George Solomon receives a $10,000 check from 15th Airlift Wing vice commander Col. Dean Wolford at a commander’s call April 28 for a winning submission to the Innovative Development Through Employee Awareness Program at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Mr. Solomon is a 15th Aircraft Maintenance squadron aircraft electrician who requested a source maintenance and recoverability code change that allowed a previously-expendable $16,631 C-17 ice detector to be repaired for about $5,000. In the last two years, 135 parts have been thrown away at a cost of $2,190,105; however, repairing the part would only have cost $769,500, which adds up to a total cost savings of $1,420,605 in two years. The IDEA Program is an incentive program that promotes process improvement and/or resource savings through ideas submitted by military and civilian employees. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Senior Airman Carolyn Viss)