Crew chiefs launch jets in desert heat for Red Flag 12-4

by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs
23d Wing Public Affairs

U.S. Air Force Capt. Ian Whiteman, an A-10 pilot with the 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., shakes hands with Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nelson, A-10 Crew Chief with the 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, July 16, 2012, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., following a training mission during exercise Red Flag 12-4. Crew chiefs perform walk around inspections with the pilot before and after a flight and correct any maintenance issues prior to the next mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs) Hi-res

7/19/2012 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Red Flag 12-4, an air combat exercise known for its realistic combat training missions, also provides a certain realism for maintainers on the line - desert sands, 100 degree heat, and an increased operations tempo generating aircraft around the clock.

The 23d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., has more than 160 maintainers here and 153,000 pounds of equipment. In their care are 14 A-10Cs, which are flying combat training missions at the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range.

"Right off the bat, the importance of this Red Flag was hammered home to everyone ... to let them know it was so much of a bigger thing and what we're providing for the pilots and ops," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Neal Owens, 23d AMXS, 74th AMU first sergeant during the exercise. "We try to paint a better picture of what the pilots are doing up there and how important it is that they get this training. We briefed a lot of slides ... for the kind of operations that were being doing here and the amount of training being done -- the broader scope."

For U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nelson, a 23d AMXS, 74th AMU crew chief, Red Flag is a learning experience that he compares to his recent deployment to Afghanistan. He said Red Flag is as close as you can get to the "real thing" without being deployed to the Afghanistan area of responsibility.

"I like that it's more than just flying a training sortie like we do back home," he said. "It's more of an exercise and more of a real life thing - actually what you're going to be doing in the AOR. I like the realism of it. When you get back from a TDY like this it seems like you always get closer as a unit."

Out on the line, Nelson and his fellow crew chiefs perform pre-flight, post-flight, and through-flight inspections on the aircraft. Their walk around begins two and a half hours before the pilot shows up, and they complete another walk around inspection with the pilot before takeoff.

"We're responsible for the aircraft," Nelson said. "We're responsible for inspecting and making sure the aircraft is ready for the next mission. That's our job in a whole ... whether it's servicing the aircraft with fuel, hydraulics, oil, or calling out the respective specialties to come and fix something - that's our job."

Nelson, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., said he loves being a crew chief and knows he is "making difference" when he's "crewin' a jet." He joined the Air Force after being pushed toward the military by his father in law, an Air Force retiree.

"He wouldn't let me marry his daughter unless I found a good job," Nelson said. "It was definitely worth it." As a retired avionics troop, a career field notorious for having friendly rivalries with crew chiefs, Nelson's father in law specifically told him not to become a crew chief. However, Nelson knows he made the right choice of careers, will reenlist soon, and plans to make a career in the Air Force.

Overall, morale is high for the 74th AMU both at home station and during Red Flag, according to Owens. He credits a recent influx of new leadership and the amount of preparation that has gone into making Red Flag a success for everyone involved.

"Morale is definitely high," Owens said. "We've been preparing for this and talking about Red Flag. The amount of organization that went into it has been phenomenal. We've done everything we can to bring the right people, the right equipment, the right supplies - everybody is doing the job they're supposed to do."

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nelson, a crew chief with the 23d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, performs post-flight inspections on an an A-10C Thunderbolt II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 16, 2012, during exercise Red Flag 12-4. The crew chief's walk around begins two and a half hours before the pilot shows up, and they complete another walk around inspection with the pilot before takeoff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs) Hi-res

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nelson, a crew chief with the 23d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, guides an A-10C Thunderbolt II into its parking space at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., following a Red Flag training mission July 16, 2012. Temperatures reach in excess of 100 degrees in the Nevada desert, and 74th AMU maintainers are launching aircraft around the clock during the exercise. Fourteen A-10s are deployed to Nellis from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., along with more than 200 aircrew, maintainers and support personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs) Hi-res

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Baker, 23d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, walks on the wing of an A-10C Thunderbolt II following flight at the Nevada Training and Test Range July 16, 2012. Baker and about 200 other Airmen are deployed to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for exercise Red Flag 12-4. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs) Hi-res

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nelson, a crew chief with the 23d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, chocks an A-10C Thunderbolt II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 16, 2012, during exercise Red Flag 12-4. Nelson said Red Flag is a learning experience that he compares to his recent deployment to Afghanistan. He said Red Flag is as close as you can get to the "real thing" without being deployed to the Afghanistan area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Sonny Cohrs) Hi-res

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