Joint Base Lewis-McChord crew chiefs 'get the job done'

Published Jan. 13, 2011
By Airman Leah Young
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- No airlift wing can provide global airlift for America without ready and available aircraft. No aircraft can deliver global airlift without proper maintenance.

At McChord Field here, the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs ensure the 62nd Airlift Wing's C-17 Globemaster IIIs are safe, reliable and able to complete airlift missions around the world.

"We are responsible for all flightline aircraft maintenance," said 2nd Lt. Ian Mazerski, 62nd AMXS silver aircraft maintenance unit assistant officer in charge. "Our job is to make sure the airplane can successfully and safely complete the mission."

"It's something different every day," said Staff Sgt. Amaya Talley, 62nd AMXS silver AMU crew chief. "We start off the day with roll call, we receive our assignments from the expeditor and then we start working on whichever aircraft needs repaired."

The most common AMXS career field is aerospace maintenance technician, or crew chief. They inspect, service and ensure the plane is safe for flight.

"The sole purpose of a crew chief is to inspect aircraft and get their crew to fix it if they can't," said Senior Airman Spencer McPeek, 62nd AMXS blue AMU crew chief. "On a daily basis, we're generating aircraft to get the mission completed."

If a crew chief discovers an error during an inspection, they do their best to fix the problem immediately.

"Some of the errors we repair include changing tires, changing brakes, computer problems and avionics," said Sergeant Talley. "We're the jack of all trades. We are required to know the basics of everything on the aircraft."

Although crew chiefs need a basic understanding of all aircraft systems, specialists are often called to repair problems that require immense detail. Career fields that fall into the specialist category include guidance and control, communication navigation, electronic warfare, environmental electronics and hydraulics.

"We maintain the whole thing, just like a car mechanic," said Sergeant Talley. "We have specialists for more extensive problems. For example, we know the basics of the hydraulic systems. But if we find a bigger problem that we haven't been trained to fix, we call a hydraulics technician."

According to Airman McPeek, the core values are especially important in the aircraft maintenance squadron.

"We need integrity to actually go through all the checklists, even when nobody is watching," said Airman McPeek. "If we don't exhibit excellence while fixing the planes, it's going to crash. We have to do our very best to find an answer to the problem. And as far as service before self goes, we're out there in any kind of precipitation or freezing temperatures. Day and night. Weekends and holidays. We love what we do because we know the importance of our work."

"The satisfaction of this job is enough for me," said Airman McPeek. "We work really hard to fix a plane, we watch it take off and we know it's safe. There's no feeling like that."