Osan's engine mechanics prepare for major move Published July 11, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The heart sustains life, and the heart of a fighter jet is its engine. Airmen of the 51st Maintenance Squadron Propulsion Flight keep the heartbeat alive with a mission to provide timely, safe and reliable jet engines to the fight. However, in a move to save the Air Force money, Osan's propulsion shop has a changed mission mindset that will still keep the planes in the air but with fewer Airmen, explained Tech. Sgt. Salvador Nunez, 51st MXS Propulsion Flight chief. Most of the major engine maintenance will be transferred to a central repair facility instead of having it on-site starting October. "Engine maintenance is going to be done at a different location, but we will keep quite a few spares on hand so the mission won't even be affected at all," he said. "This will save the Air Force money and personnel as we transition from being a back shop to working on equipment." The five Airmen assigned to the unit will still be able to complete minor engine repairs. They will move to the phase dock, where the F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs receive a full, in-depth inspection after a certain amount of flying hours -- a change that won't be much different than before. "We will still do minor maintenance," said Nunez. "All of our engine troops at Osan are qualified. We even have Airmen out on the flightline to support each unit. So between all of us, all the minor maintenance can be done, but the major maintenance won't be done here." "The move, it's extensive and going to take a little while," said Staff Sgt. Terence Sharpe, NCO in charge of the support section. "It should benefit us and we're going to be working out of phase where we will take care of engine inspections, critical time change, and anything engine."