JOINT BASE ELEMNDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Arctic air relentlessly howls through icy peaks as the hum of engines breaks through the darkened sky amongst Alaska’s frigid, untamed landscape.

At times, keeping a plane fully mission-capable is an endeavor of solving calculated problems in a controlled environment; a familiar hangar where the only challenge to a task is not ‘if’ something can be fixed, but ‘when’ it can be fixed. The iced-over flightline of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska belayed that comfort while also bringing extreme cold weather conditions to the Airmen of the 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

One maintainer’s leadership during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 25-02, an annual Arctic deployment training exercise, proved that credible training allows NCOs to lead at higher levels of responsibility. This training fosters an ability to troubleshoot unexpected aircraft complications, work seamlessly with combined and joint force partners and adapt to the world’s harshest environments.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Nelson, 317th AMXS flying crew chief, relied on his training from Lethal Expeditionary Airman Development, a 317th Airlift Wing leadership course, to safely bring a team of 18 maintainers through intense conditions and hone their cold weather skills with the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. LEAD is an intensive program that offers weeks of technical skill curriculum in support of Agile Combat Employment objectives by training a specialized and agile force that is prepared to operate in contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments.

“Leading a team in this environment is challenging,” said Nelson. “I am not only responsible for the planes being safe to fly in the Arctic but also making sure my maintainers have the proper gear and safety equipment to deal with the extreme conditions.”

At first, Nelson didn’t know how much JPMRC 25-02 would test him. He participated in exercises of this scale before, but never as a maintenance team lead with the expectations of a LEAD graduate. Despite this, Nelson was the right Airman for the job.

“As an FCC he’s had a lot of experience going on exercises by himself, but JPMRC 25-02 was our chance to evaluate his ability to lead a team out the door,” said 2nd Lt. Patrick Sambrano, 317th AMXS assistant officer in charge. “Knowing his potential and his capabilities, I didn’t have any concern at all. I think initially, with this being his first trip as a maintenance lead for our unit, he had some hesitation. But as the exercise started to roll out, he showcased his confidence and ability to lead our unit and his maintenance team.”

When the 40th Airlift Squadron landed in Alaska, reality set in. The frozen flightline, rare daylight hours, rapidly changing weather patterns and a complex schedule all became challenges for the team to overcome. One of the only two participating C-130J aircraft from the 40th AS suddenly couldn’t fly due to an uncommon issue.

“We had a bad liquid oxygen converter the first night,” said Nelson. “This system is responsible for supplying the plane with oxygen once pressurized. If broken, it grounds the plane and takes around eight hours to fix if we have all the parts. The plane had to fly the next day, so I worked with other units like the Air National Guard here and Little Rock to source the parts and equipment we needed as soon as we identified the problem. I was worried that such a time-consuming issue so soon was going to set the tone for the whole trip.”

After sourcing the parts and working through the night, Nelson’s team fixed the LOX converter and ensured the plane was safe to fly that next day. Nelson continued to serve as the ever-vigilant leader by being proactive and engaging with not only his team, but other participating units, like teams from Little Rock AFB, Arkansas and Yokota Air Base, Japan.

“The most crucial adaptation we can make is improving connections and working with other bases accustomed to this weather, gaining their input,” said Nelson. “Then, falling back on the skillset LEAD gave me to say, ‘Okay this is what’s in front of me, this is the information I have, and these are my resources,’ and build a plan with the best actions I can take from there.”

As the days went by, and the environment continued to bring complications during JPMRC 25-02, the need for professional relationships between maintenance units proved essential. But the share of experience and equipment wasn’t one sided; Nelson worked with maintenance units who relied on his team as well.

“Nelson was able to help Little Rock with their aircraft configuration to ensure we can all meet takeoff times,” said Sambrano. “Having a small contingency of parts that we brought and being able to support Little Rock and Yokota with equipment is a testament to Nelson’s character and ability to lead a team effectively.”

In the end, Nelson wasn’t only focused on how he could be the best leader for his team during extreme cold weather conditions, he was thinking ahead to provide feedback to the 317th Airlift Wing and LEAD course with lessons learned. It wasn’t about completing the exercise and marking it off his list of achievements. Nelson’s leadership provided invaluable experience to improve mission readiness, enhancing the lethality of our units in the future fight.

“A good maintainer is someone who has the drive to better themselves,” said Nelson. “I don’t care how much you know as long as you have a determination to learn, everything else we can teach you. For me, as I ranked up, my emotions attached to being a maintainer have changed for the better. The leadership we have at Dyess is really good about making sure we understand why the things we do matter and the effect our work has not just on us, but the units and countries we work with. Now that I am responsible for others and take care of them in dangerous conditions like these, I understand the importance of how we operate.”

