Article Display

20th MXG QA: A second set of eyes on the sky

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Destinee Dougherty
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Geared up with a set of ear-protection headphones, a notepad and a new perspective, an Airman walks across the searing flightline towards a row of F-16CM Fighting Falcons.

Shadowing tactical aircraft maintainers, the Airman searches for safety violations and foreign object debris. When it comes to a fast-paced fighter wings such as the 20th Fighter Wing, a second set of eyes on an aircraft assures the safety of the personnel and equipment both on the ground and in the sky.

The 20th Maintenance Group’s quality assurance flight, are trusted to enforce compliance and report trends of 20th MXG on and around the flightline.

During an inspection, inspectors identify and report trend analysis to the group commander and unit supervision. Not only are the inspectors looking for adherence to technical data, which are written instructions for each maintenance action performed, but also for regulations such as dress and appearance and environmental standards. The information gathered by QA is then used as the basis for extra training or additional measures deemed necessary to prevent noncompliance items from becoming continuing trends.

In order to get into quality assurance, select subject matter experts from various 20th MXG units are chosen to be interviewed. To become an inspector, Airmen are evaluated over criteria such as subject matter knowledge, past experience, and physical training scores.

“What’s most important to me is that people learn from a (compliance) failure and they don’t do it again,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Hadzick, 20th MXG quality assurance inspector. “That is why I wanted to be a QA inspector. We exist for the purpose of sharpening and honing in on any faults that may hinder us from achieving our ultimate goal: to fly, fight, and win to take the mission where it needs to go anyplace any time.”

Inspectors look for major and minor discrepancies derived from the maintenance standardization evaluation of practice, a series of guidelines that are collaboratively constructed by the 20th MXG shop chiefs and quality assurance.

“The maintenance group commander can’t always be on the flightline, and he needs to know that maintenance is being taken care of in the correct fashion,” said Senior Master Sgt. Micah Gardner, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron lead production superintendent. “So quality assurance is a constant presence on the flightline reviewing everything we do and making sure it’s correct.”

With only 25 inspectors, the 20th MXG QA inspects approximately 1,500 personnel from around 20 different flights with a grand total of nearly 1,000 inspections per month.

Providing insight and ensuring the practice of “excellence in all we do,” quality assurance inspectors assist in rooting out and moving past noncompliance trends occurring in the 20th MXG. By keeping a watchful eye, the quality assurance inspectors are able to help lend an outside, objective perspective to jobs that are critical to mission success.