Wing commander tours honorary commander’s aerospace mission

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Honorary Commander Program at Dover AFB is a public outreach tool where local civic and community leaders gain a deeper insight of the Airmen, families and mission of Team Dover. Conversely, the program allows Team Dover leadership to gain further comprehension of their honorary commander's role in the community.

Col. Michael Grismer, 436th Airlift Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Keith Davis, 436th AW command chief, toured the PATS Aircraft Systems facility August 5, 2015, in Georgetown, Delaware, giving Team Dover leadership a closer view of a civilian aerospace mission.

"PATS' mission serves a very unique sector within the broad scope of the aviation industry," said Grismer. "It was an honor to see first-hand how our civilian counterparts accomplish such a distinctive mission.

"This was all made possible by our Honorary Commander Program and we enjoy every opportunity to learn about the local community as we educate our honorary commanders on Team Dover's various missions," he said.

PATS Aircraft Systems specializes in auxiliary fuel systems, aerospace component and systems manufacturing. They also act as a one stop shop for VIP aircraft customers. PATS employs interior experts who design, build and install upgraded interior components of the aircraft to world-wide VIP and heads-of-state customers.

Mark Rudo, PATS Aircraft Systems vice president of quality, Organization Designation Authorization and product support and Grismer's honorary commander, said although their mission differs from that of Team Dover, there is still knowledge to be gained by showcasing their operations.

"We don't have the same exact operations as the base, but we do have a significant aerospace operation," said Rudo. "We wanted to be sure to reciprocate and show exactly what we do here and how we do it."

The tour offered insight to PATS' "lean processes" in their operations, something the Air Force can use to accomplish its mission with limited manpower. Capt. Derrick Besse, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, accompanied the tour as a maintenance expert to see what Team Dover could learn from PATS.

"It was nice getting to see some of the local business perspectives when it comes to lean processes and continuous improvement in the industrial arena," said Besse. "The Honorary Commander Program is an excellent tool to promote community relationships and learn from each other's benchmark programs. Both PATS and Dover AFB can learn from one another's various programs and be successful in the future of aviation industry."

The tour offered much more than just a business perspective, it allowed two leaders of their respected sectors to build a closer, more personal relationship.

"I'm really appreciative of the Honorary Commander Program, it's been great," said Rudo. "Someone off base has no idea what goes on within, so it's been a tremendous program and Col. Grismer is very supportive of everything we do and everything that is done together."