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Kandahar maintainers keep 'heart' of Air Force pumping

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Renni Thornton
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  For the Airmen of the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, keeping the aircraft fine-tuned and serviced is serious business.
So when an operator reports a problem, the crew chiefs and other maintainers treat it like an emergency room technician would.

"When someone visits the emergency room," said Capt. Duane Richardson, the maintenance officer in charge, 451st EAMXS C-130J Aircraft Maintenance Unit, "he or she is assessed or triaged. The doctors want to know what symptoms the patient is experiencing and how to best treat them and he or she needs to know quickly."

The same holds true for aircraft maintenance, said the captain.

"The crew chiefs and pilots talk about the performance of the plane. Sometimes the pilots report funny noises or system hiccups. At that point, the crew chiefs begin to 'triage' or assess the plane."

That's when we start troubleshooting," said Senior Airman William Heptig, a C-130J Hercules crew chief.

But sometimes, said Airman Heptig, it's hard to figure out where to begin.

"We ask questions to find out what the system was doing at the time of the malfunction. Sometimes we can locate the problem easily but other times..., it can be interesting."
It can also be difficult to determine where to begin troubleshooting if the flying crew can't accurately describe what was happening at the time the problem occurred, said Captain Richardson.

As with a triage assessment, the crew chiefs must have a thorough general knowledge of every system on the aircraft in order to "diagnose" the problem. Then, sometimes a specialist is called.

The 'specialists' include communications navigation, electronic warfare, guidance and control, hydraulics, engines, and electro-environmental experts.

Staff Sgt. Riaaz Hosein is one of those specialists. He is an aircraft hydraulics system craftsman and has worked on the C-130Js for the past two years at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

"We diagnose problems associated with the landing gear, guidance control and steering faults. Other service areas that fall into that arena include brakes and preventative maintenance.

Sergeant Hosein said being around the other 'specialists' helps him learn the aircraft and the other systems.

"Not many other systems overlap with hydraulics but the more I learn about the aircraft and the different systems, the more it helps me know about my job."

However there are times, said Captain Richardson, when some system problems overlap into different areas.

"During some surgeries, there may be two different surgeons with different specialties in the operating room because the surgery may delve into each of their areas of expertise. Same thing with these guys," he said.

"One night, I was out on an aircraft and the electrical and environmental technicians were working with the jet engine technicians on a problem because their systems overlap within the engine itself. They work together to make sure they pinpoint and repair the problem correctly."

But extreme weather conditions also play havoc on heavily used planes.

The worst part of maintaining the system, said Sergeant Hosein, is the drastic effects the change in temperatures has on the critical fluid and the aircraft.

"When temperatures on the ground are 100 degrees or more, the temps in the air can drop as low as minus 30 degrees. That wreaks havoc on the system."

Despite temperature changes, broken parts and troubleshooting, 'specialists' like engine mechanic Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Thompson, says he enjoys it all.

"One of the best parts of this job is knowing that when the planes take off to fly a mission, we have done all the inspections and repairs to ensure it has a successful flight."

But that pride is constant among the group and makes his job as maintenance officer much easier, said Captain Richardson.

"These guys are one of the most professional groups I've seen," he said. "They call each other by rank and last names and they use the technical orders every time they perform an inspection or any type of maintenance. I'm very impressed with all of them. Part of my job is to take care of them and they make it very easy for me to do that."

This is the 12th deployment for Captain Richardson but his first time in a C-130J unit. The C-17 aircraft maintenance officer is deployed from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

"The systems on the C-17 and C-130Js are similar enough so the learning curve is fortunately not as steep as it could be, and the awesome maintainers here make it even easier," he said.

For most of the crew chiefs and specialists, this is not their first deployment either. This is Sergeant Hosein's third deployment with the C-130J unit and his second time at KAF.

For others, like Senior Airman James Nunley, an electronic warfare specialist also deployed from Little Rock AFB, KAF is a unique experience for a first deployment.
Before he was assigned to Little Rock AFB last February, Airman Nunley worked on the B-1B Lancer at Dyess AFB, Texas.

"The two aircraft use different systems. Here, we use more countermeasures systems. Basically, a missile warning system is used to detect and deter infrared-guided or heat seeking missiles. If detected, the system will employ chaff or flare in defense. It's a pretty reliable system," he said.

For that reason, the members of the electronic warfare work center are able to assist the other maintainers, operate the consolidated tool room and other support offices.
The best part of this job, said Airman Nunley, is being able to help protect the plane.

But sometimes, maintainers don't always get thanked for what they do every day but they know, said Captain Richardson.

"Some operators will tell the crews, 'good job' or 'great plane,' and some will bring the guys snacks or something. But these guys know that what they do every day is the most valuable thing they can contribute to the mission. Without crew chiefs and specialists, operators couldn't do what they do. And while they don't always get patted on the back, they are okay with that."