• Crew chief for a day

    U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aleksandr Zenski, a 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance journeyman (left), and Airman 1st Class Ian Sears, a 356th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, pose for a photo during a ‘Crew Chief for a Day’ immersion on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, March

  • 355th AMU conducts first hot pit refueling as an F-35 unit

    U.S. Airmen assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing perform a hot pit refueling on an F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 7, 2021. Hot pit refueling saves time, manpower and equipment usage by refueling an active aircraft in between

  • Eielson F-35As hit 100 sortie milestone

    U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Samuel Chipman, the 356th Fighter Squadron director of operations, conducts pre-flight checks at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 17, 2020. The flight marked the 100th sortie for Eielson’s F-35As. The first two fifth-generation fighters assigned to Eielson arrived to

  • Crew chief dedicated to Eielson’s first F-35s

    In the five years he’s worked as an F-35A Lightning II crew chief Staff Sgt. Christopher Mashek has watched jets land on the flight line hundreds of times. He guides pilots to their parking spots, ensures aircraft maintenance records are up to date and scans jets for needed repairs. On April 21, a

  • 356th AMU takes in first F-35s

    U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Krutke, an F-35 avionics system craftsman with the 356th Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU), prepares to place chalks for one of the first of two F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation aircraft assigned to the 356th Fighter Squadron after its arrival at Eielson Air Force