By Jim Jenkins
Aging Aircraft Public Affairs

Oliviu “Ollie” Muja isn’t your typical Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) employee.
He emigrated from Romania to the U.S. with his family when he was 16, but that’s not what I am talking about. There are plenty of foreign born NAVAIR employees doing wonderful jobs here and other NAVAIR sites. Why he is atypical is that he came from the dark side. No, I am not talking about growing up under communist rule either. He’s retired Air Force.
All kidding aside, it is his Air Force background that makes him a special asset to NAVAIR’s Aging Aircraft Integrated Product Team (AAIPT). Muja makes jointness a reality.
Muja was the recipient of this year’s Lu Roberts award for exemplifying outstanding service and dedication to the advancement of DoD aerospace wiring systems. His tenacity and great attention to detail helped secure this award, given to him by the members of the Joint Service Wiring Action Group (JSWAG) at their recently concluded semi-annual meeting.
A few years ago, while he was still working in blue, Muja began updating the general series wiring maintenance manuals for the Air Force, but after attending what was then known as the Naval Aerospace Vehicle Wiring Action Group (now the JSWAG), he realized that the two services had common issues relating to aircraft wiring maintenance. Recognizing his talents from the start, the AAIPT hired him when he retired after 24 years with the Air Force and he has been integral in leading the effort to make the general series wiring maintenance manuals joint. After years of pouring over data from the Air Force, Navy and Army manuals, Muja has successfully reinvented the way maintenance professionals in all three services work with and communicate aircraft wiring issues.
“Ollie has been a driving force behind the most significant wiring initiatives in the Navy,” said Cmdr. Brian “Fuzz” Fazzone, Aging Aircraft IPT deputy. “All of the issues require extensive stewardship in order to create consensus within all of the services to change the culture and ultimately achieve success. Ollie has proved effective in doing that above and beyond the call.”
Muja is humble as are most great innovators. He neither has wanted nor claimed individual responsibility for the successes he has been involved in. But, while in the Air Force he had more than 200 beneficial suggestions plus six aircraft modifications which he was directly and solely responsible.
“I am very humbled to be selected, because everything I’ve heard about Lu Roberts’ accomplishments showed me that he really was a veritable encyclopedia of wiring and interconnect systems,” Muja said. “He really had a huge influence and was very conscientious to make sure to promote the effort to find common solutions to joint wiring issues.”
Lu Roberts was one of the first coordinators of the NAVWAG and was instrumental in getting wiring systems recognized and treated as integral parts of aircraft health and maintenance. For too long, wiring systems have been thought of as fit and forget items. Eddie Reams, automatic test equipment manager for the Coast Guard aircraft wiring systems, said that if you ever wanted something accomplished all you had to do was ask Roberts and by hell or high water it would get done. Roberts and Reams were plankowners of the wiring action group. Sadly Roberts passed away after being struck by a motorist while he was taking his daily bike ride near San Diego a few years ago. Robert’s legacy lives on in people like Muja who have the drive and determination to see things through and get jobs done, no matter the obstacle.
“The Lu Roberts award goes to the individual who demonstrates the tenacity to solve wiring issues across the Naval Aviation Enterprise,” said Bob Ernst, AAIPT director. “Back when we in Naval Aviation were viewed as a bunch of different geographic sites who often viewed each other as competitors, Lu Roberts had a vision to share knowledge and solutions about wiring and interconnect systems. Ollie Muja has expanded Lu's original vision and included our Joint Partners in the exchange of best practices. Naval Aviation has benefited by the tools, training and knowledge that Ollie has transitioned from our joint partners.”