I’m a 2018 Shelby High alumni. I left to join the USAF in May of 2018 and graduated BMT in July of that same year. After BMT I was sent to Sheppard AFB in Texas to study avionics on F-15s. After about 8 months of being at Sheppard I was then stationed at Kadena AFB in Japan which is where I currently reside at. I just got back from a deployment to Saudi Arabia with my unit a few weeks ago which was one of the most bazaar experiences I’ve had yet. I’ve had the opportunity to work along side the Portland Air National Guard in Oregon which was an amazing experience to see that side of our branch. I’ve also been on a TDY to Guam for about 2 weeks which was a breathtaking island.

My job as an avionics maintainer is to ensure that all of our systems are operating efficiently, properly, and safely for our pilots. Avionics stands for aviation electronics, this covers radios, electronic warfare, some flight controls, navigation including all of their indicators, etc. Our systems are extremely integrated throughout the entirety of the jet so the list does go on and on. We also do some wire repair and trouble shooting as well.