ROYAL AUSTRAILIAN AIR FORCE BASE TOWNSVILLE, Austrailia -- NASCAR pit crews are designed to take care of any problem that arises during a race. Tires, fuel, oil and a wide array of checks and inspections all fall on the shoulders of the crew in the pits.
Before any F/A-18 Hornet can set to the skies during Operation Southern Frontier 2004, the pilot must first get the nod from the leader of the aircraft's pit crew.
"You can compare us to a pit crew at NASCAR, because in between flights, that is exactly what we are doing," said Cpl. Rafeal Klos, an aircraft mechanic from Newburgh, N.Y. "We are going over the plane to make sure it is ready for the next race."
"This runway is made with coral. It really chews the tires up. Sometimes we have to replace the tires on a half-hour turnaround," said Sgt. Danny Bumgarner, aircraft mechanic.
"If a tire blows on the runway, we all know what to do. Someone gets the tires, someone gets the jack, we all come together to get the job done," said Sgt. Osvaldo Rincon, aircraft mechanic.
The always-ready, fast-response, pit crew is comprised of aircraft mechanics belonging to Marine (All-Weather) Fighter Attack Squadron 332 powerline shop.
Inspections, inspections and more inspections work their way into the mechanics' daily routine. Each day begins with an inspection of the launch area, looking for foreign objects and debris that could wreak havoc on the multimillion dollar engines.
The FOD check clears the way for the crew to pour over the aircraft making sure the bird is flight ready. "Powerline is responsible for that airplane until it leaves the deck," said Bumgarner, a Jacksonville, Fla., native. "All the other shops work with their own systems, but ultimately the whole jet is our responsibility."
"The plane has to go through an inspection and be flight ready when we are done. We have to sign off on it before the aircrew gets to the plane," Rincon said.
When the aircrew arrives, a powerline Marine, shouldering the responsibility of plane captain, prepares to take the final steps before seeing the jet barrel down the runway.
"When the crew arrives, the pilot does a walk around and we have to be able to answer any questions they might have," explained Rincon, a Phoenix native.
"If everything is good, the plane captain helps the pilot strap in," said Rincon, explaining that offering to assist the pilot is a sign of mutual respect, a tradition, and a courtesy that he ensures is always extended.
"We go through the process of starting up the aircraft, checking flight controls, steering and brakes," said Cpl. Roderick Britford, a Greensboro, Ala., native. "We need to get the plane set up before it goes on to the final check. As the plane captains, it is our job to make sure the plane is good to go."
After a healthy dose of control checks and visual inspections by the plane captain and others, the final steps are taken to prepare to launch.
"After we give everything the thumbs up, we remove the chocks, the pilot releases the brakes and throttles up," said Rincon. "A steering check, brake check and then it's time to go to the position of attention and give a salute."
The powerline shop prides themselves on being the first ones to see the planes in the mornings and the last ones to put them to bed at night.
That pride is a result of a powerline team of day and night workers. "At night, we pick up the brunt of the maintenance and special inspections to get everything ready for the morning," explained Minneapolis native, Sgt. Carly Jacobson.
Working in the dark in an unfamiliar environment is sometimes difficult, but Jacobson said she knows the team will always come together to help anyone out.
"They are the fundamental reason we go flying every day," said F/A-18 pilot Capt. Greg Suma. "They do an extremely thankless job and do an extremely good job at doing it."
Lance Cpl. Joshua Eagelman hasn't worked in a NASCAR pit crew, but he knows how his crew is able to perform their mission day in and day out under pressure.
"We trust each other. We have a very tight shop. If we didn't, you wouldn't get much done," the Sinking Spring, Penn., native said.