An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Making it happen: Maintenance teams transcend rivalries for Air Mobility Rodeo competition

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nick Przybyciel
  • Air Mobility Rodeo 2007 Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Within any group of friends, there's always that one person who stands out. 

That special friend is the one who can be relied upon to lug a heavy couch up into your new apartment or house. Or, when your car breaks down in the middle of the night, that very same friend will be there in a matter of minutes with tools in hand. 

Luckily for the maintenance teams competing at Air Mobility Rodeo 2007 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., July 22-27, the event is full of such "friends." Although every maintenance team is pitted against one another in several competitions, this year's Rodeo is more about sportsmanship than rivalry for the wrench-turners who keep the aircraft flying. 

"This year's been phenomenal with the guys getting together and helping each other," said Chief Master Sergeant Kevin Hamilton, lead umpire for the KC-135 flying events.
"Nobody wants to win if somebody's (airplane is) broken," said Master Sgt. Brad Graffam, a Rodeo team maintainer from Pope Air Force Base, N.C. 

During the waning days of the competition, Sergeant Graffam's team became a go-to source for C-130 crews experiencing difficulties. Even after donating aircraft parts to two other teams, the Pope maintenance team was still able to help get an aircrew from Yokota Air Base, Japan, up in the air. 

A leak in a hydraulic line on the Yokota team's C-130E was noticed an hour before the aircrew was supposed to pull chocks for the heavy airlift competition. The team was able to get their flight time pushed back, but the problem would have to be fixed by the end of the day. If not, the team would lose the chance to compete in the event. 

"The aircrew will lose the points ... and, of course, we'll get dinged," said Capt. John Sims, the Yokota maintenance team commander. 

Captain Sims expressed disappointment with the bad luck his team was facing. After training together for nearly two months and getting their C-130 in prime condition, he would hate to see his team sit out the rest of the Rodeo competition. 

But he had confidence in his crew of maintainers. "I trust that the guys will fix it," Captain Sims said. 

The cause of the leak was soon noticed - a "T fitting" on the hydraulic line. There would be no time to order the part and have it arrive by the end of the day, so the maintainers turned to their next door neighbor on the flightline for help. 

Parked only one spot away, the Pope C-130 was finished competing. Members of the Pope maintenance team were still sticking around, though, watching their jet being refueled. As soon as the fueling operation finished, they didn't hesitate to strip the part from their plane and give it to a rival team. 

"We've deployed with a lot of these guys," Sergeant Graffam said. "We help them and they help us out downrange, and it's no different here." 

A few hours after the two teams banded together, the Yokota C-130 was up in the air, en route to the drop zone. 

Earlier that same morning, another success story was in the works for the KC-135 team from McConnell AFB, Kansas. 

When their plane's air refueling boom became damaged a day earlier in the competition, it appeared the McConnell team would not be flying the remaining events. 

The decision was made to fly in another KC-135 so the aircrew could continue competing. 

However, McConnell's maintenance team was already going on a 12-hour shift, and their spare jet was scheduled to touch down at McChord AFB a few hours later. They needed help in order to receive the new KC-135 and prepare it for the next day's flying competition. 

Rodeo maintenance teams from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., and Robins AFB, Ga., didn't hesitate to lend a hand recovering and launching the McConnell KC-135. By doing so, they freed up the McConnell maintenance team to compete in an inspection competition with their broken jet. 

"If it hadn't been for the two teams helping out McConnell, they wouldn't have been able to compete today - period," Chief Hamilton said. 

Rodeo maintenance teams aren't forced to rely solely on one another for support. Also here to lend a hand are 49 maintainers from Rodeo's host wings, the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings. 

"They have their head on a swivel, making sure things are safe and in place," said Senior Master Sgt. Sherman Robinson, maintenance representative for Rodeo 2007. 

If a competing Rodeo maintenance team needs a hand towing an aircraft or performing an emergency maintenance procedure, the host base maintainers are here for assistance. While they're not competing for awards or prestige like the Rodeo competitors, there are a number of benefits inherent with supporting the competition's mission. 

"It has taught them a lot in relationships, number one. On the backside of that, getting together with fellow Air Force, Marine, Reserve and National Guard Airmen has helped them learn new skills," Sergeant Robinson said. 

Meanwhile, there are numerous awards up for grabs for competing maintenance teams. One of those is the Knucklebuster Award, which is handed out to the team that does the most to support another team. 

With all the fellowship present amongst maintenance teams at this year's Rodeo, that award may prove to be the toughest pick of the competition for umpires.