SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Maintaining mission readiness for all the aircraft landing and taking off from one of the busiest airfields in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility requires careful coordination between a multitude of entities to ensure they can effectively complete their missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
In order for the aircraft and their crews to deliver decisive airpower against ISIS, they need constant maintenance and preparation for flight. Aerospace ground equipment specialists play an essential role in ensuring aircraft are ready for flight. They are responsible for providing, maintaining and repairing the critical equipment that supplies electricity, hydraulic pressure and air pressure to the aircraft.
“If it’s an aircraft and it lands here, we provide support equipment to it,” said Master Sgt. Jermaine Hall, 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment flight chief. “Almost every aircraft needs generator support. There is no air power without ground power.”
The 15-member flight maintains and repairs more than 130 pieces of aerospace ground equipment to fit the demands of the airpower mission, including generators, air conditioners, hydraulic test stands and nitrogen servicing carts.
The type of ground equipment necessary to provide support to aircraft maintenance and flying operations depends on the aircraft systems and subsystems.
The 386th EMXS AGE flight maintains the highest in-commission rate in the AFCENT AOR with 100 percent of the more than 130 pieces of equipment being operational and mission capable. They are the only AGE flight in the AOR to have achieved this rate, in at least the last eight years, according to Hall.
At the start of their rotation, the AGE flight had an issue with units overheating, which resulted in heavy maintenance that was both time consuming and expensive. Under the supervision of Master Sgt. Hall, the flight quickly identified the source of the problem and took steps to implement preventative maintenance measures.
The flight was able to achieve and maintain such a high in-commission rate by staying proactive on inspections, operational checks and preventative maintenance on its equipment.
“We fixed the equipment when it wasn’t in need, so when it was in need, it was all operational,” said Senior Airman Seth Bayles, a 386th EAMXS aerospace ground equipment journeyman. “All of our stuff gets used every day around the clock so it’s bound to break at some point, but when equipment goes down we have to get it up and running as soon as possible.”
From inspecting and troubleshooting to making hands-on repairs and maintaining proper standards, the AGE flight works 24/7 to ensure that the planes are always ready for flight and on-time departure.