News & Information

ASOG Article of the Month - April 2020

ASOG Author: Wayne Dahlke; Image: Commons.wikimedia.org

Besides integrating hardware with software, how do engineers and operators integrate as a team? Wayne Dahlke hits this point with a great real-life ASO story.

Wee Young Lad

I have been flying for most of my professional life. I started when I was a wee young lad of 19, in 1988. An RC-135 she was. A grand old bitch of an airplane. Old. Loud. Equipment that had been designed in 1950-something, meant to be used by something with more than three hands and the ability to see out of the back of its head.

For the next 35+ years, I worked in the aviation field in one way, shape, or form. One thing that has not changed in all that time, is that engineers who design and build new equipment normally know absolutely NOTHING about the operational use of the systems they build. They build awesome gear that performs a specific set of technical functions, but they rarely understand the operational concept under which it will be employed.

New Challenge

As ASO’s, most of us have had the experience of checking out a new piece of gear. Most of us, especially in civilian applications, also perform our own maintenance on the systems we use. We install them, we do preventative maintenance, and we do troubleshooting and software/firmware updating. Rarely do we design or build the systems or software.

In my career in the military, I was fortunate to be part of the AC-130W Dragon Spear program. Here is a link to the project, as it was around 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FvmWBx6BLw

What we were building was a modular gunship, with a Roll-On, Roll-Off kit that could be used as a gunship platform on some days, and a transport platform on other days. We were also testing out a number of new technologies that had never been integrated into the gunship world up until then, such as Stand Off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGMs), a new mount to support a 30MM cannon, new fire control software that would allow for control of the weapons systems from multiple crew positions, and support for Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) and Hellfire on the outer wing pylons.

Needless to say, this was a complex project. We had lots of moving parts, complex testing schedules, and a very tight timeline. The ONLY way we made it all work, was that we had an integrated team that involved the hardware and software developers, project managers, and operators. It worked. We went from a concept on the back of a pizza box to an operational platform shooting bad guys, in 18 months.

How to Make an Integrated Team?

One day, another fire control officer (we’ll call him Dan) and myself, with the lead software developer from the fire control software company (we’ll call him Jeff), were heading to the aircraft to review an update to the fire control software. The software was supposed to update a series of fire control settings that were key to swapping data between the different sensors and the fire control software, allowing for targeting handoffs between the various munitions onboard.

Jeff is the penultimate software engineer. You know the type. Great guy, and smart as hell when it comes to software, but he is all about the CLI (command line interface) and does not really like graphical user interfaces. He would prefer to type in the command and have the response come back in a text line.

Our software, on the other hand, HAS to be a graphical user interface. We have to juggle four or more active radios, at least two separate visual sensors, three large 24 inch monitors each, keep track of multiple teams of people on the ground (good guys and bad guys) and keep their positions updated on our situational awareness software, as well as dealing with stack management for all of the other aircraft in our airspace, and monitor our position and fuel state. We are too busy to type anything. Hotkeys, macros and mouse clicks are what we use, and all our software support has to be optimized to leave our spare brain cycles available to process changing information in real time. To top it all off, we fly around unpressurized, with O2 masks, gloves and helmets on, for 6 to 8 hours at a time.

Jeff does not understand any of this, no matter how many times we have explained how we operate to him. He brings up his new version of the software for us to review. We start getting into the various capabilities of what the software can do, and my partner asks him a question about a function, I don’t recall exactly what it was. Jeff responds with “Just type in ‘icuponme’ (not real – I can’t remember the exact command) and that allows you to change to the other function”.

Have a Problem, Find a Solution!

Dan and I look at each other. We look at Jeff. Without saying a word, we look at each other again, both of us grin at the same time, and Dan just says to Jeff “Come with us”.

We head over to the Aircrew Life Support shop, with Jeff in tow. Jeff is looking very confused.

“Where are we going?” Jeff says.

“Life Support” I say.

“Why?” says Jeff.

“You’ll understand shortly” says Dan.

