Members of the 721st Air Mobility Operations Group Det. 5 perform maintenance on a C-5 Galaxy Jan. 12 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 721st AMOG provides en route maintenance and support for the Air Force's C-5 and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world, and the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory. The Airmen are deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Terri Barriere) BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- For Airmen assigned to the 721st Aircraft Mobility Operations Group Det. 5 here, going to work each day means taking on two of the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory.
Charged with maintenance support for the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III, the Airmen provide en route maintenance, preventative maintenance and support for transient aircraft in Iraq.
Airman 1st Class Ryan Welch, a 721st AMOG C-5 hydraulic system specialist from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., said it's their job to get the planes in and out as quickly as possible.
When the planes land, the team gets them refueled, repaired if necessary and back in the air.
"If planes encounter problems and we weren't here to fix them, maintenance teams would have to be flown in, which would cost the government a lot of time and money," he said.
Without the AMOG, down time for aircraft would at least triple, said Staff Sgt. David Torres, a 721st AMOG C-5 electrical environmental specialist deployed from Travis AFB, Calif.
"The AMOG allows Air Mobility Command to bring sustainment to the area of responsibility," said Capt. Taylor Adams, the 721st AMOG Det. 5 commander. "If it's here, it's probable that AMC aircraft brought it here."
Though caring for the large aircraft can be a huge undertaking, Sergeant Torres said mission gratification keeps the maintainers going.
"When we fix aircraft here, it's very rewarding because you know that plane has an important mission," Sergeant Torres said.
Airman Welch said it's nice to see the immediate impact of his job.
"When we maintain aircraft at home, it may not take off for weeks after it's fixed," Airman Welch said. "Here, the aircraft leave minutes after we've worked on them. The impact of the job we do is instant."
Due to the size of the aircraft and high operations tempo here, aircraft turnaround time has to be almost immediate, and certainly quicker than at home station.
With no shortage of inbound aircraft, 721st AMOG Airmen keep busy.
Last year, C-17s transited Balad Air Base 3,482 times and C-5s transited the base 284 times with a departure reliability rate of 98 percent, Captain Adams said.
"There is no way possible to accomplish our mission without the highly trained and highly motivated professionals who are dedicated to caring for AMC aircraft," the captain said. "It can be an enormous job keeping these aircraft going, and they make it look easy."