XLer of the week: Jose Benavidez

Photo By Staff Sgt. Anne Ortiz | Jose Benavidez, 47th Flying Training Wing Maintenance Directorate fuel systems mechanic, was chosen by wing leadership to be the XLer of the week, for the week of Jan. 25, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The XLer award, presented by Col. Charlie Velino, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, is given to those who consistently make outstanding contributions to their unit and the Laughlin mission.  

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, TX, UNITED STATES

01.31.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Anne Ortiz 

47th Flying Training Wing

Jose Benavidez, 47th Flying Training Wing Maintenance Directorate fuel systems mechanic, was chosen by wing leadership to be the XLer of the week, for the week of Jan. 25 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

The XLer award, presented by Col. Charlie Velino, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, is given to those who consistently make outstanding contributions to their unit and the Laughlin mission.

Benavidez, a native of Del Rio, Texas, stepped up to the role of fuel shop branch chief during the shop’s busiest season while leading the shop’s mechanics, which involved overseeing repairs and rendering minimal impact to the mission.

“Because of the fuel leaks, this job helps keep aircraft in the air,” Benavidez said. “We repair fuel leaks on all three aircraft [at Laughlin].”

Benavidez has been working at Laughlin as a mechanic for the last 25 years. According to him his duties have changed recently to include ensuring all the work is distributed among the mechanics and himself and other duties of a supervisor to combat the manning shortage.

“When the supervisor is out, I go to meetings for him and I’m his point of contact for him,” Benavidez said.

During this time of high operations tempo, Benavidez organized his team and helped keep up morale during a time of heavy overtime, and volunteered himself to lead the overtime shifts. Their collective efforts resulted in reducing the number of non-mission-capable aircraft.

“You can tell some shops do less when their supervisor is not in, but ours is not like that so [our supervisor] has no worries when he’s here,” Benavidez said. “There are times when we work 12-hour shifts and work four to four. When [the shop is operational] 24 hours, it [fixes] the planes out more quickly.”

Being the busiest time of year due to the change of temperature and the way the colder weather effects aircraft fuel tanks, Benavidez helped his team overcome the challenges they faced from manning shortages and a surge in maintenance demands. In the end, according to Benavidez, his shop is a key member to mission success and earned him this week’s XLer.

• Date Taken: 01.31.2018
• Date Posted: 02.06.2018 17:17
• Story ID: 264253
• Location: LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, TX, US
• Hometown: DEL RIO, TX, US