33d MXG shines through LSET inspection Published Aug. 23, 2007 By 2nd Lt. Jim Lambertsen 33d Fighter Wing Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 33d Maintenance Group spent the week of August 13-17 undergoing a difficult in depth maintenance inspection known as the Logistics Standardization Evaluation Team Inspection. The 33d MXG finished with an overall pass rate of a little more than 90 percent, which is up 7 percentage points from the last LSET inspection in December 2005. "We did very well during the LSET, especially considering that we were supporting homeland defense as well as preparing for a two-week deployment supporting the Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis AFB, Nev.," said Maj. Sarah Williams, 33d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Maintenance Operations Officer. The LSET inspection team consisted of 26 active duty inspectors from Headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, Va., and the inspection was aimed at evaluating the 33d MXG on their day-to-day maintenance practices. The LSET report stated that 33d MXG members are delivering safe, reliable aircraft for a very demanding flying program and that the unit is meeting the mission, despite the challenges of supporting an aging weapons system and preparing for a drawdown of its fleet. An LSET Honorable Mention was bestowed upon the 33d Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight for its tracking and management program, and 72 personnel from the 33d MXG were recognized as top performers and placed on the LSET Honor Roll. "The LSET focused on maintenance compliance and discipline at every level," said Col. John Powell, 33d MXG Commander. "Every training record, safety book and required program was reviewed." The LSET inspection took an in-depth look at day-to-day maintenance practices and their overall objective is to standardize maintenance practices across the Air Force. In an effort to standardize maintenance practices, the LSET team found areas for improvement in foreign object damage prevention, hazardous materials programs and pre-flighting. "We welcome their findings, because it ensures proper standardization of our maintenance practices," Major Williams said. "The LSET team conducted as many inspections in three-and-a-half days as our Quality Assurance team conducts in one month." In the recent months, the 33d MXG has put an emphasis on the Air Force Smart Operations 21, which is a dedicated effort to increase efficiency by maximizing value and minimizing waste. The LSET inspectors said that the 33d MXG reaped big gains in their pass rate by applying AFSO21 Lean concepts to 57 processes in the group. The LSET inspection does not produce a final ranking or grade, just a report of final findings. "It was the overall dedication and maintenance professionalism in the MXG that allowed us to showcase safe and reliable aircraft through high maintenance standards," Major Williams said.