Photo By Spc. Cal Turner | Coweta, Okla., native Spc. Dustin Wybrant, an AH-64D Apache crew chief for Company A,...... read more read more
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By Capt. Guyton Robinson
1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade's "Avengers" maintenance team helps the "Warrior Brigade" set the standard for aviation maintenance at the company level.
Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st ACB, 1st Cavalry Division, have led their brigade in Apache flight hours for an individual company every month of the deployment to date – largely because of their proactive maintenance program and pursuit of accomplishing major inspections and repairs at the unit level.
"We believe in (being proactive); that's pretty much getting anything done that we're able to, so it won't bite us on the butt later on. It helps us keep these aircraft ready to go at any given time," said Houston native Sgt. Yadder Mejia, an AH-64D Apache crew chief for Co. A.
The mechanics take pride in the fact that they are referred to as pit crews by their supervisors. Their goal is to turn their aircraft around as quickly as possible to get it back into the air so that it can contribute to the overall mission.
"The first time I heard us compared to a NASCAR pit crew was by Lt. Col. (Christopher) Walach (1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment commander) because he sees how we work as a team. We each have our own roll and we know exactly what has to be done," said Mejia.
Still, there are some major differences between a pit crew at racing event and the Avengers, said San Diego native Spc. Benjamin Davis an Apache crew chief for Co. A.
"NASCAR pit crews work for the paycheck and T.V. – we work for something a lot larger than that. We work to get the aircraft up to save lives. It's not about the big paycheck," he said.
The maintenance team strives to return aircraft to fully mission capable status in as little time as possible by eliminating minor problems that can add up. As a result, Co. A was the first company in the 1st ACB to complete a 125-hour inspection – a scheduled, major maintenance event at the line-company level.
"What we try to do is eliminate the small things when we do an inspection like getting everything coordinated and parts ready before we do the inspection. These are the small things that help us get aircraft fully mission capable a little more quickly," said Spc. Dustin Wybrant, a crewmember with Co. A.
The Avenger mechanics stick to common sense principles that help them to complete the inspection in less than five hours without any outside assistance from other companies.
"We have all our parts out, ready, waiting for the aircraft. We don't try to run back and forth to the hangers, like other people might do, and waste time – that's common sense," said Wybrant, a native of Coweta, Okla.
When the aircraft rotors stop turning, the crew chiefs swarm the aircraft to begin all of the maintenance tasks required in the 125-hour inspection.
"Our drive is completing the task the right way in the least amount of time that it can be done; we want that bird back in the fight as soon as possible, taking down the enemy," said Wybrant.
The Avenger's whole operation from start to finish is organized to prevent needless trips to various shops which can slow down the overall speed of the task. The company has increased their performance on the 125-hour inspections from eight hours down to nearly half that time at four hours and 30 minutes.
While the team comes together to accomplish large maintenance tasks, their maintenance philosophy truly revolves around their pride in taking care of the aircraft that they are assigned.
"We all as individuals have our own birds and we try to take care of them and clean them as best as possible. The last thing the pilot needs to worry about is dirt in the flight controls or a glare in the window," said Wybrant.
The Avenger mechanics look at their aircraft as a reflection of their unit. The cockpits of Alpha Company are consistently sparkling and showroom clean.
Individual successes are team successes in Alpha Company, and each time a pilot returns from a successful mission the mechanics know that they are as much a part of that mission as the pilots. The Avenger maintenance team is the driving force behind the Apaches that patrol the skies over Baghdad daily.
"A successful day is completing everything that is scheduled before leaving," said Mejia.
Although completing tasks are extremely important, the ultimate goal of the Apache is what some of the Co. A crew chiefs find most important.
"To me, a successful day is when the birds go out there...and save our guys on the ground," said Wybrant.
The Avengers owe their success to their mentor, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Keith Yoakum, a maintenance test pilot and fellow Avenger who died in combat, Feb. 2, protecting his wing-men, said Wybrant.
Yoakum taught them the maintenance principles and outlook that are still the driving force behind their success.
"We try to carry on Mr. Yoakum's legacy by always pushing ourselves harder. He was a man that always wanted us to do better because he knew that we could," said Mejia.
"Mr. Yoakum was the hardest working person I've ever seen. When you have someone working harder than the lowest private out there on the flight line – as a CW4 – it tells you a lot about that person. We just try to work harder everyday because we know that's what he would want," said Wybrant.
The Co. A Soldiers intend to honor CW4 Yoakum's memory by achieving the company's mission of providing mission ready aircraft over the skies of Baghdad to support coalition operations throughout the unit's deployment.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2007 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 9321 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 312 |
| Downloads: | 234 |
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