3rd Component Maintenance Squadron earns DoD award

  • Published
  • By Chris McCann
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The 3rd Component Maintenance Squadron was recently awarded the 2010 Secretary of Defense's Field-Level Maintenance Award for Small Organizations.
 
To recognize this achievement and take back lessons for other Department of Defense organizations, John B. Johns, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for maintenance policy and programs, visited Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson March 9 through 11.

"(The squadron) is among the very best," Johns said, and explained the unit's commitment to innovation was the biggest factor.

"They're always looking for ways to improve and make themselves better ... more than any piece of equipment is the attitude of innovation. That's exportable," he said.

"There's a culture of leadership at every level, from the commander all the way down to the junior Airmen," Johns continued.

"They all talked very articulately about what they do and why they do it.

They're committed to getting the job done, and there's a lot of innovation; they're not sitting around waiting for someone else to fix the problems, they're fixing them themselves. That's their job, and they know it."

During 2009, the squadron helped the 3rd Wing support 480 F-15 and F-22 combat loads and launch 131 sorties intercepting aircraft.

The wing supported six major deployments, and achieved the best F-22 mission-capable rating in the Combat Air Forces - 20 percent higher than any other wing.

The squadron also resolved a previously-undetected safety issue which resulted in Air Force-wide changes to the flight manual.

It also was a year of major changes and some flights moved to new facilities, and through it all, they maintained a high standard.

Technical Sgt. Christopher Covert, a native of Missoula, Mont., works in the "Hush House," testing aircraft engines after repairs. Covert explained to Johns what the section had done during 2009, including replacing the Cold War-era sodium lights with fluorescent lights and painting the floor to make leaks more visible, increasing the shop's efficiency, and in turn, the confidence the Airmen have in their work.

"When I sign my name to a document, there's not a shadow of a doubt in my mind or in the pilot's mind that the engine is good," Covert said.

Air Force Master Sgt. Joseph Hamon serves as the Propulsion Flight supervisor. A native of Richland, Wash., he said that while the award was unexpected, it wasn't surprising either.

"I've been in the Air Force for 18 years, and no kidding, this is the best unit I've ever been in," Hamon said.

"The level of professionalism and the maintenance of standards are incredibly high," Hamon continued. "We do things the right way, and I'm proud of that."

The flight is responsible for checking the linings of engines, and keeping up with supply could be difficult because linings are used by a few different sections, in different locations around base.

The flight created a database - the first of its kind in the DoD - to track liner wear and use across the base, so there is a constantly updated inventory.

"It's a parts-forecasting tool," Hamon explained. "It's the only operational one out there - we're sharing it, but so far we're unique."

The innovation doesn't stop with the Propulsion Flight.

In the egress section, Airmen work on the pilot-ejection systems.

Senior Airman Christina Falkenburg, a native of Cochranton, Penn., explained that Airmen in the unit discovered corrosion on a critical part.

"There was corrosion on the clevis rod that keeps tension on the handle - what keeps the seat from popping out," Falkenburg said.
 
"That could affect lives. It was only on a few planes, and we were the only base that was affected by it."

She explained that the climate may be to blame - the planes fly from JBER to Guam and Japan, which can be a massive temperature difference - but so far there's no definitive answer as to the cause.

The usual fix would be to remove the seats to check for corrosion.

That's difficult, given space and time restrictions, but it can't be ignored; if the rod failed, the pilot could be ejected without 
warning.

The unit overcame that challenge by using bore scopes, which necessitated much less disassembly of the planes and minimized the downtime while still permitting detailed inspection to ensure the rods are in good condition.

Air Force maintenance manuals were changed to reflect the necessity of checking the clevises - but without the keen work of the 3rd CMS, it might have gone unnoticed.

Johns awarded coins to Airmen of the squadron for a job well done, and pointed out the phoenix on the back, nestled among the symbols of each branch of service.

"That phoenix symbolizes the rebirth of readiness due to maintenance," Johns told a gathered group in Hangar 19.

"That's the most important part," Johns said.

Johns will take his findings back to Washington, D.C.

"They're definitely among the best," Johns said. "They're well deserving of the award. I can see why they won.

(Editor's note: for photos of the visit go to the JBER Flickr page and click on 3rd CMS.)