AGE: No air power without ground power

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Briana Jones
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Known as the "lifeline to the flightline", the 31st Maintenance Squadron's aerospace ground equipment flight works around the clock to provide support for Aviano's flying mission, while also providing multiple squadrons with ground equipment.

Located along the runway, the AGE shop is comprised of 71 Airmen who maintain more than 600 pieces of equipment in support of United States and NATO operations.

The shop is split into five sections that work three shifts: dispatch, inspection and repair, bomb lifts and the production support section.

"The things that we do as maintainers and Airmen is amazing, they are wonderful at making what we do happen on a daily basis," said Senior Master Sgt. Jim Nelson, 31st Maintenance Squadron AGE flight chief. "This flight, in my 22 years in the Air Force, is probably the best AGE flight I have ever seen, and it is because of the quality and caliber of Airmen we have."

Not only do AGE Airmen provide ground equipment to the flightline, but they also provide the 31st Munitions Squadron with equipment such as: a high pressure low volume air compressor, power units and bomb lifts, which in turn helps MUNS Airmen complete their part of the mission.

AGE mechanics service, inspect, troubleshoot, repair and perform preventative maintenance on engine- driven motors, heaters, air conditioners, compressors and bomb lifts. Rather than master one specific job, these Airmen encompass a variety of technical skills, such as electronics, air conditioning and hydraulic technical skills, which they learn during technical training before arriving on the job.

As an AGE journeyman, Senior Airman Shane Ringer performs maintenance on any piece of equipment that comes to him from the flightline. He troubleshoots the equipment to identify the best way to isolate the problem and get the equipment mission capable once again.

"For me, the best part of my job is performing major maintenance on a piece of equipment," said Ringer. "It's different than what we do on a daily basis and I like the challenge of trying to figure out why an engine is not working."

According to Maj. Franklyn Shepherd Jr., 31st MXS commander, without AGE the flightline would be bare, and he hopes all Airmen see the importance of what they do.

"I want people to know that our jets do not fly without my AGE Airmen. It just won't happen," said Shepherd. "These Airmen are masters of their trade and what they do is vital to our mission. Like they say there is 'no air power without ground power'."