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Maintenance ops center monitors "health" of Red Flag air fleet

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Samantha S. Crane
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
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). 

To keep tabs on the simulated air war over the skies of Nevada during the Air Force's three-week Red Flag exercise, a 12-person team running the maintenance operations center here remains on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to control, track and monitor all aircraft maintenance operations on the flightline.

As the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Red Flag Air Expeditionary Wing MOC, Master Sgt. Scott LaBuda from Mountain Home Air Force Base oversees a team of U.S., Australian and United Kingdom air force maintenance experts.

During Red Flag 09-3, which ends March 13, this maintenance center monitors and coordinates aircraft sortie and maintenance production needs while keeping tabs on the "health" of jets participating in the exercise. They also keep emergency maintenance action checklists close at hand to remain prepared for the unexpected. Information regarding all maintenance activities is reported to senior maintenance officers here.

"We supply a single point of contact to commanders with updates and statuses of available aircraft so they can more effectively plan flying operations," said Sergeant LaBuda.

According to the sergeant, Red Flag offers participants a unique opportunity to work as if they were deployed -- using the training environment as a learning ground to prepare for actual combat operations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

"When we're at home, we only focus on one type of aircraft, but here we work with multiple aircraft from different units and countries," he said. "This gives us the chance to work with them before we deploy."

"It's an eye opener," said Royal Air Force Chief Tech. Gary Logan from the RAF's 111th Fighter Squadron. "A lot of the younger people have never even been out of the country before."

For Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Knowlton, MOC weapons system controller from the 1st Maintenance Operation Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., working with people from other countries prepared him for future deployments.

"When you're in another country, you all come together to complete the mission," he said. "[Red Flag] is rehearsing for that."

Red Flag features more than 90 aircraft, 2,000 people and 27 U.S. and allied units based around the world. Established in 1975, the exercise takes place on the 15,000-square-mile Nevada Test and Training Range located north of Las Vegas. For a complete list of participating aircraft for the exercise, visit www.nellis.af.mil/library/flyingoperations.asp.