Expeditors Simplify Flightline Operations

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Crew chiefs played a crucial role during the second phase of an Operational Readiness Exercise here Nov. 6 and 7, as they were responsible for maintaining and generating F-15E Strike Eagles for flight.

However, without the timely delivery of parts and equipment by flightline expeditors, a crew chief may not have been able to finish their job as quickly or efficiently.

Expeditors are selected based on their competence within their career field, including their ability to project and effectively troubleshoot maintenance issues that may arise.

"Essentially, I think ahead," said Tech. Sgt. Grant Ellis, 391st Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief flightline expeditor. "As crew chiefs, the more knowledge you gain on the systems, the more prepared you are for the expeditor job - you'll know what people need when they need it."

When a jet is broken, crew chief expeditors can coordinate what items are needed to fix it and have the tools on hand when the crew chiefs arrive at the aircraft.

"As expeditors, we have a lot of experience and knowledge, and when we find out things are broken, we get things moving forward," Ellis said. "We don't let work get to a standstill - we're always making sure things are moving forward and that they run smoothly, like a well-oiled machine."

Because of the expeditor's preparation, an eight-hour job can be reduced to six hours, which can be vital for mission success and especially important while deployed.
Ellis's unit usually has two crew chief flightline expeditors who are each responsible for generating half their unit's jets. In an exercise like the ORE, crew chiefs can step in as a cell boss, which is like a mini expeditor, according to Ellis.

"During an exercise, the expeditor's responsibilities are broken into half to allow crew chiefs the experience and training," he said. "They will be responsible for three to five aircraft at a time."

He said they don't usually expedite or produce aircraft, so what he does is monitor what crew chiefs are doing and make sure they do what they need to get the aircraft in the end.
"It's all to help them understand the bigger picture of what we do out here," he said.
Whether expeditor or cell boss, Airman 1st Class Raymond Crum, 391st AMU engine mechanic, realizes the importance of having someone in the position.

"With everything going on - all of us being broken up - they're pretty much running the show," Crum said. "They have to know everything that's going on. It's hectic - we need them, and if we didn't have them we'd be hurt. They help out a lot."

Though the appreciation is nice, Ellis said his job satisfaction comes from producing safe, reliable aircraft, whether at home station or deployed.

"When you produce a jet, the pilot flies, they complete the mission and the mission was a success, it's a warm fuzzy for us, because we were a part of that," Ellis said.

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