Released: Apr. 9, 2003
Maintainers prepare F-15s for wild blue yonder
By Airman 1st Class Kerry Johnson
1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) -- Senior Airman Jon Wilcox stands before
the hulking mass of gray metal filled with jet fuel, reaches up and pats the
jet's nose.
"Take good care of him," he says.
He steps back, signals to "him" - the pilot - as he marshals the F-15, preparing his jet for its sortie.
Airman Wilcox just hopes it will be a good day for his plane.
For any dedicated crew chief, such as Airman Wilcox, a 27th Aircraft
Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief, a "good day" translates into his plane
performing as it should, with no incidents, and being available for training
missions.
That kind of day, a "Code 1" day, is what the dedicated crew chief is
responsible for.
DCC's are chosen by rank based on experience and exceptional performance. They
are then assigned an F-15. These prerequisites for a DCC are vital,
considering their task.
"DCC's are responsible for all service, inspections and preparations for their
particular jet, nose to tail, start to finish," said Master Sgt. Joe Dowd, the
27th AMU technical aircraft maintenance section chief. "It's an incredible
amount of responsibility and their critical attention to detail never ceases
to amaze me."
The title of dedicated crew chief comes hand in hand with many obligations a
parent might identify with.
At the end of an 11-hour shift, the DCC must "bed down" the jet, which may
include configurement changes, whether it's for pilot training or real world
proficiencies.
Bath time takes three to four people up to four hours to clean the jet. A DCC
takes pride in the appearance of his jet, Sergeant Dowd said.
"It becomes a bit of a rivalry -- comparing whose jet looks better, or
comparing stats on all the planes," he said. "They earn bragging rights with
all the dedication and pride invested into their aircraft. That pride
multiplies when they see their jet in the air."
While a DCC's jet is in the air, he or she also must help peers with other
F-15s, or tackle the administrative aspect of their job. This includes
training records or paperwork of service performed on the jet.
On the flipside, when a jet is grounded due to one of the thousands of things
that could go wrong, DCCs will focus all their effort on identifying the
problem, fixing it and getting their aircraft back on the runway as soon as
possible, Sergeant Dowd said.
Service on an F-15 can take hours or days, depending on the problem.
"The job can be frustrating, but you just do the best you can because it's
what you have to do," Airman Wilcox said.
"When your jet rolls out of the chocks, there's a sense of pride ... you can
say to yourself, 'there she goes,'" he said.
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