. Because the windows are on the sides of the car, they

don't change the shape of the front of the car, which is what

makes by far the largest difference in wind resistance. But you

do drain engine power by running the A/C.

"Sometimes I'll turn the A/C off for a minute if I know I'll need to

make a sudden acceleration, like a left-hand turn at the end of a

light, because you can absolutely feel the difference in the

amount of power you can get from the engine," Ciatti said.

Why is cooling a car so much more power-intensive than

heating it? Engines make heat as a byproduct anyway, so the

heat is "free"just blow air past the engine coolant.

Where the rubber hits the road

The term physics properties makes it sound inevitable, but

"driver behavior is a huge, huge factor in how good your gas

mileage is," Ciatti said. "Jackrabbit starts, driving at extremely

high speeds on the highwaythose are the best ways to burn a

lot of gas."

That enormous variation due to driving styles is why, when

Argonne engineers and researchers test vehicles at the

laboratory, they use a computer to drive the car.

They set the vehicle up on a dynamometer, which is essentially

a treadmill for cars, and run it while they measure everything

from emissions to battery life in hybrids. "This lets us control all

the variables we possibly can," Ciatti said, "and driver behavior

is a big one."

Provided by Argonne National Laboratory

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http://phys.org/tags/drag+coefficient/http://phys.org/tags/red+light/http://phys.org/tags/power/http://phys.org/tags/gas+mileage/http://phys.org/tags/gas+mileage/http://phys.org/tags/car/

Vintage Fords Abandoned Along Side of Highway

(PHOTOS)

by Michele Berger / Published Oct 10, 2014 / weather.com Just south of Tallahassee, Florida, an unlikely bit of Americana

an ode to the heyday of American dominance as an auto

manufacturer sits along the side of a highway: A graveyard of

rusted-out Fords. Its a favorite subject for amateur

photographer Tom Driggers.

Theyre old and rusty and so many people have nostalgic

memories of some of the older vehicles. Im old enough now

that I remember the vehicles from the 40s and 50s, Driggers,

a public defender in Georgia, told weather.com. They make

fascinating subjects. His collection of photos of the cars, called

Harveys Fords, is in the slideshow above.

The moniker comes from the trucks owner, Pat Harvey.

According to Atlas Obscura, Harveys farm, passed down

through the generations like some of the trucks, sits nearby.

Harvey lined up the Fords by model year just to see what they

looked like in the correct order.

For Harvey, theyre filled with family memories, he told local

television station WFSU in 2012.

Thats the one I took my drivers test in, and got my drivers

license, he said, about a 1959 model. One of the station

wagons he used to pick up dates.

For Driggers, 66, taking photos of beautiful subjects like these

trucks presents a nice break from his day job, though the day he

went to take these photos the weather didnt really cooperate. It

was awfully bright and sunny. I was kind of hoping for a cloudy

day, he said. Cloudy days make a much better photographic

day if youre not including the sky in your photo. It was hot. It

was real bright sunshine. The contrast is a bit higher than I

would like.

Weather has clearly affected these vehicles, too. Rust happens

when iron oxidizes, reacting to both oxygen in the air and water.

The reaction needs both oxygen and water present, writes

Brian Clegg for the Royal Society of Chemistry. Either of these

on its own will not produce much rusting. It also doesnt stop

the metal below from yielding to further oxidation, he continues.

So the metal beneath the rust layer will continue to be attacked

by oxygen and water and continue to rust, leaving corrosion to

work its way through the whole piece of metal over time.

Many of Harveys Fords have succumbed to the elements, with

broken windows on the outside and plants growing on the

inside. Some have also succumbed to petty theft, with radiators

stolen, as well as the cars emblems and some of their chrome.

A sign has popped up origins unknown in front of one of

the trucks: May They Rust in Peace, it reads. Lets hope

they can.

Harvey's Fords, a collection of old, rusted Fords near Tallahassee, Florida, fall somewhere between junk and art. The cars, placed there by farmer Pat Harvey, are lined up in chronological order by model. (Tom Driggers)

See more of these amazing photos at: Vintage Fords

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http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/old-ford-truck-collectionhttp://http/news.wfsu.org/post/harvey-trucks-take-visitors-ride-pasthttp://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/rust.asphttp://www.weather.com/science/news/pat-harvey-vintage-fords-abandoned-20141010

Memories of a SAC Trained Killer

by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)

The Strategic Air Command (SAC) has been dead for 23

years. If Im not mistaken, June 1, 1992 is when the Air Force

reorganized and effectively killed SAC. Its hard to imagine

someone retiring without having served when SAC existed, but

such is the case today.

