Photo By 1st Lt. Amelia Leonard | Master Sgt. Leo Burbee, 104th Maintenance Group structural maintenance supervisor, and...... read more read more
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Master Sgt. Leo Burbee, 104th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group structural maintenance supervisor, and Master Sgt. Bob Oleksak, 104MXG fabrication element supervisor, were presented with the 2020 Massachusetts Air National Guard Co-Innovator of the Year Awards by Brig. Gen. John Driscoll, commander of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the Air Force Achievement Medal by Capt. Jason Hickox, 104th Maintenance Squadron commander, Nov. 14, 2020, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts.
The MANG Innovation Award recognizes Burbee and Oleksak’s innovative drive and spirit. From idea to inception and development, they introduced a cost-effective F-15 Eagle panel repair technology to the Air Force. They engineered a solution in a way that will save the Air National Guard approximately $150,000 and 650 man-hours annually.
Their process repairs damaged and out-of-tolerance fastener holes and not only fixes panels and doors, but also helps strengthen them. It will reduce the time necessary to fix each jet from six hours to one, using this new method. “Our proposal is a cold work aircraft panel repair technology that significantly saves time, material and labor,” said Oleksak.
Between the two of them, they have more than 51 years of experience in the fabrication element, said Chief Master Sgt. Chester Bennett, 104MXG equipment maintenance flight chief. “When they told me they had some sort of tool that’s going to make it easier on their fabrication troops to get the job done, I completely trusted them,” Bennett said.
They presented their idea to the National Guard Bureau’s Innovation competition panel this past June after competing and winning at the local and regional level. They placed second nationally, against more than 200 competitors.
They figured out what needed to be fixed and how to save time and money, do it smarter, cheaper and better, said Driscoll, who sat on the competition panel at the state-level. “They showed leadership through innovation,” he said. “Leadership is not by rank or position. It is by an action. Good ideas know no ranks.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to present their idea to the NGB remotely via video teleconference. “They were part comedy, part serious, all discipline and all Barnestormer,” said Col. Tom Bladen, commander of the 104th Fighter Wing. “They rocked it. I couldn’t be prouder. They are what makes Barnes great,” he said.
One of the Department of Defense’s priorities is innovative spirit and mindset, so although their idea placed second in the competition, the Air National Guard will be funding and implementing their process across the entire F-15 fleet.
“Not only does this process save the government money, more importantly, it reduces repair time, which increases aircraft availability and combat readiness,” said Lt. Col. Pete Carr, 104MXG commander. "Additionally, this process can be used on other airframes as well, so this process will impact all service branches in the Department of Defense,” he said.
Their collective innovation mindset extends beyond this one F-15 repair solution. They are heavily involved in the maintenance of static aircraft displays at Barnes, said Bennett. “They are being innovative and grabbing other unit’s scrap metal and turning it into something that can be enjoyed by the 104th Fighter Wing members for years to come.”
The Massachusetts National Guard wants to foster the same kind of creative drive in all of its members. The innovator competition begins at the state-level by submitting ideas to the Patriot Pitch program. From there, four finalists are selected to compete for a slot at the regional level, and ultimately in front of a panel at the National Guard Bureau. Although the deadline for 2020 submissions has passed, members from the Massachusetts National Guard are encouraged to begin brainstorming ideas for the 2021 submission season.
“It was an exciting ride throughout the escalating levels of competition, and we never thought we would get as far as we did,” said Oleksak. “We would not hesitate to bring any other innovative ideas to this competition,” he said.
For more information on how to submit your idea to Patriot Pitch, go to www.innovatedefense.net/mang-patriot-pitch
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2020 19:50 |
| Story ID: | 383045 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 265 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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