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Whiteman civilian's IDEA saves thousands

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody H. Ramirez
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  William George, 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle repair and inspection technician, was presented $10,000 May 2 for his submission to the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program here.

IDEA has encouraged Airmen to think critically since 1998 and makes innovative ideas available to benefit the Air Force.

The Team Whiteman and Air Force Global Strike Command member was awarded for creating a run-flat tool to remove Bearcat tires, saving the Air Force thousands of dollars yearly.

"It was a surprise to me," said Mr. George. "I had never thought about turning my idea into the program, but I decided 'why not' and it worked out for me."

Mr. George said the check was a nice bonus, but it wasn't about the money; he built the tool to improve a broken process in his shop.

"The Bearcats for Security Forces use a run-flat inside the tire," Mr. George said. "When we tried to change the first tire we contacted the manufacturer, who shipped us two 1/2 inch steel rods and a small piece of plumber's strap bolted together. The idea was to squeeze the run flat together with the rods and align the bolt hole to secure the run flat.

"We attempted this but could not get it to work with their tool," he added. "My co-worker and I attempted this for three hours and quit. We contacted three other bases and Global Strike Command for guidance on replacing these tires, who all recommended replacing the whole tire as an assembly - tire, run flat and wheel."

Mr. George didn't like the answer he was getting, so he requested a price quote on the tire and wheel assembly. The cost: $2,643 each. He checked the price of just the tire locally, which was $285 each.

With his previous mechanic experience, Mr. George said he knew he could design a tool and use a wrench to remove the tire more easily and for less money. He built the tool to bring the 2-piece run flat together, align the attaching holes and insert the lock-bolt in place, which allows him to change a tire in less than 30 minutes now.

"Using my run-flat tool we are saving approximately four-and-a-half man-hours per tire by making the tire replacement a one-person 30-minute task," Mr. George said. "We have mounted more than 60 new tires in the last six months saving the Air Force more than $100,000 and 200 labor-hours."

The tool has proven its efficiency and has been sent to multiple Air Force bases for use on their Bearcats armored vehicles