Crew chiefs make it happen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Micaiah Anthony
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Before a B-52H Stratofortress can take off, the aircraft has to be inspected, checked and repaired. Though it may not sound like much, ensuring every part of a 40 ft. tall 159 ft. long aircraft with a wingspan of 185 ft. is no easy task.

"It takes a special kind of person with a lot of patience to perform the maintenance we do out here on a daily basis," said Tech. Sgt. Christian Davis, 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. It's a tough job but very rewarding."

According to Senior Master Sgt. Wesley Phillips, 307th Air Maintenance Squadron, Davis is one of those special people.

"Tech. Sgt. Davis is dedicated to the mission," he said. "He takes personal responsibility for the aircraft and takes the initiative to fix problems before they become an issue."

The role crew chiefs play is vital to the flying mission and mission readiness.

"We coordinate with flight-line expediters to efficiently and effectively use manpower and resources to meet mission needs," said Davis. "We are directly responsible for all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activity on the B-52H. Ultimately, we ensure a safe, reliable and efficient weapons system to meet the goals of a five-person flight crew."

Davis and his Airmen spend long hours working on the flight-line to support the mission.

"We perform pre-flight, through flight, hourly post flight, launch and recovery action in direct support of the unit flying schedule," said Davis.

In order to accomplish such a huge and demanding mission, Davis has to manage, motivate, mentor and leads Airmen simultaneously.

"Tech. Sgt. Davis' Airmen definitely look up to him and try very hard to emulate him," said Master Sgt. Brian Crandell, 2 AMXS. "They value his knowledge and expertise and try to capitalize on that on a daily basis. He's the 'go-to' person on the flight-line and is always dedicated to getting the job done."

One factor that sets Davis apart from other crew chiefs is his experience, Crandell added.

"He has experience from other bases and other airframes as well that give him further aircraft knowledge that can be applied to daily work here," he said. "The breadth of knowledge he has allows 'thinking outside of the box' when it comes to troubleshooting certain discrepancies that need to be repaired."

According to Davis the best part of his job is watching the B-52H take off and knowing all the hard work he and his crew put into it. "It's good to know that what we do helps protect and defend our great nation," he said.