'Pro-supers': conductors of the flightline orchestra

  • Published
  • By Airman Kenna Jackson
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  

Editor's note: This is part two in a six-part series highlighting the 13th and 14th Aircraft Maintenance Units.

The 13th and 14th Aircraft Maintenance Units' main responsibility is to provide maintenance as well as enabling pilots to do their duty in safe and reliable aircraft. However, it takes more than tools and equipment to maintain aircraft; it takes a controlled flow of information and time management orchestrated by a production superintendent.

The job of production superintendents is to prioritize daily maintenance, coordinate with pilots for flying operations and track the status of aircraft. It is also the responsibility of production superintendents to provide flyable aircraft to pilots so they can train and prepare for war.

"It is my job to know who is working where, as well as set maintenance priorities," said Master Sgt. Bruce Wark, 13 AMU production superintendent. "I complete this task by delegating those priorities to shop-specific expediters."

The information flow starts when a pilot relays any aircraft issues he may find during his flight or on the ground to the 13th and 14th Fighter Squadrons' operations desk. The production superintendent also receives this information and informs an expediter, who is responsible for controlling maintenance within their supporting shop. The expediter for the failing system then delegates trained Airmen with the tools, training and parts required to fix the jet's problems to quickly return the aircraft to service.

If a maintenance issue is outside the scope of the units' capabilities, it is the production superintendent's job to request more assistance from Air Force engineering technical-service contractors or a depot-field team for assistance, said Wark. These teams have more technical expertise on the aircraft and are authorized to perform more extensive repairs.

"We direct all maintenance activity on the flightline, whether it is for flightline guys or coordinating with other shops outside the AMU," said Master Sgt. Darin Kiester, 14 AMU production superintendent.

Production superintendents are always a senior non-commissioned officer, usually master sergeants, who are equipped with a few years of experience on the F-16 Fighting Falcon airframe, Wark said.

Being familiar with the F-16 in and out is key to being a successful production superintendent, Wark added. It entails a vast maintenance culture and knowledge that separates the flightline from the rest of the base.