Role as Air Weapons Systems Technician

Well the role on the CF18 is many and varied. There’s lots of trades that work on it whether the weapons tech or the air weapons systems technician, the engine guy, the rigger, the fitter, the electrician. My activity as air weapons system was I worked more in the second line maintenance facilities or areas of the aircraft. And while I was in Germany my mainstay was working in the missile maintenance section so I took care of all the Aim-7 missiles, Aim-9 Sidewinders carrying out all the regular maintenance that had to be done on them because they would fly, you know, sometimes on a regular basis with these weapons and they would require maintenance and care and upkeep and that sort of thing and they all go through an inspection cycle. So other people in my trade would be working directly on the aircraft doing the loading, doing the servicing of the aircraft, parking and starting, taking care of all the pylons and racks that hold all these weapons systems on the aircraft so there’s quite a bit to it, it’s varied, sometimes it’s like organized chaos but it’s fun.

The load crews that worked on the aircraft worked in crews of three so there would be a crew chief, a wingman and driver and they would load the aircraft with the various combinations of weapons that would be required, whether it was a gun, chaff and flare, again the Aim-7, Aim-9 missiles, later on Mark-82 bombs and that sort of thing. Like I said, it’s organized chaos and when you have a good crew doing a good load it’s poetic, its fun to watch, everybody knows where everybody is supposed to be and it just flows quite nicely.