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Dedicated crew chief: airpower’s key role

  • Published
  • By Andrea Houck
  • 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Twenty-six dedicated crew chiefs from the 388th Fighter Wing were each assigned an F-16 Fighting Falcon during a ceremony Aug. 5, recognizing them as the maintenance experts on their respective aircraft assigned to the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The ceremony also paired each crew chief with a pilot assigned to the aircraft.

Maj. Abigail Ruscetta, 388th AMS commander, explained an aircraft dedicated crew chief's responsibilities.

"The crew chief 'owns' the airplane, so they're responsible for the maintenance, upkeep, appearance and they have to keep the jet in tip-top shape.

"To be a dedicated crew chief, a maintainer must have a deeper, technical knowledge of the aircraft, demonstrate superior performance, as well as display initiative and leadership," Major Ruscetta said.

Staff Sgt. Brandon Fenner, the 4th Fighter Squadron flagship dedicated crew chief, has been an Air Force crew chief for nearly nine years and said he's the most knowledgeable about his jet, which is the 4 FS flagship.

The acknowledgment from leadership and pilots made this particular ceremony special, said Staff Sgt. Fenner. A crew chief's name on an aircraft's canopy signifies "pride, ownership, and most important, the flight chiefs and supervisors' trust in you to manage that jet," he said.

Along with their names on their respective jets, the crew chiefs each received coins from the 4 FS pilots, and the pilots received an engraved mug with the crew chief's name on it.

"It's nice to see the maintainers recognized for all the hard work they do and the behind-the-scenes support they provide to do our mission," said F-16 pilot Capt. Anthony Generous. "Our relationship with the crew chief is very important -- they're the last hand we shake before taking off."

Additionally, the ceremony serves as a motivator for junior Airmen aspiring to become dedicated crew chiefs, Staff Sgt. Fenner said.

"Dedicated crew chiefs are hand-picked, and pilots put their trust in the dedicated crew chief to have an aircraft that will bring him home safely," said Col. Michael Costello, 388th Maintenance Group Commander, at the ceremony. "They are a cut above the rest."

Colonel Costello also emphasized the importance of having the dedicated crew chief ceremony and said it's an essential recognition program for the wing and for the Air Force.

Col. Scott Long, the 388th Fighter Wing commander, addressed the crowd and also expressed the importance of recognizing crew chiefs for their efforts in maintaining the wing's fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons.

"It requires a special team to fly these jets," he said. "It takes a lot of work and dedication behind every sortie to generate it. When that jet goes up into the air, every mission it supports is powered by maintenance, and with the crew chief's name on it - he can take pride in all that jet participates in.

"I'd like to iterate the words from the poem, Remembering the Forgotten Mechanic, 'Now pilots are highly trained people, and wings are not easily won. But without the work of the maintenance man, our pilots would march with a gun. So when you see the mighty jet aircraft as they mark their way through the air, remember the grease-stained man with the wrench in his hand; he is the man who put them there,'" Colonel Long said.
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