JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
In the dark, early hours of the morning, U.S. Air Force Airmen pull themselves out of bed and get ready for another 12-hour shift on the flightline here where keeping the F-22A Raptors mission ready is a 365 days a year 24/7 job for the crew chiefs of the 1st Fighter Wing.
When U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ian Ivey, 27th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief, shows up to his unit for roll call, he receives the aircraft he will be responsible for and grabs his toolbox and all necessary equipment then heads out to his assigned jet.
“A day-to-day task being on a flyer is coming into work 20 minutes early. For the most part, they try to put you on the same aircraft but barring the flying schedule and manning issues (could be tasked to a different aircraft),” said Ivey. “You’ll get out to the airplane and do a walk around inspection, make sure all the safety equipment gets removed and then hook up the communication equipment then wait for the pilot to get there.”
Upon arrival of the pilot, Ivey performs another walk round and communications check before take-off. As the crew chief’s assigned aircraft takes off, they are now responsible for preparing for the landing and handling any issues that may arise while inflight.
“My job now that the aircraft has landed is to inspect the general condition, make sure servicing is fine and it’s ready to go the next time we need it,” explained U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Preston Reed, 1st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 94th Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, while gathering his tools and checking the communication equipment.
For the F-22A Raptor to be capable of flying and completing its mission, crew chiefs play a vital role in ensuring all parts are in working condition and the electronics are up to speed.
According to Reed, in 2013 the crew chief career field lost many experienced seven level personnel like Staff Sgts. and Tech. Sgts. creating a gap that needed to be filled.
To overcome these manning issues, continuous training like Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear familiarization exercises are conducted. Along with exercises, the 1st AMXS also implemented regular training days to prepare for deployment situations.
For Ivey, being a dedicated crew chief is one of the most job satisfying careers in the Air Force because of the responsibility and pride that follows that title.
"I’m a DCC now so I get my name on top now,” said Ivey. “Having my name at the top, that’s my airplane. I’m in charge of everything that goes on with that airplane. When people need to get jobs done on that airplane they come to me, it’s my bird. It’s a pretty good feeling being able to say that I’m one of 180 something (dedicated crew chiefs for) F-22s in the Air Force and one of those has my name on it, so I take a lot of pride in that.”