Hydraulics systems apprentice graduates with ACE Award Published May 2, 2012 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Staff Sgt. Samuel Zimmerman IV received the ACE Award May 2, 2012, upon graduation from the 364th Training Squadron's hydraulics systems apprentice course. The ACE award is the highest academic honor a student can receive and is earned for exceptional performance by maintaining a perfect 100 percent average through the entire course. The course runs 49 academic days long and trains both U.S. Air Force and DoD personnel in the knowledge and skills needed to perform maintenance to aircraft hydraulic systems. Also included in the training is basic troubleshooting, operation of associated ground support equipment, operation of test equipment, aircraft familiarization, ground safety practices, electrical fundamentals, hydraulic fundamentals, technical orders, use of technical publications, principles of aircraft maintenance management systems, and use of maintenance data collection forms as applicable to aircraft hydraulic systems specialists. Zimmerman is assigned to the Pennyslyvania Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Wing at Middletown ANGB as a pneudraulics technician.