Pope crew chiefs earn black letter C-130 Published Nov. 12, 2015 By 1st lt. Justin Clark 440th Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. -- It's a once-in-a-career event, not all that different from hitting a hole-in-one in golf or being dealt a royal flush in poker. In fact, in 25 years of service, it's the first time Master Sgt. Angela Psket, a dedicated crew chief with the Air Force Reserve's 440th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, has earned a black-letter flight on her dedicated C-130H2 Hercules aircraft. Psket shared the accomplishment with fellow crew chief Staff Sgt. Darren Ricchiazzi, who currently augments the 440th AMXS workforce from the 914th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York. Together, they earned no fewer than four black-lettered flights between July and September 2015. A black-letter means that there were no open maintenance discrepancies noted prior to the aircraft's flight. Before each flight, maintenance inspectors carefully examine the aircraft to try to find any discrepancies, which are denoted with a red X on the aircraft's inspection forms. When there are zero discrepancies - which occurs very, very infrequently - the inspector will sign the aircraft off using black ink, thus the name. "This speaks to the skill and dedication of our maintainers, and goes to show that even as we deal with reduced manning in the Maintenance Group, our maintainers continue to perform at their best," said Col. Sharon Johnson, 440th Maintenance Group commander. "A black-letter is no easy feat to begin with, and in this case it occurred when we weren't even at full capacity." How often do black-lettered flights happen? "Rarely ever," said Ricchiazzi. "I didn't even know what it was until it happened here. It's that rare." Ricchiazzi currently serves as an assistant crew chief with the 440th AMXS. He volunteered to help support the 440th, but remains a member of the 914th AW. It's the first time in his six years of service that he has ever seen a black-letter flight, and he gets to lay his claim to it. What makes their accomplishment all the more significant is that it happened during a period of reduced manning as a consequence of the 440th Airlift Wing's pending inactivation. "We're less than 25 percent manned, and we're not just flying, but flying with blackletters," said Psket. "Our management has to get guest help for us to keep flying." Psket was quick to point out that earning the black-letter requires the help of many people, and that she alone can't claim the credit. "It's something Maintenance Group should be proud of," said Psket. "It's not about me, but about our accomplishment. It belongs to everybody here." "The crew chief is for continuity, but it takes everybody in the Maintenance Group for this to happen," said Psket. "Especially under these circumstances." Psket also gave credit to the volunteers from the Reserve community currently serving at Pope, such as Ricchiazzi, which other airlift units provided to continue the 440th's mission while its manning is reduced. Psket said that the maintainers helping to keep the 440th flying have come from airlift units such as those in Youngstown, Minneapolis, Colorado, and even Patrick Air Force Base. "For us to keep flying, it's volunteers like this who make it possible," said Psket. "Guest help supplements our manning because of the high attrition we've had with the uncertainty." As a dedicated crew chief, Psket has been married to the same aircraft since 2001, a 1988-model C-130H2, tail number 4403. When the 440th Airlift Wing and its aircraft moved from Milwaukee to Pope Army Airfield in 2007, she moved along with it. Psket has been with the unit since 1994, when she left active duty for the Air Force Reserve. Psket also holds the distinction of being the 440th's first and only female dedicated crew chief. Although Psket had never earned a black-letter before, she has witnessed one at the 440th. The most recent was in 2011, when Tech. Sgt. Abner Berrios and Tech. Sgt. Alan Hunter, both crew chiefs of the 440th AMXS, earned their own black-lettered flights. When asked if this was something Ricchiazzi could brag about when he returned to his unit at Niagara, he said it was. "Yes, absolutely," he said.