Spotlight!
51st Civil Engineer Squadron Airman of the week
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs January 4, 2022
Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea - This week’s Airman of the Week is Staff Sgt. Ryan Claerhout, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron NCOIC of aircraft arresting systems. Claerhout is in charge of all aircraft barrier and generator maintenance on base. Aircraft barrier maintenance consists of the BAK-12 or Barrier Arresting Kit, which is pneumatic braking system and the MB-60 or Modular Braking system, which is considered the second line of defense should the BAK-12 fail. These systems allow “Tail hooked aircraft” such as the F-16s to be slowed down and stopped, if there was ever a landing issue such as a slippery runway causing the aircraft to hydroplane. Additionally, there are numerous generators on base that support sensitive, critical and mission essential operations. When there are base power outages, rest assured the mission will carry on all thanks to SSgt Claerhout’s diligence in ensuring mission essential generators continue to operate when needed.