60th LRS Fuels Management Flight to compete for the William H. Penton Award

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Donald Osborn
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels management flight is gearing up for a competition to compete for the best fuels operation in the Air Mobility Command from Nov. 15 to 17.

With a proven track record and an unwavering commitment to excellence, the 60th LRS plans on bringing the William H. Penton Award home once again.

"We are committed to bringing the award back to Travis where the trophy belongs," said 2nd Lt. Andrew Hott, fuels management flight commander.

The 60th LRS handles a $168 million fuel inventory and operates a $47 million fuels infrastructure.

During the past year, they provided first-class support by safely and expediently accomplishing 12,000 refueling operations to deliver 72 million gallons of fuel in support of 2,913 transient aircraft.

In addition, they also took care of Travis' KC-10s, C-5s, C-17s and E6-B aircraft assigned to the Navy VQ3 detachment.

All of this is accomplished with a manning structure from both the 60th LRS and 349th Logistics Readiness Flight that consists of almost 70 percent of Airmen in the ranks of E-1 to E-4.

"I feel honored to be part of the Travis Team," said Airman 1st Class Kyle Newcombe, 60th LRS fuels distribution technician. "To win an Air Force level award is exceptional ... I take great pride in being a part of a flight that has won the Penton Award three times in the last five years."

And according to the fuels superintendent, this category is the strongest link in the chain.

"Fuels operations technicians are the primary reason for our success and are the heart and soul of Travis' fuel support day in and day out," said Senior Master Sgt. Conrad Williams, 60th LRS fuels superintendent. "Having an opportunity to compete for an award of this caliber shows our troops they truly make a difference."

Lieutenant Hott added the fact that with 27 personnel deployed this year in the Global War on Terrorism and personnel cutbacks impacting flight manning, the ones left here have really stepped up to the plate to keep the fuels mission going.

"Our manning has created some challenges as our mission increased with the arrival of the C-17s and new construction efforts," he said. "However, we are excited to showcase the initiatives we have implemented to counter the manning differences and increased missions."

They will get a chance to show their talents when Col. Joseph Codispoti and Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Hudgins, both from Air Mobility Command, conduct the two-day tour of the facilities to see why Team Travis' fuels operations are the best.

The two-man evaluation team will use a checklist containing five major categories with 63 sub categories, encompassing everything from mission familiarity to housekeeping.
They will also look at all facets of fuel operations, including receiving products into storage tanks, verifying product quality and the upkeep of facilities, equipment and vehicles.

In addition to these items, the team will also review Air Expeditionary Force support, personnel programs, safety, training and the community involvement of the fuels squadron.

For the fuels management flight, this year's nomination presents another chance to demonstrate the dedication and teamwork that are hallmarks of the flight.

After winning the American Petroleum Institute Award, an Air Force-level competition, in 2004, their talent was highlighted once again in the 2005 Daedalian competition by being named the best Logistics Readiness Squadron in the Air Mobility Command.

In spite of the large mission and manning constraints, the 60th LRS was also responsible for several Air Force-level key innovations.

Among these innovations, fuels flight troops were directly responsible for developing an effective training program that is being adopted Air Force-wide.

With 90 percent of their leadership being AFSO 21 trained, they have proven to be advantageous not only to themselves, but to the wing and base as a whole.

They are directly involved in numerous LEAN initiatives around the wing and their preventive maintenance initiative saved time by 63 percent saving $166K in manpower costs alone.

"I feel that the Travis fuels team exceeds the standard and shows what the best fuels flight can accomplish," said Airman 1st Class Tony Melendez, 60th LRS fuels distribution technician.

With the numbers this squadron puts up, it's a point that is hard to argue.