AGE flight manages heavy workload Published Aug. 31, 2006 By Dylan Laurie 16th SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The average day at Hurlburt Field is sporadically highlighted with take-offs and landings of an array of military aircraft. From the deafening roar of the varied airplane engines, to the intermittent whir of helicopter blades, the flightline is a constant thoroughfare of avionic traffic dedicated to the service and defense of America and her allies. Nestled in among the assorted groups, squadrons and flights here, there is a shop of more than 70 Airmen whose mission it is to keep these aircraft flying by ensuring that the equipment needed to maintain them is on-hand and in-shape. These dedicated Airmen toil amid the drone of an unwavering electrical hum and the dissonant clamor of metal upon metal. The acrid odor of men and machine hangs in the steamy atmosphere beneath the jaundice-yellow glow of shop lights. They are the 16th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight. AGE repairs, services, inspects and delivers more than 640 pieces of powered and non-powered flightline support equipment. According to Senior Master Sgt. Jerald Beyer, AGE flight chief, this includes all the power units, universal maintenance stands, flightline air-conditioners, heaters and compressors used at Hurlburt Field. "In other words, there's no airpower without groundpower," Sergeant Beyer said, reciting the AGE motto. The flight is comprised of four Combat AGE Teams, operation support and production support sections. Each one of the CATs is color-coded, through the use of four different color stickers, to ensure the right team has the right equipment, and to make it easy to track down and keep tabs on the equipment while it's on the flightline or around the shop, according to Technical Sgt. Anthony Carter, blue CAT floor chief. "You have so many pieces of equipment out on that flightline - blue CAT alone has 144 units - it's hard to tell whose is whose," Sergeant Carter said. "If you put a blue sticker on it, you know 'hey, that's my piece.' It creates self-pride because you have to fix it, and so when you know it's yours, you take care of it a lot better." The blue CAT supports the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, green CAT supports the 15th AMU, yellow CAT supports the 16th AMU and red CAT supports the 16th Helicopter Maintenance Squadron. The 4th, 15th and 16th AMUs are components of the 16th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron which supports the 4th Special Operations Squadron, 15th SOS and 16th SOS, respectively. The 16th HMXS supports the 20th SOS. "Airmen in this career field are considered jacks-of-all-trades, masters-of-none," Sergeant Carter explained. "You pretty much learn the basics about everything, from heating and air-conditioning, to hydraulics and electrical schematics." These skilled maintainers are challenged on a daily basis to keep their equipment operational. AGE maintenance is divided into two categories - scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. "Unscheduled maintenance is when a piece of equipment is (delivered for use) at the aircraft and, all of a sudden, it doesn't work right," said Sergeant Carter. Every piece of equipment has an Air Force Technical Order Form 244 listing particulars and serviceability of that unit. They also come with technical orders that act as the AGE bibles and tell step-by-step everything that needs to be known about how it's wired, how to start it, how to stop it and how to fix it. Scheduled equipment inspections fall into two categories - phase I and phase II. Phase I inspections are conducted every six months and include changing the oil, filters and other minor preventive measures to keep the equipment going. Phase II inspections are conducted on equipment annually from top to bottom. "It's just like a car, you have to do a tune-up on it every so often to make sure that it runs right," Sergeant Carter said. "You check every nook and cranny of that unit - every nut, every bolt. You're making sure that everything is working the way it's supposed to, from the biggest component to the smallest." These inspections are scheduled for the week on Monday morning by Staff Sgt. Lindsy Dahlberg, AGE production support. The production support section takes care of all the AGE hardware, bench-stock, special tools, hazardous materials and technical orders, as well as being responsible for ordering everything that's needed. "They are pretty much the backbone of the flight and take care of all the programs we need to take care of all the maintenance on the floor," said Sergeant Beyer The operation support section takes care of mobility, training, and safety for the flight, as well as shouldering the responsibility of any unforeseen contingencies that might arise, according to Sergeant Beyer. "Wherever the aircraft is, you have AGE equipment," Sergeant Carter said. "There is constant AGE support. It's all about getting it there as quick as possible, safely. That's the biggest issue about our career field because we deal with so many high voltages, high amperages, hydraulics under pressure, air under pressure and extreme heat. Safety is paramount." Impressively, AGE has functioned at a zero-accident level for more than 18 months. "All the NCOs on the floor strictly adhere to all the safety aspects, because there are a bunch of hazards here," said Sergeant Beyer. "Our guys do a really good job at that." The key to success for anyone at AGE is adaptability no matter where you go, according to Sergeant Carter. "It doesn't matter if you're an Air-man or an NCO of 15-16 years, you are constantly getting better, always learning, always getting your nose in the books," Sergeant Carter said. From wash-carts and diesel generators, to fuel bowser's and light-all's, AGE takes care of the apparatus that keeps the Air Force in the blue.