Flight equipment maintainers make right adjustments

Courtesy Photo | Sgt. David Shafer, left, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Aviation Life Support Equipment shop for Company D, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, shows a Soldier the proper way inspect his helmet. Shafer, a native of Zion, Ill., also teaches crew members survival, evasion, resistance and escape tactics. (U.S. Army photo/Sgt. Brandon Little, Task Force XII PAO, MND-B)  

TAJI, IRAQ

03.02.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By Sgt. Brandon Little
Task Force XII Public Affairs Office, Multi-National Division – Baghdad

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Have you ever been walking and had a small rock get inside your shoe? Remember that sharp, and annoying, discomfort you felt with every step you took? Now imagine having to walk around for hours with that rock in your shoe and not being able to remove it.

An aviator can experience a similar type of pain during a mission if a piece of equipment – such as a helmet – needs to be fixed or just doesn't fit properly.

The Aviation Life Support Equipment shop is responsible for inspecting and repairing the aviators' equipment; in Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, which could help save their lives during a mission.

"The ALSE shop takes care of personal equipment that a flight crew member, regardless whether or not they are rated, will use in the performance of their duties on the aircraft," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery Long, the quality assurance and production control non-commissioned officer for Company D, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment.

Maintaining the equipment includes the helmets, the vests and other survival equipment that might be needed if the aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

"If a crew member has a helmet that doesn't fit right, or is just uncomfortable, flying around for hours with it on can be unbelievably painful; and after a while, that helmet can give them a sore spot on their head," said Sgt. David Shafer, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the ALSE shop for Co. D. "That bad helmet could also fail to protect the pilot during an in-flight emergency."

In addition to servicing their flight gear, the ALSE shop is also responsible for inspecting safety equipment, such as seatbelts, fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

Just like most equipment in the military, flight gear and safety equipment must be inspected on a regular basis to ensure that it is working properly. The ALSE shops in Logistical Support Area Anaconda and Taji are responsible for maintaining this equipment for nearly 500 aviators.

"We usually check the seatbelts and fire extinguisher every 60 to 90 days, and we usually do scheduled maintenance on the helmets and vest every 180 days," said Shafer, a native of Zion, Ill. "But in the event something (unexpectedly) breaks or needs to be serviced immediately, we'll take the item and try to have it ready to go as soon as possible."

"I think those guys do an awesome job and their turnaround time is unbelievably fast," said Long, a native of Elko, Nev. "They could definitely ask for more time to service the equipment, but they know how important that gear is to the mission; they work overtime to get those aviators back in the air with equipment that works."

"Without the ALSE shop, we couldn't continue to fly the way we do and be safe," said Sgt. Christopher Zedan, a crew chief in Company A, 5th Bn., 158th Avn. Reg. "They do a great job keeping our equipment up to standard and working the way it should."

Not only does the Soldiers of the ALSE shop service their flight gear and safety equipment, they also show the crew members the proper way to use the gear.

"We give them the basic class on how to use the equipment and how to perform preventative maintenance checks and services on the gear," said Shafer. "This class is especially helpful to those Soldiers who have been recently cross-trained as door gunners because many of them have had little interaction with aviation equipment."

During those classes, Shafer also tries to give them lessons in survival, evasion, resistance and escape tactics some of the aviators may have forgotten.

"We teach them how to egress from the aircraft when they land on water and when the aircraft is underwater," he said. "I also show them cool things like how to take Vaseline gauzes and make a small stove that can provide enough heat to keep a cockpit warm for several hours,"

Currently, there is not a specific military occupational specialty for Soldiers who work in ALSE shops; they must train at Fort Rucker, Ala., for several weeks and take additional courses to keep themselves updated with equipment changes, said Long.

Keeping these aviators flying safely and their equipment working properly is a job that the ALSE shop Soldiers must constantly perform in their office and on the flight line.

"It's our job is to provide these aviators equipment that is up-to-date and can save their life in an emergency," said Shafer. "I know maintaining their equipment is, by far, the most important part of my job, but my favorite part of my job is definitely dealing the SERE training."

• Date Taken: 03.02.2008
• Date Posted: 03.02.2008 15:20
• Story ID: 16919
• Location: TAJI, IQ