Mobility Warriors: C-130 maintainers keep mission moving in Southwest Asia

Published Sept. 24, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Shaun Emery
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- It's not hard to picture a 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainer rolling out from under the body of a 1970s Ford or Chevy, wrench in hand, covered in grease.

Working on 40-plus year-old aircraft, maintainers have the hot and dirty job of keeping the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's fleet of C-130s Hercules and EC 130s ready to fly and deliver support to ground commanders in Iraq.

The C-130 Hercules may not be the newest or prettiest aircraft in the Air Force's inventory, but it's the workhorse that's vital for moving troops and cargo in and out of the Iraq and providing an electronic combat platform to deny communications to the enemy.

"Both of our platforms play a huge support role to the ground commander," said Maj. Christopher MacAulay, 386th EAMXS commander deployed from Air Mobility Command's Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "The slick 130s (C-130H models) are carrying passengers into Iraq and sometimes Joint-Task Force Horn of Africa. In the case of the EC-130, we provide a unique capability to ground commanders protecting convoys and supporting special operations missions."

Keeping that support possible are two aircraft maintenance units, made up of crew chiefs and maintenance specialists.

Crew chiefs are responsible for the overall care of the aircraft. They marshal the aircraft into its spot, debrief the aircrew and run through a gamut of post operations inspections. They oversee the loading of fuel and liquid oxygen and check systems.

"It's their plane," said Master Sgt. Timmy White, 386th EAMXS section noncommissioned officer in charge deployed from Dyess AFB, Texas. "They make sure any scheduled or unscheduled maintenance gets done."

Alongside the crew chief is a team of specialists, ready to get their hands dirty. Their specialties include electronic/environmental systems, hydraulics, engines, communications and navigation, guidance and control, electronic warefare systems, and aircraft recovery.

Airman 1st Class Joshua Carson, a 386th EAMXS hydraulics specialist from Dyess AFB, said his favorite part of being a maintainer is the hands-on work.

"We plan on coming out and getting dirty," he said. Even when they don't plan on it, the outcome is usually the same, he added.

Along with the grease and grime, aircraft maintainers can always count on the unexpected. A one-day fix can sometimes turn into a week-long project.

"Some jobs start out simple, but can grow when we discover and fix the cause of the problem," said Airman Carson. "We just keep plugging away because we know we have a direct impact on the mission here."

Crew chiefs and specialists are careful to document every detail of the work they do. Those details are logged into a database containing the history of every aircraft. Senior Airman Samuel Scoskie, 386th EAMXS C-130 crew chief from Dyess AFB, said the data is useful because it can give maintainers a head start on diagnosing and fixing a problem.

"We deal with a lot of re-occurring problems," said Airman Scoskie. "If we know the history of the plane, we can do our best to prevent the problem from happening again. Preventive maintenance is our number one priority. Unfortunately, most issues don't arise until the plane is already in the air."

For 386th EAMXS maintainers, knowing who's in the air, is what keeps them focused on their mission.

"We're working on 40-year-old aircraft," said Senior Airman Maura Dennehy, 386th EAMXS repair and reclamation specialist from Dyess AFB. "Sometimes we are the last thing between them and the bone yard. We're putting the lives of six of our buddies and Army passengers we don't even know in our aircraft. We need to make sure they get where they're going safely."

It's a job they do day in and day out, while battling the harsh desert conditions.

"Our guys have a very difficult job, especially over the last few months with the high temps and high ops tempo," said Major MacAulay. "Out there for hours on end, getting a day off now and then, sometimes getting called in on their off day. I'm amazed what they are able to do."

According to Chief Master Sgt. Jeffery Lindsey, 386th EAMXS superintendant, their impact can be seen every day. On any given day, a flashing marquee here displays a mission effectiveness number between 97 and 100 percent.

"It's a testament to the job maintainers are doing," he said. "They're working through dust storms, with temperatures reaching 110 degrees, and we never stop flying. It's truly been a pleasure to lead these outstanding Airmen."