Airman 1st Class Chris Sharlow, 436th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment journeyman, is the creator of a new computer program used to easily track thousands of accountable aircrew equipment items. Sharlow's program is known as the Flight Equipment Automated Records Systems (FEARS) and is being used to ensure tracking and on-time inspections of items critical to safe, efficient mission accomplishment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Greg L. Davis)
Airman 1st Class Chris Sharlow, 436th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment journeyman, performs an inspection on a parachute at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on Nov. 30, 2012. He is the creator of a new computer program used to easily track thousands of accountable aircrew equipment items. Sharlow's program is known as the Flight Equipment Automated Records Systems (FEARS) and is being used to ensure tracking and on-time inspections of items critical to safe, efficient mission accomplishment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Greg L. Davis)
Airman 1st Class Chris Sharlow, 436th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment journeyman, takes an inventory of Aircrew Flight Equipment at Dover AFB, Del. on Nov. 30, 2012. He is the creator of a new computer program used to easily track thousands of accountable aircrew equipment items. Sharlow's program is known as the Flight Equipment Automated Records Systems (FEARS) and is being used to ensure tracking and on-time inspections of items critical to safe, efficient mission accomplishment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Greg L. Davis)
by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
436th Airflift Wing Public Affairs
12/5/2012 - DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFNS) -- When an expensive contract on an Air Force aircrew flight equipment database program was not renewed, bases across the world had to find local solutions to fill the void. Some had to turn to time consuming spreadsheets or paper records.
At Dover Air Force Base, Del., one Airman created a solution to the problem.
The Flight Equipment Automated Records System, or FEARS for short, was created by Airman 1st Class Chris Sharlow, 436th Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment journeyman, to track the 12,383 Aircrew Flight Equipment items at Dover AFB.
He had created something similar on a smaller scale during a deployment in 2011.
"My leadership knowing that I am pretty computer savvy, asked me if this was something I could do," he said.
The FEARS program can be used to track all inspections done on the equipment, and all of the vital information about the items, like serial numbers, can be inputted. The system also tracks all of the base's aircrew members and the items that have been issued to them. Queries can be easily run to find the necessary information and it tracks the work done by all of the aircrew flight equipment technicians.
Sharlow said the previous program was extremely hard to use and was very time consuming. He said his main goal of the project was to create something everybody could use.
"Everybody is not good with computers," he said. "In FEARS, everything is laid out simply for those who are not technologically inclined."
Computers have been a passion for Sharlow since he was a young child.
"My grandmother bought her first computer in 1992, and I have been fascinated with them ever since." the native of Colton, N.Y., said. "I love building computers and downloading programs and tinkering with them to see how they work."
The Airman worked at a company providing computer technical assistance by phone before joining the Air Force. He is halfway toward earning his bachelor's degree in information technology.
Despite his expertise in computers, Sharlow still had a steep learning curve in developing his database program. He tried unsuccessfully to create FEARS in a few different programs, but he was foiled by network security issues. He got the break he needed when someone in his leadership chain mentioned a database creation program already loaded on government computers.
"I had never used Microsoft Access before being tasked with this," he said. "I had to get a few how-to manuals and do a lot of internet searches, but I was up to speed quickly and the program fit our needs well."
The Airman was pulled out of the shift schedule and put to work solely on creating FEARS. After more than 500 hours of coding, the program was completed. With that hurdle done, he had to input all of the flight equipment data and inspections which he said was the most time consuming process of creating his data program.
In a mere 40 days, the database was up and running. It has been a vast improvement over the old program, said Tech. Sgt. Michael Rosatone, 436th OSS production superintendent for aircrew flight equipment.
"It has increased the effectiveness of our section by 100 percent," the native of Pittsburgh, said. "The old system required a lot of time to update. This one is much more user-friendly and takes a lot less time to use."
The sergeant said in addition to its mission effectiveness, the program is also a great supervisory tool. He said he can use it to easily track the work done by the Airmen in his section. The database is also a great source of metrics for Enlisted Performance Reports and award packages.
