LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
One of the biggest roles the maintenance flight plays is in the inspection process. The F-15 is due for inspection every 200 flying hours.
"We disassemble the F-15, look for cracks or broken components, repair it and then put it back together," said Senior Master Sgt. Ken Whittington, maintenance flight chief.
A unique fact about the EMS Maintenance Flight is that they are also in charge of the F-22 Planned Maintenance Program inspections; these inspections are accomplished by aircraft maintenance units at other bases.
The flight is also in charge of crash and recovery. This section does F-15 rigging; the adjustment of landing gear and canopy or flight control surfaces. They also do major maintenance on these components.
The flight's wheel and tire shop receives used tire assemblies from the aircraft maintenance units, disassembles them, inspects them and then puts new skins on the wheels. The tire assembly is then returned to the AMU for use when needed.
The transient alert section recovers, services and launches all aircraft visiting Langley. They handle an average of 194 aircraft per month and 146 distinguished visitors.
The phase inspection section recently won a team excellence award during the second quarter of this year.
The flight also played a role in the squadron's excellent ORI rating.
"The crash recovery section impressed the ORI team with a flawless lift of a simulated crashed F-22," said Sergeant Whittington.