• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

AIRPAC Inspectors Give CVW-5 Squadrons Two Thumbs Up

Navy Newsstand

Release Date: 11/06/2002

From USS Kitty Hawk Public Affairs

ABOARD USS KITTY HAWK , At Sea (NNS) -- Inspectors from Naval Air Pacific Command's Aviation Maintenance Management Team came to Atsugi, Japan, and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Oct. 8-30, to conduct an Organizational Level Inspection on Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5's eight squadrons and one detachment.

The 10-member team spent two days with each squadron, looking over 45 different maintenance administrative programs that support aircraft maintenance and upkeep, personnel procedures and instruction compliance.

Air wings are inspected every 18 months, and according to Air Frames Master Chief Michael Otten, the team's senior enlisted member, "CVW-5 was one of the best air wing's we inspected this cycle. The squadrons continue to uphold and maintain a high level of professionalism every time we come."

Lt Jeff Pronesti, the team's officer in charge, agrees that CVW-5 as a whole is an outstanding air wing. "The pride and morale of this air wing is unprecedented," he said.

Such outstanding marks across the board are a major achievement for a permanently forward-deployed air wing.

"Stateside squadrons have the benefit of being supported by their local type wings, depot facilities and other logistics resources," said Lt. Cmdr. Johnathan Jones, CVW-5's maintenance officer. "Due to geography, we just don't have that support as forward deployed naval forces,"

Another challenge, according to Jones, is the constant operating schedule maintained by each squadron. During a normal stateside inter-deployment training cycle a squadron would have time to train new maintenance personnel during a stand-down period.

"Despite operating full time, and completing training in the midst of that, our squadrons are still in the top twenty-five percent of all Navy squadrons for their maintenance programs, and the material condition of our aircraft is in the top ten percent of like type model series across the board."

This is a direct result of all the hard work and dedication squadron maintenance crews put into their work and the tremendous support from the entire Hawk/Five team, according to Jones. "These men and women are great professionals. It's a privilege to be here," he said.