Photo By Staff Sgt. Shelby Thurman | Senior Airman Patrick Banks, 908th Maintenance Systems Squadron fuel systems...... read more read more
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With more than 30 individual shops, the 908th Maintenance Group is comprised of many diverse job descriptions. Even though their job types range far and wide, they all share the same goal: Ensuring mission readiness.
“I’ve been an aircraft maintenance officer for over 30 years and no two days have been the same,” said Col. Gregory Halen, 908th MXG commander.
Halen added that jobs in MXG range from directly working on aircraft to working in industrial settings called, “back shops.” There are also positions in office environments where Airmen are working on maintenance schedules, analyzing data, training and more.
“We have jobs from wing tip to wing tip that each require its own special career field to keep the mission going,” said Staff Sgt. Chance Young, 908th Maintenance Squadron Fuel Systems specialist.
From running around on the flight line to crawling inside of an engine wing, maintainers do it all.
“Climbing inside fuel cells and going inside dry bays is not something people like to do every day, but I do,” said Young.
For those that feel claustrophobic just thinking about being inside the cramped wing of a C-130 Hercules, there is plenty of open space to be had on the flight line. Regardless of their work location, maintainers are not limited by the space or lack-there-of.
Maintainers are also not limited by their job descriptions. Often, Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and MXS maintainers are working hand-in-hand with their counterparts across the Group.
“AMXS and MXS maintainers work side by side in any instance where we need the other,” said Young. “MXS carries some of the same jobs as AMXS just in a smaller and more specialized way. Anytime the Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) calls us for a job we work with the flight line or AMXS from then until our job is complete.”
Halen said that this teamwork is demonstrated when MXS personnel need to work with the AMXS propulsion (engine shop) personnel on an engine or to change a propeller. This work is done all the while AMXS personnel are helping MXS personnel perform an isochronal inspection on an aircraft.
It is vital for the 908th Airlift Wing’s mission to have such a diverse career field that way the aircraft can be at their optimal performance whenever they are called for service. This vitality is especially the case because one of the 908th AW’s primary mission sets is to provide aircraft and trained aircrew to the combatant commander. The only way that mission can be accomplished is when MXG can perform scheduled inspections and fix aircraft as necessary so that they can provide aircraft to the 908th Operations Group for aircrew to train in.
“I get to work with a large group of talented, motivated Airmen to ensure that not only the aircraft are mission ready but that the Operations Group and other organizations can train to be ready for their warfighting mission,” said Halen.
Young added that even though he is an Air Reserve Technician (ART), the traditional reservists (TRs) are a main part of what keeps them going.
“If it weren’t for the TRs that we have here then we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” said Young. “There would be no missions without planes and the planes need us to fly.”
| Date Taken: | 11.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2021 16:36 |
| Story ID: | 386733 |
| Location: | MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Maxwell Air Force Base
