Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight protects those who fly

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Cory Norman
  • 58th Operations Support Squadron
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico --  "Your Life is Our Business,"
"Get'em Out, Get'em Down, Get'em Home"
"We're the Last to Let You Down"

These are just a few mottos that the men and women of the 58th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight use to describe their determination and dedication to their work. Even with the pressures that come with maintaining life-saving flight equipment day-in and day-out, AFE technicians wouldn't want it any other way. 

The 58th OSS AFE flight plays a vital role in the day-to-day flying operations within the 58th Special Operations Wing by providing a wide variety of roles, ranging from maintaining and fitting invaluable life-sustaining equipment, such as oxygen, floatation, parachutes and night vision devices, to providing technical advice on the wear and use of equipment. 

On Jan. 1, the newly-formed 1P0X1, Aircrew Flight Equipment career field was created, merging the 1T1X1 Aircrew Life Support and 2A7X4 Survival Equipment career fields by directive set forth by the Air Force Smart Operations 21 concept. The two career fields merged into the Aircrew Flight Equipment (1P0X1), thus combining both roles to take advantage of the skills found in each of the former specialties. 

In addition to AFE operations, the AFE flight also conducts aircrew life support continuation and chemical defense equipment training classes. AFE instructors teach aircrew equipment use, operation and capabilities along with emergency techniques such as emergency egress, hanging harness post bail-out descent procedures and chemical defense donning, doffing and decontamination procedures. 

The AFE flight also plays host to the wing's combat survival and water survival continuation training classes. In these courses, aircrew demonstrate survival and recovery techniques under simulated stressed environments while using various survival and communication equipment. 

AFE's goal is to provide aircrew with refresher survival training to ensure that Airmen are prepared and have the confidence to accomplish their unit's mission, even under harsh conditions encountered in a combat environment. The 58th OSS AFE Flight is the only organization in Air Education and Training Command which these courses are instructed solely by AFE instructors versus dedicated survival instructors. 

Although AFE technicians hope aircrew will never need to use the training and equipment AFE provides, the biggest satisfaction to any AFE technician is when he/she gets word that the equipment was instrumental in saving an aircrew member's life.