801st shines as most effective Air Force maintenance unit

  • Published
  • By Amy Nicholson
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  For the second year in a row, the 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron claimed the title of best aircraft maintenance squadron in the Air Force by earning the 2014 Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award.

The maintenance effectiveness award recognizes the outstanding contribution to the Air Force and Department of Defense maintenance mission and is presented annually to the Air Force units who have best managed their resources. The 801st SOAMXS won in the Small Aircraft Maintenance category, for units comprised of 25-300 personnel.

"I am amazed how the men and women of the 801st SOAMXS take challenges and turn them into opportunities,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Johns, 801st SOAMXS commander and winner of the 2014 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez individual maintenance award in the field grade officer category. “This Air Force level recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our Airmen, civilians and contractors who are the backbone of this squadron.”

During fiscal year 2014, the 801st SOAMXS maintained 17 CV-22 Ospreys, valued at $1.5 billion. Their hard work supported deployed combat operations as well as the training of 18 crews and led to 1,200 sorties and 3,400 flying hours, which amounted to a record-setting 35 percent of the 1st Special Operations Wings missions.

Additionally, the squadron was charged with recovering and repairing three CV-22s that were battle-damaged during a mission in South Sudan, rendering them safe for transportation back to Hurlburt Field for more extensive repairs.

Finally, the team developed an in-house repair capability of CV-22 components. Repairing these aircraft parts locally eases the burden on the Air Force supply system and has saved taxpayers over $46 million. Developing these new processes has also generated multiple task qualifications for Airmen throughout the unit and has expanded their deployed capabilities.

“I am absolutely humbled to be a part of this team and extremely proud of what our Airmen do every day," said Johns.

The 801st SOAMXS will now compete at the DoD level.