Aviation resource manager named Airman of the Month

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Frank Casciotta
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A 3rd Flying Training Squadron aviation resource manager is the 71st Flying Training Wing Airman of the Month for April.

Senior Airman Joshua Hubmann was selected by 71st FTW group superintendents for his work performance and merit as an Airman.

Keeping an Airman's selection as AOM a secret from him or her is an unspoken trend among supervisors to give the formal announcement more impact. In Hubmann's case, he was expecting an inspection.

"My supervisor and commander tricked me by telling me there was an inspection team coming," said Hubmann. "But, when I saw the wing commander and his team, I knew what was happening."

Col. Clark Quinn, the 71st FTW commander and Chief Master Sgt. Peter Speen, the 71st FTW command chief, strolled into Hubmann's work area with about eight others in tow when they informed him.

Quinn went along with the façade Hubmann's supervisor came up with, stating he was part of the inspection team when he shook Hubmann's hand before offering his congratulations.

"He always works hard and gets things done in a timely manner," said Staff Sgt. Devin Courtney, the 3rd FTS NCO in-charge of aviation resources. "Recently, he helped me prepare for the real upcoming inspection - I couldn't have done it without him."

Courtney and Hubmann combed through more than 500 files to prepare.

"He checked each individual pilot's record to ensure everything was in order," said Courtney. "If there are errors, it will have a severe negative impact on training and mission readiness."

If the 96 pilot records Hubmann reviewed had inaccurate information, those pilots could end up not flying enough hours or have their flight times mixed up, said Courtney.

Like all Airmen selected as Airman of the Month, Hubmann dedicates as much to his personal values as his professional ones.

Around last October, a bishop from Hubmann's church reached out to him and asked if he would be interested in teaching Sunday school at a local church.

"I told him 'sure,'" said Hubmann, a Kingsport, Tennessee, native. "I teach the class with my wife, and we both enjoy working with the kids."

Part of his reward for being the Airman of the Month is the privilege of spending a day alongside the wing command chief.

Hubmann will start the day conducting physical training with Speen and end the day with a pilot training graduation dinner.

"I think it will be fun," said Hubmann. "Even though I work with pilots every day, I've never attended a graduation. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also interested in seeing what a command chief does. I honestly have no idea. But, I'm sure it will be busy."