Transient Alert Airman maintain high standards for visiting aircraft

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Sara Greco
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The phrase "Follow Me" is seen on the back of a truck with flashing lights driven by an Airman in a sharp-looking blue coverall to guide aircraft visiting the Republic of Korea. This truck is a distinguishing vehicle of the Transient Alert and Crash Recovery Team, here at Osan Air Base.

The Transient Alert and Crash Recovery team is a 22-member section of the 51st Maintenance Squadron. The team's main role is to maintain any aircraft that does not belong to the 51st Fighter Wing. These Airmen are qualified maintainers except for the fact they perform the roles for visiting aircraft, not for 51st FW owned aircraft.

Not many military members are aware of TA's important day-to-day role. Transient alert receives and launches aircraft daily, including many distinguished visitors' planes such as the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the United States Forces Korea commander, and even Korean dignitaries.

"The most important part of our job is to maintain professionalism," said Staff Sgt. Lewis McNeal, a transient alert team member. "Not only do we deal with aircraft, we deal with distinguished visitors that come in and out of Osan AB. For Osan and the 51st FW, we are the first people distinguished visitors set eyes on."

A transient alert team member is originally a maintenance Airman who works on a primary aircraft and is then trained to be able to work on multiple types of aircraft. In the states, TA is normally a civilian section. However, at Osan and other overseas bases, it is completely military which gives it a unique mission accomplishment.

"We are crew chiefs; fighter and heavy aircraft crew chiefs. We come from our primary aircraft, and we go from working one aircraft to being familiar with just about any aircraft in the Department of Defense inventory as well as the Republic of Korea aircraft," McNeal said.

Transient Alert Airmen also get a chance to work alongside the Republic of Korea Air Force during a program called Combat Cross Service, where TA members are assigned to Korean bases for a week and receive certification to work on Republic of Korea aircraft. This training was essential to work on Korean aircraft during Air Power Day, a two-day air show held at Osan Oct. 29 and 30.

"We had everything set up before they opened the event to the crowds. We received the aircraft from the stations that loaned us the jets over the weekend," McNeal said. "We had to reposition them, make sure they were all good to go and put them in place so that come Saturday and Sunday, everything was ready to go for the air show."

Another critical role of the Transient Alert team is crash recovery. If there are any in-flight emergencies or ground emergencies the TA team would respond to the incident alongside the fire department and other contingency responders. They are the closest unit that has the skills and equipment to perform crash recovery for an aircraft.

"As far as crash response and in-flight emergencies, we are the experts," said Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Wilson, Transient Alert section lead. "We are the team that ensures that our part in the grand scheme of things is accomplished safely and effectively to make sure we can reopen the airfield within a timely manner."

So why do they wear blue coveralls stitched up with patches as compared to the regular Airman Battle Uniform normally seen on the flightline?

"It's a distinguishing factor to separate us from other Airman on the flight line. It highlights our distinctive role in the maintenance squadron, the maintenance group and the wing," McNeal said.