AFE Airmen, the silent lifesaver

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephen Linch
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  If things go from bad to worse during flight and pilots exhaust all other options as their aircraft hopelessly losses the battle to gravity, the lives of those pilots rest squarely in the hands of a few Aircrew Flight Equipment Airmen as a pilot's only hope and saving grace.

AFE Airmen are responsible for inspecting, repairing and packing all pilots' life saving equipment and their emergency parachutes that are installed on the aircraft.

"Aircrew Flight Equipment Airmen are absolutely critical to every sortie," Lt. Col. William Eldridge, 13th Bomb Squadron commander said.

For example, pilots now have form-fitted ear protection, new anti-exposure suits, unique helmet fittings and long-duration sustenance requirements that only AFE Airmen can properly fit, Colonel Eldridge said.

"Every time I strap myself in I think, 'I hope I don't have to use this," he said.

In the event that a pilot does have to use this life saving equipment, they can rest assured that it will function flawlessly in their time of need. 

"Our job is one that cannot have any errors," said Staff Sgt. Genevieve Simmons, 13th Bomb Squadron AFE craftsman. "The smallest error, even on paperwork, can be critical in saving a pilot's life.

"Anytime we touch equipment, we have to inspect, repair or pack it as if we were using it," she said. "I have always been told, 'If you wouldn't use it, do it again.'" 

Handling the equipment as if her life depended on it potentially saved the lives of two Whiteman pilots when they safely ejected out of the Spirit of Kansas at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, on Feb. 23 with little time to spare.

"After the B-2 accident, the Aircrew Flight Equipment Airmen that packed the parachutes and maintained the harnesses and helmets used in the ejection were considered heroes by all Whiteman's pilots," Colonel Eldridge said. "The Airmen that packed those parachutes, both from the 13th Bomb Squadron, saved two lives that day."

When Sergeant Simmons learned about the crash she didn't know how to feel.

"It is a weird feeling to know that you were personally responsible for saving a person's life that you don't even know," Sergeant Simmons said.

"Just because I inspected and packed the parachute last, doesn't mean that I am solely responsible," Sergeant Simmons said. "We have four different shops in four squadrons that work on this equipment so it was all of us who did our job right.

"And we cannot forget about the Airmen in egress. Had they not installed the ejections seats correctly, our job wouldn't have even mattered." Sergeant Simmons said. "It was all of us who saved their lives, not just me."