Photo By Master Sgt. Barbara Olney | Staff Sgt. Casey Goode and Master Sgt. Jason Bacon from the 174th Maintenance Group...... read more read more
HANCOCK FIELD AIR NATIONAL BASE, N.Y. -- “We must empower our incredible Airmen to solve any problem,” said U.S Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown. “We must place value in multi-capable and adaptable team builders, and courageous problem solvers that demonstrate value in diversity of thought, ingenuity and initiative.”
17 multi-capable Airmen from the 174th Maintenance Squadron have been trained to be able to proficiently operate on several different aircraft while working at the 174th Attack Wing’s Forward Operating Location (FOL) at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield on Fort Drum.
Personnel receiving training are certified on the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle, F-35 Lighting II, and F-22 Raptor in order to meet and provide support to aviation force elements performing a wide range of dynamic tasks.
“Having multi-capable Airmen is a force multiplier,” said Maj. Chris Sturick, maintenance officer at the FOL. “It allows us to be more robust with our mission capabilities and the number of aircraft we can work on.”
Throughout the Air Force, it is unique to have Airmen certified on such a variety of tasks. In order to stay current with certifications, Airmen at the FOL travel frequently.
“We travel to Atlantic City for F-16 training, alternate months we go to Baltimore, Maryland for their A-10, Burlington, Vermont for the F-35 and once a year Barnes, Massachusetts for the F-15,” said Tech. Sgt. Brad Villmave, weapons loader at the FOL.
Anyone involved with loading weapons must be experienced, able to adapt to the mission and conditions at hand, and prepared for a variety of tasks for any given calendar time frame. The FOL has an annual production of 400 sorties and 300 combined live/inert weapons employed.
With low-manning at the FOL, having Airmen capable of performing multiple Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC’s) is beneficial to ensure readiness with Villmave saying he is able to do the job of fueling along with weapons loading.
“One of the things that I like the most about this job is that every day could be something different,” said Master Sgt. Brandon Fulmer, crew chief at the FOL. “The job stays exciting.”
For 37 years, the FOL has provided Air National Guard units across the country with rapid aircraft turnaround times and the ability to load live munitions on several aircraft. The FOL’s support eliminates extended flight times to home station for re-arming and refueling.
Sturick said it is distinctly unique across the Air Force to have Airmen trained on the number of weapons systems and aircraft that their members are certified on.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2022 13:02 |
| Story ID: | 414621 |
| Location: | SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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