Photo By Tech. Sgt. Daniel Farrell | Airmen from the 106th Maintenance Group, assigned to the New York Air National Guard...... read more read more
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F.S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. -- U.S. Air Force Major General Denise M. Donnell, Assistant Adjutant General and Commander of the New York Air National Guard, congratulated the 106th Maintenance Group during a group formation, May 3rd, in recognition of earning the Air National Guard’s “Maintenance Effectiveness Award” for 2023 in the small aircraft maintenance category.
“What you do every day is amazing,” Donnell said. “It is absolutely deserved.”
The award, which will be formally presented in August at the National Guard Bureau Commander’s Conference, has three criteria – Mission Accomplishment, Innovative and Effective Use of Resources, and Personnel Quality of Life.
The small maintenance category is defined as an Air Guard maintenance unit with 25-300 personnel.
“The Maintenance Effectiveness Award recognizes the 106th Maintenance Group’s culture of excellence in planning, precision, professionalism, and the Airmen’s ability to pivot based on executing the mission in a dynamic environment,” said Col. Neil Theisen, 106th Maintenance Group commander.
The group succeeded in the category of Mission Accomplishment by keeping the aircraft flying, Theisen said. In 2023 the wing recorded the highest number of flying hours in 25 years, according to Theisen. This is as far back as the recorded data goes, he added.
Additionally, the maintainers generated 67% more flying hours than the previous 5-years, Theisen said.
“Every day you face different challenges that, as a group, you have to overcome,” said Tech. Sgt. James Cassela, a 106th Maintenance Group crew chief. “The adaptation that we all face on a daily basis is the main driving factor for us achieving the historical flying hours.”
During the wing’s participation in Operation Tapio in Brazil in August of 2023, the wing generated 66 flight hours and 22 sorties.
“Imagine the strategic geopolitical impact at that moment if we ‘broke’,” said Theisen. “We truly made maintenance a language of influence.”
Donnell also praised the maintainers for their accomplishments during the Brazilian exercise.
“I saw firsthand at Tapio a couple of years ago,” Donnell said. “Exercising, engaging on many different levels…and the different touch points for rescue, and then on the way home being prepared to support a hurricane response.”
“That’s what it is all about,” Donnell continued. “Being ready so that when the time comes, and the call comes in, the aircraft, our Airmen, are ready to respond.”
The group accomplished the category of Innovative Effective Use of Resources by incorporating virtual reality technology for training, Theisen said.
The virtual reality trainer enables maintainers in the engine shop to get realistic and detailed hands-on engine system related experience without taking an aircraft out of service for training purposes, he added.
The group also adopted a management method called Theory of Constraints, which focuses on identifying the most critical bottlenecks in the maintenance shop, prioritizing resources toward alleviating that bottleneck and then moving to the next bottleneck, Theisen said.
These techniques allowed the maintenance Airmen to accomplish more than they would have otherwise, Theisen said.
The group created a Multi-Capable Airman program through a planned and deliberate training process, expanding their skillset above their traditional job focus, Theisen said.
Theisen listed an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crew chief cross-training to learn how to tow and launch a C-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft as an example.
Personnel quality of life benchmark was reached by putting in place a four-day work week, Theisen said.
The group also put in place a Safety Spot Inspection program and worked to certify CPR and Tactical Causality Combat Care instructors.
The maintenance group also took part in the development of the 106th Rescue Wing STEM Camp, which was the first Department of Defense STEM Camp.
“The amount of work that goes into receiving this award is immeasurable,” Casella said. “It is a testament to our team’s commitment, effectiveness and knowledge of upholding standards. Everyone played an important and specific role which we are all proud of.”
This award is very important, Theisen said.
“This is about recognizing the pursuit of the warfighter readiness while pushing to operate beyond the traditional boundaries of what it means to be an Air Force Maintainer,” Theisen said.
The 106th Rescue Wing, based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft and the HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2024 17:51 |
| Story ID: | 471970 |
| Location: | WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 130 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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