Crew chiefs’ hard work, dedication pays off

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Frances Locquiao
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Through hard work and dedication, three crew chiefs from the 723rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron accomplished one of the rarest achievements for their career field.

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Gibbs, Senior Airman Ryan James and Airman 1st Class Steven Grothoff witnessed their HC-130P Hercules, tail number 65-0987, fly with a black-letter initial.

Having this special distinction meant the aircraft needed no work orders or maintenance prior to flight because there were zero known discrepancies.

"It's a significant event because having a black-letter initial means an aircraft has been taken care of," said Master Sgt. William Crider, 723rd AMXS aircraft personnel general section chief. "The three Airmen worked overdrive for well over a month to make it happen."

It may be a surprise for many that this event seldom occurs in the maintenance world.

"This is the second time I've seen a black-letter initial, and I've been in the Air Force for more than 20 years," said Sergeant Crider. "It's something that's very difficult to achieve because many discrepancies are typically detected during pre-flight inspections."

Crew chiefs are responsible for inspection of their aircraft from top to bottom before each flight.

After a thorough pre-flight inspection that lasts approximately two-and-a-half hours, all discrepancies are recorded in an Air Force technical order form 781A.

A red X symbol on the form signifies that an aircraft is grounded due to major discrepancies. A dash identifies an unknown discrepancy or an inspection is needed, while a diagonal symbol means an aircraft is flyable with minor discrepancies.

"There are usually stacks of paper detailing discrepancies and what has been done to fix them," said Sergeant Crider. "But for this particular aircraft, there was one single sheet with Sergeant Gibbs' initials."

Several Moody aircrafts have come close to flying with zero discrepancies. However, an aircraft can have minor discrepancies and still be considered flyable.

Minor discrepancies include servicing of tires, lights burned out and aircraft skin requiring spot paint.

"We've worked hard to get our C-130 in the best possible condition for flight," said Sergeant Gibbs. "It was a team effort and I'm proud of the fact my aircraft made it this far."
Sergeant Gibbs and his crew continue to work hard to maintain their aircraft in hopes of reaching this achievement once again.

"This is a huge and rare accomplishment," said Sergeant Crider. "From top to bottom, the 71st Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chiefs, specialists, production line and supervision did an outstanding job--without them the black-letter initial flight wouldn't have been possible."