ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
The music. The sound. The ability to hear the announcers. These pieces of the air show puzzle are as integral to the upcoming Joint Services Open House as the planes themselves, and brought to you courtesy of the Airmen of the 744th Communication Squadron's base radio maintenance shop.
"Just like many shops on base, we're ramping up for the big JSOH event," said Staff Sgt. Michael Welch, 744th Communication Squadron Assistant NCO in charge of base radio maintenance. "Without us, you wouldn't be able to hear the air show announcers, what's happening in the show and what maneuvers the planes are doing. The sound is a critical part of JSOH, and we ensure that it's up and ready to go."
As part of the JSOH experience, the base radio maintenance shop provides 25,000 watts of pure amplified power through 40, 1,000-watt speakers and over six miles of cables. New to the shop this year is the upgraded sound system trailer, where base radio maintenance shop technicians will operate as the heartbeat of the air show, providing communication capabilities to announcers as well as other air show personnel. The shop will also have an additional 15,000 feet of brand-new cables in time for the show.
"We prepare for the air show rain or shine," Sergeant Welch said. "As soon as we get the go ahead from the airfield to start setting up, we're there. We start laying out cable and testing out the sound system. It's an involved process, but one we've got down."
Sergeant Welch has experience and confidence in setting up for this year's air show as it will be his seventh JSOH. "We're prepared for anything - even rain which has happened in previous years. You've just got to be prepared," Sergeant Welch said.
It takes anywhere from eight to 10 hours for the base radio maintenance crew to set up for the show on the airfield, though Sergeant's Welch's team begins actual set up two weeks prior.
"We put in a good three, 12-hour days for the air show, and that doesn't even include the time to tear everything down," Sergeant Welch said. "It's a long process to put everything back where it needs to go."
At the end of the show, the team kicks it into high gear and brings all the equipment into a hangar where it can then be properly stowed away for the following year.
Airman 1st Class Alexander Sidawi, 744th Communication Squadron radio maintenance technician is eager to work his first air show. "I'm ready - we've been preparing for JSOH for months now, and I can't wait to see how everything just comes together," Airman Sidawi said.
What are the perks of being one of the hardest working crews of the air show? "We've got the best seats in the house," Sergeant Welch said with a smile. "We're in front of front row."