Photo By Airman 1st Class Rebecca Harima | A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules undergoes a routine inspection at Ramstein Air...... read more read more
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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - For most people on Ramstein, they only ever hear the rumble of an aircraft when it heads down the runway, ready for another mission. For the 86th Maintenance Squadron, their mission begins long before that, inside the hangar.
Ramstein Air Base is the Global Gateway across multiple commands which means for the MXS that doing backshop-level repairs, from letter checks on C-130J Super Hercules to overall preventative maintenance, is how they are the epitome of support, propelling the U.S. Air Force’s mission forward.
For Senior Airman Heather Cummings, an 86th MXS aerospace inspection journeyman, being a maintainer was her number one job that she wanted in the Air Force. Since she was a young girl she had been side-by-side with her father who was a mechanic.
“I grew up holding the flashlight, grabbing the wrench and helping him out,” she said. “So when I got older and I was considering the military, I only wanted to do mechanics.”
Cummings has a deep understanding of how important maintenance is, and the level of work that goes into her craft.
“Maintenance is one of the most hands-on jobs that the Air Force has,” Cummings said. “Without maintenance, it would all crumble, because we’re the backbone of support of what the Air Force’s mission is.”
The MXS provides routine maintenance inspections that they call a letter check system. The letter check can take an average of one to two months to complete, going from A to D. ‘A’ is an overall visual inspection to identify anything that needs to be repaired. Then going onto ‘B’, a mid-range check, which includes removing electrical connections from an engine to clean them, to changing out filters and an overall inspection and cleaning parts from the aircraft. Then onto ‘C’ and ‘D’ checks that go the most in-depth check by taking off the nose cone of a propeller, inspecting the inside wiring of the aircraft, and ensuring preventative maintenance, comparable to scheduling an oil change for a car.
“You have to look very closely at every single piece of ceiling, every single screw, make sure nothing’s out of place,” said Airman 1st Class John Noble, 86th MXS aircraft inspections journeyman.
Noble always had a deep love and passion for airplanes, so for him to not only work on them everyday but work alongside Airmen that are similar to him, makes coming into work worth it.
“This was the only job I ever wanted,” Noble said. “Being able to work on an airplane every day, especially military airplanes, is super cool."
There are two types of squadrons responsible for aircraft maintenance, the 86th Maintenance Squadron and the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. While they may have similar names, the way they achieve their mission looks different.
“You can compare the 86th AMXS versus the 86th MXS to that of a NASCAR pit crew,” said Master Sgt. Douglas Johnson, 86th MXS assistant flight chief.
The 86th AMXS is akin to the pit crew of aircraft. The car comes to the pit and immediately people swarm the car. They're changing the tires, refueling the gas in a quick flash, and then that car is back on the track. That’s the mission of AMXS but with aircraft.
In contrast, the MXS takes that same race car into the back-shop and gives it a thorough check-up. It’s not about getting the plane airborne right that instant, but ensuring the aircraft is mission capable for years and not just mission ready that day. They slow down, pop the hood open and meticulously inspect every component to make sure it’s operating at peak performance. They work on electrical systems, hydraulics, avionics, all to a degree. There are specialities specific for those systems that do much more detail.
Johnson has been a crew chief for the entirety of his 22-year career in the Air Force and has worked on numerous airframes in multiple shops. Maintenance is a unique community that he holds dear to his heart. “I love being a maintainer,” Johnson said. “Putting the aircraft in the air and saying, ‘I remember fixing that aircraft and we made that happen.’”
The Airmen of the 86th MXS are passionate about being maintainers in the Air Force, even with its high tempo and intensity, they balance their workload to ensure that the aircraft passes inspections to get back on the flightline.
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2025 08:36 |
| Story ID: | 551527 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN-MIESENBACH, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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