Airmen compete in load crew 'Super Bowl'

  • Published
  • By Macario Mora
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  A larger than expected crowd of Airmen and civilians cheered loudly as two crews from Singapore's 425th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, the 62nd and 309th AMUs competed Friday during the annual load crew competition. The crews, winners of the four quarterly competitions, competed for the first time head-to-head outdoors on the flightline.

"This is the first event like this for Luke," said Master Sgt. James Patterson, 56th Maintenance Group Weapons Standardization superintendent. Patterson, from Grand Junction, Colo., said all previous competitions were held indoor, and the crews couldn't compete head-to-head due to size constraints.  He said he plans to continue hosting the annual event on the flightline in response to the large turnout.

"This was a huge event being that it was the first of its kind," Patterson said. "It was a great turnout. It could definitely set the precedent for the annual competition. But, it wouldn't have been possible without all the support from the units. A lot of people were involved, and I appreciate it."

Airman 1st Class Anthony Cicchino, 309th AMU weapons crewmember, agreed with Patterson's assessment. Cicchino, from Kearny, N.J., said he didn't expect so many people to turn out, but felt that it was a nice gesture.

"Sometimes we work long hours," Cicchino said. "It's nice to see that people appreciate what we do."

Though the event was light-hearted, the load crews' sweat-stained T-shirts showed they took their tasks seriously as they worked through the warm Arizona sun at noon to load their F-16s within the 25-minute time limit.

Evaluators hovered over the four teams, comprised of a load crew chief and two additional loaders, as the teams loaded their munitions. The evaluators, from load standardized crews and the squadron lead crews, checked for safety, reliability and technical errors -- deducting points for each mistake. The crew members began the day with 1,000 points before taking a written evaluation, having a composite tool kit inspection and participating in the competition. The team with the most points wins.

The evaluators, however, didn't deter the competitors as they went about their business. Cicchino, who was participating in his first annual competition, said his team was used to the evaluators because of their monthly certification. Cicchino, who prepared the station and munitions, said "things went pretty well, really fast and smooth.  I think we won."

It is the Super Bowl of the job to be in the annual competition, according to Patterson.

"Without a weapons crew we'd be just another airline. They load the iron to put on the enemy, and they're the last responsibility between bomb and the enemy."

Chief Master Sgt. James Conn, 56th Fighter Wing weapons manager, said he believes it's important the load crews are recognized for their accomplishments. Conn, from Owen, Wis., said it's vital that the crews are able to safely and efficiently complete their missions, and that the annual and quarterly events are the few occasions where load crews can be recognized for meeting their mission.

The annual load crew competition winner will be announced at the Maintenance Professionals of the Year Award Ceremony March 3.