Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) named its 2022 Mentors of the Year as part of its National Mentoring Month observance on Tuesday, January 24. Out of 77 nominations, nine employees received the honor.

Initiated in 2013, to earn a Mentor of the Year award, peers or mentees nominate mentors through a written submission that identifies how the mentor represented leadership, skill, productivity, and improved morale and workforce retention. NAVAIR recognizes mentors for their ability to align their development and mentoring skills with the mission of naval aviation.

As an active-duty Marine Corps pilot, Capt. Matthew Pitts fell in love with testing helicopters in a maintenance environment. He discovered a passion for working as part of a team that returned aircraft to the sky.

Two new programs at Fleet Readiness Center East are adding to the opportunities available for potential employees who want to gain work experience at the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility while earning pay and benefits.

Fleet Readiness Center East’s (FRCE) Bearing Shop is a place where success or failure can be measured in thousandths of inch. In this shop, bearings are inspected, measured and analyzed with a painstaking attention to detail by a small team of highly trained professionals.

These artisans refurbish hundreds of bearings each week, turning out several thousand each month. The Bearing Shop handles nearly 5,000 different part numbers. These bearings are used on vehicles that operate in the air, on land, and at sea.

When it comes to providing first aid and initial care during an emergency, seconds count. The amount of time it takes to begin care can mean the difference between life and death.

A training program at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) aims to equip its workforce with the skills and training to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. The depot is providing its personnel with lifesaving knowledge and skills in the form of training in first aid, CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Capabilities enabling the Carrier Air Wing in Distributed Maritime Operations and the importance of industry collaboration was the focus of a panel hosted by The Patuxent Partnership and the Association of Naval Aviation at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Dec. 14.

Two sure signs of the holidays at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) are Toys for Tots boxes posted throughout the facility and rows of toys and bicycles purchased by groups of FRCE employees to fill those boxes.

The Marine Corps Reserve sponsors the nationwide program, now in its 75^th year. Its mission is to collect and distribute new, unwrapped toys to disadvantaged children, who might not otherwise receive holiday gifts. Nationally, Toys for Tots estimates that the organization has given toys to more than 281 million children since it was founded in 1947.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently opened a new chapter in the depot’s engine program with its first disassembly of the T408 engine, which powers the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) earned state recognition for its environmental efforts when North Carolina Secretary of the Environment Elizabeth Biser presented the depot with the P2 Award for pollution prevention. FRCE received the award during the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) Conference, held October 24-25 in Raleigh.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) was recognized by the North Carolina Department of Labor Safety Awards Program for its efforts in keeping the workforce safe this year. The depot received its fifth consecutive Gold Award and two Million Hour awards.