Idea nets maintenance Airman $10,000

  • Published
  • By Tyler Hemstreet
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNEWS) --  An Air Force maintainer from McChord Air Force Base recently earned big bucks by making good use of a part that was going to be turned into scrap metal.

Master Sgt. Barry Buchmiller of the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron received a $10,000 check from the Air Force's Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program for turning the scrap metal into a trainer.

The IDEA program is an incentive program established to recognize Airmen for their approved ideas that benefit the government by streamlining processes or improving productivity and efficiency, said IDEA program manager Staff Sgt. Angelique Snyder of the 62nd Mission Support Squadron.

While Sergeant Buchmiller was a member of the 373d Training Squadron, Detachment 12, he found out that the squadron was discarding an old nose gear trainer because the squadron was in the process of updating the piece.

The trainer was used to help Airmen learn how to change the wheels on the nose landing gear assembly, which supports the nose of the aircraft during landings and takeoffs.

Sergeant Buchmiller had a better idea.

"Why throw away a perfectly good part when you can make a trainer out of it?" he said.

After coming up with a plan to turn the scrap piece into two mobile nose wheel trainers that simulate the identical piece of the aircraft, Sergeant Buchmiller enlisted friends from the maintenance squadron's metals technology shop to help him. They modified and cut up the pieces to assemble the trainers.

Their creation helps Airmen battling frigid temperatures out on the flightline at other bases by giving them the chance to train in a warm hangar instead.

Sergeant Buchmiller put the finished trainers on C-17 Globemaster III flights with extra cargo space that were already bound for Dover AFB, Del., and Travis AFB, Calif. The crew at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., who was set to receive the trainer, was so excited to get the equipment, they drove down to Dover AFB to pick it up themselves, he said.

By creating this trainer, Sergeant Buchmiller not only earned money for himself, he also helped the Air Force save money.

By freeing up the aircraft from ground training, Sergeant Buchmiller's idea will save 176 aircraft hours per year and the Air Force almost $1.4 million in the first year alone, Sergeant Snyder said.

Sergeant Buchmiller said he was not going to even submit his idea for the project but after talking with his leadership, he decided to submit it.

"I thought, 'If I get 200 bucks, I'll be happy,'" he said.

When he was notified of the $10,000 amount, Sergeant Buchmiller said he was speechless.

"What do you say?" he said. "I think my wife was more excited than I was."

He took the guys from the metals technology shop out to dinner, he said.

As for the IDEA program, Sergeant Snyder said she hopes the big payout for Sergeant Buchmiller will inspire more Airmen to be innovators.

"Instead of walking around, kicking the carpet and complaining about something, tell me a better way to do it," she said. "It's a really good program. I wish more people would submit ideas. I hope this will help."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view the comments/letters page