18th AMU keeps Fighting Falcons flying

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Janine Thibault
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The 18th Aircraft Maintenance Unit is an important team to Eielson Air Force Base. The hard work they perform keeps the F-16 Fighting Falcons, more commonly known as Aggressors here, flying in RED FLAG-Alaska.

As one of Eielson's main events, RF-A would not hold the prestige it does without the Aggressors providing the enemy role. The 18th AMU takes on the task of keeping the Aggressors in the skies.

Tech. Sgt. Daniel Kozlowski, a crew chief from the 18th AMU, said, the main mission for the members of the maintenance unit is to have the fighters flight ready for each RF-A. During the winter when RF-A is not scheduled the nearly two dozen F-16 Aggressors must be ready to go out on deployments in support of other bases' missions.

To accomplish their day-to-day tasks the day and swing shifts work together to keep the jets in the air by performing routine inspections of the entire aircraft, both inside and outside the fighter. By the maintainers performing these inspections, it allows them to prevent minor damages from getting worse. After identifying the issues in the aircraft, the maintainers work to complete the necessary changes to make the plane available for flight again.

The recent undertaking the maintainers were tasked with was beefing, or building up the thickness, of the wings on the F-16. By beefing the wings, the maintainers make them able to withstand the winter temperatures by preventing the wings from receiving cracks. This also reduces the work they must do and allows them to concentrate on other mandatory.

Especially as the winter temperatures continue to drop it becomes increasingly important for the AMU maintainers to look for even the smallest change to the fighter. Since the fighter is stored and maintained inside the warm bay, once the jet is brought outdoors into the cold, parts of the fighter, like the struts, can shrink and cause problems later. The Aggressors fly in negative temperatures until it gets to be too extreme. Once it gets colder the fighters are grounded.

In the winter months the jets as well as the maintainers deploy. "The Airmen of the 18th AMU do not deploy as a unit, however they fill in vacant reserves positions to aid where manning leaves vacancies," said Sergeant Kozlowski.

Maintenance on the fighters is completed inside the bays so Airmen are not exposed too much to the cold. When must be performed outside the weather can become an obstacle.

Senior Airman Justin Gunderson, an avionics maintainer from the 18th AMU, said, there are tools and materials that cannot be touched without the proper garments because of the hazards of the extreme temperatures.

The 18th AMU has implemented safety guidelines as a way to protect its Airmen. In addition to dressing properly for weather conditions, they are also required to limit outside activity as a way to combat frostbite and other ailments.

"The maintainers must keep their outside tasks down to a minimum of 15 minute intervals," said Senior Airman Gunderson, and while it is a safety precaution it also limits their time.

Maintainers also enforce the use of cones when working with fighters as an additional precaution. Someone is constantly watching to ensure everyone remains at a safe distance as the aircraft is moving. The cones also specify the safe distance the maintainers can operate when working with radio frequencies.

"Our team has to have good communication otherwise we'll end up going back over something somebody already did. They also need to have good listening skills," said Airman Gunderson. Teamwork is beneficial to any group that gathers especially when it involves the equipment the maintainers work with.

"Maintainers need to have confidence," said Airman Gunderson. "When working with the millions of dollars we work with it is possible to cause more harm than good if you don't know what you're doing."