An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Eyes, ears of the flightline: MOC takes control

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joel Mease
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  (Editors note: This is the third in a series about the 317th Airlift Group's operations.)

On the job nearly 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, the 317th Airlift Group's Maintenance Operation Center keeps a watchful eye of the flightline.

The MOC is the center of all maintenance operations for the flightline, said Tech. Sgt. Antonio Apodaca, 317th Maintenance Operations Squadron senior controller.

"It's kind of like a central nervous system for the flightline," Sergeant Apodaca said. "It is the central point for the flightline workers to get the job accomplished."

To have a better understanding of the center... if it involves maintenance then the MOC is involved, said Staff Sgt. Chad Workman, 317th MOS MOC controller.

"The MOC really is the eyes and ears of the flightline," Sergeant Apodaca said. "We monitor everything that goes on there."

"Everything that is related to maintenance, we track it," Sergeant Workman said. "We track when the aircraft broke, where it broke, track the parts for the aircraft, and report to commanders the status of the aircraft."

Because one of the responsibilities is tracking the aircraft's status, the MOC always knows where any of the 317th AG's possessed aircraft are, Sergeant Workman said.
The 317th MOC's biggest challenge is tracking all the data that comes through the center, said Sergeant Workman, a 10-year maintenance veteran.

"More than 250 calls or e-mails come though our office every day," Sergeant Workman said. "One of the most critical parts of our job is to make sure we get all the information that comes through properly recorded."

Since the flightline is a busy entity with many pieces of information going through, an experienced person from one of the maintenance career fields is necessary to be a part of the MOC. If an Airman is selected to join the MOC, that Airman is given a three-year controlled tour, Sergeant Apodaca said.

"A seasoned maintenance Airman is needed here because we are coordinating the whole picture," Sergeant Apodaca said.

Seeing the whole of the flightline is one of the reasons why Sergeant Apodaca says he enjoys working in the MOC.

"When you get to see the bigger picture of what goes on, it helps put things in perspective," Sergeant Apodaca said. "It also helps to get a break from the normal ground and pound of working on the flightline."

While Sergeant Workman said he does miss fixing aircraft, he admits working in the MOC has its benefits. "While it's 30 or 100 degrees on the flightline, the weather in here is always 70 degrees," Sergeant Workman said.