Crew chief program motivates performance

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Allison M. Boehm
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  A select, highly-skilled group of Barksdale maintainers were recently recognized for their commitment to aircraft performance and equipment condition by being named dedicated crew chiefs.

The recently re-established Dedicated Crew Chief Program has been an Air Force tradition for decades and gives crew chiefs the opportunity to be recognized as the top crew chiefs of Barksdale, home of Air Force Global Strike Command.

"The dedicated crew chief becomes the focal point for knowing their aircraft; the nooks and crannies, the quirks, the history," said Tech. Sgt. Tracey Williams, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Unit Airframe Powerplant General assistant section chief. "They become a part of the jets legacy for putting combat power in the air and bombs on target."

To do so, the dedicated crew chiefs are responsible for all maintenance on the assigned aircraft they are dedicated to as well as perform preflight, thru-flight, hourly post-flight, and launch and recovery actions in direct support of their unit's flying schedule, which is above and beyond that of the duties of a crew chief. They also provide a safe and reliable weapons platform in support of flight crews conducting global operational taskings.

The dedicated crew chiefs are evaluated out of the best-of-the-best crew chiefs from the group of eligible APG; then they are put through a one-week program to enhance their skills.

Since the dedicated crew chiefs and assistant dedicated crew chiefs are selected on the basis of initiative, leadership, management ability, technical knowledge, and experience, the title of dedicated crew chief is a title to strive for.

"This position is one that maintainers strive for," said Staff Sgt. Sean Ahern, 96th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief. "To know that the Air Force trusts me with the responsibility of ensuring this aircraft is completely mission-capable draws a great sense of pride. Being a part of this program allows maintenance to be more proficient and produce the highest quality of work, which improves the flying program."

Although still not 100 percent manned, leadership, managers and technicians alike believe a revitalized Dedicated Crew Chief Program will have a positive impact on the mission and unit moral.

According to Master Sgt. David Bennett, 96th Aircraft Maintenance Unit APG section chief, directly assigning a maintenance Airman to each Barksdale aircraft, continuity and accuracy of aircraft forms, status's and scheduled maintenance is provided and aircraft appearance and performance is improved, thus helping to ensure mission success.

"Our dedicated crew chiefs devotion to the mission makes them stand out," said Capt. Tanisha Washington, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge. "Their amount of knowledge of the aircraft is above and beyond what is expected from them, they give that little extra whether it's staying behind to make sure their jet looks the best or they fix delayed discrepancies in the forms for preventative maintenance without being asked, we already have the best crew chiefs in the Air Force, so our dedicated crew chiefs are truly the best of the best."