Atascadero native maintains aircraft at sea
“My job means keeping people safe,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Jones. “It is a remarkable feeling seeing a jet take off with parts I know I worked on because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the aircraft will take off and land safety.”
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Maxwell Higgins, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Public Affairs
–Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Jones, a native of Atascadero, California, serves as an aviation maintenance technician aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Jones reported to Truman’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department in May 2017 as an aviation structural mechanic.
Aircraft carrier flight operations would not be possible without the aircraft maintainers who work around the clock to make sure the aircraft are mission ready.
“My job means keeping people safe,” said Jones. “It is a remarkable feeling seeing a jet take off with parts I know I worked on because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the aircraft will take off and land safety.”
A maintainer must be properly qualified due to the complexity and safety-of-flight related equipment they work on. Each maintainer undergoes specific technical training that pertains to their assigned career field before they are allowed to start working on aircraft or equipment.
“My job consists of repairing the parts or systems that cannot be fixed by the squadrons themselves,” said Jones.
Within the Navy, maintainers can work in a variety of different places and with a wide range of people.
“I absolutely love the level of organization to my job,” said Jones. “Everything has a place and everything is always in that place.”
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Keeping HSTCSG at sea in U.S. 2nd Fleet, in the sustainment phase of OFRP, allows the ship to maintain a high level of readiness during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
