08 ASI Newsletter August 2022 Edition Flipbook PDF

08 ASI Newsletter August 2022 Edition

98 downloads 101 Views 8MB Size

Story Transcript

NEWSLETTER A Leader In Cutting-Edge Training Solutions August 2022 Edition

FLIGHT PLAN From the Director’s Desk Page 2

Karen Shank Director of Operational Assurance

Surf’s Up!

Lights, Camera, Action! 
 In last month’s edition of the newsletter, we discussed our nomination for Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for the 51-250 employee category. We were selected as a finalist which scored us a professional video shoot to highlight who we are and what we do in the Tampa Bay Area. The production crew arrived at 0930 on 26 July and began with an interview with our President and CEO, Mike Conti. Mike was asked many questions about our company, such as who we are, what we do, and what makes Tampa Bay a great place in which to operate. Speaking of community, we also discussed our work with local STEM visits and flight time on our trainers. ASI believes that hands-on experience with the equipment that our warfighters train with every day is the best way to demonstrate the significance of what we do to the next generation of pilots and engineers. After the interview, the camera crew took a tour around the High Bay to get some footage for the video. Chad Mease donned his flight suit and took the MH-60 RFTD and VRATD for a flight for some close-up footage. Many employees who were in the High Bay at the time volunteered to further showcase what we do. At the request of the videographers, an All-Tampa email was sent out to gather everyone who wanted to be in a final video into the High Bay for a group shot. We’d like to thank the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and Dreamkeepers Media for, what we are sure will be, a very professional video. We have one more hurdle which will be a site visit by the judges on August 24th. An award ceremony, much like the Academy Awards will be held on the 29th of September where we will view the finished video for the first time and discover the winner of the Small Business of the Year.





































FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition

Page 4

Chad Mease (Aerodynamic Systems Engineer) discusses how he and Sida Wang (Avionic Systems Engineer) collected data for our firstever boat trainer.

Employee Interview Page 5

John Miller (Tampa)

Human Resources Update Page 6

Waiting on Sherry for a replacement, home office productivity tips, and quarter 2 shoutouts.

News You Can Use Page 8

Safety and Facility Updates

Around ASI Page 9

Previous and Upcoming ASI Events 1

Karen Shank Director of Operational Assurance

Operational Assurance encompasses many of the not-so glamorous corporate necessities: Configuration & Data Management, Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), Quality Assurance, Security, IT Administration, and Test Engineering. Many of you may not be familiar with the work that is done by the ILS group, so I asked them to explain what they do. What do Technical Writers at ASI do? We write user manuals on how to operate and maintain every trainer. We conduct detailed research into the trainer that is being built or modified and then develop operating and repair procedures based on the findings. And we are also Logisticians who do reliability and maintainability reporting, including making recommendations for all the spare components that it will take to maintain trainer availability. So how can you help the Technical Writers at ASI do what we do? Communicate - One challenge we face when writing manuals is having to figure out the necessary setup that happens during system development since it is often a one and done occurrence. We would love to get your notes and instructions while they are still fresh in your mind. Sharing setup, configuration, and operating data will make you very popular with Technical Writers. Another challenge we face is staying on top of changes post development. Whether it is a start-up/shut-down sequence, IOS page, configuration tweak, or a new software utility, your inside knowledge is crucial. Bottom line: If you know something, say something. This diagram pretty much sums up how gathering technical data can get tricky……. I went from the E-2C to the E-2D spanning decades and the torch has been passed on to Jenni now. Just ask some of the B-1 people like Brent or Rebekah. It is very rewarding to play a part in advancing an iconic platform in ways that enhance training, survivability, and air superiority.

From the Vault 21 February 2003 Here’s a blast from the past - a group photo of the Device 2F166 Team! Bottom row L to R: Bill Bennett, Dennis Samuels, Rich Crespo, Steve Howry, Michael Lee Center row L to R: Rick Adler, Karen Shank Upper row L to R: George Dunhill, Heidi Houser, Tom Telesca, Marshall Westerby, Jeanne Singagliese, Darrick Carr, Jack Ferrante, Jenni Snow, Terry Hunt & Gerry Messaris.





















FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition



From the Director’s Desk

2

Reputation Russ Shepard Vice President - Business Development



Our new Senior Director of Business Development for Navy Programs, Capt. (ret.) Espi Espinoza and I have had the pleasure of spending some time this week with our oldest customer, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). We have spoken to three of the Program Directors including the Program Director for Aviation. I say a pleasure because even those Directors and leaders we haven’t worked with directly speak very highly of ASI because of our reputation. They know us as a company who always meets their requirements and often exceed their expectations. Those that haven’t worked with us yet are looking forward to doing so in the future as we diversify into their areas of influence like we recently did with the Maritime Security Boat Trainer. The following are a few of the congratulations we received directly recently: E-2D Program, Dave Adams, E-2 / C-2 Training Systems IPT Lead Dave sent an email thanking and congratulating the entire E-2D team for ensuring a major concurrency upgrade was ready on all training devices (six of which are flight training devices) at the same time the upgrade was available in the aircraft and 9-months ahead of schedule! Our team at ASI performed amazing work to get the three flight trainers at Norfolk, two at Pt. Mugu, and one at Sterling, VA into the proper configuration with the aircraft!

Capt. (ret.) Espi Espinoza Senior Director of Business Development for Navy Programs

420 – T-1A Ground Based Training Systems Final CPARS, Col. Ono, Special Operations and Aviation Education Training Center (AETC) Training Systems Lead This was our third across the board all exceptional CPARS on this program. That’s three years in a row! Col. Ono confided in Joel Jolley (Director of Business Development for Air Force and Army) and me that she was new in her position and when she received this CPARS for review, she couldn’t believe any company deserved that high of a rating. Then she did some investigation and agreed that we did indeed! Great job to all on the program!

“A good reputation for yourself and your company is an invaluable asset not re ected on the balance sheets.”

– Li Ka Shing, Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist.  









fl













FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition

3

Chad Mease (Aerodynamic Systems Engineer) discusses how he and Sida Wang (Avionic Systems Engineer) collected data for our rst-ever boat trainer. The Maritime Security Boat Trainer will enable crew training for the 40 PB in critical skills and system operation, related high-risk close quarter maneuvering, and adaptive tactical responsiveness to indeterminate and evolving threats. The training will emphasize the task requirements associated with the bridge crew for the 40 PB Coxswain/Boat Captain and Navigator/Radio Telephone Operator (NAV/RTO) to train independently of the other watch stations. This RFTD sized simulator will have Augmented Reality headsets on motion. Like any new vehicle, aircraft or vessel, when data needs cannot be supplied by the Government, we’re here to collect it ourselves. ASI was granted the safe passage aboard the S.S. NotAPlane – alright you got me, that’s not its name but it really wasn’t a plane! We participated in a 3-boat training exercise where new crew coordination training occurred. Each operation was done 3 times so that all crew could take turns. It started at a slow pace until man overboard operations had everyone on watch. Each boat took turns tossing a dummy into the water and leaving him for the next boat right on their tail to rescue. Pulling 200 lbs of waterlogged dummy out of the water is not trivial. Next, it was emergency procedure time with engine casualty drills. One boat would pretend to have an oil or engine malfunction and go dead in the water: Time for towing maneuvers! This is a challenge because without engines, you have no directional steering since there is no conventional rudder and all steering is done with the water jets. A second boat must come, toss a line, tie up & secure and successfully tow the other a set distance while steering them both around obstacles. The last part of the training ops was a little bit of fun – a game of chase the rabbit. The leader boat would try and ‘flee’ from the other 2 chasing it down by performing fast, evasive maneuvers. That is, until you spin out and get overtaken by a chase craft who now takes the lead and swap roles. After that, it was back to the dock and bon voyage with our data in hand. Special thanks to Chad Mease for submitting these pictures to the ASI Newsletter!

4





fi

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY



August 2022 Edition



Riding the Waves on the PB-40!

