Reserve pilot recognized for career contributions to aerial fire fighting Published July 8, 2016 By Maj. Jolene Bottor-Ortiona 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- “Your success depends on your mental level of aspiration, if your standards are not high, you’ll wallow in mediocrity.” Joe I. Vigil, Adams State track coach. These are words that Lt. Col. James “Mark” Steward has aimed to live by and it’s safe to say he has met the highest of standards. A C-130 pilot in his 21st year in the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) mission, Steward is entering retirement this year having achieved the outstanding honor of earning the 2016 Spirit of MAFFS Award. The Spirit of MAFFS Award is an annual U.S. Forest Service meritorious service award that was first established in 2003. It recognizes an individual for “exceptional collaborative and cooperative contributions and achievements toward a constantly improving military and civilian government operation,” according to Kim Christensen, U.S. Forest Service MAFFS training coordinator. Steward has distinguished himself first as a copilot, then as an aircraft commander and for the past sixteen years as an instructor pilot. His expertise has helped train hundreds of Airmen and his approach has remained the same. “I always think you can never have the perfect flight and you can always improve in your skills, so challenge yourself every day you go fly and build your confidence in the airplane,” said Steward. Steward’s love of flying applies to every aspect of his life. In addition to flying for the Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing, he flies for a commercial air carrier in his civilian career and built and flies an aerobatic aircraft for fun in his spare time. In retirement from the Reserve, he plans to gain certification as an instructor pilot on the civilian side so he can log hours with his son who is working towards his private pilot’s license. With more than 13,000 cumulative flying hours, he describes getting in the cockpit as the airplane being an extension of himself. As for receiving the award, Steward is honored to be associated with those who have won it in the past. “It’s humbling, there are a lot of guys who are deserving,” said Steward. “There are a lot of people who put effort into this mission to make it happen. It’s an honor and I will cherish it.” Having his time at the Reserve wing come to an end is a bittersweet experience for Steward, but he encourages those coming after him to never settle or get comfortable with their skill set. “It becomes second nature after a while, but doing this mission isn’t as easy as it looks,” said Steward. “You fly the airplane on the edge of its performance envelope, but it doesn’t respond the same way it does in other missions because we are heavy, right above the tree tops, over rugged terrain. It’s a challenge to learn to trust your skills and get the airplane down in the weeds.” In addition to his skills as a C-130 instructor pilot, Steward volunteered his expertise to be the MAFFS pilot representative during the Air Force Safety Investigation Board after the 2012 MAFFS 7 crash. He was one of the few people with aerial firefighting experience in that group. “Ultimately, Steward gained the respect of the members of the board by being professional, persistent and using reason,” said Lt. Col. Luke Thompson, 302nd AW MAFFS program manager. Steward always remembers the complexity of the mission when flying MAFFS-equipped aircraft. “We are helping the firefighters on the ground, they are expecting our support, if we don’t do it properly, we are putting them in danger,” said Steward. “We have to do our job so they can do theirs. Firefighting is a team effort.” In a program filled with quality people and outstanding performers, Steward has risen to the top of this elite group to be selected for the 2016 Spirit of MAFFS Award.