Photo By Staff Sgt. Kristin Cerri | An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot works with the Electrical and Environmental Systems...... read more read more
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The 442d Maintenance Group conducted its second training day of the year, Aug. 9, 2021, on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The training day provided Airmen dedicated time to master on-the-job maintenance skills, and the 442 MXG invited A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots from the 303d Fighter Squadron to participate in the training.
The training program began as a remedy to the time constraints Traditional Reservists and newer Airmen face during drill weekends to complete learning objectives.
“We use training days to educate these members on the basics,” said Maj. John Goodwin III, the commander of the 442d Maintenance Squadron.
Since the first training day in January, 2021, where the group completed over 580 training objectives, the program continues to grow and improve the wing as a whole.
“This program is just starting to hit its stride,” said Goodwin.
One unique component of the program is the integration with A-10 pilots. Pilots are welcome to attend the training days and pair up with a maintenance flight. There are nearly 20 different career fields in the maintenance group, and the training days give pilots the opportunity to get a glimpse of the intricacies of different work environments.
“Training days help us educate our operator counterparts,” said Goodwin.
Lt. Col. John “Karl” Marks, an experienced A-10 pilot and Assistant Director of the 442d Operations Group, participated in the training on Monday. Marks has worked closely with his crew chiefs for his entire career, assisting them with maintenance and developing professional relationships with them. The maintenance training days helped Marks further appreciate his maintenance counterparts.
“I think the number one thing I take away from working with maintenance is what an enormous amount of effort goes into keeping these aircraft flying,” said Marks. “I know for me, it makes me appreciate it that much more every time I get to go fly.”
The 442 MXG plans to continue with the training days, the next one is scheduled to take place following the Dec. drill weekend.
“I fully expect that our next training day will yield even more benefits as we fine tune this process,” said Goodwin. “The feedback we get is great, participation is high, and so far this is proving to be value-added to this organization’s training culture.”
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2021 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 403149 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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