Mighty maintenance: attention to detail, excellence hallmark of phase inspection section

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  During a RED FLAG-Alaska, the time spent in the air only increases for the multi-colored work horses of the skies as 18th Aggressor Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft are maintaining a steady stream of sorties that keep them flying every day, enabling the training of combat forces for worldwide contingencies.

To ensure the jets can continue their busy flying schedule in top condition, the 354th Maintenance Squadron phase inspection section performs in-depth and thorough inspections of every moving part of the aircraft, inside and out. 

"We find and fix things before they become a problem, not when it's a problem," said Staff Sgt. Ruth Rodriguez, 354th MXS inspection section dock chief. "Our work impacts the flying mission 100 percent, so if we don't get it done, they don't fly."

All Aggressor aircraft are scheduled for approximately 10 days of downtime every 300 flying hours in which the jet must undergo a thorough maintenance inspection at the phase shop. At each 300-hour increase, it will have specific parts that will be due for repair or replacement automatically, such as portions of landing gear.

"There are many common items on the aircraft that we regularly inspect and replace, depending on which phase of flying hours that particular jet is in, whether it has reached 600 or 900 hours and so forth," said Staff Sgt. Mackenzie Cunningham, 354th MXS inspection section technician. "Those parts are ordered in advance so when the jet comes in to the shop, we're ready to go to work on it."

Along with these time-change requirements, phase Airmen will take an in-depth and thorough look at the inner mechanical structure of the aircraft in search of anything that could potentially become a problem later on.

"We are identifying anything that might have become worn or unserviceable ahead of its time and replacing it," Rodriguez said. "Crew chiefs can typically identify some problems early and alert us to them, but since the crew chief assigned to the jet only does surface spot inspections on a routine basis, once the jet arrives in our shop, it goes through a very detailed inspection, which takes several days."

Along with intricate inspections and meticulous repairs, phase Airmen also provide ground emergency response during an in-flight emergency that forces a jet to land. They can safely and quickly tow any disabled aircraft from the runway to prevent it from obstructing other aircraft using the space, ensuring overall safety on the flight line.

During a RED FLAG-Alaska, visiting units can borrow tools and share best practices with the phase inspection section, if needed. But for these maintainers, the primary focus is always on the Aggressors.

"At the end of the day, we want to send a good quality aircraft back to the mission," Rodriguez said. "They have a job to do training and preparing forces for whatever battles come our way, so it is imperative that the jets perform well."