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Home front crew chiefs still make it happen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joel Mease
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  When they finish their shifts their uniforms are often covered in oil, dirt and sweat. They are no longer the crisp, starched uniforms they once were.

However, for crew chiefs here -- and elsewhere on the home front -- this is a symbol of pride.

The life of a crew chief is a tiring but rewarding job, said Staff Sgt. Tim Strickenberger, a dedicated crew chief with the 79th Aircraft Maintenance Unit.

The primary role of the crew chief is simply to keep jets ready for combat. To do this, crew chiefs work long hours. Their calendar is tied to the flying schedule -- where jets normally fly two to three times a day, Sergeant Strickenberger said.

What many Airmen do not see are the crew chiefs who work in the rain or freezing cold to keep the mission going. The elements can often present a significant challenge to those Airmen. For example, a crew chief can't feel a small bolt with gloves on, the sergeant said.

Another challenge crew chiefs face is fewer people to do the job. This often forces supervisors to schedule crew chiefs to work 12-hour days to meet mission needs, unit section chief Master Sgt. Theron Sutton said.

But the challenges are what attract crew chiefs to the job, crew chief Airman 1st Class Caleb Pangborn said.

"I enjoy having to figure out what's wrong with a jet,” the Airman said. “It's kind of like a puzzle sometimes, and it helps me learn more about the jet."

Sergeant Strickenber said, "The most difficult part of our job is being flexible. If something breaks, it needs to be fixed right away."

A crew chief finishing technical school is expected to maintain a multi-million dollar jet and look out for the safety of those around it. Crew chiefs cannot tolerate mistakes on the flightline because someone can die, Sergeant Strickenberger said.

So crew chiefs take great pride in being mistake-free.

They often treat their jet as if it were their own personal car, cleaning it daily and taking care of the little things to make them stand out from the rest, Sergeant Sutton said.

"The responsibility of an Airman is extremely large. I'm glad they treat those jets as if they were their own. Because when we hit combat, our number one priority in the Air Force is to get jets in the air and bombs on target," Sergeant Sutton said.

Airman Pangborn said, “There is no other job in the world this satisfying. Being trusted with lives and a multi-million dollar jet is a very rewarding experience."