Quality Assurance checking it out

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason McCasland
  • Staff Sgt. Jason McCasland
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La --  Maintaining "Excellence in all we do" is every Airmen's job, though for the Airmen of the 2nd Maintenance Group Quality Assurance office, it's also their mission.

Quality Assurance Airmen are maintenance experts who work to identify trends, provide support and advice, and handle difficult or unique maintenance situations from more than 64 different sections they inspect daily.

By identifying trends, QA can ensure the level of maintenance performed by 2 MXG is up to Air Force standards; this allows any negative trends to be addressed and ultimately corrected or improved and positive trends to be maintained.

"QA is the checks and balance system for maintainers and what they do on the flightline and back shops," said Master Sgt. Bryn Lochman, 2nd Maintenance Squadron production superintendent.

This group of highly skilled and motivated technical and staff sergeants are the eyes and ears of the MXG commander. They use the Maintenance Standardization and Evaluation Plan as a contract with the different sections to establish what and how QA inspectors evaluate maintenance, said Master Sgt. Sean Brasier, 2 MXG quality assurance inspector .

As advisors, QA Airmen can help the 2 MXG work through problems that arise on the flightline, back shops and aircraft by researching other bases QAs or asking engineers to help find solutions to the problems, Brasier said.

In addition to inspections, QA manages the technical orders maintainers use for day-to-day maintenance practices. These inspectors at the Technical Order Distribution Office ensure the maintainers are using the most up to date TO's and have the best information possible to do their jobs.

According to Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Baker, QA inspector 2 MXG, the inspectors not only possess the knowledge and experience of their respective career fields, they have an eye for details and the ability to assess the performance and quality of work conducted within the maintenance group.

However, QA not only handles inspections; they are the group focal point for component discrepancies and technical data improvement suggestions. This means they address and coordinate repairs for parts or equipment with reoccurring problems.

"Quality Assurance is an integral part of the 2 MXG's ability to put warheads on foreheads and for the Air Force to fly, fight and win," said Brasier.