MOC coordinates, facilitates aircraft movement in AOR Published March 24, 2008 By Senior Airman Tong Duong 379th AEW SOUTHWEST ASIA -- As a crew chief tightens down the fuel line with the last turn of his wrench, his supervisor calls in the stop time. Within seconds--a mile from the flightline--the jet's status is upgraded to fully mission capable. The 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Operations Squadron maintenance operations center monitors and supports the daily flying of all assigned aircraft by acting as the facilitator for all aircraft maintenance functions, according to Master Sgt. Ron Branham, MOC superintendent. "My Airmen coordinate and track every facet of sortie production within the wing," said the sergeant deployed from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. "The MOC is the primary communications conduit within the maintenance group. We collect and disseminate information used to update an aircraft's status and maintain and use emergency action checklists to ensure timely response to any situation." The eyes and ears of the group commanders regarding flightline operations, MOC monitors uses a color-coded tracking system known as EMOC to relay and update aircraft information. "EMOC is a valuable tool," Sergeant Branham said. "The information we receive from production superintendents and maintenance officers is used to update the status of each aircraft every 15 seconds, which allows leadership to make mission related decisions at any moment of the day." "A red box means the aircraft is broken, green means the aircraft is good to go, and so on," he said. "We also use symbols such as a box, which means it's waiting for parts, or a wrench to signify it's being worked on." The monitors at the MOC keep track of every action, from the start of the maintenance to its completion. "EMOC helps us maximize efficiency and eliminate down time, so a broken jet doesn't sit on the flightline without being worked on," said Sergeant Branham. "If a jet requires more maintenance time, wing leadership can see the plane will not make the mission time-frame and plan around it." The MOC also notifies wing leadership when an incident or accident happens, keeping the groups informed about what is going on, on and off the flightline. "We even get calls for ground emergencies--if someone falls in the gym or a vehicle backs into a wall or even high-wind advisories," said Tech. Sgt. Doug Hayman, MOC senior controller from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "We run an emergency action checklist even if the incident is not flightline-related. We will notify all key players, leadership and emergency services if needed. It's important because the checklist ensures we perform the proper procedures according to the situation." The MOC also run EACs for incidents such as bird strikes, anti-hijacking drills, and alarm condition changes during exercises. "We strive for perfection and do not expect anything less because our board has to be perfect," Sergeant Branham said. "We work around the clock to ensure our group leaders have most recent information so they can plan future missions and respond quickly to any situation."