We take Jeff into Life Support. The NCOIC of the shop is on duty and we ask for a full MOPP4 flying kit, size large. MOPP stands for Mission Operational Protective Posture. Level 4 is the full kit. Levels 0-3 are less restrictive, but still a pain in the ass to fly in. A MOPP4 kit is a set of protective gear for flying in Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical environments. The gear involved in a flying MOPP4 kit includes:

• A set of charcoal impregnated pants and shirt, to be worn over your regular uniform or clothing
• A pair of white cotton gloves
• A pair of heavy rubber gloves
• A pair of heavy rubber boots
• A rubber hood that can either be attached to a filter on a hose, or directly connected to the aircraft oxygen system.

We take Jeff over to the benches and deck him out in our full MOPP4 flying kit. Once he is dressed, we take him back out to the aircraft, him carrying his filter kit with the blower on, attached to his rubber hood. Once we are on the aircraft, we help him put on a borrowed helmet, hook him up to aircraft communications, and attach his hose to the aircraft oxygen.

Once he is on comms with us, we ask him “Jeff, have you ever flown on an aircraft during an ORE (operational readiness exercise)?” He, of course, says “No”.

We tell Jeff that what he is wearing at the moment is what we have to wear during OREs, and sometimes during combat operations, and we still have to be able to accomplish the mission. In the case of this aircraft that he is working on software for, that means being able to shoot and manipulate the fire control software, while wearing what he has on right now.

When the Lights Come On!

He gives a very confused “OooooKayyyy?!?” and we ask him to type in his “icuponme” command, to switch between the various functions of the software. He starts turning his head left and right (his mask is fogging up, as they have a habit of doing), trying to see the keyboard and the screen. He finally gets the angle correct to be able to see what he is typing, and he attempts to type in the command.

‘uoicupooinme’, ‘8i9fcdjyuploionmnjmwse’

After about five attempts without success, he asks us “How the hell do you guys type wearing all of this crap?! I can’t even see the keyboard, let alone feel the keys!”

We give the silence a few seconds to build, and then Jeff answers his own question with “That was the point of this, wasn’t it? To show me why you guys have to have hotkeys, mouse clicks, and button presses to do things with a GUI?”

“Yes, Jeff” Dan and I say in unison.

We never had another problem with Jeff not listening to us when it came to anything having to do with operator input for the systems.

The Moral of the Story

If you can give operator input to your engineers early on in the development process, and make them understand that you are just as much of an expert in your field as they are in theirs, system development, operational utility, and testing goes much, MUCH smoother!

I don’t want anyone to think that we felt Jeff was stupid. He was not. In fact, he was a bloody genius! But he did not have an operational “hook” to hang his ideas on when it came to design of the software. Our real world, operational experiences were needed to help him inform his design processes. In the end, we both won. We got a great piece of software that still amazes me at what it does, and Jeff learned a valuable lesson in why certain design parameters were essential to the proper functioning of his software.

As always, fly safe and have a great day!

ASOG 2020 Focus Area: Professional Development & Career Management

Author: Patrick Ryan; Image: Wikicommons, Dreamliner 2012, Date: 26 March 2020

What is The School of U?
The school of U is the school of You! If you’re one of those Airborne Sensor Operators (ASO) who has limited “bandwidth” to attend formal training programs because of time, money, or limited access to formal training programs in your area, one method is self-training & learning. Without falling behind your peers, this is a way to ensure you have valuable skills for the next job opportunity or interview. Essentially, don’t wait for someone else to teach you, do it yourself!

If you’re new to this profession or you initially received ASO training many years ago in the military/public safety sector, continual training and learning is a must if you’re going to have a safe and successful career in whatever field of work you pursue. Why, because things change, and skills fade over time.

O.K., so what do you recommend I learn?
From an ASO perspective, I recommend either learn or review the basics than focus on specialized areas that relate to your specific industry sector or an industry you want to enter. Here’s what I advise as a good initial start…as we all know, there’s always something to learn every day:

That’s easier said than done, how do I self-train or learn?
Well, the first order of battle is that you “want to learn.” Without a deep interest, it will be a waste of time and maybe some money. If you’re genuinely interested, here are some basic tips on how to self-train or learn:

Identify - Decide what you want to do. Do you want to review the basics or learn something new? Besides feedback from your last performance review or peers, one way of identifying an area to study is to review current job descriptions and job posting across your industry sector.

From this, build a picture (skills & knowledge) of what industry is looking for and compare that to your current resume. The difference should be those areas for you to study.

