Flightline fitness: One-stop shop for gains

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joel Pfiester
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Maintainers and flightline personnel put in long hours working to keep the B-2 Spirit ready to roll at a moment’s notice. They work lengthy and strenuous shifts. On top of that, add the time it takes to get in and out of the entry control points and onto one of the most secure flightlines in the Air Force. This makes squeezing in a workout during your shift nearly impossible, which could result in failed physical training (PT) tests and a decrease in unit morale.

To help with this matter, there was a gym located just inside the flightline in Bldg. 43. However, the gym was in poor condition. There were holes in the wall, poor ventilation and the equipment was either ancient or broken.

A focus on improving where Airmen work was implemented as part of the Air Force Global Strike Command’s Year of the Family initiative.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Joyce, previously the 509th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) commander, came to his unit resource advisor, Tech. Sgt. Brandon Smith, and asked for his input on what the flightline was missing.

After asking around the squadron, Smith concluded that there was a general consensus the flightline gym was in desperate need of renovating.

Following extensive research, receiving a budget with the support of the Human Weapons System team, and vetting all the equipment through the 509th Force Support Squadron, Smith ordered the new equipment.

“Between our command support staff personnel, 131st Airmen and our own 509th AMXS Airmen, there were about 20 people assisting in ordering, moving and cleaning up the gym,” said Smith.

The new equipment consists of two treadmills, an elliptical and a row machine, a D-Gym multiuse station, free weights, incline, decline and flat benches, a Smith Machine, and spin bikes. It also features newly-mounted fans on the walls and a sound system equipped with satellite radio.

Thanks to the upgrades that have taken place, Airmen are now consistently sweating and putting in work in a gym that was previously barren and underutilized.

“Personally, this improvement very much exceeded my expectations,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jon Hamilton, a weapons load crew member from the 131st Bomb Wing. “I can accomplish most of the workouts I would do in a full-scale gym like the main base gym. I use it four days out of the week over my lunch period and I know quite a few people use it throughout the day and directly following their shifts.”

The new gym aims to improve morale and also benefits Airmen that may be wanting to train and get prepared for upcoming fitness assessments.

“To start with, and most importantly for that matter, morale will improve with this new gym because flightline maintainers find it hard making their way to the base gym while handling the sometimes daunting flightline maintenance and workload,” said Smith. “It’s also everyone’s personal responsibility to keep up with the Air Force PT standards, however, having a more modernized and well-maintained gym to call your own definitely aids and inspires those looking to maintain or improve their PT scores.”

Whether it’s relieving stress or improving their overall fitness, the new gym has everything they need.

“It’s very accommodating having a gym within walking distance,” said Smith. “Now they can get a quick workout in between performing outstanding maintenance on the B-2.”