KUNSAN AB, South Korea — It's 7 a.m. at this base, which is seven miles from Kunsan city, one of South Korea's most active seaports. Beams of sunlight break through a thin cloud cover, causing morning dew on the grassy field next to the taxiway to sparkle.

Less than 100 yards away, in a room within the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Unit building, Staff Sgt. Gary Golden and Sgt. Timothy Jones attend a briefing by the flight chief.

To Golden, an F-16 Fighting Falcon crew chief, and Jones, an assistant crew chief, the ritual is a familiar one. The aircraft they'd be working on, what had to be done to get the aircraft ready for its mission, and the things that the quality assurance people are looking for are just some of the issues discussed.

On this day, Golden and Jones will be getting aircraft 571 ready for a 9:45 a.m. takeoff.

By 7:15 a.m., the two sergeants are in a step van, riding out to Whiskey Arch 37 where 571 is parked. A whiskey arch is an aircraft shelter shaped like a Quonset hut.

Arriving at the arch, Golden and Jones grab their tools and headsets and hop out of the van, heading toward the sleek, gray F-16.

IN JUST A SHORT TIME, Golden is busy cleaning the bubble canopy and Jones is walking around the $14.5 million jet, inspecting the wings, tail, fuselage and tires.

Things go smoothly until 8 a.m. when Golden spots a leak coming from the jet fuel starter accumulator bottle.

"The problem is with the adapter fitting on the bottle," Golden says. "I just hope we can fix it in time for takeoff."

Within minutes, Golden and Jones inform Master Sgt. Timothy Kleeberger, 35th AMU production superintendent, of the problem.

Kleeberger radios the support section for hydraulic assistance. The crew races as the clock ticks toward takeoff.

By 8:15 a.m., Jones is in a vehicle heading for the 35th AMU bench stock section to see if he can find the part to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, Golden, checks over other systems within 571. Kleeberger keeps track of what progress is being made in locating the needed part while maintaining radio contact with several other crew chiefs busy preparing their aircraft for launches.

At 8:38 a.m., Maj. Ron Gray, the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron pilot scheduled to fly 571, arrives at Whiskey Arch 37.

"I'm flying in the wing position, and I need to fire this aircraft up by 9:05," he says. "Are you going to make it?"

"We'll have it ready, sir," Kleeberger promises.

Jones returns at 8:42 a.m. with a new O ring seal on the bottle's adapter fitting.

Golden and Jones work quickly, inserting the small part and then straining their biceps to pump hydraulic fluid into the accumulator so the aircraft can be started.

By 8:55 a.m. the repair is finished, At 9 a.m. Gray starts the F-16 and by 9:20 a.m. Golden is motioning 571 out of the arch and on to the taxiway. The fighter is airborne at 9:45 a.m.

"At first I didn't know if we were going to make it," Golden says. "We pushed pretty hard to get the precharge up to the proper level in the accumulator."

Now, for the first time since their day began, Golden and Jones have a chance to relax — at least until 571 lands.

"The problem with the accumulator bottle isn't something we see very often," says Jones, a 23-year-old native of Philadelphia. "But it gives you an idea of how big a role the maintenance people on the ground have in preparing these aircraft for sorties.

"As far as the crew chief's role is concerned, if the pilot is the quarterback, the crew chief is the offensive lineman."

Golden, a 25-year-old from Oklahoma City, Okla., says, "The pilots depend on us for a lot. Along with getting the aircraft ready, we act as their eyes during trim checks.

"Since they can't see the horizontal stabilizer and flaps from the cockpit when they are going through their manual checks, they rely on us to see those things for them.

"In this job, teamwork is extremely important."

CREW CHIEFS ALSO WORK hand-in-hand with weapons, hydraulics, fuels, engine and electric specialists to ensure the F-16s get off the ground, Golden says.

During a typical shift, Golden and Jones will launch up to three F-16s configured for air-to-air missions or two configured for bombing sorties.

They also perform combat quick turns during operational readiness exercises and Team Spirit. Maintenance is performed and weapons and fuel are loaded into the F-16s simultaneously during quick turns.

"From the time the aircraft lands until the time the pilot touches the ladder to get back into the cockpit, we only have 30 to 40 minutes to get the job done," Golden says.

According to Jones, being assigned to South Korea has helped heighten his awareness of the importance of being able to perform quick turns.

"At my last base in the States, we practiced quick turns quite a bit, and I really didn't understand why so much emphasis was placed on them," he says.

"But here the potential for conflict is right at your doorstep. It's made me realize just how important quick turns are and how vital it is for me to be able to do my job."

Golden and Jones agree that doing the job right is a necessity if the crew chief never wants to realize his worst nightmare — the time an aircraft goes down.

"If you make a mistake, it can cost a pilot's life," Jones says. "A crew chief has to know everything that's going on with his aircraft.

"When you send an aircraft up, you feel just like you're sending a member of your own family up. After all, you get to know the pilots after a while.

"That's one of the reasons that seeing an aircraft come back from a mission is a crew chief's most welcome sight. It means the mission has been accomplished and it's been done safely."

At 11 a.m., Golden and Jones are at Whiskey Arch 37 when 571 comes rolling down the taxiway.

"It came in Code 1," Golden says, smiling. "No discrepancies recorded."

Jones dons his headsets and directs the aircraft into the area in front of the whiskey arch where it will be parked and readied for its next flight.

After the aircraft is shut down, Gray descends the ladder from the cockpit and receives a salute from Jones. Golden takes the aircraft forms Gray hands to him and signs them off.

Another mission has been successfully accomplished.

For Golden and Jones, though, the day is just beginning. Fuel will he loaded, the; intake will be inspected, and another preflight check will soon be under way to prepare 571 for its next sortie.

Waiting for the fuel truck to arrive, Jones glances admiringly at 571.

"This job gets a little hectic," he says, "but I don't think I'd trade it for any other. When I go home at the end of a day I know I've accomplished something."