No flights without the knights

Published Nov. 19, 2015
By Senior Airman Alex Fox Echols III
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- In medieval lore, knights were legendary heroes, slayers of dragons and vanquishers of evil. Although they may not slay dragons, the Silver Knights of the 325th Operation Support Squadron are still among the greatest heroes of Tyndall's flightline.

Comprised of around 230 enlisted, officers and civilians, the 325th OSS is the largest squadron in the 325th Operations Group and handles everything from weather forecasting to aircrew flight equipment maintenance.

"The 325th OSS's mission is to provide a responsive world class backbone of support for flight operations across the spectrum of aviation support focused on generating combat air power," said Lt. Col. Andrew Shurtleff, 325th OSS commander. "We accomplish that mission everyday thanks to our large and diverse squadron which is made up of seven distinct flights that all have a very unique mission."

"No flight without the Knights!" is a very fitting slogan for the 325th OSS because Tyndall's flying missions could not happen without the Silver Knights. The flights include:

- The Airfield Operations Flight provides responsive airfield operations support to 325th Fighter Wing and tenant flying units, focused on generating combat capability. The flight includes seven different sections including the Air Traffic Control Tower, the RAPCON and Airfield Management.

- The Weather Flight provides timely and accurate weather information to Tyndall's pilots in support of the wing mission.

- The Wing Weapons Flight provides unrivaled Weapons and Tactics training as well as Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training, support and expertise to 325th OG F-22 Raptor, T-38 Talon and intelligence personnel.

- The Current Operations Flight supports the generation and training of F-22 combat airpower through responsive airspace scheduling, accurate data management and efficient flying hour utilization.

- The Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight ensures Tyndall's pilot's flight equipment are all in serviceable condition including their helmets, parachutes, G-suits, harnesses, survival gear and even life rafts.

- The Intelligence Flight provides timely, accurate and actionable intelligence to support the 325th Fight Wing air dominance mission.

- The Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Flight maintains the $20 million Air Traffic Control and Landing System equipment comprised of 154 radar, navigational aid, radio and weather systems to ensure continuous and reliable operation in support of the Tyndall flying mission, National Airspace System and Northwest Beaches International Airport.

"It's impressive to watch the diversity of the different flights and all the things that the 325th OSS Airmen do to get the planes in the air," said Master Sgt. Sean Gray, 325th OG first sergeant. "Coming from a Mission Support Group background and seeing this squadron from an outside perspective, you really realize that diversity is the key to air power."

Such diversity can also be a challenge within an organization as large as the 325th OSS, and it takes great leadership and excellent, flexible Airmen to come together and make the mission happen.

"We have a fantastic group of Airmen that really do impress me every single day with what they do," said Shurtleff. "We also have excellent supervision at the flight commander, superintendent and senior NCO levels. They take care of their Airmen by instilling a family atmosphere and family camaraderie in the shops and make sure they are focused on accomplishing the mission."

This article is part of our squadron of the week program which showcases a different Tyndall squadron each week. Watch Tyndall's website, Facebook page and the Gulf Defender for more squadrons to come.