Organize - Take that picture or list of areas you want to get smart on and prioritize. From this list, build yourself a student-plan or course plan. In other words, you’re both instructor and student. To do this, surf the internet for course outlines or textbook table-of-contents of the topic you’re interested in and build a plan.
Next, surf the internet for source material that supports your student-plan, i.e., fill in the blanks. This material could be textbooks, slide shows, websites, etc. Also, if you know of a subject matter expert, reach out and ask questions. One good thing about using different sources allows you to see a topic from different angles.

Execute - Once you’ve identified your self-training areas and organized them into specific courses, all you must do is start learning. One of the big challenges is time-management and sticking-with-it. One technique to keep you on course is to schedule time each week and study in a place you’re able to concentrate, i.e., in your office at lunchtime, after the kids go to bed, etc.

To round-out your course and give yourself feedback on how well you understand the topic, try to find quizzes on the internet or other sources that relate to your topic and self-test.

So, what are you waiting for, the school of U is open!
Again, if you’re serious about staying ahead in the work world and the ASO profession and don’t have the resources or opportunity to attend formal courses right now, “the school of U” is an option. This option allows you to refresh an old skill or better yet learn something cutting edge that is valuable to yourself, your employer, or clients.

Just think about it, most basic knowledge provided in a course is out there in the open-source world, it’s just a matter of doing some searching, organizing, and effort. However, if you can take a course from a certified instructor, that’s even better….but don’t just sit there if you can’t…self-learn!

Hi ASOG Members and Followers,

We want to let everyone know that we added two new features to the group. The new features or initiatives (besides the “ASOG Article of the Month” that we launched last week) are:

• Article Library: We’ve added a new member-only area to the ASOG website, which makes it easier to scan and select previous popular posts and articles, i.e., Article Library. You can still use the search function, but this area allows you to see the big picture and quickly pick what you like or what catches your eye.

• Polls & Quizzes: To capture the pulse of the community and the industries we work, we’ve added a members-only Poll & Quiz area. Members can participate and see the result relative to other voters in an anonymous format. Here are two samples:

Poll - Aerial Remote Sensing Industry – How will COVID-19 effect the Aerial Remote Sensing Industry (Commercial, Public Safety, and Defense) and ASO jobs in 2020?

o It will significantly affect it in a negative way
o It will slightly affect it in a negative way
o No affect
o It will slightly affect it in a positive way
o It will significantly affect it in a positive way
o Other (tell us in the comments section)

Quiz - Electro-Magnetic Spectrum - Which of the following is correct in order of lowest to highest frequency?

o X-rays, Visible Light, Microwave
o Ultraviolet, Visible Light, Gamma-rays
o Microwave, Visible Light, Gamma-rays

If you have a specific poll or quiz question that you want to see what others think, please send it to deskeditor@aso-group.org. Also, if you’re not a member and want to participate in the community, just fill out the member profile questions and hit the join button. No fees or donations required.

Best Regards,

Patrick Ryan
ASOG Managing Director

ASOG 2020 Focus Area: Professional Development - Reading

Another coordinated effort with one of ASOG’s Supporters (AVBuyer/GABuyer Magazines…Thanks John, Matt & Astrid). This article is the first of a series of articles highlighting the third pillar of aviation (Aerial Work or Multi-Mission) starting from a general baseline and then migrating to specific topics later. Overall, these articles should be interesting because they directly relate to the Airborne Sensor Operator (ASO) profession.

“What are Aerial Work Aircraft? Aerial Work operations fly everything that General Aviation (GA), the airlines and air charter operators don’t. This includes civil aircraft used for specialized services in many industries.”

• What’s the History of Aerial Work Operations in Aviation?
• What do Aerial Work Operations Cover Today?
     o Civil (Commercial Providers)
     o Public Safety (Commercial and Public Providers)
     o Defense (Commercial Providers, in Support of Public Contracts)
• What Defines a Aerial Work Aircraft?
• Aerial Work and General Aviation Operations: What's the Difference?

Article, pg 30-31 - What are Aerial Work Operations?

