JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Alaska is a winter wonderland from October through March. Those living can stare at the picturesque view of the flight line with aircraft blanketed in snow. However, those aircraft will eventually take off to fulfill their mission requirements and it’s the Airmen from the 3rd Maintenance Group who provide around-the-clock support getting the aircraft ready at a moment's notice, snow and all.
The accumulation of snow, ice and frost disrupts the airflow across the surface of the wing, degrading the required lift for flight. It can also throw off the aerodynamics of the plane, which can ultimately be fatal.
Aircraft deicing is an integral part of mission readiness during inclement weather. Once the aircraft is deiced, the aircrew will perform a pre-flight check and deem 'airworthy' before take-off.
The virtual reality (VR) deicer simulator from the 732nd Air Mobility Squadron provides 3rd MXG Airmen an opportunity to train in a simulated environment before performing maintenance on the actual aircraft.
"The VR Deicer Simulator is an immersive training simulator that places our Airmen on the JBER virtual flight line, on-board one of the deicing vehicles," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Lawrence Helms, 3rd MXG Training Instructor. "The simulator software contains customizable weather and time-of-day options for three types of deice vehicles and 18 different major weapon systems."
Currently, six maintenance training flight instructors run the deicer simulator program. Due to COVID-19, the training simulator uses a 1-to-1 ratio – one member utilizing the device and one instructor.
"The deicer sim enables our Airmen to train all year round, establishes habit patterns, and instills checklist discipline as well as enables the 3 MXG to maintain 100% mission readiness," said Maj. Dominique Cooper, 3rd Maintenance Operations Squadron commander. "By having this equipment, Airmen no longer have to wait on the availability of a deice truck, coordinate deice crews, or wait for winter months to begin their training."
While the simulator itself is not a requirement, it provides an additional training resource to supplement the maintenance training capability and save approximately 12 man-hours per aircraft.
"The utilization of the simulator has approximate cost savings of $748,000 in materials and 68,500 gallons of glycol," Helms said. "The purpose of the simulator is to build the technicians’ confidence in their capabilities."
Regardless of the weather conditions, the training instructor utilizes the deicer simulator to train Airmen year-round. This serves to keep maintainers proficient even during the warm Alaska months.
JBER currently has 16 GL-1800 vehicles used for F-22 Raptors and E-3 Sentry and portions of the C-17 Globemaster II. They also have six ER2875 vehicles used for the C-17s and larger high-reach aircraft transiting through the base.
"Just as JBER's aircraft operators can ensure current and proficient operations in their simulators, our deicing maintainers are afforded the same opportunity," Cooper said. "The sim provides an augmented option to sharpen our situational awareness level, streamline checklist flows, and solidify precise habit patterns – to ensure safe and effective flight operations and maintenance at JBER."