MOC takes control of flightline operations Published Sept. 10, 2009 By Senior Airman Kristopher Levasseur 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- They are listening while Airmen perform vital maintenance and repairs. They intercept radio transmissions. They document everything that happens to aircraft on base. No, they are not terrorists or spies, they are the Airmen of the 48th Maintenance Operations Squadron Maintenance Operations Center, and the information they gather is vital to completing the Lakenheath mission. The MOC is responsible for gathering and tracking every detail from inspection information to launch times for more than 80 aircraft from RAF Lakenheath. "Our job is to monitor the status and location of daily flying activities, as well as research and present daily status reports to the 48th Fighter Wing, 3rd Air Force and U.S. Air Forces in Europe," said Master Sgt. Steven Allen, 48th MOS MOC superintendant. "We also record and update changes to the flying schedule and document any deviations from the schedule." The information they gather is used to highlight inconsistencies in flying operations and help leadership make changes to increase flightline efficiency. "The MOC really is the eyes and ears of the flightline," said Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Jones, 48th MOS MOC flight chief. "We monitor everything that goes on and everything that is related to maintenance." Sergeant Jones added, in addition to tracking and documenting every maintenance action, the MOC is also the coordinating agency for necessary services on the flightline. "If they need fuel for the aircraft, the crew chiefs contact us and we will make it happen," said Sergeant Jones. "In a nutshell, we are involved with everything that happens on the flightline." In the last year, the MOC has tracked more than 117,000 maintenance actions. In order to perform their mission, it is necessary for Airmen of the MOC to have a basic understanding of what they are documenting. "Airmen who work in the MOC come from all maintenance career fields," said Sergeant Jones. "They are selected by their leadership to come to the MOC based on manning requirements." Sergeant Jones added that, every Airman selected to work the MOC can remain there a maximum of two years to allow more Airmen the opportunity to work in the MOC. "Our job is important to the wing because we act as the central nervous system for flightline operations," said Sergeant Jones. "Without our Airmen tracking the information, coordinating with base agencies and passing information to leadership, the wing would be hard pressed to meet mission requirements." MOC Airmen intercept the transmissions and document even the minutest details from behind the scene to ensure flightline efficiency and the success of the mission.