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Show r HEWS y n .Oct. 4, 1991 unify Hilltop Times rx a. WTtlERk! VIM QUALITY FAIR i by SSgt. Barbara Fisher Hilltop Times staff It was a "quality" event that greeted the thousands this week who traveled to Hill AFB for the first Northern Utah Quality Fair. The event continues today until 1 p.m. More than 150 displays set up in the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing hangar near the South Gate attracted not only employees and others from the base, but drew spectators from near and far. Comments from booth operators, who, after their shifts answering questions about their displays, toured the other booths, and from visitors, who stopped in to see what a quality fair was all about, ranged from "Impressive" and "really neat" to "great idea" and "a quality fair." Organizers of the event, members of the Quality Month Committee, estimated that on the opening day, the event attracted 5,000 people. "It's been absolutely fantastic," said Wynn Covieo, the publicity chairman for the committee. "This has met all our expectations and then some." Hill has hosted quality fairs in the past, but none as extensive as this week's event. More than 80 base organizations set up booths displaying everything from recycling and robotic paint stripping to avionics and aircraft battle damage repair. u ' I ; 4 ' ' "'" -- ' ft d , X ; I ". i. 4 ti f 'il A Decked out P ' ,lAil i Visitors flock into the 419th Tactical Fighter Wing hangar near the Alt ) : South Gate. Officials estimate that on Tuesday, 5,000 people toured the displays on F-1- 6 Myriad displays Joining the base units were other Defense Department agencies, hospitals, universities, businesses and industries. Their displays ranged from blood pressure and glaucoma checks to an environmental simulator. , car and an What first greeted spectators when they walked into the hangar was Romanesque columns and red carpet to attract attention to the 1991 President's Award for Quality and Productivity that the Air Force Logistics Command won. A brochure handed out to visitors proudly stated that every member of Hill's Ogden Air Logistics Center "contributed significantly toward this achievement." What amazed and "impressed visitors, however, was the scope of the fair. "There was such a variety of stuff," said Dixie Cordova, a base employee. "I felt really stupid. I didn't know there was so much to know (about F-1- quality. u j 6 quality). "People were so helpful. They would ask if I had any questions, but I didn't know what to ask. There was so much. It was really nice." Cordova was not involved in the fair other than as a spectator, but said she had worked with the quality program and felt it was important to come. She said she spent as long as she could looking at everything on Wednesday and hoped to get back later in the week to look again. "We've got people from outside the base involved," she said, "and they're showing how they're involved in quality. "(Quality) is out there and it's important. The things we learn and know about quality can apply to the real world." One of the outside companies that had a popular display that Cordova and many others liked was CAE-Linwith their trainer. Ross Miles, who helped visitors "fly" the simulator, said he thought the quality fair was a great idea. Miles said he had been to other exhibits of this kind, but never one where the theme was as interesting as Hill's on quality. "I'm really impressed with the range of booths I see and all the different kinds of displays," he said. "All the people were very friendly and more than happy to try to answer your questions if you had F-1- 6 k Flying high Gus Burnum of F-1- 6 'i $ CAE-Lin- k helps a visitor fly the friendly skies in his company's s ace trainer. display was one of more than only 150 available for viewing this week. , ;rr- ; . r ,: . , - An I one Phoios oy kaipn iw any at all." Miles said he "applauds" the theme of the fair-qua- lity. "I think it's a great way to enhance (Total Quality Management) in the Air Force and in industry." Booth operators like Suzanne Prothero of the Financial Management Directorate were more than eager to talk about quality in their jobs. Prothero had suggested a quicker way for travelers to receive their advances before going on temporary duty. Her organization accepted her suggestion and now travelers should only spend seven minutes getting their money. She said she had only gotten through part of the displays on the first day of the fair and hoped to get to the others later after her shift at her booth. She encouraged everyone to come out and take a look around. she said. "We work on base and know what's going on in our neigheven we don't boring offices." And if anyone should think the quality fair is just for managers and not workers, they should talk to TSet. Veronica Thomas of the 2952nd Combat Logistics Support Squadron. Her unit deployed to the ' Mideast for Desert Shield and Desert Storm to handle "It's interesting," battle-damage- i I - ,.: CAE-Link'- ., ;i VST t xx-- & y,Xh 'T .$p - p -i X- ;'.' x im M X- 'I d aircraft. Thomas said quality certainly applies in her and her fellow workers' lives. "It's us doing our job fast, effi- ciently and flawlessly," she said. For example, she pointed to the first photographic display at her booth. The photos show a battle-scarrethat had made a landing without its front landing gear. The 388th Fighter Wing pilot successfully landed the plane, but its nose was torn off. "You can see all the actual damage from the war," she said. "They (the 2849th) turned around that plane the following day. That's good; that's quality work. d F-1- - :-- um x-1 - -r - :- ' 6 "And, it's still flying." Booth operators and visitors alike encourage those who haven't gone to the fair to do so. "There are a lot of neat process action teams out there I didn't even know about," Cordova said. "They're really anxious to tell their - story." |