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Airmen ideas carry big payout

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shane Dunaway
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFNEWS) --  Two Seymour Johnson AFB Airmen's ideas they submitted earned them a little extra spending money.

Master Sgt. Terry Fraser and Senior Airman Stephen Jorgensen received checks from the Innovation Development through Employee Awareness program for using a little ingenuity to help the Air Force save money.

Sergeant Fraser of the 4th Maintenance Operations Squadron pitched the idea of purchasing zues fasteners and leaf spring systems, which are used on the Digital Map System, through an authorized manufacturer and repairing the system themselves instead of sending it to the depot for repair. His proposal could save the Air Force more than $619,000 a year and earned him $10,000, which is the maximum payout the IDEA program offers.

Airmen Jorgensen of the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron suggested to replace the disposable right wing navigational light on the F-15E Strike Eagle with a light that could be repaired by the electrical and environmental shop on base. The idea netted him $1,667 and saved the wing more than $11,000 annually.

Through ingenuity and effort, these Airmen proved that it really does pay to have good ideas.

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