HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --
The 482nd Fighter Wing honored 26 F-16 crew chiefs during a Dedicated Crew Chief ceremony at Homestead Air Reserve Base, July 15.
The ceremony formally appointed and reaffirmed 26 technicians assigned to oversee the maintenance and safety of their designated aircraft.
"This is a great ceremony to recognize our dedicated crew chiefs," said Maj. Scott Briese, Commander, 482nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron . " It embodies the bond between maintainers and pilots. The core of this ceremony is to recognize the dedicated crew chiefs that ensure the safety of their aircraft."
The ceremony began with the aircraft technicians reciting and affirming their dedication to the aviation mechanic's creed:
Upon my honor...I will hold in sacred trust the rights and privileges conferred upon me as a certified aviation mechanic. Knowing full well that the safety and lives of others are dependent upon my skill and judgment, I will never subject others to risks that I am not willing to assume. I pledge never to undertake or approve work that I feel is beyond the limits of my knowledge, nor will I allow an unqualified person to persuade me to approve aircraft or equipment as airworthy against my better judgment. I will not be influenced by personal gain, nor shall I pass as airworthy, aircraft or equipment about which I am in doubt either as a result of my inspection or uncertainty regarding the ability of others who have worked on it to accomplish their work satisfactorily. I realize the grave responsibility that is mine - to exercise my judgment on the airworthiness of aircraft and equipment. I pledge unyielding adherence to these precepts for the advancement of aviation and the dignity of my profession.
As the ceremony proceeded, each pilot came forward to acknowledge their dedicated crew chief. Each aircraft has the name of the pilot assigned to it painted on one side and the other side has the name of the crew chief responsible for it.
"We [pilots] are grateful to know that our F-16's have been looked over thousands of times," said Lt. Col. Michael Hohman, Commander, 93rd Fighter Squadron. "That is why every time we fly, we thank our crew chief before taking off."
Inside the hanger was three aircraft, aligned behind the ceremony's main stage. In the center was the flagship aircraft, which is flown by the wing commander and displays unique markings. The pilots and crew chiefs went up a ladder and removed a covering to unveil the assigned technicians name stenciled onto the F-16, reinforcing the importance of the rapport between pilots and crew chiefs.
"The relationship between pilots and crew chiefs is a special bond built on trust," said Col. Donald R. Lindberg, Commander, 482nd Fighter Wing.