Safety always first for maintainers Published Oct. 9, 2012 By Dan Hawkins 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- When it comes to aircraft maintenance, saying safety is a big part of the training environment is a huge understatement. The safety foundation for all Airmen is laid in north Texas during technical training and you just never know when it might come in handy. Keeping the Air Force's long-range, large payload multirole bomber in tip-top and safe condition so it can stay in the air is the job of B-52H Stratofortress crew chiefs, who are trained by instructors from Sheppard's 362nd Training Squadron. For an aircraft built in the early 1960's, the B-52H is still going strong in its 60th year of service. A big part of the reason why is the first-class maintenance training Airmen receive while at Sheppard. Every student who becomes a crew chief, regardless of airframe, begins their technical training journey in Aircraft Fundamentals, a three-block course of instruction stretching over 24 academic days. One of the most important classes during the first block of training in the "Fundy's" course is safety, forming the foundation of knowledge for an Airman to fall back on throughout the rest of their career. "When you wake up in the morning until you go to sleep at night, that's where safety is at all the time for any aircraft maintainer," said Richard Lukowsky, 362nd TRS B-52H crew chief instructor. "When you are out on the aircraft on an active flight line, anything at any point in time can happen and a better the person is trained they are able to react to the situation at hand." Last month at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., two Airmen from the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron got the chance to put their safety training to the test after a real-world hydraulics system fire erupted after a B-52H touched down after a mission and was preparing to park. "I learned the basic position for the fire bottle and Halon while I was at Sheppard in fundamentals," said Senior Brock Wilson, 5th AMXS B-52H crew chief, who was recognized for helping put the fire out and evacuating the crew safely. "Our training made all the difference in the world and helped us get through the situation successfully." Wilson, who graduated from the B-52H crew chief course in February of 2010, credited his training both at Sheppard and Minot for staying calm despite never facing the dangerous situation before. "Although I never actually put out a fire in training, I learned the basics of how to operate the Halon extinguisher and ensure the crew was able to egress the aircraft safely," Wilson said. "Between technical training and my home-station training, I felt confident we could handle the situation." Airman 1st Class Christopher Tolch, who graduated from tech school in September of 2011 and assisted in putting out the fire, agreed with Wilson. "My experience at Sheppard and Minot in training paid big dividends when we needed it most," he said. The fundamentals course also covers non-powered equipment like landing gear and hydraulics before finishing up with powered equipment basics. After finishing with fundamentals, B-52H crew chief students move on to the airframe specific crew chief training, which covers four blocks of instruction over 36 academic days. Major blocks of instruction during the B-52H crew chief course cover airframe, electrical, drag chute and egress system basics; in-depth landing gear and flight control procedures; fuel, utility and engine systems; and finishing with pre, post and phase inspections. No matter which part of the course students are in, safety is always at the forefront. "Safety and ORM, it comes first, no matter what," said Tech. Sgt. Brian Anderson, 362nd TRS B-52H crew chief instructor. "We follow the tech data...we implement the buddy system anytime we get the chance. It's constant checks and balances...anything we can do to make it safer." As an instructor, making sure the students learn the right way to do things the first time is the key to long-term success. "It's imperative as an instructor that we teach them the right way to do it," Anderson said. "We don't want to be out with these guys in four or five years from now and they are doing it wrong....you teach them right the first time and lay that foundation and hopefully that will carry on." The 362nd Training Squadron develops and instructs 31 maintenance crew chief courses and graduates more than 10,000 students annually from three-level and supplemental crew chief courses.