Fleet Readiness Center Northwest (FRCNW) is setting the bar high for other FRC’s and the rest of the fleet after receiving a grade of 93 out of 100 on the 2022 Commander, Naval Air Forces, Aviation Maintenance Inspection (AMI). The command’s score is a significant improvement from its previous score of 82% in 2019.

Excellence is a theme for FRCNW’s Commanding Officer (CO), Cmdr. Mike Windom who cites National Football League coach, Vince Lombardi as a means to instill a culture of excellence. “Perfection is not attainable, however if you strive for perfection you will catch excellence,” said Lombardi.

The inspection team described FRCNW as, “a pervasive culture of excellence and team cohesiveness between the active duty, civilian and contract workforce. The team also highlighted FRCNW’s “leadership through engagement, from the top down, which translated to command-wide pride in ownership of programs and processes that was evident throughout the week of inspecting the Command programs, drills and processes.”

In total, FRCNW received zero critical, three major, five administrative, and 23 general discrepancies across 38 Naval Aviation Maintenance Programs (NAMP).  The results also included 29 material conditions the team rated satisfactory and 19 Bravo Zulu, or exceptional, performances highlighted during the inspection.

“Our sailors were given a piece of the pie. Everyone involved in the process took ownership and understood that their input, their value, the extra work is what makes a difference, and ensures complete success, and enabled us to come together” said Lt. Cmdr. Joan Diaz, the Maintenance Officer for FRCNW.

In August of 2021, FRCNW created a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) that laid out three rounds of internal auditing. Each round consisted of three audits, performed by program managers, program monitors, and command leadership. Historical trend analysis from these audits identified areas of concern, which drove corrective behaviors and increased engagement.

The command, “Prioritized improving the processes and systems in place” by cutting unnecessary meetings and administrative tasks, and adding dedicated program trainings according to Lt. Kyle McKay, FRCNW Quality Assurance Officer. With this mindset, the command saw vast improvement in eight programs with identified problem areas.  The enhancement of these programs made a huge difference in the results of the AMI.

McKay also stated that, “The CO’s decision to bring in an Aviation Maintenance Management Team (AMMT) for Maintenance Program Assessment (MPA) proved to be invaluable for our team to improve and provided a basis for the actual AMI inspection team to work from.”

These practices, along with an increased focus on drills and practical examinations during the three weeks preceding the inspection, implementing additional training days, and NAMP-driven work center spot check lists, were key in FRCNW receiving a higher AMI score than any FRC in recent history.

Additionally, the quality assurance team drove culture change at the command, moving to a more collaborative role. Quality assurance representatives engaged as trainers and developers, rather than investigators.

McKay said he would be remiss if he did not mention that even with this elaborate plan put in place, it came down to the sailors. “Whenever someone asks how or why we did so well, I would refer them to the people and the actions that were highlighted throughout the inspection. These sailors are the reason, and their ownership and commitment to attaining excellence is what set such a high standard for Naval Aviation to strive for,” he said.

Leadership as well as program monitor engagement and cohesion between military and civilian employees throughout the command was a highlight during the executive out brief.

Not resting on its laurels, FRCNW is already looking for ways to ensure it continues its success. “We need to continue to learn from each other, no matter our rank or ethnicity, each of us has something to bring to the table. We all come from different walks of life, with different experiences. As sailors transfer, and new ones are welcomed aboard, we will continue to empower them. Our program managers are also working on teaching others about the process of their programs, not just how to find the answers, but how a well-tested process ensures success of their program, and passing that knowledge on to others,” said Diaz. 

Windom’s FRCNW expectations including maintaining a positive attitude, being loyal to each other and to the command, and being transparent in all we do, not only for the inspection, but for sailors year-round helped the command earn its high score. Finally, each member of FRCNW takes pride in their strong work ethic, and encourages all sailors to perform their duties with a culture of excellence.

FRCNW is comprised of more than 1,100 Sailors, Marines, civilian, contractor and depot maintenance level personnel and provides aviation maintenance and logistics support to 13 EA-6B Prowler squadrons, six P-3/EP-3 Orion squadrons, 12 aircraft carriers, one C-9 Skytrain squadron, the station Search and Rescue component and various Northwest Region activities. FRCNW’s mission is to enhance and sustain excellence in aviation warfighting capability and fleet readiness.