Travis Airmen repair Air Force, Boeing aircraft

Published June 29, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Madelyn Ottem
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Four Travis Airmen from the 60th Aerial Port Squadron traveled to Boeing headquarters in Long Beach, Calif., June 11 to repair approximately 540 devices that were faultily produced in August 2008. Approximately 230 of those fixed devices will go on Air Force aircraft.

The devices are placed on all three aircraft stationed at Travis: the C-17 Globemaster III, KC-10 Extender and C-5 Galaxy. The devices are utilized to lock down cargo while in flight to prevent weight from shifting.

"The devices produced in August 2008 have the potential to fail," said Senior Airman James Everett, 60th APS. "With those devices, the cargo could shift during flight and, depending on the weight, cause the plane to crash."

The kits used to rectify the problem prevent the device from flopping down and releasing the chain, as well as any cargo it is currently locking down.

"Without them being serviceable, these $200 devices would need to be thrown away. The kits used to repair them cost $7.50 a piece," Everett said. "This repair definitely saved the Air Force money and ensured a safer environment for mission accomplishment."

Repairing the devices required the team to drill three screws into two metal plates. Those metal plates were then drilled directly onto the devices.

The team created a factory-line-style approach to fix the devices where everyone had a position to contribute. Though the task was daunting, the rapid work strategy the Airmen created allowed them to fix all the devices in one day.

"Our team was very professional and experienced," said Chief Master Sgt. Enrique Flores, 60th APS traffic manager. "What we accomplished in one day really showed our capability as an Air Force and how well we can work together."

Everett reflected the sentiment.

"We all worked well together," Everett said. "I was with a good team, we were all self-motivated to repair a part that's going on the planes we work with daily."

Although many were repaired at Boeing headquarters, 6,000 to 7,000 faulty devices remain in need of repair. Travis will act as the distribution center for the repair kits, and will send them to any Air Force base with a faulty device.

"It feels good to impact the mission the way we are," Everett said. "As a senior airman, it feels like a huge job and I'm honored to be a part of it."

With three tiny screws and a small metal plate approximately three inches in diameter, the repair kits were able to avert the Air Force from mishaps involving resources and personnel.

"By implementing these devices it ensures that flights go out and accomplish the mission," Flores said.

Boeing has partnered with the Air Force and produced aircraft in both wartime and peacetime since the United States Air Force's origins in 1947, and even prior to Air Force independence when the U.S. Army Air Forces was still intact.

Brian Casey, Boeing site foreign object debris leader, witnesses and plays a part in the 10 C-17 aircraft created, produced and sold per year at the Long Beach Boeing site. These C-17s go to the U.S. Air Force as well as different countries around the world.

"Boeing and the Air Force have a great relationship," Casey said. "Everyone has a duty and a responsibility and Boeing will continue to deliver first-quality products to its customers."