CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Few would argue that in today's Air Force, training is the foundation of everything we do. It is the bedrock of every mission accomplished, in every career field and in every unit around the globe. In many career fields such as pararescue and security forces, proper training can mean the difference between life and death.
In aircraft maintenance, training is no less critical. Consider the saying, "if an aircraft fails catastrophically in the air, it can't just pull off to the side of the road!"
The 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron used Lean concepts and Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century to kick their 5-level upgrade training to a whole new benchmark and their "Phase 2 Plus" program has been getting a lot of attention. Chief Master Sgt. James Thurman, 437 AMXS superintendent, shaved more than 6 months from the upgrade and qualification timelines for 3-level crew chiefs obtaining their 5-level certifications.
"Given our 24/7 operations, the dwindling number of 7-level trainers and the deployment maintenance recovery team tempo of those trainers, we had to do something to get young trainees matched up with solid experts on a continuous basis," said Chief Thurman.
Traditionally, trainees graduated from technical school and entered Phase I and Phase II maintenance qualification training courses after arriving at Charleston AFB. Once they graduated, after 35 days, they would be assigned to their squadrons and entered into formal upgrade training, which included enrollment in career development courses. They had 12 months to complete all 347 upgrade training tasks and all CDC volumes under the supervision of one to four trainers. Ancillary and readiness training were also added into the 12-month mix. Trainees often went through multiple trainers, supervisors and shift rotations along their path to upgrade.
The new P2P was a unique concept where two 7-level experts were assigned full-time duties to mentor 15 students throughout the process.
The concept: a single trainer or mentor for each trainee throughout the entire process of UGT tasks, CDC progression and all ancillary and readiness training.
The key: the timeline was condensed to just 120 days.
"In effect, we created a full-time, 120-day course taught in-house enabling 3-level maintainers to complete all facets of upgrade and qualification training in just four months," said Maj. Brad Tannehill, 437 AMXS commander.
The first class of 15 produced a 100 percent CDC end-of-course pass rate, a 100 percent Quality Assurance Airman evaluation pass rate and all Airmen reached deployable status as 5-level equivalents more than 6 months earlier than previous method results. The program proved so valuable that the 437th Maintenance Operations Squadron's Maintenance Training Flight created a formal course locally to envelope the initiative. While squadron-wide QA pass rates and aircraft mission-capable rates are dependent upon many external factors, P2P has had a hand in a phenomenal run of success. The fleet's MC rate is the highest in more than 3 years, and the QA pass rate has broken records 5 of the last 7 months and is the best run on record.
"This is a perfect program that combines everything into a small timeframe," said Airman 1st Class Tiffany Perrino, 437 AMXS trainee. "It gave me the confidence I never thought I'd have."
Airman Perrino deployed to theater shortly after her graduation.
In addition to being benchmarked by Air Mobility Command and being adopted by MQTP, the program was recently presented by one of its students, Airman 1st Class Krystopher Johnson, 437th Maintenance Squadron crew chief and also a student, to the Air Force director of AFSO21, Brig. Gen. S. Taco Gilbert.
"Clearly, Charleston is leading the way in AFSO 21," said General Gilbert.
General Gilbert was so impressed, he arranged for Airman Johnson to deliver his message at the Pentagon. Airman Johnson will present the program to Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley May 24.