Long hours, dedication and precision...A jack of all trades...crew chief Published Aug. 11, 2006 By Senior Airman Holly MacDonald 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- It's hard to describe a crew chief's job because we do so much, said Staff Sgt. Javin Guile, 77th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief. Basically, crew chiefs at Shaw are required to maintain the F-16s and schedule routine maintenance for the jets, Sgt. Guile said. More specifically, crew chiefs specialize in landing gear, hydraulics, the airframe and engine of the jet, said Staff. Sgt. Edgar Lewis, 55th AMU crew chief. They manage the jet and perform all inspections to keep it flying. Each crew chief is assigned to a jet when they get to their squadron and their name is displayed as assistant crew chief on the side. They begin as an assistant crew chief and can be promoted to a dedicated crew chief, Sgt. Guile said. New crew chiefs first learn to launch and recover jets. The launching procedure includes completing forms, performing a walk-around inspection with the pilot, strapping the pilot in, waiting for the pilot to complete his or her checklist, disconnecting communication chords, pulling the chalks from the wheels, marshalling the jet and finally saluting, said Senior Airman Adam Flood, 79th AMU crew chief. Recovering a jet includes vectoring it in and basically the reverse of a launch, including debriefing any problems which occurred during flight, he said. After gaining experience, crew chiefs then begin performing maintenance on other jets until their launched jets return. When crew chiefs are performing maintenance on a jet, it's never the same, Sgt. Guile said. "It's a different animal every day; sometimes you'll have to fix something you've never seen before," he said. Crew chiefs look to their technical orders for troubleshooting checklists. They also get the job done no matter how busy things get or what the manning situation is, Sgt. Guile said. It doesn't matter how many jets are launched and recovered, the maintenance still must be done. Crew chiefs at Shaw are accustomed to putting in long hours, up to 12 hours a day usually, Sgt. Guile said. "You can get pulled in five different directions pretty quickly," Sgt. Lewis said. Pride plays a big part in a crew chief's work. When crew chiefs become dedicated, their name is then displayed as dedicated crew chief on the side of their jets. "It's a sense of pride for me; it shows who I am. I like to keep my jet clean and everything just right," Sgt. Lewis said. One of the ways Shaw recognizes the hard work of crew chiefs is the Dedicated Crew Chief Competition. The competition is based on statistics of the quarter, appearance of the jet, pre-flight inspection, forms, inspection of tools, equipment and a series of questions, said Staff Sgt. Andrew Kemna, 79th AMU crew chief and most recent winner of the DCC competition. However, the personal satisfaction of being crew chief seems to be the greatest reward. I feel real accomplishment at the end of the day, knowing that I'm actually working toward a mission, Senior Airman Flood said. The leadership of Shaw is proud of the accomplishments their crew chiefs make to keep the mission going. "They are the overall caretakers of the aircraft. They manage maintenance, inspect the aircraft and ensure the aircraft is ready to fly when tasked. They are the integral piece to the success of Shaw's mission," said Maj. John Nemecek, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintenance operations officer.