John E. Miller, Jr. Integrated Logistics Support Manager (ILSM) Location: Tampa, FL My name is John Miller. I am the Integrated Logistics Support Manager (ILSM) at ASI, and I’ve been with the company since May 2016 (five years). Describe what you do at ASI. As an ILSM, I lead the Technical Writing team. If you’ve seen the user manuals on how to operate and maintain our trainers, chances are that our Technical Team was responsible for its creation and implementation. To create the manual, we conduct detailed research into the trainer that is being built or modified, and then we develop operating and repair procedures based on the findings. The Technical Team are also Logisticians who do reliability and maintainability reporting, including making recommendations for all the spare components that it will take to maintain trainer availability. What’s your favorite part about coming into work every day? I would say the people at ASI make it enjoyable to come to work every day. Most everyone has a smile on their face and are happy and satisfied to be here. I like the comradely of being part of a team that helps our military be the best there is. I also like that I don’t have to commute to work every day. The flexibility of telework is a really great benefit. ASI is driven to complete tasks and jobs on time and on schedule. Other companies I’ve worked for didn’t seem to have that “drive” as due dates came and went. There seems to be a new challenge or opportunity present every day at ASI, so the job does not get old. Do you have any fun and/or interesting hobbies? My main hobby is motorcycles. This hobby has turned into my side hustle. I started a business making laser cut and engraved motorcycles, golf carts, and boat windshields. I have two laser machines, and I engrave the graphics and images on the windshield and light them up with LEDs. I also make man cave signs and night lights, as well as other custom designs. I’ve provided pictures of my work in this interview, though if you’d like, please check out my Facebook page (Pappy Jack's Custom Laser Designs) and website (Pappy Jack's) to see more examples of my work. I also enjoy to go fishing and boating. I have a 26’ Answer Marine boat on the east coast that a buddy and I own, so when I go over to that coast, we go deep sea fishing, mostly for Mahi Mahi. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do this as much as I’d like. I also have a spiritual side, so I like to spend time at Kairos Prison Ministry. And I also enjoy spending time with my daughters and granddaughters. Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself or ASI? I’m retired military (Air Force) with 20 years of service. I was a Crew Chief on fighters and fighter trainer aircraft, and I enjoyed every minute of my time served. My wife does cat rescue and TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Release). So even though I’m a dog person, I now live with four inside house cats and a couple outside cats, so if you need a cat, let me know!

























FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition



Employee Interview

5

Human Resources Update Hangar Time

Quarter 2 Shoutouts

Home Of ce Productivity Tips When it comes to where you work, it is important to designate a work space that fits your needs. One of the most important work space considerations is finding where you will be the most productive and least distracted. Beyond the location of your workspace, it is important to create a space you feel comfortable spending time in every day. Here are some tips for setting up a work space that fosters peace and productivity:

Congratulations to the following individuals that received ASI Shout-Outs in Quarter 2!

Use Your Resources Even if all you technically need for remote work is a functioning laptop and smartphone, it pays to invest in other times to build out your home office. Surround yourself with the resources you need as well as those that would enhance your work day. These resources may include an ergonomic chair, a second monitor, décor that inspires you, or a standing work station. What is on your list?

Paul Kralovanec Brent Mathews Kevin Offutt Ed Parkinson Nicholas Robinson Matt Saville Jay Strong David Wells

Keep Your Work Space Well-Lit Well-lit rooms can help to improve concentration and productivity. The right lighting can trigger the release of serotonin, which helps the body feel more alert. Sitting near a source of natural light can dramatically improve your productivity and your overall feeling of wellbeing.

And a special Shout-Out to the RCPT Proposal Team for leading us to the win

Stay Organized One of the best tips for staying productive during remote work is to keep your home office organized. First, go through your space and remove any items that do not need to be there. Then, look at ways you can organize the times you need in your home office that make them easily accessible.

Did you Know?

New Employees in July Nicholas Blanchette Manufacturing Technician Tampa, FL Jeffrey Callender Computer Systems Engineer Tampa, FL William Curley Mechanical CAD Tampa, FL Espi Espinoza Senior Director of Business Development Tampa, FL Travis Pope Computer Systems Engineer Tampa, FL Donovan Rodriguez (DoD Skillbridge Program) Cybersecurity Engineer Tampa, FL Jordan Smith (BGI) Avionic Systems Engineer Tampa, FL Harvey Wong Staff Engineer Tampa, FL

LinkedIn Learning - August Challenge For the month of August, we will be doing a drawing for at least one $50 gift card for completing LinkedIn Learning training. To be eligible you must complete at least two full hours of LinkedIn Learning content between 1 and 31 August. Additionally, to be eligible, the entire training (course, video, audio or learning path) must be completed in its entirety.

(Tampa) Coffee is now FREE in the break room. Enjoy!

You will receive double entries if you choose Communicate effectively with Microsoft Teams (linkedin.com) as one of your choices. If you haven’t activated your LinkedIn Learning license yet, there has never been a better time! To access LinkedIn Learning go to https://www.linkedin.com/learning. If you have any questions or issues, please contact Human Resources.

Did you nd the hidden link in July’s newsletter?

Vacancy Announcements

Debbie Diaz (Manufacturing Technician; Dyess AFB, TX) is one of 43 employees that did and will receive a $50.00 gift card as a result! Congratulations, Debbie!

