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Commander shadows Crew Chief

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sergio A. Gamboa
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Tyndall's commander shadowed an F-22 Raptor dedicated crew chief June 2 as part of the Airman Shadow Program.

Staff Sgt. Derek Eubanks, 301st Aircraft Maintenance Unit F-22 dedicated crew chief, was chosen to be the Airman shadowed for the 44th Fighter Group for his leadership and his teaching and mechanical skills.

"When I first found out I was chosen I wasn't too excited, but I knew it was going to be a good experience," said Eubanks.

Once a month, Col. Derek C. France, 325th Fighter Wing commander, gets the opportunity to experience different jobs performed by Tyndall Airmen that are vital to the success of the Tyndall mission.

"The commander was very appreciative of the time he had doing maintenance and thanked us for all the hard work we do," Eubanks said. "He was extremely easy to talk to and seemed eager to learn."

According to his participant information form, Eubanks' primary duties as a crew chief are to install, adjust, align, troubleshoot and perform final functional and operational tests on a variety of major aircraft systems. Additionally, he accomplishes operational and maintenance record keeping and utilize safety practices and procedures following established safety rules and regulations.

"You can never truly prepare yourself for what might happen daily on the flight line," Eubanks said. "Having Col. France come out to see first-hand just how much time and effort is invested in each maintenance task gives him a different perspective. No matter what rank or position you are, you should never stop learning."

Whether it is guarding the front gates, working with explosives, fighting fires or working on jets, all Tyndall Airmen have the same mission; train and project unrivaled combat air power.

"Every month I have the opportunity to work directly with a different Airman and experience how their job impacts Tyndall's mission," said France. "Crew Chiefs have a major part in getting the F-22's off the ground, and working with Staff Sgt. Eubanks reminded me of how vital their role is. As a Raptor pilot, it is comforting to have maintainers like Staff Sgt. Eubanks keeping the F-22s safe and ready to project unrivaled combat air power anywhere, anytime."