Eric Rister

Leads sortie generation and maintenance operations for 24 A-10C aircraft valued at $451.2M, executing a $67M Flying Hour Program. Oversaw a 20-member production staff, managing aircraft availability for Combat Search and Rescue, Close Air Support, and anti-armor missions. Develops contingency generation flow plans while briefing Wing and HQ leadership on fleet status, maintenance actions, and personnel accountability.

• Fleet & Production Management: Directs daily flight line operations, ensuring aircraft meet all mission requirements with minimal downtime. Manages the scheduling, inspection, and repair of aircraft, aligning maintenance efforts with operational objectives.
• Operational Readiness: Synchronizes sortie production with mission priorities, optimizing aircraft turnaround time to support real-world deployments and training objectives.
• Process Optimization: Implements data-driven strategies to improve maintenance efficiency, reducing non-mission capable rates and streamlining maintenance workflows.
• Risk & Safety Oversight: Ensures compliance with Air Force safety standards, OSHA regulations, and hazardous material protocols to safeguard personnel and equipment.

Directed the maintenance efforts of 300+ Airmen across multiple specialties, sustaining 27 F-15E aircraft valued at $1.4B. Oversaw all aspects of aircraft fleet health, sortie generation, and emergency maintenance, achieving a 98% combat mission readiness rate.

• Aircraft Generation & Mission Support: Overcame limited aircraft availability, managing 2.3K scheduled maintenance tasks with a 98.6% success rate. Scrutinized aircraft repairs and guided maintenance teams through 1.4K pilot-reported discrepancies, optimizing mission efficiency and supporting the squadron’s SECDEF Field Level Maintenance Effectiveness Award.
• Performance Improvement: Led fleet-wide health assessments, reducing aircraft downtime and improving sortie availability through proactive maintenance and strategic asset allocation.
• Strategic Planning & Operational Execution: Developed and implemented a long-range maintenance plan for 6 aircraft while navigating supply chain constraints and critical Airmen training requirements. His plan facilitated a 4-ship of combat-ready aircraft redeploying in under 3 months in support of Operation ATLAS GUARDIAN, securing NATO’s eastern flank

Led daily sortie generation operations for 27 F-15E aircraft, overseeing maintenance, logistics, and personnel coordination across three Air Force Specialty Codes. Managed high-tempo mission execution, ensuring aircraft met operational requirements for training, exercises, and real-world taskings.

• Fleet Modernization & Systems Integration: Spearheaded MIDS-JTRS Time Compliance Technical Order upgrade execution, synchronizing software induction with daily schedules thus enhancing situational awareness and Joint Terminal Attack Controller combat capabilities across 12 aircraft.
• High-Tempo Flight Operations & Surge Execution: Orchestrated a 131-sortie surge, managing daily generation for 18 aircraft while exceeding 102% of scheduled sorties enabling 30 Joint Terminal Attack Controller qualifications and 14 Flight Commander upgrades, increasing mission-ready personnel.
• Strategic Inspections & Compliance Leadership: Led four major Wing-level program inspections, identifying and correcting 84 deficiencies, directly contributing to the Wing’s “Highly Effective” rating during the Unit Effectiveness Inspection.