Magnus becomes first Flying Crew Chief

First Lieutenant Magnus Widmark is one of the Swedes stationed at the Pàpa Airbase in Hungary, servicing the three C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft leased by Sweden along with eleven other countries. Now he has become the first Swede to be upgraded to Flying Crew Chief.

Magnus Widmark’s responsibilities include preparing the aircraft for missions. Photo: HAW
Magnus Widmark receives the certificate that shows he can act independently as Flying Crew Chief on the C-17 from Adam Silverman, US Air Force, Commander of the Logistics Support Squadron.
Magnus Widmark receives the certificate that shows he can act independently as Flying Crew Chief on the C-17 from Adam Silverman, US Air Force, Commander of the Logistics Support Squadron. Photo: HAW
Magnus Widmark receives the certificate that shows he can act independently as Flying Crew Chief on the C-17 from Adam Silverman, US Air Force, Commander of the Logistics Support Squadron. Photo: HAW

Magnus is an aircraft maintenance technician and has been in training for his new position, but as of now his responsibilities include the preparation, fuelling and in-flight maintenance of the planes.

At 1.30 pm on 2 February, parts of the Logistics Support Squadron gathered to formally confirm that First Lieutenant Magnus Widmark was upgraded. The Commander of the Logistics Support Squadron, Major Adam Silverman of the US Air Force, emphasised the extra responsibility involved in no longer being supervised and assuming sole technical responsibility in a crew.
Magnus has previously worked as a technician at F 21 i Luleå and after being selected for duty on the C-17 transport aircraft he trained in the US and then continued his training under supervision with the unit in Hungary.

The majority of the missions so far have involved transporting personnel and equipment to and from Afghanistan. Other important missions have included humanitarian aid, for example after the Haiti earthquake. The squadron also repatriated the officials and members of the Polish government who were killed in the air crash outside Smolensk in Russia. In addition to this, several national missions have been completed across five continents.