From touch-down to take-off, APG ensures tankers are mission-ready

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  To "Fly, fight and win ... in air, space and cyberspace," is the mission of the U.S. Air Force, and RAF Mildenhall's KC-135 Stratotankers play a significant part in making that mission happen.

Getting the jets in the air so they can get the mission started is vital, and is the responsibility of 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the Airmen who call themselves "APG."

Made up of three career fields - crew chiefs, hydraulics and propulsion specialists - APG formerly meant "airplane general," and is still used today, for its historical roots.

"Originally, when APG was formed, it was just crew chiefs," said Tech. Sgt. Ivan Niska, 100th AMXS APG section chief. "Their job was to inspect and generate aircraft for missions and ensure they were ready for flight."

He explained that the propulsion and hydraulics specialist personnel were added to APG, originally to augment the crew chiefs. Due to manning, the three career fields merged.

APG launches and recovers aircraft.

Prior to launching, Airmen ensure all necessary safety inspections are completed, both on and off the jet. Four hours prior to takeoff, the production section informs APG of fuel load requirements and load configurations for the mission. Two hours prior, the crew chiefs get the jet ready by removing covers, checking available power, and ensuring the equipment is ready for the jet to launch.

The lead pilot walks around the aircraft to do final safety checks, identifying any defects. If any are found, the crew chiefs either fix them or coordinate the repair as quickly as possible. After that, aircrew conduct a safety briefing.

"We call this 'red ball maintenance,'" Niska said. "That's anything found six hours or less, prior to takeoff."

While the aircraft commander is conducting checks on the exterior of the aircraft, the remaining aircrew take care of the operations checks on board.

Once all checks are complete, the jet is marshaled for take off. The crew chief is responsible for making sure all the flight surfaces are moving in the correct sequence, and in the correct manner.

"Our guys are responsible for the jet until the wheels are up, then it becomes the responsibility of the aircrew," said Niska. "When coming back in to land, once the wheels touch down, we take charge of getting the jet safely back to its parking spot."

Staff Sgt. Michael Dedman, 100th AMXS APG, is a flying crew chief, and has been in the Air Force for about six years. He said he knows how important his job is to the Air Force and RAF Mildenhall's mission.

"Being able to watch an aircraft I work on take off and fly, knowing it's going to take care of the mission, is very satisfying. Especially when I've done my part to make that happen," he said.

Recovering a jet starts 30 minutes before it lands. The aircrew contact the maintenance operations center with information on the aircraft's condition, and any write-ups.

"During that 30-minute callout, we ensure the specialist Airmen are ready to do maintenance on the jet as soon as it has been chocked and recovered," the APG section chief said.

Between flights, APG Airmen ensure the engines and hydraulic systems are serviced properly, and conduct scheduled inspections.

"These inspections cover the high-fail points on every aircraft, including flaps, spoilers, tracks, gears and gear doors, and aircraft skin," Niska said. "Although we only launch our own jets, we do maintenance on transient jets when required."

The APG crew chiefs usually launch eight to nine jets every day.

"[APG] provides around-the-clock aircraft maintenance, such as servicing, as well as all pre, [during], and post-flight inspections on our KC-135 fleet," said Lt. Col. Joseph Giuliani, 100th AMXS commander. "They're highly motivated, well trained, and do a great job in maintaining these jets.

"Their contributions on the flightline are essential to maintaining fleet health and delivering combat air power," the commander said.