Page 15 - Nellis Creech NTTR Bullseye, 2-17-17

BULLSEYE News February 17, 2017 15 www.aerotechnews.com/nellisafb Facebook.com/NellisBullseye
Youngest maintainer at Red Flag launches America’s youngest jet
By Micah Garbarino
75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.— The future belongs to the young.
Nathan Kosters, the youngest F-35A Lightning II crew chief in the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, was born in 1996. “The Macarena” was No. 1 on the charts (somehow), “Independence Day” topped the box office, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon had already been flying for 22 years.
The 20-year-old native of Byron Cen- ter, Michigan, and his fellow F-35A main- tainers, are generating combat sorties with America’s youngest jet at Red Flag.
This iteration of Air Force’s premier combat exercise started Jan. 23 and ran through Feb. 10. Participants include both United States and allied nations’ combat air forces. The exercise provides aircrews the experience of multiple, in- tensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment.
“It’s pretty amazing. It’s like a fam- ily atmosphere,” Kosters said. “We’re extremely busy, working long hours, but everyone pulls together and makes sure the mission is successful.”
U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw
Airman 1st Class Nathan Kosters, a crew chief with the 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, prepares to launch an F-35A Lightning II aircraft during Red Flag 17-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Feb. 7.
Kosters joined the Air Force a little over a year ago after graduating high school and working construction for a while. He wanted to leave the Midwest, get an education and see the world. High scores on his entrance test and the F-35 maintenance world, hungry for new tal- ent, put him in the pipeline.
“I didn’t really know anything about the F-35.” Kosters said. “I knew it was the newest jet and I heard all the nega- tive press about it. My dad and I started reading up on it. He probably knew more about it than I did.”
After technical training and hands-on experience Kosters is happy he is where he is.
“It’s cool, working with the latest tech- nology. I don’t want to make it sound like maintenance is easy, it’s just advanced. It’s great to be able to plug in a laptop and talk to the aircraft,” Kosters said.
The 34th Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit are the first combat-coded F-35A units in the Air Force. They were created by bringing together a team of experienced pilots and maintainers from across the Air Force’s
___ See MaiNTaiNer, on page 16
Growing up, he learned hard work from his father, a carpenter. He learned how to get up early and work until the job was done. The two worked side by side, even through his father’s cancer treat-
ments. Kosters’ dad survived and taught him how to “work with his hands.”
“He is an inspiration to me. Never giving up,” Kosters said. “Working was a great opportunity to be close to him.”
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