ASOG Article of the Month - March 2020

ASOG Author: Gareth Davies; Image: Wikicommons.Saberwyn

In aviation and especially in the Airborne Sensor Operator community, are specific golden rules being forgotten, which ensures safety and avoids unnecessary accidents? Gareth Davies discusses this and how the ASO community can make a difference.

Flying is like skiing

Many years ago, F.I.S. (Federation Internationale de Ski) produced 10 rules for safe skiing. These 10 rules were plastered on the sides of the huts at the start of T-Bars and chairlifts. As the queue slowly shuffled past these posters and placards there was plenty of time to read them. They are:

1. Respect for others: A skier or snowboarder must behave in such a way that he does not endanger or prejudice others.
2. Control of speed and skiing or snowboarding: A skier or snowboarder must move in control. He must adapt his speed and manner of skiing or snowboarding to his personal ability and to the prevailing conditions of terrain, snow and weather as well as to the density of traffic.
3. Choice of route: A skier or snowboarder coming from behind must choose his route in such a way that he does not endanger skiers or snowboarders ahead.
4. Overtaking: A skier or snowboarder may overtake another skier or snowboarder above or below and to the right or to the left provided that he leaves enough space for the overtaken skier or snowboarder to make any voluntary or involuntary movement.
5. Entering, starting and moving upwards: A skier or snowboarder entering a marked run, starting again after stopping or moving upwards on the slopes, must look up and down the slopes that he can do so without endangering himself or others.
6. Stopping on the piste: Unless absolutely necessary, a skier or snowboarder must avoid stopping on the piste in narrow places or where visibility is restricted. After a fall in such a place, a skier or snowboarder must move clear of the piste as soon as possible.
7. Climbing and descending on foot: A skier or snowboarder either climbing or descending on foot must keep to the side of the piste.
8. Respect for signs and markings: A skier or snowboarder must respect all signs and markings.
9. Assistance: At accidents, every skier or snowboarder is duty-bound to assist.
10. Identification: Every skier or snowboarder and witness, whether a responsible party or not, must exchange names and addresses following an accident.

So even after a day’s skiing, these rules were instilled and, for the most part, followed.

Forget me not!

Fast forward to today’s generation of snowboarders whose parents (as they did not snowboard) had no chance to teach their offspring ‘mountain lore,’ and the onset of ever-faster ways up the mountain meant that these rules were not being read and therefore not taken in.

Because of this, they’re now relegated to a small placard next to a set of tools for binding adjustment, i.e., away from the queues and the main body of operators. Silly really as those with enough knowledge to be able to adjust bindings know these rules backward.

Flying is not inherently dangerous, however…

My point. A lot more people should know the rules, and when the majority know the rules accidents are less likely to happen.

Contrast that to the recent sad Helicopter accident in California with NBA Star Kobe Bryant onboard; Double IIMC (Inadvertent Immersion/instrument to Meteorological Conditions) is bandied about as a possible cause. Far be it me to second guess the NTSC; however, if more people, Aircrew, TFO’s and passengers, knew about IIMC I would l bet my last dollar of there being less of these types of accidents.

Let me explain. I am not a pilot nor qualified aircrew however I was the chairman of the Police Aviation Conference for 12 years. Over the years I have met and chatted with any number of Aviation Safety Unit (ASU) chief pilots. To a man their unspoken (well publicly anyway) fear was IIMC. With or without IFR training this condition was the minefield in the sky. This was a condition to be avoided at all costs. Because Dear reader Double IIMC is an Inadvertent Immersion/instrument to Meteorological Conditions (IIMC). To us laymen this means suddenly (inadvertent) you are flying blind. Very limited or even no spatial awareness, no reference points and therefore no way on knowing where you are relevant to terrain. Once more for us layman this means cloud, fog, smoke or mist.

To re-enforce this, on March 27, 1977 over 500 people died in Tenerife Spain when two 747s collided on the runway. Fog was factor as was a peer pressure issue between a junior and senior pilot. I have always found it strange when the final report on such incidents are published. Strange because in most cases they, more or less, read the same.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Event though the pilot on aircrews are trained to recognize and manage an IIMC situation, other crewmembers are not. Organizations like ASOG, aircrew associations and aviation schools can play a major part in minimizing aviation accidents by promoting education programs that provide the necessary knowledge and tools for non-pilot crewmembers to enhance the effectiveness of the crew.

