VMFA-142 Work Centers

The Squadron Sergeant Major has put together descriptions of the various VMFA-142 Work Centers that have been mentioned on this site (ie, Ordnance Techs, Maintenance Control, Airframes, etc...). This is a great read for those who are maybe familiar with one aspect of the Squadron but unfamiliar with the rest.

- Headquarters
- Maintenance Control (MC)
- Maintenance Administration (MA)
- Airframes
- Avionics Division
- Communication / Navigation Work Center
- Electric Shop Work Center
- Flight Equipment (FE)
- 6531/ORDNANCE TECHNICIAN (ORD)
- Powerline
- Pilots
- Quality Assurance Division (QA)
- Tool Room
- S-1
- S-2
- S-3
- S-4
- S-6

Headquarters

The Commanding Officer is charged with the responsibility, authority, and accountability of all Marines, equipment, aircraft, training, and operations within the squadron.

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Maintenance Control (MC)

Maintenance Control coordinates all maintenance required for the aircraft between the work centers. Maintenance Control dictates what maintenance is performed and the order it is to be completed. Maintenance Control tracks all inspections that are required on the aircraft and equipment, both pre-flight and post-flight. Maintenance Control coordinates and tracks all Technical Directives that apply to the aircraft and equipment. Maintenance Control assigns aircraft to the flight schedule and coordinates with the work centers on items dealing with the flight schedule. Maintenance Control controls all items dealing with the supply department. Maintenance Control also tracks all parts that are on order for aircraft and equipment.

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Maintenance Administration (MA)

Aviation Maintenance Administration is made up of two major responsibilities, the Logbook Clerk, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 6046, and the Data Analyst, MOS 6049. The Logbook Clerk keeps track of aircraft and engine logbooks as well as associated parts and components. These logs & records contain critical information for aircraft, engine data, weapons systems, ejection seats, and all other associated components. This information is maintained in the Naval Aviation Logistics Command Management Information System (NALCOMIS), a database used to track maintenance conducted on aircraft and all related aeronautical equipment. NALCOMIS tracks and monitors all scheduled inspections and high time components that the logbook clerk is responsible for maintaining. An F/A-18 squadron tracks engines and their component times using a system known as Similar to Automated Maintenance Environment (S)AME. The (S)AME system utilizes Naval Aircraft Flight Records (NAVFLIRS) to document engine flight time and usage, which is then electronically downloaded and reviewed to determine the wear and tear put on individual engines. The Logbook Clerk is also responsible for reporting information on individual aircraft using aircraft reports updated daily, monthly, quarterly, and annually.
The Data Analyst provides qualitative and quantitative analytical information to the Aircraft Maintenance Officer (AMO) and reviews and screens all Maintenance Data Systems (MDS)/NAVFLIR data for aircraft maintenance ensuring accuracy and completeness. The analyst compiles all the squadron maintenance data to identify possible trends in maintenance deficiencies through graphic representations. Together, these two areas of responsibility play a vital role in ensuring the safety of all aircraft and personnel within an aviation unit.

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Airframes (AF)

The Airframes Division maintains three key areas of the F/A-18; the hydraulics, aerodynamics, and structural integrity. The flight surfaces, which create lift, yaw, roll, and pitch for movement of the aircraft are all hydraulically driven. Airframe’s Technicians troubleshoot, remove, and replace these components to maintain mission accomplishment. Aerodynamics has to be maintained so that drag does not negatively affect the Aircraft while flying. Airframes Technicians utilize metal fabrication techniques to maintain the unique design of the F/A-18. Last, yet most important is the Aircraft’s Structural Integrity, that is the framework that is supported by the landing gear and to which all other components are attached. This system is maintained by Airframes Technicians to ensure the aircraft can perform its mission and return safely.

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Avionics Division

The Avionics Division consist of both Communication / Navigation and Electric Shop work centers. The division is responsible for managing and maintaining the Avionics systems and their configuration, both hardware and software to include classified, of the squadron’s aircraft. This requires continuous communication with Maintenance Control work center, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS), and Squadron Operations (S-3). The division’s mission is to provide a high state of avionics systems readiness ensuring squadron’s aircraft is properly configured and combat ready.

