352nd MXS wins Air Force Effectiveness Award

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Dennis Brewer
  • 352nd Special Operations Group Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 352nd Maintenance Squadron earned the 2005 Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award in the medium unit consolidated aircraft maintenance squadron category, designating them one of the best maintenance squadrons in the Air Force. 

While reaching the top flight in any endeavor is difficult, it took team and individual efforts of those assigned to the 352nd MXS to achieve the result. 

“Winning ‘Best in the Air Force’ affirms what I, as a commander, already knew, and what our troops have proven time and time again both individually and as a team,” said Lt. Col. Wes Norris, 352nd MXS commander. “It’s no surprise to me that they won it; they are the best America has to offer.” 

Their accomplishments as a team culminated with success in the 352nd Special Operations Group’s Operational Readiness Inspection in late 2005. During the ORI, maintenance generated nearly 50 sorties, sustaining a 99.5 percent flying scheduling effectiveness rate during the two-week long deployment. 

For one of the graded events, the MC-130 Aircraft Maintenance Unit was required to get four sorties off on time to pass the test. One MC-130H Combat Talon II broke for a fuel cell problem. 

With help from the 100th Maintenance Squadron fuel cell maintainers, the MC-130 AMU fixed the trouble and the aircraft was airborne with less than one minute to spare, according to Chief Master Sgt. Ernest Carradine, 352nd MXS MC-130 AMU flight superintendent. 

Responding to an in-flight emergency during a normal training sortie at home station, maintainers from the MH-53 Helicopter Maintenance Unit manually lowered a stuck nose gear that lodged inside the wheel well of a MH-53 Pave Low IV helicopter while the aircraft was in flight five feet above the ground. 

“It was awesome; it was the first time I’ve ever touched a helicopter while it was hovering,” said Tech. Sgt. Jacob Larsen, 352nd MXS rotor wing flight line expeditor.
It saved time, work and an estimated $1 million in repair cost, had the helicopter landed without the gear extended. “It would have certainly crushed the (forward looking infrared) receiver,” said Sergeant Larsen. 

“Whatever we’re tasked with, as a unit we pull together to meet any challenge, for both real-world deployments and exercises. For instance, less than five days after returning from a major deployment in the Balkans, we complied with the (Air Force Special Operations Command Logistic Standardization Evaluation Team) inspection last week,” said Chief Carradine. 

Despite being busy, unit performance for the LSET inspection was again at its best.
“During the LSET, the troops once again performed magnificently and achieved a superior grade,” said Colonel Norris. 

For the maintenance standardization and evaluation portion, the unit received more than 260 evaluations earning an overall 92.1 percent passing score, which was 10 percent higher than anyone in the command. Significantly, there were zero safety violations. More than 1,400 items were reviewed and 352nd MXS scored a near perfect 99.18 percent compliance rating. There were 24 superior performers, three outstanding teams and two pages of strengths listed by AFSOC inspectors, who called the unit ‘best in AFSOC seen to date.’ 

Before the ORI, the unit racked up more than 50 deployments through the previous 11 months. The mission list includes a presidential support, numerous joint combined exchange training events, and tasking to support Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

“I can’t say one thing or one person’s effort in this unit resulted in winning the MEA,” said Master Sgt. Claude Thompson, fixed wing flight lead production superintendent. “It’s the day-in and day-out hard work exhibited by everyone involved, that’s key to the unit’s success.” 

That ‘hard work’ sentiment is easily defined by Senior Airman Justin Elander, C-130 crew chief. 

“It’s a constant workload,” he said. “And it’s never eight or nine hours a day, it’s more like 10 to 12. Plus every three to four weeks we have weekend duty,” which, according to the senior airman, has been pretty standard since Sept. 11. 

But success is never achieved in a vacuum, is usually accompanied by innovation. 

“We do count on the support of the 100th MXS and 100th Logistic Readiness Squadron, who not only help us get the aircraft out of town, but often deploy and work alongside us down range,” said Sergeant Thompson. “We consider them part of our total team and everyone involved finds a way to accomplish the mission as long as safety and sound maintenance practices are followed.” 

The unit was selected by AFSOC as the first in the command to implement the Air Force Lean initiative; dividends paid off quickly enhancing the maintenance effort. 

Average isochronal inspections taking more than 50 days before Lean, are now taking a little more than 30 days and the new flow plan on the last was 85 percent accurate.
“We’ve taken the big steps and now we’re fine tuning,” said Master Sgt. Greg Bissey, C-130 Isochronal/Aero-Repair section chief. “As we move forward it’ll continue getting better.” 

Continual improvement, working hard and dedication is part of being named the best of the best, however, according to the 22-year veteran it’s more than that. 

“I’ve been assigned to many units over my career,” he said. “This unit has the best working relationships I’ve ever seen — from operators, maintainers, support functions and the back shops we rely on for mission success. 

“We have by-name requests from the aircrews for crew chiefs to go on missions. You see squadron commanders come out to fly their lines, shake hands with the maintainers, they know we’re out there pounding it in the rain, and they’re appreciative. That means a lot,” said Sergeant Bissey.