I think it would be a tremendous advantage to all who fly in helicopter’s (and even fixed-wing aircraft) because I know enough to want to know these things before I get into one:

1. What are the prevailing weather conditions?
2. Is the pilot IFR trained?
3. Does the company they fly for have an IFR rating?
4. Is the aircraft rated for IFR?

And even then, I am going to be sceptical.

For pilots reading these please do not take these questions as an insult to your ability. I have since learned that IIMC is such a serious matter that if you think there is any possibility at all being anywhere near a potential IIMC, thank you I’ll take a bus (and perhaps you should too).

The final leap!

As for FIS and the skiing community not re-enforcing these basic golden rules, people keep leaping out onto the piste without looking, blocking path and entry ways and stopping just over the brow of a hill where they cannot be seen, with resulting injuries and deaths!

Regarding the aviation community and especially the aircrew world, educating and implementing basic airmanship rules for all aircrew positions is critical in minimizing future aviation injuries and deaths!

I leave you with General Wilbur “Bill” Creech because I think it applies in any organization as well in a cockpit:

"Many people believe that decentralization means loss of control. That's simply not true. You can improve control if you look at control as the control of events and not people. Then, the more people you have controlling events -- the more people you have that care about controlling the events, the more people you have proactively working to create favourable events -- the more control you have within the organization, by definition."

-- Gen. Bill Creech (Commander, United States Air Force Tactical Air Command from May 1, 1978 to December 31, 1984)

ASOG Members, as part of this year’s ASOG’s Focus initiatives, we would like to start a new project called “ASOG Article of the Month.” This is in addition to the open blog board.

To make this happen, we need nine volunteers to write at least one article (or two) for this year (2020). If you’re a volunteer, let me know what month you want to author.

Also, If you sign-up for one of the slots and the article gets published on the board (plus, shared over Linked-In & Twitter), we will have a tab on the webpage that highlights you as an ASOG Author, i.e., “Meet the ASOG Authors.”

Who can write?
All ASOG members! As many of you know, ASOG is about networking and sharing best practices via your aircrew experiences and knowledge (manned & unmanned aircraft operations) to help others in their jobs and highlight the many different aspects of our aircrew profession.

Also, this includes those members who might not be an aircrew type but someone who’s a stakeholder in the aerial-remote-sensing sector, i.e., part of our eco-system (Students, OEMs, Suppliers, Integrators, Educators/Trainers, Ops Service Providers, Imagery/GIS Analyst, end-users, etc.), i.e., how you connect and collaborate with the ASO profession.

What can I write about?
Here are some general ASO story Domains to focus on:

• Aviation & Airmanship
• Remote-Sensing/Communication technology & application (sensors, processing, exploitation & dissemination)
• Training & Education
• Safety/CRM
• Civil/Commercial Ops
• Public Safety Ops
• Defense & Security Ops (Nothing classified)
• Other (Hoist Operator, JTAC, Imagery Analyst, GIS Specialist, Air Ambulance Paramedic, etc.)?

Here are some example story types that you may want to use or combine:

• Personal Discovery Stories – Tell how you learned a lesson, i.e., give some practical advice on how the group might learn from your experience.
• Best Practice Tips – share with the group your thoughts on how to do better with something, i.e., career, training, operating systems, instructing, planning, CRM, etc., etc.,
• Trending / Future – tell the group where your sector is trending or what is trending.
• Success Stories – tell how you achieved something that others can learn.
• Failure Stories – show some lessons learned through failure.
• Biographies – tell a positive story of a person in your niche – pulling out useful parts that can be applied and used to help others in the aerial-remote-sensing aircrew profession.
• Autobiographies – tell your own professional career story from start to finish or a part of your career, e.g., how you went through flight training and your thoughts then and now.
• Case Studies or Observation – describe a situation, flight, project, or mission that others can learn from, i.e., a spot from history or your history.

What can’t I write about?
We don’t want poetry, fiction, reviews of someone’s else product/work in a negative way (unless you have solid facts & figures), long academic papers, political themes or preachy lectures.

Remember that you are writing colleague to colleague – one peer sharing knowledge with another, i.e., good practices or experiences that cross-checks with other peers and the next generation of peers. Our approach is conversational and casual, and that’s why long academic papers and rambling stories don’t work well either.