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Communication / Navigation Work Center

The Communication / Navigation (Com/Nav) Work Center is responsible for the maintenance and configuration of numerous avionics systems in the F/A 18A+. These systems include electronic countermeasures, identification friend or foe, secure and open communications radios, navigational equipment, Radar, displays, video recording systems, mission computers, and an external component called a Lightning Pod which helps the pilot identify and target threats on the ground. Com/Nav also performs complex tasks such as radio frequency (RF) and Multiplexer (MUX) Bus fault isolation utilizing advanced test equipment and troubleshooting techniques. They install all organizational level Avionics software updates.

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Electric Shop Work Center

Electric Shop’s purpose is to troubleshoot and maintain various systems on the F/A 18A+, to include Flight controls, Embedded GPS/INS, Fire Detection, Lighting, Power distribution, Landing Gear, Fuel quantity system, Avionics cooling and Pitot Static Standby instrumentation. Electric shop is also responsible for assisting other shops in troubleshooting the power and digital/analog logic circuits of their systems. This includes the repair or replacement of wires, relays, power contactors, and electrical connectors installed through out the aircraft.

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Flight Equipment (FE)

Flight equipment maintains and inspects the pilots’ fight gear. The gear we maintain consists of helmets, life support breathing systems, Anti-G suits, survival gear, and the parachute torso harnesses. We also track the Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) and survival radios. Parachute rigging is another skill that Flight Equipment Marines perform.

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6531/ORDNANCE TECHNICIAN (ORD)

This MOS encompasses duties related to the inspection, maintenance and repair of armament equipment, and loading of aviation ordnance on aircraft. The aircrafts' ordnance technicians inspect ammunition, test aircraft systems, perform preventive maintenance, make repairs, and load, fuse, arm/disarm the aircrafts' ammunition. Without Ordnance, you are just another airline!

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Powerline (PL)

The Power Line Division is a combination of two work centers. The Power Plants division is responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and repair, of the F-18A+ engines and fuel systems. The Line Division is responsible for performing aircraft integrity inspections (daily and turnaround). It is the Plane Captain’s (PC) responsibility to ensure that the aircraft are ready to fly and to provide the ground directions for the pilots during startup/shutdown and taxi. All of the Marines within this division, and some Marines within other divisions, aspire to hold the title of “Plane Captain”. Plane Captains have the single most responsibility on the flight line.

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Pilots

The pilots fly the planes and drop the bombs. They provide a variety of services to the Force Commander to include but not limited to Close Air Support (CAS), convoy security, over flight protection, and the rapid forward projection of USMC “Shock and Awe”. With the latest in technology or with just a pair of binoculars the pilots are also the “eyes in the sky” for the ground commander-day or night. When not flying they have collateral duties.

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Quality Assurance Division (QA)

The Quality Assurance Division is comprised of a representative from all production work centers within the Maintenance Department including Powerline, Avionics, Aviation Life Support Systems, Airframes, and Ordnance Divisions. They are highly skilled personnel who each bring their own special skills and technical expertise to the QA Division.
Quality Assurance’s mission is to prevent the occurrence of defects. It is necessary to prevent maintenance failures extending to the safety of personnel, maintenance of equipment, and virtually every aspect of the total maintenance effort. The objective of Quality Assurance is to readily pinpoint problem areas in which management can improve the quality, uniformity, work environment, training, and overall increase the excellence and value of maintenance within the squadron. Quality Assurance also manages the Central Technical Publication Library (CTPL) for the Maintenance Department.

Seat Shop

Seat Shop’s main duty is to insure pilot safety and comfort. We perform this task by maintaining the ejection seat, cabin pressurization, fire extinguishing systems, and breathing air systems. We also maintain the environmental control systems. This includes cockpit heating and cooling as well as the cooling of the avionics and radar packages located outside the cockpit. The Bleed Air System actually uses heat from the jet engine to heat the various components of the aircraft.

