SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The sun barely began to rise before Charlie Loy, Boeing Co. general mechanic, drove to work and started turning wrenches on an F-15E Strike Eagle at 6 a.m.
Loy is currently part of the radar modifications F-15E upgrade team at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, continuing to work on an aircraft he’s been with his whole military and now civilian career.
Loy began working on aircraft as a maintainer for the U.S. Air Force in 1982 and served more than 20 years before retiring as a master sergeant out of Seymour Johnson AFB, on Sept. 1, 2004. He was assigned to the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, four years with the 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and seven with the 334th AMU.
When Loy arrived at the 4th Fighter Wing, they were still flying the F-4 Phantom. He was one of the first Airmen trained to work on the strike eagle as the base began transitioning to the F-15E.
“I don’t think there’s a jet on this base I haven’t worked on at some point,” said Loy.
After retiring, Loy became an instructor at the 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 1 at Seymour Johnson AFB, training future generations of F-15E crew chiefs.
When the opportunity arrived to get his hands greasy working on F-15Es again, Loy jumped at the chance. He was hired by Boeing Co. and began working on the F-15E radar modifications in October 2016; its first major upgrade of its radar system in more than 20 years.
All the F-15Es at Seymour Johnson AFB will have APG-70 mechanically-scanned radars replaced with a new active electronically-scanned radar system, the APG-82. It’s designed to retain functionality of the old legacy radar system while providing expanded mission employment capabilities.
James Hayes, Boeing Co. support technical manager F-15E Radar Modernization Program East, supervises Loy and values what he brings to the table along with his other employees.
“(Loy) has a vast amount of knowledge on the F-15E airframe,” said Hayes. “He’s worked as a crew chief, an aircraft recovery and repair technician, and as an F-15E crew chief instructor.”
Hayes added that Loy is always moving, never sitting down, always looking to improve his skills; something he also brings to his love of mixed martial arts. Loy likes to pass on his relevant skill and also looks to glean new ones from other co-workers.
His passion for his job and his enthusiasm for always wanting to learn more is something Master Josh Marshall, Marshalls MMA and Jiujitsu head instructor and owner, also took notice of when Loy began attending classes at his gym.
“When I first started going, I figured they all thought I was just some old man who comes in and wanted to try it for a couple of weeks,” said Loy, who was 50 years old when he began. “After a few sessions, I found myself really enjoying it.”
When he’s not helping and learning from his co-workers, Loy is instructing and learning from his fellow MMA goers.
“(Loy) has become someone the students look up to,” said Marshall. “The other instructors greatly respect, admire and enjoy working with him.”
Hayes also added that Loy is part of a team where everyone brings something different to the table. Everyone is fairly new to the F-15E RMP team and have never done a radar update.
“I would say he mentors in some parts and receives mentorship from others,” said Hayes.
Between working on F-15Es, family, school, and other hobbies, Loy strives for balance and making sure he’s always having fun both on and off the mat.