However, as I said above, industry white papers, press releases, announcements, wanted request etc. are highly encouraged for the blog board. This specific article of the month initiative focuses on individual members uniquely contributing to the aircrew community and the industries that support it.

What are the guidelines?

• Volunteer and let me know what month or slot you want to fill for this year (deskeditor@aso-group.org ).
• The typical length of an article is 1000 to 1500 words, but we are willing to go a bit shorter or longer. Plus, author-supplied (i.e., you own it) photos are a huge plus. I think a few pictures or graphs tell the story better.
• We are willing to post an article that’s already been published elsewhere if you can prove you own the rights to the material.
• Send your article in a Word document format. Don’t send a link to a blog or a PDF file.
• Include a title and your full name. Plus, a short bio and photo of yourself for the “Meet the ASOG Article of the Month Authors” section.
• Send your article to deskeditor@aso-group.org two weeks before your article month.
• That easy! 

Remember!
If you can hang out in the hanger and tell experiences with your buddies, you have the talent to write it down. I know from my personal corner of the world; I want to hear your unique professional thoughts and stories.

Who knows, next time you go to a BBQ, you can say you’re an ASO and an author!

ASOG Desk Editor (Patrick)

It was great to rendezvous again with ASOGers in Vienna Austria, i.e., on Fat Tuesday, Faschingsdienstag, Marti Gras. The beer, ribs, and networking were excellent. For me, I enjoyed seeing folks move around the Stammtisch, either catching-up with old colleagues or meeting new folks in our profession.

Excerpt from the aerial surveying of the river Mur: The above image is a cross-section through the river of the combined classified point cloud. Point representation: blue (water), orange (ground) and green (vegetation). The deepest point at this cross-section is approx. 1.45m.

As a new start-up company in the aerial surveying & mapping community, Kabelik GmbH successfully delivered its first project on 05 January 2020. Kabelik was commissioned last year to fly above three river sections in different parts of Austria. The aim of the aerial surveying project was to survey the riverbed of specific high interest river sections.

The project consisted of flying two days using a combination of topographic LIDAR, a bathymetric LIDAR, and a digital camera. Using this package of sensors ensure the best accuracy for collecting the best data regarding the surrounding terrain and the riverbed under the water.

To acquire this data, the aircrew (Aerial Survey Pilot & Airborne Sensor Operator) flew approximately 400m above ground level (AGL) and could collect 8 points per m² per laser scanner as well as 8cm GSD orthophotos. With this, it was possible to measure a dense point cloud of the riverbed up to 1.5m depth underwater.

With the conclusion of data collection operations, the team at Kabelik was able to turn-around the data in two weeks, which included DTM, DSM, orthophoto and classified/colored point cloud information.

If you’re interested to learn more about Kabelik GmbH services and capabilities, visit their website at https://www.kabelik.at/ or e-mail them at office@kabelik.at.

ASOG 2020 Focus Areas: Networking

Upper Left Photo: Our roving ambassador George introduced future ASOG members Emmanuel PREVINAIRE/CEO and Yuk Kwan WONG/Exec.Asst. of Flying-Cam at the Singapore Airshow 2020.

Lower Left Photo: ASOG members Brynn ELLIOTT (Police Aviation News / PAvCON Editor) and ambassador George practice the new Singapore Airshow 'handshake' going on this week.

Right Photo: ASOG's Marcus GURTNER (R) and ambassador George (L) introduce future member Ernest NG of ATOS/France.

Joe CHEU of AlpinSun (Singapore) immortalized in the act of signing up to becoming an ASOG member during the preparations for the Singapore Airshow 2020. Witnessed by our ASOG ambassador-at-large George.

Fellow ASOGers, several of you are planning to attend Singapore Airshow this year. Based on yesterday’s reports (7 Feb) regarding the Coronavirus and the airshow, the show is still scheduled to open. However, many companies and organizations are reporting that they’re canceling their participation because of the situation.

For more information, check out the latest news release from the Airshow operators:

Singapore Airshow 2020 will proceed with additional measures to safeguard the well-being and safety of attendees

Top Photo: Nuno VILACA and Abby GONZALEZ of HawkEye360 based in Herndon (VA), future ASOG members, met with our ambassador at the ADECS2020 EW Conference in Singapore today. Pictured below are Nuno, Abby and George.

