Jessica Pittman, F-15C staff sergeant.

Staff Sergeant Jessica Pittman

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Meet Jessica Pittman. The 24-year-old staff sergeant is a dedicated crew chief on the F-15C Eagle fighter jet for the United States Air Force.

With our nation at war, there are so many unsung heroes who are not always on the frontline of the action but do so much to keep the equipment well maintained and serviced. For an aviation professional in the U.S. Air Force, the days are busy, hours are irregular, travel is frequent, and the work just brings you to all corners of the globe. For Jessica Pittman, this is part of the thrill and excitement that makes her career in aviation maintenance a rewarding one.

Pittman was born in Hampton and raised in Newport News, Virginia, not far from nearby Langley Air Force Base where she is now stationed. She graduated from high school in 1997 and attended community college for three years, concentrating in science courses with the intention of one day becoming a physician. With Langley Air Force Base so close, she had friends who were in the Air Force and were crew chiefs for aircraft at the time.

"I had actually visited the base and seen the airplanes before and had some interest," said Pittman, "so when living at home got to be too much and I couldn't afford to live on my own and pay for college, I joined the Air Force." Having known some crew chiefs and having some understanding of what they do, she visited her local recruiter and investigated what a career in aviation maintenance might entail.

"The recruiter said I could get a guaranteed job in fighter aircraft maintenance, so I joined right away." After tech school at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas and mission readiness training at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, she eventually made her way to Langley as a tactical aircraft maintenance apprentice. "Over five years later, I'm still here," she exclaimed.

So what does a typical day entail for SSgt Jessica Pittman?

"Over the years, my day has begun several different ways," she explained. "The maintenance career field has very unpredictable work shifts that all revolve around the flying schedule for that week," said Pittman.

Her world revolves around the schedule of the aircraft that she services. "To put it in perspective, if the jets take off at 6 a.m. that week, dayshift will report for duty at 4 a.m.," she said. "If the schedule shifts to noon takeoffs, the duty day will shift also." As the aircraft go, so goes the life of an aviation maintenance crew chief in the U.S. Air Force. Said Pittman: "Maintainers are very flexible that's for sure."

Pittman's duty day begins with a formal roll-call formation where the flight receives important information and current status briefs. She then joins her maintenance support section and checks out her toolbox and makes it out to the flight line to her assigned aircraft.

"Here I inspect my airplane and make sure it is safe for flight and prepare for the arrival of the pilot" said Pittman. "Once the pilot is on the spot, I do a walk-around with the pilot and strap him in the seat." After the jet is launched she checks in with the expediter and sees if there are any jets to repair.

There are more than 20 airplanes per unit and they are all more than 20 years old. If there aren't repairs to be made, there are bound to be repairs needed. If there aren't repairs, there's bound to be scheduled maintenance or inspections due. This all goes on when the jets are in the air.

"When they land, I do a thorough inspection and get the airplane ready to fly again," she said. "Currently, I'm on second shift, or `the maintenance shift.'" This means she reports to duty after the flying day is done and fixes the jets to get them serviced for the next day.

Pittman seems to revel in the aviation life. "Aviation maintenance is exciting and fun!" she exclaimed with utmost enthusiasm. "There's never a dull moment and we are always on the go." Aviation maintenance enables her to travel to many different places, including some places she'd never likely get to if she weren't in the Air Force. Pittman has traveled to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iceland, Canada, and many U.S. destinations.

She also enjoys the feeling of having worked on a jet that flies a combat mission to protect freedom. "It became very real when I was deployed to Saudi Arabia on Sept 8, 2001," said Pittman. "The second day we were there we were launching out 12 jets in the middle of the night fully loaded to Iraq. I can still remember the chills I got as my jet taxied out of chocks."

So what advice does this young aviation maintenance professional have for others in the field? "Be flexible. Give 100 percent to the job and it will pay off in the end. The career field is a very demanding one, but also very rewarding too." -- By Jim Romeo