Spangdahlem Airmen ensure maintenance readiness in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Travis Edwards
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  The cycle of a deployed fighter aircraft starts with a rack full of munitions and ends when the pilot lands it, empty with only residue where the bombs once were.

The cycle is seamless -- to the outside world that is, but for the Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight here, it's a continuous process that ensures the maintenance tools used to fix the aircraft are always operational.

From diesel generators to maintenance stands, "We make sure it is either working properly, or fix it so it can be used again as soon as possible," said Senior Master Sgt. Gary Ellison, AGE flight chief, deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

"Our main mission here is to support the flightline," he said. There are three dedicated Airmen driving the flightline everyday to pick up broken equipment and return fixed equipment.

"It's a 24/7 process that takes these Airmen out of the shop for the whole day -- they're not only delivering the supplies and picking them up, they're checking on parts and making sure it's all in working order," said the sergeant.

The other 30 active-duty Airmen and Guardsmen are split into two groups working around the clock to "Get the job done," he said.

However, they do run into some bumps along the way.

"The biggest problem we run into is having the parts needed to do the job. But thanks to the Airmen in the Viper [Aircraft Maintenance Unit] supply, we get most of the parts we need in a matter of days," said Sergeant Ellison.

Just because they are waiting on parts, doesn't mean they are hanging around for them to come in.

"The [operations] tempo here is high, there is always something going on, something that needs fixing," said Staff Sgt. Jordan Gelinas, AGE mechanic and shop supervisor deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

"It's great to be a part of the war and see where my job matters most -- it's like playing for the varsity team," said Sergeant Gelinas.

These AGE Rangers make sure, by maintaining aircraft maintenance equipment, their portion of the fighters' cycle is seamless. As their saying goes, "Danger is No Stranger to An AGE Ranger," being deployed makes no difference, the job will get done.