This article, however, is not about the pros and cons of the

reorganization. I have my opinion about it, but its really not

important here. Instead, I thought I would share some of my

experiences and observations as a vehicle mechanic in SAC.

Im sure many of you SAC vets have similar remembrances.

SAC is a legend and it seems to grow with the passing of time.

It had a fabled commander in its early days and Hollywood even

made a movie about it, a fact, I believe, that no other MAJCOM

can claim.

I never had the privilege of serving on the SAC staff, IG team, or

even at Offutt for that matter. I was, however, stationed at four

SAC bases during the Cold WarMcConnell, Loring, Minot,

and Beale.

Although not quite as bad as rumor would have it, SAC wasnt

known for its garden spots. A lot of their bases were northern

tier and if you didnt like cold weather and remote locations,

winters could be depressing.

Some people (like my boss at Minot) loved it and volunteered

for consecutive 5-year controlled tours. I always thought it was

amusing upon receiving orders that someone would inevitably

say, I hear the fishing is great.

The command was also well known for supplementing Air Force

regulations, which is what they were called before they became

instructions. The basic regulation contained white pages and

the SAC supplement was yellow, and usually thicker than the

basic. It was much more important to memorize the supplement.

There was, after all, the Air Force way and the SAC way.

Inspections were another thing for which SAC was renowned.

Nearly everyone knows about the infamous, no-notice ORIs in

which the SAC IG team seemed to literally drop out of the sky.

Incidentally, thats not stretching the truth too far. What I

remember most about SAC inspections, however, is the sheer

number of them.

In addition to ORIs, we had SAC IGs, Staff Assistance Visits

(SAV), Maintenance Standardization Evaluation Team (MSET)

inspections, and the Commanders Annual Facilities Inspections

(CAFI). I might have even missed a few.

Of all these, I dreaded MSET inspections most. They were

essentially task evaluations. As a buck sergeant at McConnell, I

was tasked with rebuilding a 2-barrel carburetor on an R-5

refueler. The task involved completely disassembling the

carburetor and installing a new kit while the inspector watched

over my shoulder with a clipboard in hand.

I came to a point during this process where I had to install the

main body gasket. I laid it on the carburetor upside down and

immediately realized my error. Without any prompting, I flipped

it over and continued the task...mistake one .

Then on final assembly I failed to cross-tighten the screws.

Instead, I incorrectly followed the screw pattern one after the

other.mistake two . I was given an unsatisfactory mark for

the task. However, I soon regained my self-esteem. After the

inspector left, I installed the carburetor on the truck and, with a

few minor adjustments, the engine ran perfectly.

CAFIs were, in my opinion, ridiculous. An inspector actually

came into our refueling maintenance shop wearing white gloves

and checked for dustin a maintenance shop! I remember

seeing him run his fingers over the top of a door frame and then

check his glove for dirt. Luckily, we were forewarned and had

cleaned our shop thoroughly, including the door frames.

Despite all the chicken s inspections, I liked SAC. There was

no gray area; we knew exactly what we needed to do and how

to do it. I dont recall ever asking anyone to interpret a SAC

supplement for me.

It was also interesting going to the missile sites near Minot and

servicing the liquid nitrogen trailers. After completing the job, we

would take our paperwork to the OIC who worked in the

underground control center. Security would escort us through

the blast doors and down the elevator shaft next to the missile

silo. We could see the missile as we descended to the control

center.exciting stuff.

The Cold War ended in December 1991 and I retired 2 years

later. Loring (closest CONUS base to the old Soviet Union) was

deactivated in 1994. The mission at these former SAC bases

has changed somewhat as well. The SR-71 no longer flies from

Beale or anywhere else; it was retired in 1999. As an Air

Combat Command asset, Beale has added Global Hawk to its

inventory. Minot falls under Air Force Global Strike Command

and McConnell is an Air Mobility Command base.

Im not sure I would have admitted it while I was freezing my

butt off on Lorings flightline or running away from a tornado at

Minot, but Im glad I did my time in SAC. Like the welcome sign

over Minots main gate says, Only the Best Come North.

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