Misawa maintainers learn from RF-A

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Janine Thibault
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Each year, RED FLAG-Alaska provides the opportunity for servicemembers from a variety of locations to build and refresh their skills in the air and on the ground.

Maintainers from Misawa Air Base, Japan joined RF-A 11-3 to support the various sorties for their pilots.

No matter their location, a maintainer's mission stays the same - ensure aircraft are fully functional and get them flying. But there is more to RF-A than just maintaining aircraft -- there is the opportunity to learn from the other Airmen and servicemembers here.

"We all step up and work together as a team to make things happen. The operations side of the house has to be a little more patient with us since we are limited," said Staff Sgt. Jordan Hanan, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief.

The environment of RF-A is different including the demand, timeline and availability of supplies.

"You have to come in, step it up and get your game face on right away and get to work," said Sergeant Hanan.

He added, the best way to deal with the challenges is to pay attention, but be quick about each and everything you do.

RF-A exercises give inexperienced Airmen the chance to visit an unfamiliar location and adapt to a new area. It introduces Airmen to different sides of their job, giving them the chance to learn how to perform routine maintenance in a foreign environment.

Airman 1st Class Travis Long, 35th MXS metals technician, has been able to experience more than just his job. He has been able to observe and help other Airmen in other Air Force specialty codes so he can learn a little bit about what tasks they perform.

"I've been to Korea and southern Japan and each (temporary duty) is completely different. It seems like when I go on TDY I am able to help in other areas and learn more about other people's jobs," said Airman Long.

Learning about other jobs associated with RF-A coupled with the demands of the exercise provides maintainers the opportunity to play an important role in training as well as get a different perspective on operations.