Fairchild maintainers support flying ops in Moses Lake

Published Feb. 10, 2011
By Senior Airman Natasha E. Stannard
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Without maintenance Airmen, the 56- year-old KC-135 Stratotanker wouldn't fly. So when construction began on Fairchild's runway and tankers were sent to Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Wash., maintenance Airmen went along with them.

"Without aircraft we have no job, so we have to follow them to maintain our commitment to the global mission," said 2nd Lt. David Liberti, 92nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron unit officer-in-charge.

Moses Lake is an ideal alternative location for Team Fairchild because of its proximity to home.

"This way we're at Moses Lake for weeks at a time, so people won't be there for months at a time only to return home to deploy," Lieutenant Liberti said.

Only 30 maintainers are working at Grant County International Airport for two weeks at a time on 12-hour shifts to support 24-hour flying operations. Under normal operations, up to 50 maintainers are on shift to provide the same support.

"We're operating a little more expeditionary there," Lieutenant Liberti said. "We have all the infrastructure we need, but it's very lean -- just enough to make the mission happen."

This infrastructure wasn't built in a day -- a lot of preparation from base and Grant County organizations and associations went into setting everything up. It took about a year to figure out the logistics and mission requirements for the move.

Team Fairchild started off with essentially a bare base at Grant County so a lot of preparation was necessary to posture the airport for military missions. Before maintainers turned their first wrench, transportation, communication, lodging and logistical matters had to be set up, and Fairchild, Moses Lake and Grant County worked hand- in-hand to so.

Once the hangars were turned over to Fairchild, the 92nd communications squadron came in to get communication lines set up.

"The communications squadron worked really hard at getting maintenance going and getting everyone connected," Sergeant Snider said.

Once the hangars were ready, maintenance Airmen tested the limitations of the new working areas.

"One of the spots where we were going to park our aircraft had problems because the wing tip was too long to fit, so we worked with the operations group and plans and programs, and determined that we couldn't park there because it conflicts with larger aircraft parking," said Lieutenant Liberti. "We have 28 parking areas for our aircraft, which aren't all being used, so we moved this on to a spot that didn't conflict with other aircraft."

This move also brings Airmen closer to a new community.

"They have Big Bend Community College, which has an aviation program so we're hoping to work with them and teach the students about our aircraft," Lieutenant Liberti said. "This is a great opportunity for our Airmen to interact with their community, teach and learn things as well."

New Airmen will also learn what will be expected of them on deployments.

"This is an excellent opportunity to give new Airmen a chance to get on the road and experience an expeditionary type environment without actually deploying," Lieutenant Liberti said.

While this location isn't Fairchild, the Fairchild mission is accomplished just the same.

"What we're facing isn't anything unique - it's just standing up operations and working with other units to overcome obstacles," Lieutenant Liberti said. "Airmen are turning Moses Lake into a home away from home quickly. It's kind of like a smaller version of Fairchild and slowly, but surely, we'll get into a groove and it will be business as usual."

(Editor's note: This is the second in a three-part series about Fairchild maintenance Airmen working around-the-clock operations from three different locations to keep KC-135 Stratotankers mission ready. While Fairchild renovates its runway, tankers will fly from two separate locations -- Spokane International Airport and Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Wash. While the aircraft are no longer at Fairchild, maintenance still continues on base as well as these two locations.)