Maintaining Excellence

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Every day at Luke Air Force Base and the surrounding area, the roar of F-16 Fighting Falcons can be heard. This intricate aircraft has thousands of parts that must be continuously inspected and maintained to ensure that the Air Force mission will not only be accomplished, but done safely and efficiently. 

Maintainers with the 56th Fighter Wing's seven flying squadrons are a vital part in making sure that all aircraft are fit to fly. These dedicated maintenance personnel are faced with numerous challenges daily, and they meet these challenges with pride and professionalism. 

Here is the story of three Luke maintainers and the challenges they face during a typical day. 

Staff Sgt. Joseph Salazar, 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron crew chief 

Sergeant Salazar, a Houston native, has been with the Air Force for a decade and has spent the past two years at Luke. 

He described his job as one of continuous vigilance. 

"We always have to stay on top of things on a daily basis." he said. "Intake and exhaust inspections are done after every engine shutdown. We have to inspect for bird strikes or other foreign object damage. There are certain times of the year that birds are more numerous in the base area." 

Sergeant Salazar said he works on all the categories or blocks of F-16 aircraft. 

"Proficiency is a must," he said. "Block 25 and 42 F-16s use the Pratt and Whitney engine, while the other blocks have the General Electric engine. We fix an aircraft problem as much as we can. When we have exhausted all avenues, we will seek guidance from our engineer counterparts at Hill AFB, Utah. If we can't handle it here, we send it to the depot at Hill." 

Moreover, each day can present a plethora of challenges. 

"There are times we may find a cracked bulkhead in two or three aircraft, which means we will inspect every F-16 on base," Sergeant Salazar said. 

The heat from May to September presents a unique challenge. 

"It gets unbelievably hot in the summer and staying hydrated is vital," Sergeant Salazar said. "The aircraft parts get even hotter than they do during the rest of the year, which amplifies the heat even further for those working on the aircraft. It is also important to remember not to leave tools in the sun because they get so hot they can burn your skin." 

The most profound challenge is the nonstop working environment. 

"The biggest challenge is that we don't stop," Sergeant Salazar said. "We must complete the mission, which means we will work on holidays and weekends if necessary. We work against time. If we don't have well maintained aircraft, the Air Force mission doesn't get done. We'll do whatever it takes. Crew chiefs work an average of 11 hours daily." 

What's more, there is a pride that drives a crew chief to pursue excellence. 

"Every crew chief wants their aircraft to be the best," Sergeant Salazar said. "We have a competitive atmosphere. As a crew chief, our name is on the aircraft, which is a great motivator." 

When Sergeant Salazar is away from Luke, he said he enjoys spending time with his wife and 5-year-old daughter. In his leisure moments he plays basketball and golf and tries to get back to Houston to visit family and watch his favorite sports teams. 

Staff Sgt. Robert Pemberton, 310th Aircraft Maintenance Unit
Armament Flight Combat Support Team leader 

With numerous sorties flown daily, Sergeant Pemberton faces a variety of challenges each day. 

"Some aircraft return with hung bombs, which are bombs that didn't release properly," he said. "When it happens, our biggest challenge is troubleshooting. We have to find out why the system didn't work. When a wing weapons pylon or triple ejector rack comes to me, we hook it to our tester in order to check all the computer systems and pinpoint what caused the problem. It can take from 10 minutes to three days to find the problem." 

However, there are times when the tester will isolate the wrong problem. 

"Sometimes the computer indicates that the cause of the problem was something that turns out to be different," Sergeant Pemberton said. "I have to troubleshoot the fault in order to fix it. A common malfunction on the wing weapons pylon is the remote interface unit malfunction." 

An effective way to prevent serious problems is to pre-empt them through preventive maintenance, Sergeant Pemberton said. 

"The majority of what we do is scheduled inspections of bomb racks and missile launchers," he said. "The bomb rack and missile launchers are refurbished to like-new condition. We do 80 to 90 inspections monthly. Most of our maintenance is preventive, and we work until we get the tasks done." 

Sergeant Pemberton is in agreement with Sergeant Salazar that the Arizona heat presents unique challenges. 

"We have swamp coolers in our shop, but once the heat rises above 100 degrees, they don't work as well," he said. "The most uncomfortable months are July and August because the heat is combined with humidity. We have to work on the flightline, too, which is much hotter than the shop, so it is vital that our people drink plenty of water and stay as cool as possible." 

Sergeant Pemberton, a Winston-Salem, N. C. native, is there to do whatever the Air Force requires of him. He recently returned from a tour as a security forces augmentee in Iraq. 

He is married with two children and said he loves outdoor activities such as mountain biking, camping and fishing. He doesn't equivocate about the way he feels about his career field. 

"I like this field," Sergeant Pemberton said. "I feel the weapons field is the best in the Air Force." 

Staff Sgt. Christopher Broyles, 56th EMS Conventional Maintenance crew chief and munitions inspector
Sergeant Broyles has an orderly way to his day. 

"I wake up at 5 a.m. and go to CrossFit for 20 to 25 minutes," he said. "I follow CrossFit with a good run, relax for a short time and come to the office at 8:30 a.m. We check out vehicles and look at the flying schedule to see how many and what type of munitions we have to build. We do the munitions inspection preparation to make sure all the material we need to put the munitions together is in working order." 

Sergeant Broyles emphasized the importance of avoiding complacency. 

"We don't do things by memory," he said. "It is vital to follow the technical orders in everything we do and be fully alert. The technical orders lay out everything with exact instructions. We want to avoid taking anything for granted. We call the munitions control center before we start building bombs. They are the focal point and overseers of all munitions operations. When the munitions leave the munitions storage area they are inspected many more times. The pilot is the last person to inspect the munitions. A quality control number is placed on every bomb and rocket." 

Safety is a major concern for people working in the munitions area. 

"A lot of what we work on has a zero drop, which means that it can be ruined or detonate even if dropped from a few feet," Sergeant Broyles said. "There are no cell phones allowed in the work area and a radio must be 25 feet away from certain munitions. Static electricity is a major concern. All workers must periodically ground themselves. We have to wear proper clothing at all times including grounding straps and steel-tipped boots. We can't afford mistakes and shortcuts because they can lead to injury or death." 

As with any outdoor tasks, the heat is a profound challenge, as well as snakes and scorpions. 

"I emphasize to everyone here the importance of not only staying hydrated but working as much as possible in the shade," Sergeant Broyles said. "If someone starts to perspire, we give them a break. There is plenty of water and Gatorade available. We have to be concerned about snakes and scorpions particularly during the summer months. I advise people to stay off the grassy areas at night because they are havens for snakes because the grass is cool." 

Sergeant Broyles said one of the best attributes of his office is the camaraderie. 

"We listen to one another and are always open to new ideas," he said. "There are a lot of great ideas that come from some of our younger Airmen. We don't have the attitude that just because an idea is from an Airman or Senior Airman, it isn't worth listening to. It is so important that everyone feels wanted and has an opportunity to share their ideas." 

Sergeant Broyles is married with two children. His wife works at the base library. He came to the Air Force by a strange circumstance. 

"I was in college and needed money to pay for my next semester, so I painted a house and earned $1,200, but I lost the money, which meant I had to leave college," he said. "I was really down and felt I wanted to make something of myself, so since college was out, I joined the Air Force, which is the best decision I could have made. A few months after joining, my mom sent me a letter with the $1,200 in it that I had lost. Someone had returned it. I got my money back and started a new life -- not bad."