Crew chiefs ready for Global Strike Challenge

Photo By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Gonsier | Col. Stephen Petters, back right, 2nd Maintenance Group commander, and Col. Paul Fortunato, front right, 2nd Medical Group commander, give words of wisdom to the coaches and members of the crew chief team as they prepare for the 2012 Global Strike Challenge on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 20. The team consists of two main competitors, three alternates and two coaches.  

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA, UNITED STATES

08.20.2012

Story by Airman 1st Class Benjamin Gonsier 

2nd Bomb Wing

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - To ensure victory in this year's Global Strike Challenge, crew chiefs from the 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron have been training for months perfecting their trade.

Five crew chiefs had their final preparation for the command's annual bomber competition, Aug. 20, during a dry run one week before the actual event.

"The crew chiefs who were selected are the best of the best," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Bayne, 2 AMXS.

During the evaluation practice, Bayne and his team of crew chiefs take the inspector through a portion of a pre-flight. The pre-flight includes the necessary maintenance and inspections made to ready an aircraft for takeoff.

"Our job is to show the inspector how we perform a pre-flight by using the methods we have learned throughout technical school and the experience we bring to the field," Bayne said.

During their final practice, the inspector is a Barksdale airman who knows the crew chief job well.

"My ultimate goal is to make the wing better and give them a fair assessment," said Staff Sgt. Wesley Cantrell, 2nd Maintenance Group quality assurance and crew chief. "We help them improve themselves by getting to the root cause of any problem."

Quality assurance is the closest the wing can get to the actual inspectors, Cantrell added. By giving the crew chiefs a physical evaluation of their performance, QA is able to prepare them for the competition and correct them on how to do their job better.

"The one thing they need to know is the correct way of doing their job," Cantrell said. "They need to know where the information is, how to obtain the information and where the references are."

The Air Force is a well-oiled machine, he added. If someone does not know something off the top of their head, they know the information is out there and easily accessible.

With 15 years of experience working on the B-52H Stratofortress, Bayne knows this well. Throughout his career, he has developed methods that allow him to get the job done quickly and effectively. His experience and seniority has made him the leader of a team that has one thing on their mind.

"Our goal is definitely to win," he said. "Winning shows the rest of the Air Force that just because this aircraft may be a historical portion of America's history, it's still an aircraft that can carry the tip of the sword when it comes to bombing."

While the challenge has command level implications, Bayne realizes there is something more important involved.

"What I've learned from this is where my airmen are," he said. "It gives me something to gauge off of, knowing what we need to work on more and may need to pay less attention to."

Barksdale crew chiefs are hard at work preparing for this year's Global Strike Challenge, and the 2 MXG is ready to prove to the MAJCOM they are the best of the best.

• Date Taken: 08.20.2012
• Date Posted: 08.21.2012 18:51
• Story ID: 93597
• Location: BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA, US