317th AG out-flies every other AMC C-130 unit

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 317th Airlift Group received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the seventh consecutive year Dec.20.

The unit, known as the busiest C-130 group in the Air Force, has consistently won this award in spite of maintenance challenges and deserves high accolades, said Lt. Col. Kalen Jeffers, 317th AG director of staff.

“This has been a result of great leadership from group and squadron commanders and the outstanding pride and dedication of team members of every level,” Colonel Jeffers said. “Leadership inspired our folks to achieve the highest marks -- by everyone from maintenance to operations. It took a lot of dedication from top to the bottom of the organization to make this happen.”

Colonel Jeffers said the 317th AG has received 10 additional C-130 aircraft from reserve and active units elsewhere in order to compensate for planes worn out with Dyess’ high-operations tempo.

“(But) we have the same number of maintainers and the same supply funding,” he said. “This has taken a Herculean effort, and (the unit) deserves credit. Their capability is the highest in Air Mobility Command.”

That capability is present in the 317th in spite of austere airfields, obstructions, threatening weather, the presence of hostile fire from small arms and missiles, and difficult terrain.

“They’ve flown into airfields with little or no ground operations or support -- where it basically looks like a farm,” Colonel Jeffers said.

Between July 2004 and June 2005, the unit flew more than 11,000 combat hours, with seven deployed aircraft in the Middle-Eastern sky every day of the year, with up to four sorties each.

The 317th also has the best training shop in AMC, being the only C-130 unit to receive not one, but two benchmark ratings (the highest accolade possible) during an Aircrew Standards and Evaluations Visit by AMC inspectors.

The maintenance shops also reduced monthly production man hours by 28 percent with the help of Lean isochronal inspection processes, according to ASEV inspectors.

According to the inspectors, the training shop has the best program to date and should be emulated by others.

“Lean phase helped make maintenance operations more efficient,” Colonel Jeffers said. “We implemented a high interest item checklist, color-coded tools, conducted internal quality assurance inspections, and solicited inputs from squadron members.”

They also shattered an airlift record set during Desert Storm by helping airlift 340 tons of cargo and more than 3,000 troops in one day.

But that’s not all they did.

“With maintenance assistance, our folks helped stand up an Iraqi Air Force Squadron with three E-model C-130s. Our folks helped teach them how to fly and maintain C-130s,” Colonel Jeffers said.

Other impressive accomplishments were being the first unit to develop and employ the airlift route threat analysis tool and winning the Air Force Association Citation of Honor award.