Rosatone said the creation of FEARS is a good example of how off-duty education can be a benefit to the Air Force. He said the program was completed well ahead of schedule and has run a lot smoother than the previous database program.
Sharlow is not resting on his laurels following the successful launch of the database program. He is working on a version 2.0 of FEARS that will be more aesthetically pleasing. He said it makes him feel good to contribute to his team in such a positive way.
"I love how I helped improve a daily part of my coworkers' day here," he said. "We are a great team here and I just wanted to do my part."
Comments
12/14/2012 7:47:05 PM ET Mike Tomlinson that's a pretty crappy attitude. This kid found a way to hack the mission despite having no training to do so. If a tenth of the folks in the AF had his can do attitude we'd be in much better shape than we are today.
Maj, Home for a change
12/10/2012 6:58:02 PM ET I don't know which is more shocking...The fact that he didn't know Access was on their systems and he'd never used it before....or The fact that his leadership endorsed the creation of a database by someone who didn't already know this.What programs systems was he attempting to develop this in before Access was suggested
Mike Tomlinson, Colorado Springs CO
12/10/2012 9:13:42 AM ET Back in my day the Core Automated Maintenance System database was used Air Force-wide to track maintenance inspections man-hour usage etc. Personnel working in Plans Scheduling and Documentation were experts at custom tailoring CAMS to interface with unique user requirements. Its sad to see the wheel being needlessly reinvented.
arcticjammer1@yahoo.com, US
12/10/2012 9:03:59 AM ET To SNUnfortunately this doesn't qualify for the IDEA Program. I tried this with a couple Programs I made using Excel and Access. AFI 33-114 Para 10 states Air Force computer users are encouraged and expected to use their licensed COTS office software to increase their individual professional productivity and overall unit effectiveness. It's great seeing others non computer people doing this type of stuff.
Jeremy Leesmann, Altus AFB
12/7/2012 2:44:35 PM ET But does he have a 32 inch waist. Think about it.
No labels just American, USA
12/6/2012 9:15:29 AM ET Super job. Now the Comm folks will tell him to take it off the network until it can be granted a Certificate of Networthiness a process that can take a year or more.The purpose is to ensure the program doesn't have security issues that would harm the network. Important yes. A timely process no.
Sgt Snorkle, USA
12/6/2012 8:40:26 AM ET Way to much for what it did. White boards and and color markers did better then any database.
Retired AFE, Earth
12/6/2012 8:13:17 AM ET Good to see that A1C Sharlow has done this. Hopefully the database program can be shared with other bases too.The only drawback to Access .mdb programs is that whenever Microsoft updates Office say from 2007 to 2010 existing database programs sometimes don't make the jump.
Dean, Shaw AFB SC
12/6/2012 5:27:59 AM ET Awesome job Glad to hear a junior ranking Airman making an impact.
John, usa
12/6/2012 12:05:53 AM ET Initiative and teamwork are alive in this Airman. Well done. Keep up the good work and continue to seek ways to improve our AF. Kudos.
Another Airman, C-Springs
12/5/2012 9:50:34 PM ET I predict this will become a software maintenance nightmare for somebody down the line sooner rather than later. Effective software development practices aren't picked up in a few nights of self-study. Unless you know what you don't know you're setting yourself up for failure. There is a career field dedicated to doing this type of work why not utilize them This is comparable to the Airman driving the fuel truck on the flightline with squeaky brakes shooting them with some WD-40 and claiming he fixed the problem while saving the AF time and money by not having the truck down for repairs.
MikeB, AK
12/5/2012 4:05:30 PM ET Wonder how much money the AF wasted on the old ALERTS database.
Jake, US
12/5/2012 3:30:43 PM ET I would hope that Management would consider an IDEA style monetary reward or something to recognize Airman 1st Class Chris Sharlow's contribution.Outstanding work.
