Det. 25: Trainers for maintainers

by Senior Airman Ashley Taylor
354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

3/21/2014 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Their numbers are small, but they work to make a huge impact.

Four instructors and one detachment chief make up the 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 25, tasked with delivering expert F-16 Fighting Falcon maintenance training to America's Warriors in support of global operations.

An Air Education and Training Command asset, Det. 25 is established here as a tenant unit. Four instructors teach 28 different classes of advanced training year-round, including crew chief instructor, weapons instructor, propulsion and engines instructor, and electro-environmental instructor courses.

"We take Airmen in their career fields and we expand upon that knowledge to make them a better maintainer and communicator," said Master Sgt. William Jernigan, 372nd TRS Det. 25 chief. "Without the communication part of it, it doesn't matter how good you are if you can't properly communicate or project what you need to do."

Four classrooms and a training room allowed the Community College of the Air Force certified instructors to put in 3,920 hours of teaching in the past year, with 155 students graduating from 49 courses.

"These classes are mandated by Pacific Air Forces and have to be taught in order for upgrade training required at certain levels," said Jernigan. "In most courses, the numbers are smaller to give a more one-on-one approach for learning. Too many people at a time would interfere and that makes for a non-conducive training environment."

One of the many training tools used by the detachment is an asset called the Modular Simulated Aircraft Maintenance Trainer, which mimics an aircraft.

"If you try to fix a non-broken aircraft to create a training scenario, you're going to create problems," said Staff Sgt. Ashley Hutson, 372nd TRS Det. 25 electro-environmental instructor. "What the simulator does is allow students to have a jet and test equipment right here to turn a knob without having to actually break the aircraft or use manpower from the unit."

Helping to support Eielson's mission to prepare, deploy and enable while directly supporting the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Det. 25 continues to ensure aircraft are operable so Icemen can fly, fight and win.

"They have the aircraft they need ... but when the aircraft goes to depot it's paramount to get it back in the air," said Jernigan. "It's very important that they have the people who can do the job to fix the aircraft and do it right the first time."