Photo By Sgt. Ned Johnson | The U.S. Air Force 362nd Training Squadron trains airmen to repair and maintain the...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. — The V-22 Osprey can carry 20,000 pounds of internal cargo, carry a maximum of 32 troops and achieve a top speed of 351 mph.
Yet, its engines with 6,150 horsepower would never get off the ground without required maintenance and repairs.
The U.S. Air Force trains these men and women, called crew chiefs, aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River.
“We do not have as many Ospreys as the Marine Corps,” said Technical Sergeant Michael Freeman, an instructor with 362d Training Squadron. “So the Navy and Marines are nice enough to let us use their awesome facilities to train.”
Repairing a machine that costs millions of dollars can be complicated for airmen who are fresh out of high school. Thee instruction begins in a classroom, but explaining things can be difficult.
“You try to paint a picture with words can be tough,” Freeman said. “But when you take them to the aircraft, it definitely clicks. Without it, they (students) don’t know what is going on.”
The training, which lasts 55 days, is both classes and hands on training, but it’s not that simple.
“It’s not that hard if you study every day and reread what we went over,” said Airmen Juan Cervantes, a student with 362d TRS. “The concepts can be hard, and they will start to stack up on you if you don’t study.”
Cervantes will go to the flight line with the knowledge needed to help the Air Force maintain Ospreys, but not as an excellent mechanic.
“It’s a process that begins with training,” Freeman said. “When they get to the flight line, they are expected to know where components are and what they do. They will take that knowledge and they will get another trainer and learn until they are the greatest crew chief in the world.”
With over 2,000 aircraft in the active Air Force, crew chiefs are an important asset.
In fact, these crew chiefs have a slogan that represents the importance of this skillset.
“If it turns, burns, banks and rolls, crew chiefs made it happen,” says the logo of 362d TRS which is proudly displayed on their building aboard the air station.
“You’d never get any aircraft off the ground without the mechanic,” Freeman said. “It’s our job to the get the crew up in the air and then back safely. If we didn’t take pride and passion in what we do, aircraft couldn’t fly.”
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2015 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 165608 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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