Age: 33
Years in Aviation: 15
Cornelius Ransom joined the Air Force out of high school. “I didn’t really know too much about aviation. When I talked to my recruiter, he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I didn’t really care as long as I get to work with my hands, tearing things apart and putting them back together and I get to work outside. He then put two pictures in front of me, one of an AF Cargo plane and one of a Fighter Jet, and that’s when I got hooked.”
He started out as a crew chief on F-15’s, 58th FS at Eglin AFB, Florida in 2001. He was deployed to the Middle East in 2002 at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, he was selected to be on the F-15 West Coast Demonstration Team, which went all over the world showcasing the capabilities and maneuverability of the F-15. He was part of 40 airshows in two years.
In 2014, he was selected to be lead APG inspector for quality assurance for the 56th MXG at Luke AFB. While at QA, he got his certification on weight and balance of F-16s and learned the AWBS program. He was an inspector for the Singapore unit assigned there as well and got to learn and inspect their maintenance practices and also educate them on tasks that he could. “I got to experience maintenance practices and the new technology of the new generation fighter jets, the F-35,” he says. “I learned how to use their maintenance database and verified numerous tasks that required validation.” He is now at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, as assistant section chief for APG (crew chiefs), where he manages 47 crew chiefs assigned to his section.
Ransom gives back to the industry by teaching what he knows and has learned through the years, giving advice on maintenance/safety deficiencies, and taking care of the people that work for him.
As for career goals, Ransom wants to achieve the highest rank he can before retirement, finish his degree, retire with no regrets, live happy, and be successful after the Air Force.