Time management also includes setting aside family time for Airmen that are married and have children who are in school.”īeing single Airmen, both Jones and Ponio agreed that they prefer the swing shift schedule because they feel they have ample time to meet appointments, sleep in, study, go to the gym or run errands. “Another challenge is time management, such as scheduling errands or appointments during hours you might want to be sleeping. “It can be difficult maintaining eating and sleeping schedules throughout the weekend, so the body stays on that same sleep pattern,” he said. McKee continued by describing some of the biggest challenges Airmen face with adjusting to mid-shift or swing shift. “Every shift is similar in having a very high operation tempo, but each shift has their own challenges.” Jason McKee, 100th AMXS Aircraft Maintenance Unit superintendent. “My expectations are the same for each of my Airmen no matter what shift they work,” said Senior Master Sgt.
There are step-by-step orders for each duty, which includes catching, parking, inspecting, refueling and launching the jet.” “We are trained to identify discrepancies and by following our technical orders we are able to service the jet then and there. “Crew chiefs have the most general knowledge of the aircraft,” said Jones, who has been on swing shift for about a year. Jones described KC-135 crew chiefs as the jack of all trades.
“Anything that isn’t finished will be turnover for mid-shift.” “During swing shift, from 3 to 11 p.m., we often pick up turnover aircraft that haven’t completed inspection during the previous shift and the majority of pre-flight inspections are done during these hours,” said Ponio. Ponio has been working swing shift for about eight months, and explained how his duty hours are called the “work horse” of all shifts.
In respect to the continuous mission, crew chiefs must adjust to the demands of night shift on the flight line.
#SWING SHIFT HORSE ZIP#
RAF MILDENHALL, United Kingdom - As the temperature drops and the sideways rain worsens night time visibility, 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs zip up their rain gear and head out to the flight line.Īirmen 1st Class Ethan Jones and Erroll James Ponio, both 100th AMXS KC-135 Stratotanker crew chiefs, are dedicated to the maintenance of an aircraft with a 24/7 global reach mission.
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