3rd Wing assigns dedicated crew chief to ALCOM

  • Published
  • By Luke Waack
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The new ALCOM commander is the first who is also an F-22 Raptor pilot and he will have a dedicated crew chief from the 3rd Wing, Air Force Staff Sgt. Maria Carlson.
Carlson, from Zimmerman, Minn., has been a crew chief since she joined the Air Force five years ago. She started out on the F-15 Eagle, C and D models, before moving on to be an F-22 maintainer.

Crew chiefs are responsible for the condition of the Air Force's flying fleet, and for the safety of its flying team.

Their job is to see that aircraft are operationally ready by performing scheduled inspections, functional checks and preventive maintenance both before and after flights, and ensuring the aircraft has been properly serviced with fuel, hydraulic fluid and and ensures the aircraft oxygen systems are functional.

As a dedicated crew chief of one particular aircraft, it will be Carlson's responsibility to maintain the aircraft beyond the standards.

She will ensure it is clean, properly serviced, passes inspections and ensures it is in excellent condition, officials said.

She "owns" the jet and will care for it as if it is her own.

Carlson's grandfather was a pilot in the Air Force, and that made her choose a career in aviation, she said.

Working on the F-22 has unique challenges, she said.

"Adapting to the advancing technology as we update and modify our aircraft inventory can be difficult," Carlson said. "F-22 maintainers are in a unique position due to the fact that the aircraft is young and there is a possibility that a malfunction may arise that has never been addressed or is infrequent. We then work together with the engineers to find a viable solution."

And then there is the arctic environment.

"The weather can be a challenge to deal with especially here in the unparalleled environment of Alaska," Carlson said.

JBER is Carlson's third duty station; she served at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England and Joint Base Langley-Eustice, Va.

Carlson was selected to be the 11th Air Force dedicated crew chief by Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Franzen and Air Force Maj. Jon Eberlan, 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, commander.

"I selected Staff Sergeant Carlson because she was the assistant dedicated crew chief for the 493rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit flagship at Lakenheath, RAF," Franzen said.
"She held that position for two years all while completing 13 classes, earning her Community College of the Air Force degree. I am most impressed with her dedicated mentality; she leads her troops with confidence and maintains aircraft to the highest standards. She has many more accolades that clearly put her as my number one DCC."