FRCSE wins CNO Aviation Safety Award

The award recognized the center's "superior leadership, superlative airmanship and a proactive, all-hands commitment to the principles of operational risk management."

In 2008, FRCSE achieved 42 years and 29,025 flight hours of Class A/B mishap-free flying. This is an extraordinary success given the command's unique maintenance mission.

FRCSE Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Sohl (Center) displays the prestigious CNO 2008 Aviation Safety Award, Sept. 14, acknowledging the sizeable commitment and contributions of the FRCSE workforce, Aviation Safety Officers Lt. Cmdr. Brian Cowell (left), and Lt. Brian Williams (not shown) and Occupational Safety and Health Director Robert Aceves (right). Photo by Vic Pitts

FRCSE Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Sohl recognized the sizeable contributions of the workforce at the command's executive leadership meeting on Sept. 14. He said, "This was accomplished with the support of all personnel and I have absolute faith and confidence in what they do."

Sohl also recognized the individual efforts of Aviation Safety Officers (ASO) Lt. Brian Williams, Lt. Cmdr. Brian Cowell (incoming) and Occupational Safety and Health Director Robert Aceves.

As one of the command's P-3 Orion test pilots and ASO since 2006, Williams appreciates the skilled artisans who perform the extensive rework projects, sometimes taking aircraft completely apart and putting them back together. FRCSE is one of a handful of maintenance facilities capable of providing this service.

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) office is responsible for the safety of the FRCSE workforce on the ground. OSH personnel provide general and trade-specific safety training, conduct safety stand-downs, and issue personal protective equipment such as prescription safety glasses and respirators.

Once the repair process is completed, a test pilot performs the functional check flight. Williams said, "We go up and test the entire aircraft to make sure it is safe to return to its squadron." The pilot checks the overall integrity of each aircraft using various methods such as shutting down and restarting each engine and ensuring the controls work properly.

Williams is very proud of his contributions to the command's stellar safety record. During his tenure, he revitalized the FRCSE Aviation Safety Program using Franklin Covey's Four Disciplines of Execution. These leadership principles focus on identifying and prioritizing critical goals to achieve maximum outcomes by creating a scoreboard, translating goals into specific actions and holding stakeholders accountable for results.

"We are a lot more focused on the details, on how we bring our programs to the next level," he said. "If you take away all the small things that distract you during the day and focus on your WIG (Wildly Important Goals), you will achieve the desired outcome."

The Foreign Object Damage (FOD) Program is extremely important to aviation safety. A misplaced tool, for example, can severely damage an engine with the potential to bring down the aircraft. The facility's Tool Control Program monitors roughly 2.5 million tools to ensure they are tracked, accounted for and properly stored.

The ASO works closely with the Human Factors Council, the Aviation Safety Council and others to monitor aircrews and mitigate risk. Further, the ASO uses numerous safety surveys available from the Naval Safety Center specifically designed for aircrews, maintenance workers and contractors. The results provide leadership with real-time snapshots of the safety program's effectiveness and opportunities for improvement. Williams concluded, "The workforce remains committed to sustaining a culture of quality and safety. We strive for safety excellence and continuous improvement in all aspects of the workplace to support the ultimate customer, the Warfighter.