Innovative Airman of the Week

Tech. Sgt. Bartek Bachleda, 54th Air Refueling Squadron evaluator room operator and NCO in charge of scheduling, was named Innovative Airman of the Week, June 10. Bachleda took the initiative to engineer a new ergonomically correct boom cushion and floor panel that is specific to the KC-135 Stratotanker boom operator mission. The cushion was designed to decrease the number of back and neck problems that have affected 60 percent of boom operators due to the current uneven floor panel. The design reduces chronic back and neck pain, improves quality of life, and reduces medical care costs. Bachleda has already created computer models and a prototype for the new boom operator compartment floor panel cushion. Additionally, Bachleda was a key member of the 54th ARS scheduling team, which innovated the plan to save Altus Air Force Base $3.2 million in fiscal year 2013. The plan reorganizes flight times to air-refueling tracks by finding ways to efficiently schedule only the two closest air refueling tracks, saving $22,500 daily in flight costs.