Photo By Tech. Sgt. Jayson Burns | Aircraft equipment flight technicians of the 161st Operations Support Squadron inspect...... read more read more
GOLDWATER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ariz. – Whenever you board a plane, do you think about the flotation devices under your seat or any of the other “worst-case scenario” items stored throughout the cabin? A lot of work goes into making sure those items, which will hopefully never get used, work if the time comes.
This is no different with our aircrews. While they’re prepping for their next flight, all of their safety and emergency gear is constantly being maintained by the aircrew flight equipment technicians of the 161st Operation Support Squadron.
AFE technicians are responsible for maintaining the gear that could make the difference between life and death. Their workstations include equipment intended to keep aircrews safe, whether it’s a pump to fill flotation devices with air, patch holes, or ensure pieces of body armor are well maintained.
“The attention to detail needs to be there,” said Tech. Sgt. Dalton Lobato, AFE technician with the 161st Operations Support Squadron. “You definitely need to take it seriously follow your manuals, and make sure you’re doing everything correctly.”
Sometimes their mission involves humanitarian efforts, sometimes medivac. AFE technicians have even supported Goldwater’s COVID-19 mission. There’s always something for the team to work on that will have a major impact.
“Every day we go out to check the airplanes,” Lobato said. “It’s like it’s no big deal but these planes fly every day, so if anything ever happens it’d become a pretty big deal.”
There’s more to AFE than making sure the equipment works, including extra training opportunities, which is what attracted Staff Sgt. Christian Chavez to the career field.
“I couldn’t decide what career field I wanted, and my recruiter asked me if I liked camping and stuff like that,” Chavez said. “She said that AFE does some combat survival schools and that intrigued me. I don’t regret it, I love this job.”
Once AFE technicians complete their training requirements, including water and land survival, they can be qualified to instruct aircrew continuation training here at Goldwater ANG Base.
“If the time ever happens and aircrew have to use the equipment, it works,” Chavez said. “They don’t have to second guess it, they can put their life on it.”
The 161st AFE shop executes over 7,000 inspections on personal aircrew flight equipment, pre-positions and maintains over 1,700 life sustaining equipment aboard eight KC-135 aircraft, and conducts 100% aircrew survivability training, enabling 100% mission readiness annually.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2021 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 399180 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, AFE technicians prepare aircrew for the unexpected, by TSgt Jayson Burns, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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