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Before the sun is up near Pittsburgh, the 171st Air Refueling Wing’s flight line is already busy with the people who make every mission possible: the crew chiefs who keep a fleet of aging KC-135 Stratotankers ready to launch.
About 100 crew chiefs at the wing handle far more than routine checks. They train constantly, work in all weather and troubleshoot issues on aircraft that are nearly 70 years old. The 171st is the only Air National Guard unit operating two aerial refueling flying squadrons, a setup that has earned it the unofficial “super wing” label. Despite the larger flying mission, the wing says it sustains 16 KC-135s with roughly the same number of maintainers as tanker units that have just one squadron.
“Yes, it’s an older airplane, but it’s kind of like working on an older car, everything we touch is mechanical,” said Master Sgt. Justin Hughes, a full-time crew chief mechanic at the 171st. “We fly with cables and pulleys, so whenever there is something wrong, there is something physical for us to fix, a puzzle to solve. It’s something I can put a wrench to and work to fix.”
Much of that work happens out of public view. Crew chiefs shepherd aircraft through inspections and identify issues that are then routed to specialized shops across the maintenance group, part of a tightly coordinated process designed to keep tankers mission-ready.
“The specialized issues that we find during the inspection go to the other specific shops in maintenance,” Hughes said. “We (the crew chiefs) work together with the rest of maintenance to get the planes ready to fly so we can ensure the plane takes off safely. It’s a group effort.”
That teamwork underpins an annual output measured in millions of pounds of fuel offloaded to U.S. and NATO aircraft, enabling long-range operations, power projection and rapid crisis response far from home.
For Hughes, the satisfaction comes not only from launching safe sorties but also from where the job can lead.
“Traveling is definitely my favorite part of the job,” he said. “Going to different places and meeting new people, you never realize how big the world is until you land and get to see something new.”
