More than just wrench turners: 44th AMU ensures aircraft are safe for flight

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Corey M. Pettis
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The combination of grease, oil and sweat creates a mixture that is a tell-tale sign of hard work and dedication.
  
That's the mixture of hard work members of the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron do day in and day out, because fixing a $100 million jet is no easy task.

Apart from the normal every day maintenance and upkeep of the F-15E Eagle that goes into being a crew chief, repairing things that break and getting the aircraft back up and running again is vital to Kadena's mission. 

"Identifying any type of problem and getting the jet running again is rewarding," said Staff Sgt. Carl Petmecky, 44th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief. "I know the jet, and after working on it for so long, I like knowing how to fix things that are broken."

Petmecky and the other members of the 44th AMU's skills were put to the test when an aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency. That is when a pilot sees signs that something isn't working properly.

They got right to work troubleshooting and locating the problem. In this case, the culprit was a broken hydraulic line, allowing fluid to pour out when put under pressure.

"The first step is to remove the line," said Petmecky. "Once the line is removed and sent to the back shop to be repaired, we install it back into the jet and bleed the hydraulic lines of any air that might be in the system."

Then the engine can be started to perform a test run, making sure all of the components are working properly, Petmecky explained.

The aircraft is then ready to get back into action, and the crew chiefs will continue to work hard to keep the jets in the air.

"I'm proud of them and the work they produce," said Master Sgt. Fernando Ruiz, 18th AMXS assistant squadron maintenance superintendent. "I am also very proud of the fact that we enable the wing to meet its combat capability."

But the work they do is not easy, and it never stops, Ruiz explained.

"We do this 24-hours a day, 3 shifts, in the hot and in the cold and in the wet and the dry, its non-stop dedication," said Ruiz. "It's a beautiful thing to watch an Eagle take off full burner, but it's even more rewarding to watch these guys turn wrenches and show up the next day with a smile on their face after a rough day on the flight line."

Aircraft maintainers are the back bone of the Air Force, and the members of the 18th AMXS are no exception, getting more than 50 F-15 Eagles up and ready to defend the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.