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Deployed Travis Airman maintains hydraulics for C-5s, C-17s at Iraq base

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Airman 1st Class Joshua Walling has a "big" job -- "big" meaning his deployed job of maintaining hydraulics on the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III with the 521st Air Mobility Operations Group at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

Airman Walling, an aircraft hydraulics systems journeyman, is deployed from Air Mobility Command's 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 60th Air Mobility Wing, at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

Like other deployed Airmen from his home station, Airman Walling is doing what his wing's mission calls for. According to the 60th AMW Web site, the wing is part of combined efforts of all operations and support activities associated with the worldwide air mobility mission. The C-5 Galaxies, KC-10 Extenders and C-17 Globemaster IIIs assigned to the wing participate in air, land and aerial refueling taskings, responding to Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed combat operations, and supporting U.S. State Department-sponsored humanitarian relief efforts worldwide.

At his deployed location, Airman Walling is part of a team that keeps the C-5 and C-17 aircraft deployed there ready for airlift missions every day in support of Operation New Dawn and other U.S. Central Command area of responsibility airlift needs. In a news article by Staff Sgt. Sanjay Allen of the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq Public Affairs, the Airmen of the 521st AMOG have been busy.

"Over the third quarter of this year, Airmen here have maintained more than 120 C-5 and C-17 arrivals and departures per month that have moved more than 42,000 passengers and nearly 8,000 tons of cargo," the news story stated. "The purpose of the 521st AMOG's two geographically separated units at Al Asad and Joint Base Balad are to reduce the need for maintenance recovery teams -- teams formed at another base to deploy and repair a non-mission capable aircraft. Typically these teams deploy from outside Iraq."

As an aircraft hydraulics systems journeyman, Airman Walling troubleshoots, removes, repairs, overhauls, inspects and installs aircraft hydraulic systems and components, including support equipment, his official Air Force job description shows. That effort includes advising on problems maintaining aircraft hydraulic systems and support equipment, and determining maintenance procedures and performance characteristics using technical publications. He also diagnoses malfunctions and recommends corrective action.

The job description also states how aircraft hydraulics systems Airmen like Airman Walling inspect aircraft hydraulic systems, components and support equipment and perform system operational checks.

To do all that he is responsible for, whether at home station or while deployed, Airman Walling has to maintain mandatory job knowledge in a wide variety of areas. Those areas include hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical and mechanical principles applying to aircraft and support equipment; hydraulic systems; concepts and applications of maintenance directives; and using and interpreting schematics, wiring diagrams and technical publications.