AETC selects 80th FTW to compete for AF safety award

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 80th Flying Training Wing is known for being the best multi-national undergraduate pilot training program in the world. Now it can claim to be one of the safest after Air Education and Training Command named it the Air Force Chief of Safety Special Achievement Award winner recently. 

The award recognized the wing's efforts to decrease the number of mishaps and its contributions to the civilian flying community as well as other airfields in Texas and Oklahoma. Sheppard has the fourth busiest airfield in the Air Force. 

Lt. Col. Richard Griffin, the wing's chief of flying safety, said although the safety office's name is on the award, it required wing-wide vigilance to continue the mission in a safe manner, using sound judgment and discipline. 

"Our wing incorporates an international effort to ensure other airfields within 100 nautical miles of Sheppard are fully aware of (Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training) operations," the colonel said. "We visit over 70 (air)fields per year to ensure their information is current." 

Pilots from the 80th FTW traveled over 30,000 square miles to conduct educational meetings on Mid-Air Collision Avoidance to civilian counterparts, Colonel Griffin said. 

Another area of the office that received accolades was the Bird/wildlife Aviation Strike Hazard program. The BASH program looks at safe ways to reduce the number of aircraft mishaps due to birds flying in traffic patterns or wildlife on the airfield. 

This past year, the program was responsible for 45 percent fewer wildlife strikes on the airfield since 2004. Sheppard saw a significant reduction in damage caused by strikes, dropping to $27,000 after a four-year average of $147,000. 

The wing also saw a 31 percent reduction in class C mishaps over the past year.
Colonel Griffin said the award is just as much about the dedication attention to operational risk management by the wing's pilots to adhere to safety. 

"While the safety shop tends to investigate many of the issues involved in flying operations, it is the efforts of individual flyers in the wing who ensure we are kept abreast of current issues affecting our aircraft," the colonel said. "It is through these grass roots efforts that we are able to identify potential problem areas and recommend a solution." 

The wing will compete against other command winners for the Air Force-level award.