The Air Mobility Lab at Fort Dix, N.J., is converting suggestions from company grade officers and non-coms into an array of diverse and useful products. Some examples include:
• A proposal yielded a night vision lighting system for the cockpit of older C-130 transports. Another nugget produced an in-flight antenna to increase the acuity of satellite phones for aircrews while providing them noise dampening headsets.
• Still another innovation was a stairs kit that was attached to a 25K loader to provide egress for troops and equipment on charter flights.
• A joint effort, meanwhile, between the mobility lab and Air Force Research Laboratory developed an autonomous approach and landing capability for huge C-17 transports in extreme weather without the benefit of ground based navigation aids.