My husband is a Maintenance Officer by trade. During his last two assignments, his units worked directly with the planes. He lived and breathed maintenance metrics, “sorties” and airpower. Where the planes went, he went. This new position, however, is not that at all! It’s a whole new world – and a whole new set of acronyms to learn…
His current assignment is as a Maintenance Training Lead at an F-35 Academic Training Center. He works in an office with a mix of USAF active duty personnel and government civilians. With so few active duty members, there really aren’t any work/spouse events. Occasionally the office has a going away or little get together, but it’s not a very social group. That’s probably one of the only downsides of this job – no built-in friends or large support system.
His day usually starts around 0800, when he gets to work and starts to check in. His job is two-fold – as the Maintenance Training Lead, he ensures that the students have everything they need to complete their training courses. He and his team make sure the classrooms, software, and training equipment are always operational.
His other role is as the Contracting Officer Representative or COR. In this position, he makes sure that our partners (like Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, and Boeing) are following the terms of their government contracts. This isn’t something Maintenance Officers typically do, so he had to go to a weeklong TDY and take several online courses to get certified as a COR. In this position, he’ll likely have to do a few short TDY’s for additional classes.
We don’t live very far from base, occasionally he’ll pop home or I’ll meet him on base for lunch. (I feel really important when I go visit and get to wear the special “Visitor’s Badge.”) That’s the best part about this job – the hours!!!!! Maintainers typically work all day, every day – nights, weekends, holidays. We’re still in shock that he works a “typical” 0800-1600. Almost everything can be solved during the work day, so there have been no late nights or weekends. He even has time to go to the gym after work! He’s usually home by 5:30 – it’s amazing.
I think we’ll see an occasional TDY, but nothing *too* long. He could still deploy, but it wouldn’t be for his current position – he’d likely get called up to go with another maintenance unit. Who knows, we might actually have the time to get sick of each other!? Realistically, I’ve probably just jinxed everything and he’ll be TDY or deployed for the next year. Sorry, babe!
He definitely misses the faster tempo of his previous assignments, but it’s such a unique experience to be apart of the Air Force’s future. For someone who loves planes, working with *the* F-35 is a great way to see another side of the Air Force. We know future assignments won’t be as relaxed, so we’re enjoying every day of this normal lifestyle!
So there you have it – a day in the life of a Maintenance Training Lead!
MEET RACHEL
