Photo By Staff Sgt. John Suleski | Lance Cpl. Marco A. Botero, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 MV-22B Osprey crew...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - MV-22B Ospreys are a common sight in the blue skies above Marine Corps Air Station New River. The crews operating these Ospreys are usually on training missions perfecting their skills to meet the needs of the Marine Corps.
Pilots take direct control of the bird, but what do crew chiefs do?
“Crew chiefs are responsible for pretty much everything else,” said Lance Cpl. Danny A. Schumacher, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 Osprey crew chief.
This includes ground maintenance when not flying, making sure every part of the aircraft works during a flight and taking care of cargo and other personnel in flight. The responsibility requires crew chiefs to know virtually everything about the aircraft, said Schumacher.
Crew chiefs go through a lot of training to fulfill their duties.
To earn their gold wings, crew chiefs must graduate Naval Aircrew Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where they learn water survival and other aircrew techniques, said Schumacher.
Then, they check in to the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training to learn how to become Osprey mechanics. After learning how to maintain the aircraft, the students go on to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 to pick up the skills necessary to be crew chiefs.
Marines finally earn their wings after graduating the course.
However, after checking into their squadrons, the training doesn’t stop, said Schumacher. Crew chiefs always have something new to learn, he added. This includes picking up qualifications to crew Ospreys carrying external loads and man weapon systems aboard the bird.
The more qualifications a crew chief has, the better suited he or she is to carry out the Osprey’s mission of transporting cargo and troops as fast as possible, said Schumacher.
This mission, once the domain of CH-46 Sea Knights, is currently shifting to the new Ospreys, said Schumacher.
It is a mission pilots could not do without crew chiefs, said 1st Lt. Jonathon C. Lacy, VMM-365 Osprey pilot.
While pilots are busy with the front of the aircraft, two or three crew chiefs take control of the middle and rear of the aircraft; these are areas pilots can’t see, said Lacy.
“I absolutely won’t land the Osprey unless the crew chief says the ground below me is clear, because I don‘t know what‘s there,” said Lacy.
Lacy also said crew chiefs are brave for taking charge of external loads during flight by sticking a portion of their bodies outside of the aircraft at low altitudes to keep track of the cargo.
“When I wasn’t flying, I was sitting in the back trying to stay out of their way, but I was thinking, ‘what are you doing, get back in the aircraft!’” said Lacy.
Because of what they do, crew chiefs are deeply appreciated by pilots, he added. The job is no easy task, but when the crew chiefs get it done, they have much to be proud of, said Lacy.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2011 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 81606 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 478 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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