Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S Air Force Staff Sgt. Mekai Stewart, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team chief, awaits the alignment of a weapons system at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. Stewart and his team were competing in a weapons load crew competition. Normally, teams of three Airmen are challenged to quickly install upwards of three types of armaments to a stationary F-16 Fighting Falcon in the quickest time possible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrick S. Ciccarone/Released)

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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Donald Ramsey, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew member, prepares to load a weapons system during a quarterly weapons loading competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. The objective of the weapons load crew competition was to gauge how quickly and efficiently teams of Airmen are able to arm an F-16 Fighting Falcon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Deana Heitzman/Released)

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A weapons load team from the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepares to load a weapons system while being inspected by a standardization load crew from the 35th Maintenance Group during a quarterly weapons loading competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. The objective of the weapons load crew competition was to gauge how quickly and efficiently teams of Airmen are able to arm an F-16 Fighting Falcon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Deana Heitzman/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Donald Ramsey, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew member, places a tool into a toolbox during a quarterly weapons loading competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. During the competition, two teams of three Airmen were challenged to quickly install upwards of three types of armaments to a stationary F-16 Fighting Falcon in the quickest time possible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Deana Heitzman/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Hadama, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team chief, inspects a weapons system after it was loaded during a quarterly weapons loading competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. Hadama was the senior member of his team of three and was charged with inspecting the quality and efficiency of his team’s work during the 30-minute-long competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Deana Heitzman/Released)

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An observer congratulates U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Hadama, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team chief, and Senior Airman Donald Ramsey, 35 AMXS, 13 AMU weapons load crew member, after a quarterly weapons loading competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. During the competition, two teams of three Airmen were challenged to quickly install upwards of three types of armaments to a stationary F-16 Fighting Falcon in the quickest time possible. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Deana Heitzman/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Mekai Stewart, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team chief, consults a handheld technical order during a quarterly weapons load crew competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. Stewart was among several Airmen participating in a quarterly load crew competition to see how quickly and efficiently his team could arm an F-16 Fighting Falcon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrick S. Ciccarone/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Dylan Queen, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew member, steadies an armament platform as Senior Airman Joshua Foster, 35th Maintenance Group standardization load crew member, observes during a quarterly load crew competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. The objective of the weapons load crew competition was to gauge how quickly and efficiently teams of Airmen are able to arm an F-16 Fighting Falcon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrick S. Ciccarone/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

U.S Air Force Staff Sgt. Mekai Stewart, 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 14th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons team chief, secures a harness on a set of armaments during a quarterly load crew competition at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 30, 2015. Stewart was the senior member of his team of three and was charged with inspecting the quality and efficiency of his team’s work during the 30-minute-long competition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Patrick S. Ciccarone/Released)

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Load crew Airmen race against the clock

Published Dec. 30, 2015
By Senior Airman Deana Heitzman

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Airmen from the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron competed in a quarterly weapons load crew competition here, Dec. 30.

Two teams composed of three Airmen raced against the clock, and each other, to arm an F-16 Fighting Falcon with three different weapons systems, all with varying weights and sizes. Both quality and speed were judged the most harshly during the competition, with senior leadership carefully inspecting the arming process for both teams.

Load crew competitions, while entertaining, grant aircraft maintenance units an opportunity to showcase the hard work and attention to detail that are part of their day-to-day mission at Misawa. Air Force maintainers are held to a high standard as pilots rely on the enlisted members, some as young as 18 years old, and their expertise to keep the more than 30-year-old aircraft in the sky and in the fight.