MRA program prepares crew chiefs for greatness

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The heart of the 56th Fighter Wing mission statement is, "Train the world's greatest F-16 fighter pilots and maintainers." 

The Detachment 12, 372nd Training Squadron Mission Ready Airman program at Luke Air Force Base has the goal to train the world's greatest maintainers. 

The MRA program at Luke is the sole F-16 schoolhouse of this type in the Air Training and Education Command, according to Capt. Kimberly Hollenback, 372nd TRS, Det 12 commander. 

"The course program covers aircraft inspections, launch and recovery and aircraft servicing and has 20 academic days," Master Sgt. Francis Emmerling, 372nd TRS, Det. 

12 F-16 MRA NCO-in charge, said. "Seventeen of the days are on the flightline and three are in the classroom. We start and graduate two classes per week and have graduated 8,687 students since the program began in 1994. Each class has a maximum of eight students. 

"We also have members of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units who attend our school. The MRA program is the final link in an F-16 crew chief's technical training before they get to their first duty assignment." 

An F-16 crew chief's initial training is composed of two parts, Captain Hollenbeck said. 

"The first part is four months at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and one month at Luke," she said. "The training at Sheppard is cold training, which doesn't involve any operational aircraft. When students come here, they experience the operational flightline and learn how to function in that environment. After graduating, the student is awarded their three-level." 

What's more, there are numerous other attributes that the MRA program has to offer. 

"The students get the basic fundamentals of what a crew chief does," said Tech. Sgt. Gary White, Tactical Aircraft Maintenance production supervisor and a former MRA student. "We want to be able to assess their skills and abilities to perform the tasks required. It is important that a person is comfortable when they arrive at their first assignment. The students are working on live aircraft, so it is vital to screen out people who can't handle the pressure. We want to build confidence." 

The MRA program not only provides first-class training, but it also emphasizes proper military bearing and discipline. 

"The students have to march everywhere on base when they are in uniform," Captain Hollenback said. "Each student is in a phase category. Phase one means students must be in uniform at all times except in their dormitory; phase two gives students the liberty to go off base in their blues and phase three means students can go off base in civilian clothes. If a student commits an infraction, he or she can be phased back. Most students come from Sheppard as a phase three. Also, no nicotine products are allowed on base." 

Occasionally, a student will come to the MRA program from Sheppard with an infraction or an academic problem. 

"When it happens, we give the student the chance to continue their career," said Senior Master Sgt. Ruben Valverde, 372nd TRS, Det. 12 chief and first sergeant. "It's not that common of an occurrence, but we are here to help people have productive careers. We believe in second chances." 

A pillar of a successful school is the instructors. 

"I would like to commend the first-class cadre of instructors," Sergeant Valverde said. "We have graduated nearly 9,000 students, which is a credit to the smart and motivated instructors we have here."