Bottom Photo: Muhsin Alperen BOLUCEK, CEO, and Tunahan KIRILMAZ, CTO, of TUALCOM, based in Ankara, Turkey, future ASOG members, met with George at ADECS2020 in Singapore

ASOG 2020 Focus Areas: Career Support (Posted per request by ASG)

Job locations: Worldwide

Type: Full/Part time or on consultancy bases (Please indicate preference and availability)

Based on ASG’s recent successes and future contracts pipeline, we are looking to expand the training team and are inviting expressions of interest from ISR SME’s, Sensor Operators and Instructors to join our team next year.

We are interested in hearing from you if you have a minimum of 10 years operational experience, preferably with instructional experience in your field. We are interested in candidates with knowledge and understanding from all domains and particularly interested in ISR platforms.

ASG is a growing ISR SME specializing in training and simulation, having built up its integrated training suite to include sensors such as EO/IR, radar, AIS, Acoustics, EW, Tacco….. for both the delivery of training to international customers and for those customers to create their own training capability.

No day is the same and if you enjoy working with other self-starters and possess a “can-do” attitude with the right skills, qualifications and experience, then we’d like to hear from you. The role generally involves developing and delivering ISR training to domestic and international customers with varying travel depending on the actual role. Longer term contracts abroad are a possibility and if this is of interest, please mention it in your covering letter.

Essential is knowledge and experience of one or more for the following sensors Radar, EW, EO/IR and Acoustics both active and passive.

Desirable is experience in the training of the above and an understanding of the principals of the ISR process.

Please submit a current CV and cover letter to jobs@sensor.academy. CVs without a relevant covering letter will be filtered out automatically.

For more information on ASG, please visit: www.aerosimulators.com

Hey everyone, Mark Smits (ASOG Member and Advisor) wants the community to know of this job opportunity. It looks like a great job. What I’ve heard from Mark, Woolpert is a good firm to work for. If you’re interested, follow the instructions on the job posting and engage accordingly.

Job Description: Technical Specialist – Sensor Operator

Georg DeCock (ASOG Member and ASOG Ambassador) asked to share this video with his fellow ASOGers. Georg is one of many folks from different companies taking part in this world tour. Currently, they just completed the African leg of the trip and now heading to Asia. The next stop is Singapore Airshow (11 – 16 Feb).

If you want to check out the aircraft and learn more of the integrated special mission kit, reach out and contact Georg via the ASOG Network page for a member to member engagement opportunity.

From an ASOG perspective, this is an excellent opportunity to network and learn something new regarding aerial remote sensing capabilities.

Also, if you want to track the bird as it travels the world, the tail number is C-GVKI. Maybe you’ll have the chance to catch it at an airfield near you.

ASOG Desk Editor (Patrick)

Based on inputs and feedback from members, the group will focus on the following areas for 2020:

• ASOG – General
• Networking
• General Professional Standards
• Training
• Certification
• Career Support
• Safety
• Aircraft, Equipment, and Systems
• Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

Again, the rationale of the ASOG Focus Areas is to help manage everyone’s interest and efforts regarding individuals participating and outcomes. However, at any time, if you want the group to focus on something new that relates to our profession or expand on one of the established areas, please let me know.

Patrick

ASOG 2020 Focus Area: Disseminate and share information related to Aerial Work (AW) aircraft, systems, and equipment.

AVBuyer and GA Buyer Magazine have just launched a new initiative to focus on the Aerial Work or Multi-Mission aviation industry sector. In the past, they concentrated on general aviation and air transportation. Now, they’ll add focused relevant information or intelligence related to specialized services (manned and unmanned) like Aerial Mapping and Surveying, Flight Training, Glider Towing, Airborne Law Enforcement, Aerial Photography and Cinematography, Aerial Fire Fighting, Aerial SAR, COCO C4ISR and more, i.e., what we as ASOs do for a living and the aircraft, systems and equipment we use.

From an ASOG perspective, it’s great to see a media organization focus on our community and provide information that helps with our specific professional development. Also, it’s great that AVBuyer recognizes and supports the efforts and purpose of the Airborne Sensor Operators Group.

