Maintaining the C-5 fleet begins at Dover

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  "Delivering today's airlift..." are the first words of Team Dover's mission. But how do we ensure the Air Force's largest aircraft stay in the skies and continue to deliver cargo down range and provide humanitarian relief?

The answer is having qualified maintainers whose job are to troubleshoot and maintain aircraft structures, systems and use technical data to diagnose and solve maintenance problems on aircraft systems.

The C-5 Aerospace Maintenance Apprentice Course, here at Dover AFB, trains pipeline students from basic training and Airmen who are retraining into the career field to keep the C-5 flying. The school is six weeks long and when students graduate from the class they are certified C-5 crew chiefs and are able to start work on the flight line.

Staff Sgt. Guy Serman, 373d Training Squadron aircraft maintenance instructor, is one of the instructors at the schoolhouse who uses his job experience and leadership skills to train the young Airmen on aircraft components that they will work on within their career field. He said the classes range from 10 to 30 students and instructors are able to provide more time for hands-on training due to the small class sizes, which fosters a better learning environment.

"This school is one of the first operational experiences these young Airmen will encounter," said Serman. "Teaching them the correct ways to perform their job and making that good first impression will ensure these Airmen will thrive in their career field."

The pipeline students attend a six-week basic course at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where they learn basic aircraft fundamentals before coming to Dover AFB for advanced training.

Airman Renald Rivera, 373d TRS student, graduates from the course in two weeks and said he believes the training he is receiving has set him up for success.

"Being here at Dover Air Force Base has been a really good experience for me," said Rivera. "I got a lot more hands-on training here and I got to figure out exactly what components of the aircraft I will be working on."

The instructors are not the only ones who are grooming the Airmen for the operational Air Force. The students of the 373d TRS also have their Military Training Leaders to help guide them through their rigorous training and their time at the detachment.

The MTL's have designed and implemented an individual mentoring session program for students. The program was designed from career experience from the MTL's and feedback they have received from returning students. Also, Airmen from the detachment participate in a drastically reformed physical training program headed by Staff Sgt. Zachary Replogle, 373d TRS MTL.

Staff Sgt. Jessica Nienhueser, 373d TRS MTL flight chief, said the MTL position plays a critical role in developing Airmen for the operational Air Force and they have given the tools necessary for students to build a solid foundation and succeed in their Air Force careers.

"We are here to transition them from that training environment into the operational Air Force," said Nienhueser. "Our ultimate goal is to build the Airmen up so when they hit the operational Air Force they will know what to expect and can handle it."

Upon graduation from the course, students will earn their 3-level badge as a C-5 crew chief. After they obtain their 5-level qualifications, Airmen can return to the school house for the Field Training Detachment course, a more in-depth and advanced course for C-5 crew chiefs.