Maintainer Nation

Maintainer Nation represents the aircraft maintenance communities of the military flight lines. With the goal of keeping things light and having fun doing the hard work. Whether it be thru challenge coins or reflective belts, we help the units turn their ideas into reality. 

Air Force Maintenance Patch

The United States Air Force patch is a representation of an American Eagle on a shield with outstretched wings on either side. The eagle is grasping three arrows, representing the three missions of the Air Force which are to provide, through aerospace power, military response to the ground and air contingencies, battlespace dominance for joint operations with air and ground forces, and humanitarian relief for disasters.

Remove Before Flight Keychain

The remove before flight keychain is a keychain that contains a small charm shaped like a propeller attached to one end and a miniature airplane at the other. It is believed that this item was created in the 1980s when different sizes of commercial airplanes were still in use. The charms are often given as gifts for graduates of flight school or for pilots who work for commercial airlines. The removal before flight (RBE) keychain has been around since the 1980's, when there were many different size planes used commercially. It's often given as gifts to graduates from flying school or commercial airline pilots.

Flight Line Maintainer Statue

A statue commemorating the bravery of a flight line maintainer was unveiled at Indianapolis International Airport in April 2016. The sculpture depicts a World War II-era flight line maintainer fixing a plane while bombs are dropping around him. The statue was presented by the Military Aviation Museum, which is located near the airport and features an impressive collection of aircraft from that era including one from Doolittle's Raiders. The museum has more than 50 aviation exhibits, including American and foreign military aircraft, models, uniforms, medals and memorabilia. "Indiana's aviation heritage is filled with stories of courage and sacrifice," said Gov. Mike Pence at the unveiling ceremony on Thursday. "You can see it in every corner of this airport."

Aviator Stuff

The U.S. Navy Maintainer’s insignia is a shield with one vertical stripe, three horizontal stripes and the word "NAVY" across the top. The colors on the shield correspond to the colors of our uniform - blue, gold and red; each color has a special meaning: Blue stands for loyalty to country, gold for excellence in service and red for courage in battle.