SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Much the same way a car has a recommended maintenance schedule to keep in running condition, the Air Force requires preventative maintenance on its aircraft to keep them ready to launch at a moment's notice.
Unfortunately, the sheer number of components on an aircraft requiring routine maintenance is more than most maintainers could track and accomplish on their own. So to make sure every aircraft component gets the needed attention, each aircraft maintenance unit has a scheduler.
"On a typical day, I will coordinate with the production supervisors and go over any daily and upcoming maintenance issues," said Tech. Sgt. Jeff Evanson, 746th AMU scheduler, who is deployed from Minneapolis Air Reserve Station, Minn. "I also forecast anything that could have an impact on our aircraft over a long period of time."
Sergeant Evanson, a Sparta, Wis., native, said schedulers here typically plan for daily, weekly and monthly maintenance. They also look at longer range planning for units preparing to rotate in. Schedulers ensure more than 4,400 maintenance events occur annually.
"We work a month ahead, so we can bring the schedule forward to the production supervisors to ensure they are aware of any significant inspections coming due," he said. "We put together a four month forecast as well. Soon, we will be working with the unit that's going to replace us, looking forward at their aircraft coming in, which ones will have something due, those types of things."
Schedulers are also responsible for researching regulations and Air Force instructions to make sure any deviation in maintenance is acceptable or waiverable.
As maintenance is completed and updated in the system, information is forwarded to the squadron's plans and scheduling section for review.
"I review it and see if anything is questionable, and then I pass it onto leadership," said Master Sgt. Keith Jordan, 379th EMOS plans and scheduling NCO in charge, who is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
The Roanoke, Va., native said if something requiring maintenance does become overdue, he works with the officer-in-charge of that AMU to make sure it's taken care of as soon as possible.
"If there is a certain maintenance event that hasn't been completed on a given day or week, I have to brief the maintenance group commander," Sergeant Jordan said. "But before I do that, I usually coordinate with the AMUs, because we are here to help them, not hurt them."
Capt Gia Witmer, 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Operations Flight commander said the main job of the schedulers is to ensure the seven types of Air Force aircraft here are kept as healthy as possible through regular maintenance.
"The maintenance group commander has a guiding principle on maintenance versus repair," said the captain, who is deployed from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. "Repairing is fixing something that's basically broken because we haven't maintained it. The schedulers definitely follow the maintenance side of the guiding principle, ensuring we have a healthy fleet out there on the line, able to be committed for the air tasking order that we are tasked with here."