If you’re interested, you can view their webpage or subscribe for a paper copy. The webpage is:

Intelligence - Multi-Mission Aircraft Hub

ASOG Desk Editor (Patrick)

***Outstanding*** Per the folks at TerraSense, they want to give a big Thank You to all the ASOG members, followers, and connections that helped with their request. Quote “Thank you very much for posting our wanted ad - we've had a tremendous response from some very well-connected group members.”

As MD of ASOG, I also want to say thank you to everyone who supported, and I’m very pleased with how our community/network responded.

TerraSense Analytics is looking to charter an aircraft (with Airborne Sensor Operator and Pilot) equipped with Wescam MX-15 (or similar) EO/MWIR sensor package to collect maritime target data for testing a software product.

While our firm is Canadian, we are open to travel anywhere in the world.

For more information on the project, please contact admin@terrasense.ca and visit https://www.terrasense.ca/mist/

Like last year, it’s time to review ASOGs focus areas and set new ones for 2020. The due date for inputs is 15 Jan 2020...it would be great to get your feedback and thoughts. The main Categories are:

• ASOG – General
• Networking
• General Professional Standards
• Training
• Certification
• Career Support
• Safety
• Aircraft, Equipment, and Systems
• Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

The specific focus items are broken-out below. Review and recommend changes or additions. The rationale of the ASOG Focus Areas is to help manage everyone’s interest and efforts regarding individuals participating and outcomes.

Again, ASOG is an open platform/network for professional individuals (like you) to share their experiences and knowledge to help individual career efforts, advance aircrew operations, and improve the aerial remote-sensing profession.

If you have an input, you can easily respond here on the blog page or send me a separate message no-later-than 15 Jan 2020:

As I promised last month regarding the AVBuyer’s Leaders Roundtable Event, here’s a quick recap.

However, before I press forward, I would like to say thank you to those ASOG members who sent topics to bring up or discuss, e.g., standards and training. Also, I would like to say thank you to one of our members - Astrid Ayling - for making it possible for a representative from ASOG (even though I was a non-UK participant) to attend….”Good on you, Astrid!”

The Aviation Leaders Roundtable event took place on 20 Nov 2019 at the Phyllis Court Members Club outside of London. The meeting consisted of representatives from all aspects of UK Aviation: Fixed & Rotor wing Aviation, Multi Mission, Drones, Product & Services, and Associations. Plus, government officials from Westminster and the DfT.

Even though this was a UK focused aviation round table discussion, I believe, based on my engagement with many of you from around the world, the issues and concerns are the same North & South and East & West.

The main topics discussed at the round table were:

• The current state of UK General Aviation and Aerial Work Aviation
• Economic issues within UK Aviation
• Education, Training and the Next Generation
• UK Aviation electronic conspicuity
• UK Drone operations and integration
• DfT “Aviation Ambassadors” and “Reach for the Sky” programs

Overall, the round table event, from an Airborne Sensor Operator perspective, was very interesting and informative, especially in the areas of standards, training, and setting the stage for the next generation of aviators. Some of the challenges highlighted in the discussions and many ways effect the ASO profession were:

• Aviation operations are over regulated and over charged in all aspects;
• Economic and access issues regarding recruitment, training and job opportunities in aviation;
• Standardizing General Aviation and Aerial Work electronic conspicuity; and
• Inconsistency between manned and unmanned aircraft regulations and implementation.

Regarding solutions, the members of the round table highlighted the need for both the aviation community and government to work together to narrow efforts on the following challenges:

• Regulations and Fees – Review, streamline and balance regulations in proportion to local needs & aviation sectors, and be competitive with other countries' aviation programs, i.e., attract students, aviators, and businesses from around the world with high quality, affordable and easily accessible UK aviation programs.
• Recruitment, training, and job opportunities – Implement campaigns to market career opportunities in aviation (especially at the education level), promote best practice training programs concerning next-generation learning intake, and encourage competitive incomes to mitigate people avoiding the aviation industry sector as a career choice.

If you’re interested to know more about this Round Table and/or want to share more of your concerns related to our ASO profession, just let me know. We can add it to ASOG’s 2020 Focus Areas.

ASOG Desk Editor (Patrick)