Class

Tech. Sgt. Kenny Snider, 362nd Training Squadron crew chief instructor, teaches his students the proper way to use tools during the fundamentals portion of training April 17, 2014, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Airmen in training becoming crew chiefs must learn the basics before moving on to aircraft specific training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Robert L. McIlrath)

Class

Students from the Air Force’s first initial skills F-35 crew chief class prepare to transition after graduating the fundamentals course at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, April 9, 2014. They will continue training at the 359th Training Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., April 14, 2014. Crew chiefs are in charge of tactical aircraft maintenance which includes functional inspections, operation quality control and fluid checks. (Courtesy photo)

First F-35 crew chief class departs Sheppard, heads to Eglin

Published April 18, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Robert L. McIlrath
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The Air Force's first initial skills F-35 crew chief class completed fundamentals training here before transitioning to the 359th Training Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to start their aircraft specific training April 9, 2014.

Eleven Airmen, the first to be considered pipeline crew chiefs for the F-35, moved on to the next stop of their pipeline training at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to start their aircraft specific training April 14.

The F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine 5th generation fighter aircraft that combines advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility. The Air Force expects to declare the F-35 Lightning II initial operating capability by December 2016. A crew chief's job is to provide servicing and maintenance on their specific aircraft. Servicing the aircraft includes maintenance on the fuel, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. From daily aircraft inspections and documentation to launch and recovery, crew chiefs making sure the aircraft leave the flight line in one piece.

"This class was the very first of its kind," said Tech. Sgt. Shane L. Anderson, 362nd TRS crew chief fundamentals instructor. "Before, they would pull other fighter crew chiefs for the F-35, there was a lot of civilian interface."

The class spent 27 academic days at Sheppard to learn the building blocks of their profession. They learned as if they had never touched a tool before.

"Fundamentals include learning the use of tools and systems on aircrafts," said Tech. Sgt. Daniel O. Gordon, 362nd TRS crew chief fundamentals instructor.

A total of 12 academic days will be spent at the 359th TRS at Eglin AFB, a detachment of the 82nd Training Wing on Sheppard for aircraft specific training. The instructors hoped to make a lasting impression on their students. They knew there would be high expectations since they were the first class.

"Instructing the very first class challenged us to learn more so we could give them the best information," Anderson said.