WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Maj. Gen. Randall A. Ogden and Chief Master Sgt. Timothy White, 4th Air Force commander and command chief, presented the 445th Maintenance Squadron the 2016 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award during a wing all call Sept. 9.
Each year since 1992, the Chief of Staff Team Excellence Award has been presented by the Air Force Chief of Staff to a team that uses a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve operational performance and create sustained results. Competing teams must have completed a performance improvement within the last two years.
The 445th MXS submitted a team award for greatly reducing C-17 home station check flowtime. The HSC Team used new findings to immediately refine the inspection process and continuously exceeded the goal.
Maj. Sarah Ross, facilitator, is proud of her team and the accomplishments they’ve made and continue to make.
“This award means a lot to us. I am so proud of the men and women who have been a part of our unit improvements. There are so many more people who currently invest in improving the unit beyond those listed on the event team that are truly instrumental in our team winning this award.”
In addition to Ross, team members include Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, champion; Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Riggs, process owner; team members Master Sgts. Dennis Hartwick and Darrell Houston; Tech. Sgts. Michael Blake, Timothy J. Emberton, Jeremy First, Gerald Karkiewicz, Christopher Knight, Chad Lorenz, Brian Neill, Matt Spuhler and Stacy Tomkins; Staff Sgts. Kenneth Burkhardt, Joshua Dewitt, Toron Franklin, Ashley Roberts and Korey Smithward; and Ms. Nichole Morris.
Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, 445th MXS superintendent/HSC champion, said s solution was needed to improve home station checks and to make it a simple, standardized process. An HSC team was created to evaluate the process and look at what was being done with the available manpower.
The predictability of the HSC process put in place at the 445th Airlift Wing allows both Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and MXS to commit quarterly schedules with aircraft scheduled to fly immediately after HSC and the incorporated scheduled maintenance period.