Members of the 372nd TRS bridge the gap

Published Aug. 17, 2006
By Tarsha Storey
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- When a maintenance career field Airman arrives at his or her first base after technical school, he or she may know the basic knowledge, but not the ins and outs of the occupation. To bridge the education gap between technical school and the day-to-day job, students are required to attend field training. On Shaw, this additional job-specific education is taught by the instructors of the 372nd Training Squadron Field Training Detachment 2.

The 372nd TRS is composed of 25 geographically separated units located around the world. At Shaw, the detachment teaches 48 courses in seven different specialty codes, said Master Sgt. Noah Robinson, 372nd TRS FTD production supervisor.

The mission statement of the 372nd TRS FTD is "to provide first-rate aircraft maintenance training and technical support to meet the needs of the United States and Allied Forces when and where needed."

Some of the courses offered by the detachment are mandatory, but some simply further students' knowledge level in their career fields, said Master Sgt. Albert Orr, 372nd TRS FTD engine instructor.

"We give the maintainers the mental tools they need to get the job done," said Master Sgt. Charles Farley, 372nd TRS FTD Egress instructor.

Students are of varying ranks and are not all military, Sgt. Robinson said.

"We teach students how the whole system works and we make sure they know the correct terminology. Out in the field, different terminology is usually used," Sgt. Orr said.

Some of the specialties covered by the detachment are fuels systems, aircraft generating equipment, avionics and munitions, Sgt. Robinson said.

The detachment even covers educational instruction on A-10 engines due to the fact Shaw is the East Coast Regional Repair Center for the all the engines from Spangdahlem, Shaw and Pope Air Force Bases, Sgt. Orr said.

In the past year, the 372nd TRS FTD spent 21.5 thousand hours educating students from Shaw and around the area, Sgt. Robinson said.

All the instructors at the detachment are on special duty assignments and will eventually return to their career fields, Sgt. Farley said.

The instructors agreed they all shared a love for teaching. They also mentioned how rewarding instructing is.

Sgt. Farley said he enjoys reminding his students that everything they learn is important. He said he reminds his egress students that pilots' lives may depend on them learning the basics of their job.

The instructors also said they do not just teach, they also learn while they teach.

"Every time I teach a class, I learn something new. I pick up something each time. Every class shows me something new or how to do something better," Sgt. Orr said.