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Tool Room (TR)

Tool Room, Individual Material Readiness List (IMRL), and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) are the components that make up TR. TR Marines track, inventory, and maintain, all the tools that are used for maintenance and repair the F-18A+. The IMRL section tracks and maintains all of the specialized test gear. Through a calibration program, IMRL also ensures that the specialized tools in the squadron are accurate and within standards. The GSE section is responsible for the tow tractors, generators, hydraulic pumps, etc. used to support the aircraft. GSE is responsible for the training, licensing, and proper usage, of the ground support equipment.

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S-1 Administration and Personnel Section

S-1 is the control point for all Personnel and Administrative records. The functions vary from completing miscellaneous letters and correspondences to assisting the Key Volunteer Network with service member’s data. To ensure accurate entries, S-1 monitors individual and unit awards as well as types up awards, Promotion Warrants, and personnel recognitions. The Admin. Shop is responsible for maintaining updated recall data; ensure that all entitlements and pay related items are correct on each Marine. The S-1 department monitors morning reports, musters, New Joins and Transfers. Upon mobilization of VMFA-142, the Marine’s Service Record Books (SRB) were audited to include an entry showing the Marine’s Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) in Al Asad, Iraq. Some of the other items looked at include Marriage & Dependant packages, completing and tracking travel claims, legal wills, Powers of Attorney, Dog Tags, and I.D. Cards. The Record of Emergency Data and Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance were checked for accuracy. S-1 is responsible for tracking the whereabouts of our personnel and reporting to higher headquarters the daily “on board strength” and other reports as deemed necessary.

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S-2

The S-2 or Intelligence Section briefs the pilots on the current enemy situation, including known enemy positions, surface to air fires, and enemy movements. The S-2 also alerts the pilots and other Marines of any significant situations that occur throughout the day. When the pilots return from their missions, S-2 is responsible for the debrief. The Intel Marine is responsible for receiving imagery from a variety of sources and processes it for use by our pilots and forwards it up to higher headquarters. The S-2 maintains the maps for the unit and assists in building overlays for digital maps.
Operations is responsible for no less than the effective training and warfighting employment of the squadron as a unit. It accomplishes this through its pilot corps, which represent the “pointy end of the spear”. With the support of maintenance and the “S” shops, Operations provides the means by which to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver.

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S-3:Operations-Training-NBC

Also, S-3 covers administrative duties such as tracking squadron flight hour allocations etc. Operations is also responsible for all squadron AFTP/ATP and RMP expenditures when SMCR personnel are drilling during the month.
Ground training is responsible for ensuring all Marines complete their annual ground training requirements. PFT, EST, formal schools, MCI’s, Professional Military Education, swim qualification, rifle and pistol ranges and Tuition Assistance are some of the programs handled by the Training department.
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense. NBC is responsible for maintaining all Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear, gas masks, filters, ensuring their serviceability and setting up annual training for Marines. NBC also works with individual work centers to establish Decontamination Teams and coordinates the training of each team. Personnel, protective clothing and equipment, vehicles and aircraft decontamination are responsibilities of each team who receive extensive training.

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S-4

The S-4 section is comprised of four distinct functions, essential to operations in Al Asad. The Officer in Charge is Major William P. Van Zwoll.

Embarkation

This section handles all of the functions related to ensuring that unit equipment packaged for movement is properly checked and shipped to the area of operation and back, to include hazardous materials, vehicles, and personnel. The Embark Chief is Sgt. Fernando R. Toro.

Ground Supply

This section handles all supply needs of the operating unit while in the area of operation, including equipment needed for everyday operations as well as combat gear for personnel. The section also maintains the property records for the unit. The Supply Chief is Sgt. Anthony L. Reese who is assisted by LCpl. Nowon

Armory

This section handles all functions related to unit weapons and ammunition necessary for combat operations. The Armorer is responsible for tracking, maintenance, and repair, of the weapons. The Armory Chief is Sgt. Christopher E. Mizzell.

Motor Transportation

This section handles all functions relating to transportation needs of the operating unit while in country, to include tactical and non-tactical vehicle support, accountability, and serviceability.

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S-6

S-6 is responsible for creating a working computer network in the workspaces. The acquisition, dissemination, and maintenance, of all computer and peripheral assets as well as the establishment and maintenance of networks is the responsibility of the S-6. In addition, S-6 monitors all networks and individual accounts, installs approved software and ensures that all systems and networks are protected from viruses.