EOR team: Taking care of business first, last

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nestor Cruz
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  "First and last line of defense" may sound like a line from a movie, but it's a no-nonsense way of doing business for a small band of crew chiefs on the Luke Air Force Base flightline.

A tiny building on the south end of the flightline houses a section known as the end-of-runway inspection section. The team there is tasked with being the first and last set of eyes to go over all Luke aircraft.

"We are the last set of eyes inspecting an aircraft prior to flight, and we are the first set of eyes to inspect them upon landing," said Master Sgt. Joseph Lewis, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron EOR inspection section NCO-in-charge.

EOR members check each aircraft for leaks, loose parts or any damage to the tires or aircraft that may have occurred in transit. Another important task is a process called "arm end."

"Basically we arm up the munitions on an aircraft," Lewis said. "There are safety pins that have to be removed prior to take off. It only takes a minute or two, but we need to do it as fast and as safely as possible."

"De-arm end" is similar to arm end but performed at the end of a mission. Munitions are "safed up" by replacing the safety pins. This procedure is to ensure each aircraft is safe to taxi back to its respective aircraft maintenance unit.

While the EOR crew chiefs are technically the first set of eyes to inspect an aircraft upon landing, the pilots also perform an in-flight inspection to assist the crew chiefs on the ground.

"After a strafing run or even a dogfight, the pilot's wingman will pull up next to them and perform a battle damage assessment to make sure they were not hit," Lewis said. "If they see something they're not sure about, they'll contact the tower and the tower in turn contacts us. We also look for anything they may have missed while they were up in the air."

Being on the EOR team is a one-year assignment for Lewis and for the assistant NCO in charge. The rest of the team is on a two-week minimum rotation. Flight chiefs schedule their members to serve on the EOR team. A position on the team is offered as a reward to hardworking crew chiefs who stand out among their peers as the best of the best.

Senior Airman Johnathan Cota, 756th AMXS dedicated crew chief, previously served on the EOR team and said it was a rewarding experience.

"EOR is one of the most important jobs here at Luke," Cota said. "Being able to physically put hands on the jet with an understanding that I'm closer to the mission and knowing the jet is 100 percent serviceable -- it's a great feeling. And it's awesome seeing our jets up in the sky and knowing my work helped get them there. This is the reason why I became a crew chief."