35th APG: a shop that never sleeps

  • Published
  • By Airman Kenna Jackson
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  
Editor's Note: This is the final installation of a six-part series highlighting the 13th and 14th Aircraft Maintenance Units.

Although the 35th Fighter Wing's Wild Weasel F-16 Fighting Falcons technically belong to the Air Force, the 13th and 14th Aircraft Maintenance Units airframe/power plant/ general crew chiefs claim full ownership of the fleet.

As testimony to a crew chief's responsibility of guaranteeing his jets serviceability to the pilot, each aircraft is branded with the name of its keeper.

The APG crew chiefs are trained to maintain and troubleshoot their assigned aircraft. It is their job to make sure the jets are serviceable and ready for flight. If there is a maintenance problem, APG crew chiefs are the go-to-guys before other maintainers are is called in.

"From landing gears to the fundamentals of avionics, we are expected to be in charge of the maintenance done to our aircraft," said Staff Sgt. Christopher McConnell, 14 AMU dedicated crew chief.

The responsibilities of APG Airmen include inspecting and producing F-16s for missions and supervising other maintainers as they work on aircraft. Throughout the day, jets may be looked over four or five times to ensure the pilot will be safe and the mission will be successful, said McConnell.

Crew chiefs perform aircraft marshalling, a visual form of communication using body signals to direct a pilot around the flightline. They also record and document the maintenance done on aircraft.

"Everything that happens to the jets is written down on a form 7-81 [used to keep a record of maintenance,] and then it is put into the integrated maintenance data system for documentation," said Airman 1st Class Rigo Fine, 14 AMU assistant dedicated crew chief.

Since launching jets can happen at a moment's notice, APG crew chiefs are needed around the clock and are not accustomed to routine to privileges such as dining in stationary facilities, sleeping for more than six hours a night and having fixed work hours and downtime.

Crew chiefs benefit from these daily inconsistencies by perfecting their time management skills and flexibility.

"When I first got here, everything was so fast, and they kept saying, 'remember your training, remember your training'," said Fine. "Soon, I learned to keep up and get the work done."

The seasoned crew chiefs expect a lot from newer Airmen and put a lot of pressure on them, McConnell said. Because of low-manning in a high-tempo career field, they do not have the time to provide constant over-watch to their assisting co-workers. Instead, they give the Airmen their aircraft instruction manuals and ensure they read and follow them.

Even though the training is difficult and the APG man-power leaves much to be desired, McConnell said he is proud of his shop's performance.

"We are doing outstanding," said McConnell. "Even with all the things we are tasked with, such as continuous aircraft upgrades and temporary duty assignments, we are still getting the job done."