DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz., - New Air Guard F-16
mechanics currently faced with the possibility of waiting up to two years for
formal training courses will soon see their wait time drastically reduced by
a new training program here.
The first class of aspiring F-16 Fighting Falcon crew chiefs reported June 1
to the newly-formed Tucson Aircraft Maintenance School run by the Arizona Air
National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing, an F-16 training unit that specializes
in international pilot training.
Crew chiefs, usually assigned to a specific aircraft, are maintenance
specialists ultimately responsible for every component from nose to tail. In
addition to launching and recovering fighters, they ensure the overall safety
and readiness of the Air Guard's fleet and are arguably the backbone of the
F-16 community's homeland defense, training and operational missions.
"The National Guard Bureau asked the 162nd to start this program because the
Air Force's technical training school for F-16 crew chiefs couldn't fit
enough Guard seats into its training plans for 2009 and 2010," said 2nd Lt.
James Barnett, officer in charge of the new schoolhouse.
"There are about 160 Air Guardsmen across the country waiting for training,
so we've partnered with the Air Force's tech schools to service the demand
for training. This first class represents about a year of planning and
coordination with NGB and the Air Force."
Standard crew chief training takes new active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen
from basic training through a month of maintenance fundamentals at Sheppard
Air Force Base, Texas, then two and half months of F-16 specific training
also at Sheppard. The third and final phase is a month of hands-on training
with F-16's at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
The first eight students at the Tucson school are in the midst of F-16
specific training. So far, they've learned safety procedures and how to fill
out maintenance forms. June 15, their first day servicing an F-16, was long
anticipated.
"Today we're going to put hydraulic fluid into the aircraft, we're going to
service the aircraft accumulator and we're going to learn about the flight
control systems. We learned all this in the classroom yesterday and now we're
putting hands on the jet to actually do it," said Senior Airman Marc Haven, a
maintainer from the 169th Fighter Wing in Columbia, S.C.
"I have a background as a mechanic, but I've never worked on anything as cool
as an F-16," he said. "It's a big responsibility. It's our names on the side
of the jets. We just have to remember to be safe out here and treat the jets
like we're the ones flying them."
The schoolhouse uses a single F-16 from the 162nd's fleet for training. Built
in 1983, it was slated for storage at Davis-Monthan's Aerospace Maintenance
and Regeneration Group, also known as the boneyard. The program gives it two
more years of life. Though its flying days are over, it's configured for safe
maintenance training and is helping seasoned instructors teach the next
generation of Air Guard crew chiefs.
Tech. Sgt. Jeff Bentley from the District of Columbia Air National Guard's
113rd Fighter Wing, previously taught a fighter maintenance course at Langley
Air Force Base, Va., and Tech. Sgt. John Acquart from Arizona's 162nd, taught
the F-16 course at Sheppard before joining the Guard.
"The students are very intelligent and eager to get out there to be mechanics
for their units," said Acquart. "I enjoy teaching and passing on what I know
to fellow crew chiefs."
"Our instructors are very knowledgeable in their career field," said
Lieutenant Barnett. "They show a lot of enthusiasm in the classroom. They
take their time to make sure everyone understands the material. We are very
fortunate to have those two individuals teaching this course right now."
After the first class graduates Aug. 17 they will return to their home units
for 30 days of hands-on experience instead of heading to Luke for their final
phase of training. By 2011 the 162nd's goal is to teach all three courses -
fundamentals, F-16 specific training and hands-on training, said Barnett.
complimenting the technical schools at Sheppard and Luke, the Air Guard
program may help resolve many issues.
Without formal training, new recruits are restricted from on the job training
due to liability and regulations, bonuses are delayed, promotions becomes
difficult, and retention ultimately suffers.
"This new school is wonderful because I signed on six months ago and when I
got to my squadron they first told me that I could get a class date in 2012.
I wasn't looking forward to sitting in a shop - doing nothing for two years.
When they told me I could come here I was ready to go," said Staff Sgt.
Robbin Bruning, a maintainer from the 140th Fighter Wing at Buckley Air Force
Base, Colo.
"I'm excited about getting qualified," said Bruning. "I like having full roam
of the aircraft. We're working with the pilots in the middle of the action.
We're responsible for the whole plane, and we get to work outside."