Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Bragg | A reflection of a CH-53E Super Stallion is shown in the visor of Lance Cpl. James J....... read more read more
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KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - Upon receiving his mission brief, the five-foot, nine-inch tall buzzed-cut Marine makes his way across the hangar toward the gear room. Inside, he checks out a flight vest, cranial helmet and other personal protective equipment. After signing for his gear, the Marine, dressed in a brown jumpsuit, heads outside to the flightline to prepare for departure.
Lance Cpl. James J. Eck, a 23-year-old helicopter crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 and native of Caseyville, Ill., is tasked with beginning pre-flight inspections and making sure everything checks out with his CH-53E Super Stallion.
Helicopter crew chiefs perform duties critical to the maintenance and operation of Marine CH-53 helicopters.
“I’m here to make sure nothing goes wrong with the aircraft,” Eck said. “I also manage 90 percent of the back of the chopper, meaning I am responsible for everyone and everything behind the pilots steering the chopper.”
As a fully qualified crew chief, Eck’s role is to keep his co-workers’ flightline training up-to-date. Also qualified as a night systems instructor and aerial gunner instructor, Eck is able to train Marines in those fields as well.
“We do a lot of sweet stuff like TERFing (terrain flying), gun shoots and transporting cargo (and Marines),” Eck said. “Our main goal is to deliver the cargo to where they need to go, and we know how to defend ourselves if we’re attacked.”
Eck, who has served three and a half years with HMH-463, arrived shortly after the unit left for deployment in Afghanistan. He explained the role he played during that time, when he helped build some of the aircraft the unit uses today while they were deployed overseas.
“When we aren’t flying, it’s essentially our job to maintain the aircraft,” said Eck. “Right now we’re flying pretty much every day, and it’s an amazing feeling looking down and seeing the world from a different perspective. It really makes me appreciate my job.”
As Eck continues to train Marines to become crew chiefs themselves, he hopes his knowledge and experience will allow him to advance in his career and become more than a crew chief.
“My goal is to attend the Weapons Tactics Instructor’s Course and become an enlisted (subject matter expert) for my (military occupational specialty),” Eck said. “Becoming a WTI instructor would change my (career path) and help plan future flight missions. My new job would require me to train any enlisted personnel from a private to gunnery sergeant.”
When asked what his favorite moment was working as a crew chief, Eck chuckled and said parachute operations.
“We got to do this training exercise called para ops where we flew up 10,000 feet,” Eck explained. “It was pretty cool to watch the guys bail out of the aircraft and disappear through the clouds.”
| Date Taken: | 08.30.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2013 17:44 |
| Story ID: | 113236 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY, HI, US |
| Hometown: | CASEYVILLE, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 878 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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