With our latest contract wins and our ongoing commitment to provide the best training solutions for our warfighters, we need to fill a company record-breaking amount of vacancies! Visit www.aerosimulation.com/careers (or scan the QR code with your phone) to find the most current list. These positions are open to external and internal candidates.

































































fi













fi













































FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition

6

Security Matters
 Jim Hull Facility Security Of cer

Bond, James Bond. “I have a TS clearance. And I’m a spy for Mi5. And by the way, my address is…” Hey everybody, watch me put a target on my back!! Who puts their clearance on their LinkedIn page? A lot of British people that hold secrets to some of the Crown’s most valuable jewels do, apparently. A recent investigation into the public pages of personnel very high in the British military and intelligence revealed these gems, just to name a few:

• An ex-RAF communications specialist who provided top-secret briefings for GCHQ, MI6, and NATO • A senior manager for the Navy’s T-26 Global Warship Program, which is building a frigate designed to hunt down Russian nuclear submarines

• A test pilot for the F-35B fighter jet, which is Britain’s primary strike aircraft for the next three decades • A missile engineer who openly boasted about signing the Official Secrets Act. Several profiles had links to online resumes with mobile numbers and postal addresses, which ex-military intelligence Colonel Philip Ingram described as an ‘open goal for spies’. “Advertising your access to state secrets is idiotic. I once had a Chinese spy try to turn me into an asset on LinkedIn by posing as a businessman who needed me to write a paper on counter-terrorism and security. The goal was to establish a relationship and eventually ask for more sensitive information.” I recently conducted a review of many of your LinkedIn pages/profiles. I do this from time to time to see, primarily, who is advertising a security clearance. It's widely understood in the cleared community that broadcasting the fact that one has a clearance, whether verbally in a public setting, in print, or on the Internet is a bad practice. As we all know from our training, Industrial espionage and the exploitation of cleared individuals are among the greatest risks to the U.S. position as a world leader in all areas of technology. ASI cannot dictate what you say about yourself on your LinkedIn page. But personal and organizational Operational Security (OPSEC) is a first-order trait in the demeanor of a cleared individual. Painting yourself as a target stands in direct contrast to that behavior. A Real Weisenheimer A former CIA Engineer, cleared at the TOP SECRET level, responsible for developing the tools to exploit adversaries’ systems and harvest data, harvested a trove of CIA data instead and gave it to WikiLeaks. His team was responsible for building tools to hack into encrypted iPhones, Android devices, and Samsung smart TVs. It was claimed in court that he was a disgruntled employee (Is there a “gruntled” employee?). It’s a showcase of the Insider Threat risk that we always talk about existing. The CIA doesn’t get a pass on this one, though. Lax cybersecurity practices and oversight are believed to have provided easy pickings for the guy. Mr. Weisenheimer has yet to be sentenced. Have I got a deal for you!!! Onur “Ron” Aksoy has been accused of buying many millions of dollars worth of fraudulent Cisco devices and then selling them on the US market under various commercial reseller names. The devices were older, sometimes used, Cisco equipment that was sent to China. The items were then updated cosmetically to resemble newer Cisco models, and refurbished with pirated Cisco software and unauthorized, low-quality, or unreliable components—including components to circumvent technological measures added by Cisco to check for software license compliance. The counterfeit products were packaged with authentic-looking labels, boxes, and documentation. They were then shipped back to the US to Aksoy. He’s had this gig going on since about 2013. The Justice Department will pursue a number of charges including international fraud. But at the time of this writing they were experiencing undisclosed network issues.











7









fi





FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition

News You Can Use

Facilities Update

New Cubicles Added to Engineering



Jeff Gottgalf

Skyler Olivarez

Facilities Technician / Safety Of cer

Facilities Technician / Safety Of cer

Safety Update First-Aid Kits

From paper cuts to keyboard-related injuries (joke), we want to make sure that everyone at ASI has access to medical supplies in case of emergencies. We have first aid kits installed in various common areas throughout our facility. There are four first aid kits: (1) the High Bay near the restroom (2) the breakroom (3) ASI Welcome Desk (Wendi Martin), (4) Upstairs near the restrooms, and (Not pictured) the B-1 area next to the wash sink. Jeff and Skyler check and stock the kits each quarter. Each kit has a checklist of what’s included and are up to OSHA Federal requirements. If the first aid stock is depleted before the quarterly check, please let Jeff or Skyler know.

Laugh a Little, Learn a Little Wendi Martin Customer / Employee Relations

The # Symbol isn’t officially called hashtag or pound. Its technical name is octothorpe. The “octo” means “eight” and refers to its points.

