A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Airman Jill Hallandsworth, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, performs a pre flight engine check on an A-10 Thunderbolt II during an overall aircraft inspection, Sept. 25. Crew Chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Master Sgt. William Porterfield, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, wipes the morning dew from the cockpit of an A-10 Thunderbolt II before inspecting the aircraft for takeoff, Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - David Greenberg, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, discusses specific portions of the A-10 Thunderbolt that need to be checked out during a morning inspection of the aircraft, Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Duston Ross, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, goes over a pre flight checklist after performing an inspection on an A-10 Thunderbolt II prior to take off, Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Airman Jill Hallandsworth (left) , 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, prepares to gather the tools need to perform a pre-flight inspection on an A-10 Thunderbolt II as her partner David Greenberg, 442nd FW crew chief, discusses what parts the aircraft will need, Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Airman Jill Hallandsworth, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chief, performs a pre-flight inspection on an A-10 Thunderbolt II prior to take off, Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 Aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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A-10 Thunderbolt II

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. - Airman Jill Hallandsworth and Larry Rex, 442nd Fighter Wing crew chiefs, make their way into the crew station of an A-10 Thunderbolt II during an early morning pre-flight inspection of the aircraft Sept. 25. Crew chiefs with the 442nd FW maintain a vast fleet of 27 A-10 Aircraft keeping each jet prepared for any mission at a moment's notice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

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Crew chiefs keep 442nd FW A-10s combat ready

Published Sept. 26, 2009
By Senior Airman Kenny Holston
509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Crew chiefs from the 442nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform varied, but routine, maintenance on the 442nd Fighter Wing's 27 A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.

Each of the 442nd FW's A-10s is painted with the name of the plane's assigned crew chiefs. It's often said that crew chiefs "own the airplanes, while pilots borrow the jets to go fly."

In addition to maintenance, crew chiefs launch and recover the aircraft for daily training sorties from here.

The 442nd FW is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based here. The unit has deployed aircraft, pilots and maintenance personnel four times to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.