Employees share memories of the Herculean aircraft

Keeping the mighty birds in the air with the sweat of their brows, the men and women of the C-130 production branch here invest more than eight to ten hours a day to the Air Force mission. They invest their heart and soul.

“We take pride in getting them back to the customer,” said Johnny Jones C-130 production branch chief. “Our people work real hard at it. We work a lot of overtime and we do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

According to the Robins History Office, the responsibility for the C-130 was transferred to Robins Jan. 1, 1958. Though none of the original mechanics and support staff remain, those who are celebrating the Herk’s 50th birthday are no less attached to the aircraft.

Ken McGlamry, C-130 unprogramed depot level maintenance chief, said in his 39 and a half years with the 130’s he’s become a big fan.

“It’s the best airplane out here,” he said. “It’s been a real good plane for the Air Force, and I’m real proud to be a part of the crews that keep it flying.”

Mr. McGlamry added that what makes the aircraft stand out is the fact that no day’s work is ever the same.

Mr. Jones agreed.

“Every C-130 is a little bit different,” he said. “There are very few that come in here and we say this is what we’re going to do to them and then they go back out. Especially on the older ones there is a lot of what we call unpredictable work.”

Even though the C-130 is full of the unexpected, it doesn’t deter the work force from doing their best.

Even when corrosion turns a three to four month visit into a year long stay, they dig in and do their job.

“Not only do we have a versatile aircraft, we have to have a versatile work force to get this type of work done,” said Mr. Jones. “With aging aircraft issues we find different problems every day. The mechanics adapt and find ways to get the job done. The key to what we do is their skill and versatility.”

“Program depot level maintenance is our main job,” said Mr. Jones. “One of our number one customers is Air Force Special Operations Command and we do modification to their aircraft as well as the other aircraft that comes in here. Our goal is to keep the airplanes on schedule so we can get them back to the war fighter. Anyone who watches the news these days knows the special mission aircraft and cargo haulers we work are needed in the fight.”

Mr. Jones said when the aircraft arrive here they have been worked hard and the war fighters are counting on them to get them back out on time so they can get their mission accomplished.

The C-130 production branch services on average between 75 and 100 aircraft each year in Building 91, but the work was not always so comfortable.

According to Connie Currie, C-130 planning supervisor, when she came to the C-130s, they shared work space with the F-15s and the C-141s. Later that space was lost and they worked the aircraft on the ramp. “It was so hot in the summer that we would take an egg and actually fry it on the wing,” she said. “During the winter it got just as cold as it was hot. When we got Building 91 in 1991 we were very happy.”

A work force consisting of 800 people, who includes all mechanics, supervisors and support people, keeps the mission going here. This group of professionals is responsible for 11 different mission design series.

Keith Maden, aircraft overhaul foreman, said they also help with foreign military sales.

“Aircraft that we no longer use we put them in the bone yard,” he said. “If the Air Force sells one to another country when they pull them out we refurbish them and paint them up with their markings.”

Tunisia, Turkey and Colombia are some of the most recent foreign military sales jobs they’ve done.

Randall King is one of them. An aircraft electrician with the C-130s since 1996, he also spent 20 years in the Air Force. He said he sees this job as a way to a carry on his Air Force legacy.

“I know how important the work that we do is,” he said. “Making these airplanes and aircrews fly safely is one of the things I love about my job.”

Termetrus Shepherd who has been a sheet metal mechanic for the past 22 years is another member of the large force. She said her job is like that of an auto body mechanic except it’s done on airplanes.

“We handle the structural part of the C-130,” she said. “It’s a good feeling knowing that what ever part you play no matter how small it is contributes to the larger war fighting effort and the productivity of the weapon system.”

She said during her tenure here she has enjoyed most the family type atmosphere of the C-130 crews.

“There is a real sense of family here. If we lose someone to a swing shift it’s like losing a family member.”