LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Alex Lemarr, 47th Maintenance Directorate T-6 aircraft scheduler, was chosen by wing leadership to be the “XLer” of the week, for the week of July 16, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.
The “XLer” award, presented by Col. Ted Glasco, 47th Mission Support Group commander, is given to those who consistently make outstanding contributions to their unit and the Laughlin mission.
As team lead of the T-6 plans and scheduling crew, Lemarr, a native of Del Rio, Texas, shares insight on what it takes to keep the Laughlin T-6 fleet up and mobile.
“Think about how a car has oil and tire changes, all the liquids in the vehicle and all the parts have to be changed eventually,” Lemarr said. “That’s what we track and coordinate with the T-6’s, so we don’t have half the fleet down at one time trying to make replacements or time changes when we need to be able to fly. We would need to coordinate and shift things around so we can accomplish the flying mission.”
He was also able to avoid errors in more than 200 special inspections by keeping aircraft maintenance on schedule. Lemarr believes communication is key in order to keep on-time with the schedule.
“We plan out the maintenance and make sure it gets done on a certain day we schedule it while making sure the parts are loaded,” Lemarr said. “Then we space it out and we keep it like a ‘revolving door’— something comes into the hangar to get fixed, the second it’s coming out, something else is taking its place going back in.”
Lemarr accompanied a fellow co-worker, who is mobility impaired, to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas for a Temporary Duty (TDY) to help make the experience smoother for her.
“One of my co-workers has a disability with her leg where she has to be mobile via scooter,” he said. “I helped out as much as possible, opening doors, getting the scooter in and out of the vehicle, simple stuff, wherever I could help.”
Lemarr’s dedication to his team as well as the hard work that goes into making sure the T-6 fleet is up and functioning smoothly and making sure the Laughlin mission is being accomplished everyday earned him the XLer of the week award.
“My favorite thing about working with the team is the comradery and the willingness to want to help,” Lemarr said. “It’s a great family and a great team, I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else.”