JOINT BASE ELEMNDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Arctic air relentlessly howls through icy peaks as the hum of engines breaks through the darkened sky amongst Alaska’s frigid, untamed landscape.

At times, keeping a plane fully mission-capable is an endeavor of solving calculated problems in a controlled environment; a familiar hangar where the only challenge to a task is not ‘if’ something can be fixed, but ‘when’ it can be fixed. The iced-over flightline of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska belayed that comfort while also bringing extreme cold weather conditions to the Airmen of the 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

One maintainer’s leadership during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 25-02, an annual Arctic deployment training exercise, proved that credible training allows NCOs to lead at higher levels of responsibility. This training fosters an ability to troubleshoot unexpected aircraft complications, work seamlessly with combined and joint force partners and adapt to the world’s harshest environments.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Nelson, 317th AMXS flying crew chief, relied on his training from Lethal Expeditionary Airman Development, a 317th Airlift Wing leadership course, to safely bring a team of 18 maintainers through intense conditions and hone their cold weather skills with the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. LEAD is an intensive program that offers weeks of technical skill curriculum in support of Agile Combat Employment objectives by training a specialized and agile force that is prepared to operate in contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments.

“Leading a team in this environment is challenging,” said Nelson. “I am not only responsible for the planes being safe to fly in the Arctic but also making sure my maintainers have the proper gear and safety equipment to deal with the extreme conditions.”

At first, Nelson didn’t know how much JPMRC 25-02 would test him. He participated in exercises of this scale before, but never as a maintenance team lead with the expectations of a LEAD graduate. Despite this, Nelson was the right Airman for the job.

“As an FCC he’s had a lot of experience going on exercises by himself, but JPMRC 25-02 was our chance to evaluate his ability to lead a team out the door,” said 2nd Lt. Patrick Sambrano, 317th AMXS assistant officer in charge. “Knowing his potential and his capabilities, I didn’t have any concern at all. I think initially, with this being his first trip as a maintenance lead for our unit, he had some hesitation. But as the exercise started to roll out, he showcased his confidence and ability to lead our unit and his maintenance team.”

When the 40th Airlift Squadron landed in Alaska, reality set in. The frozen flightline, rare daylight hours, rapidly changing weather patterns and a complex schedule all became challenges for the team to overcome. One of the only two participating C-130J aircraft from the 40th AS suddenly couldn’t fly due to an uncommon issue.

“We had a bad liquid oxygen converter the first night,” said Nelson. “This system is responsible for supplying the plane with oxygen once pressurized. If broken, it grounds the plane and takes around eight hours to fix if we have all the parts. The plane had to fly the next day, so I worked with other units like the Air National Guard here and Little Rock to source the parts and equipment we needed as soon as we identified the problem. I was worried that such a time-consuming issue so soon was going to set the tone for the whole trip.”

After sourcing the parts and working through the night, Nelson’s team fixed the LOX converter and ensured the plane was safe to fly that next day. Nelson continued to serve as the ever-vigilant leader by being proactive and engaging with not only his team, but other participating units, like teams from Little Rock AFB, Arkansas and Yokota Air Base, Japan.

“The most crucial adaptation we can make is improving connections and working with other bases accustomed to this weather, gaining their input,” said Nelson. “Then, falling back on the skillset LEAD gave me to say, ‘Okay this is what’s in front of me, this is the information I have, and these are my resources,’ and build a plan with the best actions I can take from there.”

As the days went by, and the environment continued to bring complications during JPMRC 25-02, the need for professional relationships between maintenance units proved essential. But the share of experience and equipment wasn’t one sided; Nelson worked with maintenance units who relied on his team as well.

“Nelson was able to help Little Rock with their aircraft configuration to ensure we can all meet takeoff times,” said Sambrano. “Having a small contingency of parts that we brought and being able to support Little Rock and Yokota with equipment is a testament to Nelson’s character and ability to lead a team effectively.”

In the end, Nelson wasn’t only focused on how he could be the best leader for his team during extreme cold weather conditions, he was thinking ahead to provide feedback to the 317th Airlift Wing and LEAD course with lessons learned. It wasn’t about completing the exercise and marking it off his list of achievements. Nelson’s leadership provided invaluable experience to improve mission readiness, enhancing the lethality of our units in the future fight.

“A good maintainer is someone who has the drive to better themselves,” said Nelson. “I don’t care how much you know as long as you have a determination to learn, everything else we can teach you. For me, as I ranked up, my emotions attached to being a maintainer have changed for the better. The leadership we have at Dyess is really good about making sure we understand why the things we do matter and the effect our work has not just on us, but the units and countries we work with. Now that I am responsible for others and take care of them in dangerous conditions like these, I understand the importance of how we operate.”