The Kansas City Royals 3 All-Time Hits Leaders

The recipient of a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Charles Polomsky is a retired United States Air Force C-17 pilot who accumulated more than 2,900 flight hours throughout his 20-year career. A fan of baseball, Charles Polomsky counts the Kansas City Royals as his favorite Major League Baseball (MLB) team.

The Royals have played in MLB since 1969 and have had six players record at least 1,500 hits with the team. Below are its three leaders in that category:

1. George Brett - Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, Brett played his entire 21-year career with the Royals and accumulated a franchise-best 3,154 hits, which also ranks 18th in MLB history. The 13-time All-Star also won American League MVP in 1980.

2. Frank White - A native of Greenville, Mississippi, White played 18 seasons with the Royals from 1973 to 1990, during which time he registered 2,006 hits. A five-time All-Star, he also had 160 home runs and 886 runs batted in (RBI).

3. Amos Otis - Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1965 MLB Amateur Draft, Otis played for Kansas City from 1970 to 1983. A five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, he recorded 1,977 hits, 193 home runs, and 992 RBI with the team.

A Look at the 2019 A/TA Convention, Symposium, and Exposition

As a member of the United States Air Force for over 20 years, Charles Polomsky served as a C-17 pilot, compiling over 2,900 flight hours, including nearly 400 combat hours. He also boasts over 650 hours as a flight instructor. Now retired, Charles Polomsky continues to support the air mobility capability of the US military as a member of the Airlift/Tanker Association (A/TA).

With a membership body comprising active and retired military personnel as well as civilian and corporate military supporters, A/TA promotes and advances military-related aerospace research and technology. The organization's various activities include its annual A/TA Convention, Symposium, and Air Mobility Technology Exposition.

In 2019, the A/TA Convention, Symposium, and Exposition took place October 23-26 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida. The four-day event featured nearly two dozen seminars covering a variety of topics, including flight demands in polar environments, conditioned-based maintenance, and the future of space mobility. Convention programming also included presentations from Col. Gail Halverson, the famed "Berlin Candy Bomber," and Lt. Col. Kathy LaSauce, the US military's first female aircraft maintenance officer and Aerial Port Squadron commander.

Outside of the seminars and presentations, attendees at the 2019 A/TA Convention had the opportunity to take part in networking breakfasts, the A/TA Hall of Fame Banquet, and other social activities. Dozens of exhibiting companies were also on hand to introduce attendees to the latest aviation products and technologies. A/TA members and supporters are now looking ahead to the 2020 A/TA Convention, which will be held October 29-November 1 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kansas Royals Seek to Shore up Pitching in off Season

Recently retired, Charles Polomsky was a decorated U.S. Air Force pilot and commander who enjoys a wide range of sports, from golf to basketball. Charles Polomsky also follows Kansas City sports teams, including the Royals of Major League Baseball.

With the Kansas City Royals’ performance having been hampered by unreliable pitching in 2019, a focus of the team during the offseason is on shoring up its pitching staff. One important piece of the puzzle promises to be Jesse Hahn, a right-hander who sat out two years following elbow surgery in 2017. Having successfully pitched six games of relief in September, Hahn will bring a potent fastball with consistent strike out potential to the lineup.

Another noteworthy pitching addition is Stephen Woods Jr., who was acquired from the farm system of the Tampa Bay Rays. Having scouted Woods out of high school, the Royals see long-term potential in a 24 year old who notched a 1.88 ERA and 9-3 record with the Florida State League’s Charlotte Stone Crabs last year.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

 
A longtime US Air Force officer, Charles Polomsky served the past 2 years as chief of Air Base Wing Command 628 in Charleston, South Carolina. For the past 18 years, he has also piloted the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for the Air Force. Charles Polomsky received a 2007 academic award for his performance in the C-17 Weapons Instructor Course.

Developed for the Air Force by McDonnell Douglas in advance of the company’s 1997 acquisition by Boeing, the C-17 builds on a military cargo aircraft history that began with the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and continued with the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. The Air Force has used the C-17 constantly since the first production model reached Joint Base Charleston in 1993.

Uniquely adept at transporting high numbers of troops, large amounts of supplies, and sizeable pieces of equipment, the C-17 can fly long distances with optimum stability even when heavily weighed down. This four-engine, T-tailed aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of 170,900 pounds and can airdrop more than 100 paratroopers with all necessary equipment.