Redeployment mission success comes to Transit Center: Keeping aircraft flight ready

Published Sept. 30, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Alexandria Mosness
Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs

TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- Editor's Note: President Obama ordered a drawing down of surge troops to no later than Sept. 30, 2012. This article is part two in a three part series on the men and women who are working hard to redeploy combat forces in Afghanistan during the transition of security control to the Afghan National Security Forces. Redeployment is the result of the success of the transition process and the return of control of territory to the Afghan people. Redeployment is the natural outcome of successful Transition to an Afghan lead for security. The ANSF will assume the lead in securing a stable and peaceful future for Afghanistan before Dec. 31, 2014.

For members of the 728th Air Mobility Squadron, Operation Location-Alpha, it is much more than just wrench turning.

The 50-man shop is charged with ensuring the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft staged at Transit Center Manas are ready and able to fly missions into and out of Afghanistan. Without their hard work to keep the C-17 air ready, many servicemembers would not be able to make it home.

So for the men and women of the 728th AMS, OL-A, it is more than mechanics.

"The service members and civilian employees downrange depend on us to get them home and our maintainers take great pride and passion in accomplishing the mission," said Capt. Don Singleton, 728 AMS, OL-A, C-17 maintenance officer in charge.

"The maintainers get mission fulfillment and job satisfaction," said Master Sgt. Jon Lu, 728 AMS, OL-A, C-17 maintenance production superintendent. "Although we are not directly in the fight, they see the servicemembers coming off the aircraft from downrange. They can see that deep breath they take in relaxation. This makes them work harder. They realize there are men and women who depend on this aircraft to come home."

This falls directly in line with the one of the TCM's missions.

"Our primary mission is onward movement," Singleton continued. "We generate aircraft to get passengers downrange. Regenerating aircraft and ensuring mission readiness can be quite a challenge. Our responsibilities not only encompass the aircraft staged here but all transiting C-17 and C-5 Galaxies."

With the redeployment of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan, it makes for busier days here, but the fast operations tempo makes the day go by faster. The maintainers see it all on the aircraft from fixing engines, changing tires, fixing communication systems to cleaning windshields, Singleton said.

Once the aircraft lands and the passengers are offloaded, the maintainers check to see what inspections are due, Singleton explained. These inspections can take up to several hours depending on what is required. They also conduct a turnover brief with the crew to identify and repair any discrepancies that may have occurred during flight.

The maintainers are also the first ones to the aircraft to get it ready for the next mission. Several hours prior to the crew arriving to the aircraft, the maintainers are out there performing spot inspections and system checks.

"Without maintenance you aren't going to fly," Singleton exclaimed. "It is our job to make sure the aircraft and everyone on it stays safe."

While the maintainers work on the same airframe at their home station, it is different in a deployed environment.

"It is unlike home station because it is a lot quicker pace," Lu said. "We have a lot of first-time deployers and many have never experienced this pace before. But, overall they are happy, and thoroughly enjoy the work. They are doing an outstanding job to keep the aircraft flying."

It is not just the great work they are doing, but also the positive attitude has also made an impact.

"They are extremely motivated," Lu added. "There is a board with all the aircraft and once their name is assigned to a jet, they are ready to roll. There is no sitting down, no goofing off; they are ready to rock-n-roll."

Through the hard work, Lu wants to remind everyone that his Airmen are working hard all the time.

"24/7 is not a myth," Lu said. "We are constantly working. We are pushing the aircraft out to do the mission 110 percent of the time."

In addition to managing C-17 maintenance operations, Singleton makes sure he is always on the same page with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron operators.

"Operations [flying side] is our customer," Singleton said. "I keep them informed, happy and always strive to deliver good, quality products."

This sustained effort to please the customer has not gone unnoticed.

"It makes the relationships with ops and maintenance easy," said Lt. Col. Jimmy Fuller, 817 EAS director of operations. "Every morning [Captain] Singleton asks how my people are doing. The communication is working out great. If there are any maintenance issues with the aircraft, the maintainers get there, and with their experience they have out there, fix the problem. They operate the system to continue the mission. I am very impressed with them."

Getting things right takes hard work and time, so Singleton wanted to reiterate the fact that his squadron is always working.

"We work all day, every day 365 days a year, 24/7," he said. "In the rain or shine, cold, wind, snow and sleet maintainers are out there on the flightline making the mission happen.