Highest Honor Bestowed By FAA For Aviation Maintenance

Four maintenance organizations within Gulfstream Aerospace recently received the FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Employer Diamond Award of Excellence for 2010. The award is the highest honor the FAA gives a company for aviation maintenance. The Gulfstream award winners are the U.S. Army C-37 and U.S. Navy C-37 Contract Logistics Support (CLS) programs at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., the U.S. Air Force C-37 CLS Program at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and the Brunswick service center in Georgia.

Brunswick Senior Technician Brinson Crews

"These awards recognize our continued dedication to safety and service," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. "Gulfstream is committed to investing in maintenance training for our technicians, which results in safer, more reliable aircraft for our customers." The AMT program, created in 1991, honors aviation maintenance personnel and employers who participate in training that exceeds FAA regulatory requirements.

Gulfstream Brunswick has won the award 11 years in a row, while the C-37 CLS programs at Andrews AFB have each won it seven times. The C-37 CLS group at Ramstein won the award in its first year of eligibility. The C-37 is the military version of the Gulfstream GV or G550 business jet. The Maryland-based CLS staffs support the daily flight operations for U.S. Army and U.S. Navy senior leadership by maintaining two C-37A aircraft (GV) and one C-37B (G550), and three C-37B aircraft, respectively. The CLS staff at Ramstein supports one C-37A aircraft, which is used for the transport of U.S. Air Force senior leadership.

Seventy Gulfstream aircraft are in service with the U.S. government, including 20 C-37s that are part of the Executive Transport fleet. On a typical mission, the aircraft flies at least 5,500 nautical miles without refueling, carrying senior military leaders, U.S. Cabinet secretaries or congressional delegations on official government business.

C-37 At Ramstein

Companies that qualify for the Diamond Award of Excellence must ensure 100 percent of their eligible employees receive an individual AMT award during the calendar year. Brunswick's eligible employees earned 24 Silver Awards and 24 Bronze Awards; eligible employees for the Navy CLS unit received 10 Silver Awards, while the Army CLS unit at Andrews Air Force Base earned 11 Silver Awards. Ramstein's three employees received two Gold Awards and a Bronze Award.

Individual awards are based on minimum hours of AMT training - 80 for gold, 40 for silver and 12 for bronze. In addition, Gold Award winners must complete a three-credit aviation career-related college course.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com, www.faa.gov