28th Bomb Wing sets FOD-free record

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Bolt
  • 28th Bomb WIng Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The 28th Bomb Wing has gone more than a year without a chargeable FOD incident, marking another record for the B-1 community. 

"In the world of aviation, FOD can become a major contributor to maintenance costs," said Master Sgt. Larry Anderson, 28 BW FOD manager. "In order to fully understand how important it is to avoid FOD incidents, one should look at the price tag of FOD damage to aircraft engines. Some cause repairs in excess of $1 million." 

Foreign object damage typically occurs when small pieces of aircraft hardware or other debris is ingested into an aircraft engine. 

"Our previous chargeable FOD-free stretch lasted 342 days," Sergeant Anderson said. "Chargeable FOD incidents are those which could have been prevented and cost more than $20,000 to repair." 

Sergeant Anderson contributes this success to supervisors taking the time to educate their personnel on the importance of FOD prevention and the attention to detail displayed by each of the Airmen on the flightline. 

"Without keeping FOD prevention in the forefront of all flightline activities, it would be impossible to achieve the streak we are currently on," Sergeant Anderson said. "It is a team effort from senior leadership on down, and right now we are winning that fight." 

The ongoing success in the fight against FOD has prompted Col. Scott Vander Hamm, 28 BW commander to designate Dec. 31 as a Wing Goal day. 

"Please enjoy this well-deserved time off with family and friends," Colonel Vander Hamm said. "As we finish out 2008 and head into the New Year, please continue to keep the mission focus that has gotten us to this point. I look forward to another FOD free year."