Photo By Staff Sgt. Susan Roberts | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Trevor Goss, 52nd Maintenance Squadron munitions stockpile...... read more read more
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE - During their careers, many Airmen may be assigned to an overseas station in Europe. Among the numerous difficulties they may face, purchasing a vehicle is often overlooked. Compounding the problem further is the fact that more vehicles in Germany are manual transmission, a driving skill many people do not possess. Staff Sgt. Trevor Goss, 52nd Maintenance Squadron munitions stockpile management crew chief, first noticed this problem in 2019 when he became a First Term Airman’s Center (FTAC) instructor.
“Everybody was asking, ‘How do I buy a car? Where do I buy a car? Where can I find an automatic?” he said. “I thought, there’s a need, so fill that need, as they say.”
Goss brought up the idea of a base-wide driving course to wing leadership and the process began. He wanted to teach Airmen the basics of driving a manual vehicle in a safe setting, while also allowing for mistakes.
Staff Sgt. Timothy Keevern, 52nd Maintenance Squadron precision guided munitions support technician and driving instructor, added “It’s an opportunity for people who are coming from the states or maybe younger people who maybe have never gotten the chance to drive a manual transmission car to learn on a car that is not theirs in a safe and free environment.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only two students are allowed per session. While smaller classes means the necessity for more classes, it also means that instructors can tailor each class to the level of experience each student has, whether it’s their first time behind the wheel of a manual transmission vehicle or if they just need a refresher like Tech. Sgt. Dhananjay Patel, 52nd Fighter Wing air traffic control supervisor.
“My goal is to get more comfortable with driving manual before I deploy to England,” said Patel. “I’ve learned to drive stick before, but it was five years ago, and I haven’t done it since then. It’s good to get a refresher.”
Goss also hopes to encourage attendance through the Wing Right Start briefing and FTAC briefings.
“We avoided having the base spend over a million dollars to send people off base or in contracting costs to bring somebody on base to teach,” said Goss. “It really comes in handy not just for everyday life, but for going on deployments, going TDY, even traveling through Europe. Everything is going to be a manual.”
Drivers who want to take the class must have a USARE driver’s license and a desire to learn. To sign up for the class, search for the public group Saber Stick-Shift course on Facebook.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2021 07:39 |
| Story ID: | 406259 |
| Location: | SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, DE |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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