Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups of people within organizations that form to share what they know on a certain work-related subject, and learn from one another regarding some aspect of their work. It also provides a social context for that work. More info can be found HERE. We choose to avoid using the term "CoP", since there is no real-world equivalent and the term is confusing. A better term might be "wiki". In any case, "Study Group" is intuitive and works well.

• Do we need a web site to have a C-17 Study Group or CoP?

No. It can be totally void of computers. However, a web-based format allows us to reach out to every aircrew member, from every USAF unit, across the globe. This gives greater depth of knowledge and eliminates duplication of effort from individual squadrons or wings trying to achieve the same goals.
 

• Do we need to be a CoP to have a web site?

This a puts a twist on the previous question. The short answer is "yes"!

The only way for a web site of this nature to exist is to have a firewall with log-in / password protection. This keeps out non-AF users and those from other countries. It's explained more below in a later question. AFKN provides us with this tool. So, in a way, this study group has become a CoP (kind of a goofy name, huh?) so that it can have the web site that it needs to do what it does.

• What's the purpose of this Study Group?

This Group exists to improve professional knowledge of aircrew who fly the C-17 through a world-wide community. It's a place to exchange ideas and collaborate on study material.

• Why is the URL (web address) so difficult to remember and type in?

We're at the mercy of the AFKN. They provide the server space and interactive software that makes this site possible. So, there's a strong case to bookmark this link.

There is one place on the web with a link to this site. If you're reading this, you know what it is: www.baseops.net. If you look at the right-hand margin under "Notes and Gouge", there's a C-17 link that feeds to this site.

Also, if you simply log in to the Air Force Portal (which you'll eventually have to do anyway), you can select the "Communities" tab and then select "Operations" and go down the long list of groups to "C-17 Aircrew...." (this CoP thing is catching on, as you'll see). And, once you've joined this group, a link will show up under "My Communities" near the top of the page after selecting the "Communities" tab.

• What's the reason for log-in access if this material is unclassified?

This site exists behind the AF Portal’s (my.af.mil) firewall because of our need to have a secure web site (https://). This allows us to present our subject material without violating any access issues.

The material that we work with is not classified, but it is protected by the Arms Export Control Act (among others), which prevents us from having this forum in an open-access site. The following paragraph was copied and pasted from the first page of our Dash-1.

WARNING - This document contains technical data whose export is restricted by the DoD Authorization Act of 1984 (Title 10, U.S.C., Sec. 140c and Sec 1217) and the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec. 2751 et seq.), or Executive Order 12470, or the Export Administration Act of 1979 as amended (Title 50, U.S.C., App. 2401 et seq.). Violation of these export-control laws is subject to severe criminal penalties. Dissemination of this document is controlled under DoD Directive 5230.25 and AFI 61-204.  

Over the years, several web masters have unwittingly tried to publish open-access sites for this purpose (including this author), which resulted in a phone call from the Flight Manual Manager at Wright Patterson AFB, OH. With the threat of an OSI investigation, the call to cease and desist was met by little (if any) resistance.

• Is this a web site for Gouge?

That depends on how you define the term "gouge".

Wikipedia loosely defines gouge as "unofficial, unsanctioned, un-reviewed, yet very useful (material) for the things most useful to know to accomplish a (military aviator's) task. Gouge may be an acronym for each major task on a checklist, an outline for a training course, a list of the three (major) things that a given inspector is looking (for) ..., or simply a secret to success. Gouge is peer-to-peer collective wisdom....

Test Gouge is out there, but it's illicit. Notes on CBT tests fall into this category.

So YES! This site is for ethical gouge, or what we prefer to call "Study Gouge".

And NO.... This site does not provide any illicit gouge, or what we refer to as "Test Gouge".

• Why use unofficial study material?
  
   Why use unofficial study material when all the information it contains is in our assigned publications and regulations? It's certainly not necessary. And unless it is used responsibly, it can actually be harmful. The source documents should always be verified. The old adage "Live by the gouge, die by the gouge" is a good warning . Assigned publications and regulations should always be used as the primary source of reference. But study material does have its place, and here is a list of some very compelling justifications for using it:

- a clean, clear interpretation of otherwise difficult-to-understand pubs and regs

- a consolidation of many related bits and pieces of information culled from a variety of different sources

- a compilation of references to help navigate the unwieldy source material

- a good method for reviewing and studying material in "bite-sized" proportions

Additionally, creating and updating study guides is a thorough and effective way of studying "the books".

• Can I access this web site at home?

If you're at home now, you know the answer to this one. YES! At-home access is one of the great benefits of the Air Force Portal and the subordinate sites that lie within. There are still quite a number of .mil sites that can only be accessed from a .mil server (on base), but the Air Force Portal gives us a version of "secure access" that makes .mil-only server access unnecessary. The Air Force Portal is also consolidating our log-in / password requirements by putting some of these web sites behind the AF Portal's firewall. Once you're logged into My.AF.mil, you're automatically in a host of other sites that had their own log-in / passwords. MyPay and AFPC are good examples of this. Fewer passwords are a good thing. Read about it HERE. Eventually, the AF Portal may require a CAC card access, regardless of location. How we will be equipped with CAC readers from home is left to be determined. We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
 

• What does the "(M)" mean on some of the links?

(M) means that this link is only accessible from a .mil server. You have to be "on base" in other words. The AMC Aircrew Portal is an example of this. Hopefully, all (M) sites will eventually be behind the AF Portal, like THIS site. Sites behind the AF Portal firewall provide security AND allow at-home access, which is a beautiful thing.
 

• Why have a CoP for creating study material?

Publications and regulations change regularly. For study material based on these books, it needs to keep up with the pace of the change. That's too much for any one person to deal with. A cooperative, community effort is the only sensible approach.

Levels of expertise are also raised in a larger group. The more people, the larger the combined experience, the more "experts" there are in a variety of subjects. There's power in numbers. 'Nuff said.

• What is Knowledge Now?

We're not really sure, but here's a story about it, it if you want more info.
 

• Can I start my own CoP?

Absolutely! The C-17 Aircrew Study Group went from "idea" to actual "web site" in about five minutes. If you navigate your way through the Knowledge Now web site, you'll easily find out how to start your own CoP, for whatever purpose you may have in mind. Some are just a few people or many (such as this one). If you'd like a direct link: Request a CoP.
 

• Who is in this group?

A lot of different people with a variety of backgrounds. It's a powerful group. Some have only ever been in C-17s, some in a variety of other aircraft, some are "line swines", and some are instructors and/or evaluators. Some of the members are reservists and their other jobs could be with an airline, or as a simulator instructor, or an IFM manager, or a Boeing engineer, etc. Perhaps the most valuable members are those out on the line, flying routinely. Don't be afraid to participate, whatever your background or experience level. Everyone is a valued group member.

• Who is behind this CoP (who are the administrators)?