MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE Fla. -- The 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 927th AMXS at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, held an induction ceremony to honor 48 crew chiefs selected as dedicated crew chiefs and assistant DCCs Jan. 6, 2017.
The objective of the DCC program is to directly assign a lead maintainer to each aircraft for continuity and accuracy of aircraft forms, status, scheduled maintenance and the improvement of aircraft cosmetics.
“Being a DCC is a responsibility that is met with a sense of pride, professionalism, and enthusiasm,” said Master Sgt. Jennifer Hilton, section chief assigned to the 927th AMXS. “These individuals stepped forward to accept this responsibility and the privilege of crewing the world’s finest tanker aircraft; the KC-135 Stratotanker.”
Personnel must have a minimum of six months experience on the airframe and be in the career field before being selected. They are selected on the basis of initiative, management skills, leadership ability, and technical knowledge.
During the induction ceremony, each primary DCC was issued their DCC numbers and received a certificate.
“These numbers are assigned based on the crew chief’s dedicated years of service in their career field and will be issued sequentially,” said Hilton. “No two Team MacDill DCC’s will ever wear the same number over the life of this program.”
The names of the DCC’s and ADCC’s will be painted on the jet they are assigned as a symbol of honor and pride.
At the end of the ceremony, DCCs were charged with their duties as Lt. Col. Robert Lowe III, commander of the 6th AMXS, recited the mechanic’s creed.
“So when you see mighty jet aircraft, as they mark their way through the air, the grease stained man with the wrench in his hand is the man who put them there,” excerpt from the “Forgotten Mechanic.