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Aircrew Flight Equipment shop provides emergency lifeline

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Survival kits, parachutes and life rafts are packed onto every C-130 that departs the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing here, forming the core of life-support gear that aircrew members may one day need -- but hope they'll never have to use.

For the Airmen who fly over hostile terrain in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, this "just-in-case" equipment could save their lives -- a fact never forgotten by the Airmen of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron's aircrew flight equipment shop, whose solemn responsibility is to maintain the wing's life-support gear.

Working in multiple shifts to provide 24-hour-a-day readiness, eight Airmen make sure every helmet, parachute, night-vision goggle and life raft is in proper working order for aircrews who deliver troops and cargo to locations throughout the AOR, said Staff Sgt. Venie Joshua, the shop's non-commissioned officer in charge.

The team is tasked to "inspect, repair and deliver the equipment needed" for any emergency the aircrew might experience while flying, explained Sergeant Joshua, who is deployed here from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. While most of the survival equipment would only be used as a last resort, its availability and readiness is of paramount importance.

"Basically, we provide the last hope in an emergency," Sergeant Joshua said. "This equipment has to work, and the crews rely on us to provide effective solutions in case something does go wrong."

Meticulous daily inspections ensure that crews, who are decked out from head to toe with safety equipment, have what they need, when they need it. The shop also maintains its own armory, providing one-stop shopping for aircrews preparing to fly airlift missions across the AOR, Sergeant Joshua said.

Some items take longer than others to prepare for flight, according to Airman 1st Class Richard Grimes, so having multiple items on standby is essential.

"Packing parachutes, for example, can take anywhere from an hour and a half to four hours," said Airman Grimes, who also is deployed here from Dyess Air Force Base. "But despite it all, we get the job done. We like to stay ahead of the game and have everything ready before it's needed."

The best part of the job for Airman Grimes is "supporting the aircrew," he added. "We provide them with the things they need to come home."

For Sergeant Joshua, the job's most rewarding aspect is the teamwork it fosters.
"The best part of the job is seeing how everything comes together, and knowing that we're helping out for the cause," he said.