RAF Mildenhall recognizes dedicated crew chief in official ceremony

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacia Zachary
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Col. Kenneth T. Bibb Jr., 100th Air Refueling Wing commander, received his maintenance Wingman in a dedicated crew chief ceremony Oct. 30, 2013, on RAF Mildenhall, England.

This ceremony recognized U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Scott Kenady, 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief, as the maintenance expert for his assigned aircraft, the KC-135 Stratotanker.

During the ceremony, Bibb remarked on the critical trust placed in the aircraft maintainers stationed here.

"We're part of the greatest air force in the history of the world, and no one has a greater impact on freedom than the 100th [ARW]," he said. "When I look at this beautiful airplane, I'm reminded of how critical you are and the trust we have in our maintenance family.

"It takes an entire maintenance group to launch an airplane," Bibb continued. "I remember the '57 Chevy my grandpa gave me, and how much trouble I had keeping that running; yet these guys manage to keep this '58 model airplane running great. That's saying something."

To be selected as a dedicated crew chief, maintainers must have extensive knowledge of the aircraft, complete a crew chief class and accumulate the required amount of time on the designated airframe. Additionally, the selected Airmen must embody key characteristics: strong leadership and an internal drive to succeed.

"(This dedicated crew chief program will) directly assign a maintenance member to each aircraft to provide continuity/accuracy for forms, status, maintenance and aircraft appearance," said Maj. Kathryn Mobley, 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron executive officer. "They basically become the supervisor of their plane and manage everything that happens to it. Their name is also placed on the side of the aircraft."

The DCC ceremony pays homage to a common practice in the U.S. Air Force where a maintainer is paired with pilot.

"This is a long-standing tradition and is in AFI 21-101 (Aircraft and Equipment Maintenance Management)," said Mobley, from El Paso, Texas. "A lot of units have gone away from the program because we don't necessarily have the manning to perform the DCC program as required. So getting back on track with the AFI and tradition, this gives (us) the opportunity for (our) DCC's to have pride, morale and ownership to their specific aircraft."

Holding an official ceremony reiterates the importance of pairing a DCC with the aircraft's pilot. For the enlisted Airman selected for the role, it's a milestone that leaves a lasting impact.

The honor to be selected as the dedicated crew chief for the wing flagship aircraft was not lost on Kenady. He also acknowledged the position requires a lot of hard work, as well as extra eyes on him.

"From here, my goal is to continue training to be better at what I do so those I work with can be the best of the best," said Kenady, from McKinney, Texas.

(Editor's note: There will be a second ceremony honoring another 14 dedicated crew chiefs when additional personnel redeploy after supporting contingency operations.)