Aerospace ground equipment teams provide ground power to airpower

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Samantha Crane
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  (Editors Note: This is part of a series written on the 389th Fighter Squadron's participation in Red Flag 09-3 at Nellis Air Force Base)

Keeping more than 90 aircraft flying at Red Flag 09-3 requires the efforts of hundreds of maintenance experts working behind the scenes at Nellis Air Force Base. Among them is a team of aerospace ground equipment specialists responsible for ensuring each aircraft has the proper equipment to keep it flying.

"We provide all the ground support equipment you see around the aircraft," said Tech. Sgt. Travis Knudsen, NCO in charge of the aerospace ground equipment, or AGE, team from the 366th Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. "We maintain and dispatch anything from light carts to bomb lifts."

On the ramp at Nellis, this equipment remains vital to providing jet start-up power, mounting various munitions onto the jets and supplying additional light to allow maintenance teams to continue working once the sun sets.

In addition to supplying equipment at Red Flag, which continues through March 14, AGE takes care of necessary repairs to keep this gear running to keep airpower flowing. Featuring aircraft from different U.S. and foreign military services, Red Flag allows AGE teams to familiarize themselves with unfamiliar airframes and related equipment, which they may see again when they deploy.

"We get to learn about different equipment and airframes," said Senior Airman Corie Rose from the 1st EMS at Langley Air Force Base, Va. "We also get to meet new people."

"It takes you out of your comfort zone," added Staff Sgt. Kevin John with the 23rd EMS at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. "You learn from the new experiences."

Bringing together people from many bases, Red Flag provides opportunities to learn from and network with people from many different backgrounds.

"It's a great opportunity to work with folks from different airframes," said Sergeant Knudsen. "We share our experiences and resources to come together as one team to support the 17 different flying units here, including four units from the Royal Australian air force and the United Kingdom."

Being at Red Flag also gives participants a "big picture" perspective on how these aircraft would work together in a combat environment.

"It shows how several airframes compliment each other in a large scale air campaign and how the air expeditionary wing is exercised as if we were at war," said Sergeant Knudsen. "Without our equipment, the jets couldn't be maintained. There's no air power without ground power."