UshkaEngHonors101: Unit 5 Team Experience

Unit 5 Team Experience

In 2005, I was hand-picked to be part of a best of the best aircraft maintenance team for the Air Force. This team was formed to compete in a biennial international competition known as the Air Mobility Rodeo. The Air Mobility Rodeo brings together teams from the United States and around the world to test and improve tactics in a competitive environment. In this environment, aircraft maintenance teams are pushed to their limits and beyond to display skills and demonstrate capabilities. The mission of our team was to present as close as possible a discrepancy-free aircraft at competition. During the competition, our team was evaluated by highly trained evaluators while performing preflight inspections, post-flight inspections, refueling operations, recovery/ launch operations, and adherence to safety.

     As with any team building, I have experienced in the past, we had our ups and down, our conflicts and conflict resolutions, and our good days and bad days. Out of the 8 of us on the team, 2 members had 10 plus years on the airframe with which we were competing with. These two essentially took control of the operations but in the end they were the two who kept us from taking first place. So we had a dynamic group of people with varying personalities and experiences.  Six months out from competition, we started preparing the aircraft through daily repairs, cleaning, and cosmetic touch-ups. We created a strong bond with each; spending more time with each other than our own families.

     We as team were partially successful in completing our goal; taking second place in the competition overall. We gave a 110% but due to excessive alcohol use and some team member’s egocentric personalities, we failed to attain first place within the competition. However, we did leave with the pride of taking first place for best post-flight inspection. Our success was a direct result of our preparation, diligence, and daily training. Coming home from competition, we felt a sense of pride knowing we had given our blood, sweat, and tears to this aircraft and to each other.

Short Response 4

After finishing my degree in Aerospace Technology, I hope to go on to be employed by one of the many leaders in the aerospace world. A couple different companies include Boeing and Lockheed Martin. These companies are leaders in the aerospace industry, they are well known for their technological advances as well as the many aerospace vehicles produced annually. They have made history with the products and services they offer and the creation and use of technology. Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world.

My career goal is to have a position as an Aerospace Quality Control Inspector. Quality control inspectors in this industry work on a variety of different airframes, and program types, spanning both the civilian and military sectors. Some of the specific duties will be to inspect maintenance, adjustments, repairs, modifications and alterations made on aircraft. Examine complex avionics and aircraft electrical components for airworthiness and proper installation. Evaluate aircraft maintenance tasks for compliance with applicable aircraft technical data, commercial technical data, FAA regulations, and local procedures. I’m pursuing a career in this field because I already have 14 years’ experience as aviation technician in the U.S. Air Force. During this time I had a position as a quality assurance officer, I found being an inspector was fun and exciting. I enjoyed finding other technician’s mistakes; not because I found myself all high and mighty but to teach the individual to do the task right the next time.