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SAVANNAH, Ga.— Before a C-130J Super Hercules can taxi down the runway, a network of specialized equipment must power, cool and support the aircraft while maintainers prepare it for flight. Ensuring those systems are available and fully operational is the responsibility of aerospace ground equipment specialists like U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Levi Luciani, assigned to the Georgia Air National Guard's 165th Airlift Wing.
While aircraft typically take center stage, the equipment supporting them is equally critical. Aerospace ground equipment specialists inspect, troubleshoot, repair and service generators, hydraulic units, air-conditioning units and power carts that aircraft crews depend on to prepare the wing's C-130J fleet for flight.
"I am a maintainer who dispatches hundreds of pieces of equipment to the aircraft maintainers out on the flightline whenever they need ground equipment to work on their airplanes," said Luciani.
Throughout the day, Luciani moves between rows of maintenance equipment, inspecting power carts, diagnosing electrical issues and preparing equipment for the next aircraft scheduled for maintenance. Without those systems, work on the flightline would quickly come to a standstill.
"If the maintainers on the flightline didn't have our pieces of equipment, they wouldn't even be able to work on their planes," said Luciani. "I think our job is pretty important because we're a jack of all trades. We work on over 300 pieces of equipment at this base specifically. And that can come into a maintenance stand, a power cart, air conditioning, etc."
Delivering equipment is only one part of an AGE specialist's responsibilities. These inspect and repair hundreds of assets, ensuring each system is safe, reliable and available to support flightline operations.
"A lot of people think that we just deliver equipment to the aircraft, but there's so much more to it," said Luciani. "We're maintainers also. We have lots of inspections, repairs that we complete and it's a lot of work to keep these pieces of equipment serviceable."
Every repair and inspection directly contributes to the wing's ability to generate aircraft for training, state emergencies and federal missions. Whether supporting humanitarian relief, disaster response or global airlift operations, mission success begins long before an aircraft leaves the ground.
While Luciani understands the technical importance of his work, he says the opportunity to serve his home state is what makes the mission especially meaningful.
"I love the state of Georgia with all my heart," said Luciani. "I couldn't think of any better job to represent Georgia than the Air National Guard. I love it here. It's the best job in the world."
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2026 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 571348 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Supporting the mission from the ground up: 165th Airlift AGE specialist shares what it takes to keep aircraft flying, by SrA Christa Ross, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