You’ve Heard of “Famous Amos” for his chocolate chip cookies. Before his baking skills, he actually made people famous. He discovered and signed Simon & Garfunkel, and was a talent rep for Diana Ross, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye. The Windy City Nickname has nothing to do with Chicago’s weather. Its nickname was coined by 19th century journalists who were referring to the fact that residents were “windbags” and “full of hot air”















fi

fi









































(Top Left) (Top Right) (Bottom Left) (Bottom Right)

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

August 2022 Edition

To accommodate the growing needs of our business, we added an entire new section of cubicles in the Engineering section on the second floor. Once everything was cleared, the construction crew assembled the new cubicles. The structures were assembled, and the Engineering group moved into their new cubicles on 26 June.

Cubicles before work was started Cubicles moved, floor cleared New cubicles installed Finished installation

The Current American Flag was designed by a high school student. It started as a school project for Bob Heft’s junior-year history class in 1958. He only earned a B-minus. After President Dwight D. Eisenhower called to say the design was approved, Heft’s teach changed his grade to an A.

8

Around ASI
 Save the Date! August Food Truck 10th and 24th Tampa Bay Rays Game 7 Sept September Food Truck 7th and 21st October Food Truck 5th and 19th ASI Halloween Lunch 26 Oct November Food Truck 2nd, 16th, and 30th I/ITSEC 2022 28 Nov - 1 Dec December Food Truck 14 Dec ASI Holiday Party 9 Dec



Win Party Cruise on the StarLink Yacht!. On 29 July, ASI employees and a guest boarded the Starship Yacht for an exciting win party! This is the first time that our company has celebrated a win party on a yacht, and the end result was a fun and exciting evening full of great company and equally great food and drink. For this win party we were celebrating the following awards: T-1A Ground Based Training System (GBTS) with folks located in five locations (Randolph (San Antonio, TX), Columbus AFB, MS, Vance AFB (Enid, OK), Laughlin AFB (Del Rio, TX) and NAS Pensacola, FL. This was a contract that was recompeted and we won based on our past performance! Aviation Training Center, Mobile AL Windows 10 updates to 8 devices. B-1 Reconfigurable Cockpit Procedures Trainers (RCPT). This contract modification has us building three new training devices for the B-1 community.

IMOMS Windows 10 & Cyber Upgrades. Technical refresh to 7 training devices at Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile. Egyptian E-2C Training - In house training Taiwanese E-2C Training – In house training French E-2C OFT Updates – Updates to OFT in France We’ve got a lot of pictures to share of the win party, so check them out on the last page!

Super Scholar in the Coast Guard! Congratulations to Alyssa Howry (Daughter of Steve Howry, Director of Operations) who graduated as one of two Super Scholars during the Coast Guard Academy Orientation graduation on 27 July). If you have a family celebration or accomplishment that you would like to share please e-mail a member of the Newsletter team.

New to the Crew Jammel Benjamin’s daughter, Gabby, models the new ASI “New to the Crew” onesie.

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY





























































August 2022 Edition

9

Final Approach Call to Action

Check us out on the StarLink Yacht Cruise!

Do you have an idea that you want to share? Have you seen a safety concern? Have you identified an efficiency that would save time or money? Please share your thoughts via the ASI Suggestion Form: https://forms.osi.office365.us/r/ x0dZ9pyvWC

Employee Interview Speed Round

John E. Miller, Jr. - Integrated Logistics Support Manager (ILSM) Do you speak any other languages? No

Do you have any hidden talents? I don’t think so.

What was your rst job? Trapper - Muscrats, Raccoons. I made more than my Dad one year. My Dad was a principal in the school making $50,000 a year. I made $80,000.

Favorite Pizza Toppings Pepperoni

Snow or Sand? Sand

Perfect Retirement Age 62

Favorite School Subject Typing

Is a hotdog a sandwich? No

Most Famous Person You Have Met Fonzie (Henry Winkler) Played Softball with him in Okinawa during a USO Tour. Does your car have a name? No

If you had an extra hour per day, what would you do? Sleep

One Weird Fact You Know Can’t think of one right now.

Pepsi or Coke Coke

What is your dream job? My side business - laser etching and design. My specialty is motorcycle windshields.

Worst Advice You Have Ever Been Given Don’t do that.

If you had an unlimited supply of something for the rest of your life, what would it be? Happiness

Where would you go if you were invisible? Oval Office / White House FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

























fi































































Favorite Movie Quote “Say hello to my little friend.” Al Pacino in Scarface

Favorite Smell Steak

If you had to email the President/CEO an emoji right now - what would it be? Smiley Face

August 2022 Edition

Describe Yourself In Three Words Loyal, Git-r-done type of person, Dedicated

10

Get in touch

Social

© Copyright 2013 - 2024 MYDOKUMENT.COM - All rights reserved.