Offutt PMEL earns Air Force certification

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James M. Hodgman
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  The workers of this lab are hard at work conducting measurements and calibrating equipment. Their mission is to produce calibrated test, measurement and diagnostic equipment for Offutt's warriors. Their dedication was recently tested during an Air Force Metrology and Calibration Program Assessment, an assessment that earned them Air Force certification. 

The 55th Maintenance Squadron's Precision Measurement Equipment laboratory recently passed an AFMETCAL inspection and earned Air Force certification in the process. 

During the inspection, an assessment team evaluated six critical areas including management systems, environmental control systems, measurement capability, quality program, proficiency testing and measurement assurance program, and the facility. The 55th MXS PMEL earned a passing score in all six areas. Furthermore, the PMEL also earned a rating of excellent on two other areas not assessed for certification purposes: technical proficiency, and scheduling and maintenance supply support. 

Senior Master Sgt. Billy A. Larkins, an AFMETCAL Evaluator, and member of the inspection team, said he was impressed with Offutt's PMEL. 

"The experience level of the technicians involved in the assessment is the PMEL's greatest strength," Sergeant Larkins said. "They can be proud of their accomplishments and the support they provide to their customers." 

But what is a PMEL certification and why is it important? 

"PMEL certification is critical to the wing," said retired Senior Master Sgt. Charles F. Stiffler, the manager of the 55th MXS PMEL. Without PMEL certification, Offutt's lab would close resulting in the entire base's TMDE having to be certified at another base. 

Shipping everything that may have to be serviced to another base would present quite a problem for Team Offutt. According to the 55th MXS, the PMEL supports an inventory of 5,809 items and processes an average of 394 items per month. 

"This would be a lot of equipment to ship for lateral support if Offutt didn't have a PMEL," Mr. Stiffler said. "Having the ability to process items here provides an unbroken chain of quality, accuracy and traceability." 

This guarantees the accuracy of the navigation and communication systems on aircraft and base communication systems, Mr. Stiffler explained. 

Supporting the numerous missions of Team Offutt is the main focus of Offutt's PMEL. The lab performs periodic calibration of the test measurement and diagnostic equipment used by every organization on base. 

The lab services many parts including torque wrenches, pressure and vacuum indicators, power meters, fiber optic time domain reflectometers, signal generators and much more. 

Ensuring this equipment is in working order ensures aircraft mechanics and communications systems specialists get the job done right, Mr. Stiffler said. 

"The PMEL mission ensures the integrity of navigation systems to ensure our aircraft are capable of flying the world and that our intelligent gathering equipment is right on target," Mr. Stiffler added.