AFMSC

  July 1946 to April 1974

  United States of America

TYPE: USAAF unit

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Unknown

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Unknown

The AFMSC was the Air Force Manager (Director) of Statistical Control, essentially the USAAF agency in charge of record keeping. It was composed of a network of Statistical Control Units (SCU), some coordinated and some not, that collected all types of data. Their people turned it into reports that could be used for planning and operations, from top-level strategic decisions down to the logistics of supplying and maintaining the Air Forces in the field, including aircraft, personnel, and supplies. Some of that data was keyed into the automated IBM punch-card system that created the aircraft record cards. For overseas aircraft, the information entered was essentially an accounting system of aircraft location (by command, not geographically), and status at a given time.

All of the data filtered up through the system of commands and made its way to the central Statistical Control Office where it was entered into a Master Book. In cases where a given regional SCU adding information to an aircraft record had not received a report about the when/where/why of a given plane, the matter would be referred to the office of the Director of Statistical Control who would consult the master book to see if they had received that information through another reporting channel. If they had, that information went on the record card. If they did not, LOST, MISS, UNK, or MISC, or one of several other codes was entered. Finally, at some point, the aircraft that was unaccounted for and eventually dropped from inventory without a final determination so that it could be written off the books at the Budget office, sometimes years afterward.

As such, the AFMSC was not an agency that had administrative control of any aircraft and could make assignments and transfers, such as a particular numbered Air Force. It simply had the authority to determine what should be reported on record card, and that authority was vested in the Manager (Director was his official title) of Statistical Control (i.e. the "chief bean counter"). Quite often his determination of aircraft status did not occur until well after the fact, so the entry on an individual aircraft record card might appear out of chronological sequence with the other lines.

- Special thanks to James Gray of the Sentinel Owners & Pilots Association for his contribution.