Tech. Sgt. Matthew Klein(left), 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Group quality assurance inspector, conducts a preflight/post flight personnel evaluation with Staff Sgt. William Ehinger, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, while he works on a U-2 Dragon Lady at a base in Southwest Asia, April 17, 2008.(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Levi Riendeau)

QA maintains mission readiness

Published April 21, 2008
By Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- "When we walk into an inspection, it's kind of like a teacher walking into a classroom; everybody puts on their game face."

According to Tech. Sgt. Matthew Klein, a quality assurance inspector of the 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Group, a QA inspection with an aircraft maintainer can sometimes be a tense situation.

"Though we try to keep the mood calm, the intensity of an inspection really depends on how confident someone is in their duties," he said. "There's a lot of information that these maintainers have to know, so skill level has a lot to do with the mood. Sometimes a three level might be on edge because they think they're going to miss something, but if you get a confident seven level in there, typically the situation is a lot more relaxed."

Each month, the 380th MXG QA inspectors conduct 450 inspections. The types of inspections range from verifying the quality of a maintainer's work after a task is completed, to a one-on-one personnel inspection where the inspector follows each step of the maintainer and ensures they're efficient with their knowledge.

The purpose of QA and their inspections is to continuously improve the capability and readiness of assigned weapons systems and equipment. QA's goals are to enhance mission performance by improving maintenance quality, contribute to the 380th's readiness while seeking continuous improvement, and provide a positive effect on the mission.

"We just want to create a better product," said Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Easton, 380th MXG QA superintendent. "The 380th has a great crew of maintainers who always get the job done. We make sure the job is done correctly and safely."

All QA inspectors are aircraft maintainers by trade. Every airframe of a wing has a Quality Assurance inspector, who was at one time a maintainer of that airframe, assigned to it. QA also features inspectors who evaluate the maintenance of a wing's transient aircraft.
According to Sergeant Klein, becoming a QA inspector is highly competitive.

"A lot of QA inspectors are at the top of their game," Klein said. "The job requires an abundant amount of knowledge. To consider yourself a good inspector, you really have to know a lot about maintenance; especially the things that tend to get overlooked.

"This job brings a great overall sense of accomplishment in knowing that you're putting out all together better quality products; products that are fighting and winning the Global War On Terror."