51st Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight A. G. E.

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  While it may seem that an organization capable of providing support to virtually any air frame in the Air Force, while still being able to provide adequate ground support to the base when needed, might be a "super squadron" of sorts, at Osan, this mission is accomplished by the 51st Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight. 

According to Senior Master Sgt. Rodney Hood, 51 AGE Flight chief, the mission of AGE is to provide quality, effective ground equipment support to help enable combat operations.
 
"We support the mission by delivering ground support for aircraft through electrical power, lighting units, air compressors, nitrogen, hydraulic testing, servicing aircraft and even providing air conditioning units to help cool the avionic portion of air craft or even  buildings," said Staff Sgt. Tony Williams of the 51st Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight.
 
Sergeant Williams said without the ground support AGE provides, the maintainers would not be able to fix aircraft, as AGE maintains the equipment required to complete daily flying operations.
 
According to Sergeant Hood the more than 60 AGE Airmen accomplish this mission by being trained in all aspects of ground support. 

"We're kind of jacks of all trades," he said. "I think people don't really understand just what we do, and how much stuff we actually fix," said Sergeant Williams. "We fix everything from AC units to generators to jacks, although, I think a lot of people are under the impression we drive along the flight line just delivering equipment."
 
The AGE flight here also supports the many operational readiness exercises, non combatant evacuation exercises and real-world security demands at Osan, which Senior Airman Tommy Marshall said adds a completely new element to the day-to-day activities. 

"One of the biggest things we do here is provide support for any kind of real-world failure the civil engineers cannot," he said. "It's a good assumption that if you see green equipment around base, it belongs to AGE.
 
Another element that changes the dynamics of day-to-day activity in the flight is the high change over rate at Osan.
 
"Change over presents many challenges for us," said Master Sgt. Gary Fultz, 51 AGE flight superintendent. "The biggest challenge I guess is being able to adequately support the flightline mission during high turn-over months like the summer, however with the new people, come fresh ideas."
 
Ironically enough, even with a higher change over rate than any other base, the members of the AGE flight here consider themselves to be a tighter knit group than anywhere else. 

"We are closer than most AGE fl ights," said Staff Sgt. Audreyous Bingham, 51 AGE Flight. "Since our families are not here, all we have is each other, which helps at work. When you play together well and you work together well it makes it easier to resolve any problems." 

Sergeant Hood said it's this level of teamwork, coupled with the flight's drive and with the flight's drive and willingness to get the job done that makes them successful at the end of the day.
 
"The operations tempo at Osan is unrivaled compared to the [area of responsibility] or the [continental U.S. bases]," he said. "The manpower standards are different but we are flying a much higher SORTIE rate than other bases and that really puts us to the test." 

Sergeant Hood said the fl ight responds to these test with equally unrivaled enthusiasm. 

"It's a lot of long hours, sometimes even weekends spent maintaining this equipment, and even though it's some of these guys first experience at an operational base they are getting the job done," he said. "We have a lot of stand up Airman who aren't afraid to get dirty and keep rolling through. They are really a great bunch and I couldn't be more proud of them."