Engines: The muscle behind air power

Published Oct. 2, 2008
By Capt. David Breuer
386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- If crew chiefs are the living pulse of the flight line, then Engines technicians are undoubtedly the muscle.

The Engines section, made up of propulsion specialists, battles some of the most mechanically demanding issues on the flightline. These heavy hitters take on a seemingly endless stream of hard work and always come out on top.

Marked by stains of engine oil, grease and hydraulic fluid, our engine specialists are easy to spot in a crowd. Filter changes, fluid servicing and parts lubrication are just some of the jobs that earn them their distinct appearance.

And Engine mechanics wouldn't have it any other way.

All life in an aircraft springs from the engine or "power plant." It's from the engine that all energy, both for forward propulsion and for system operation, is generated. Our mighty C-130 Hercules is no exception.

A smaller jet engine, also called an auxiliary power unit (APU), is started using a battery-powered motor. After the APU is brought up to speed, bleed air from the APU is routed to a starter mounted on a gearbox in each engine. The starter brings the engine up to a self-sustaining speed. All the engine needs after reaching that speed is a steady stream of fuel and air to keep going strong. In this way, the big engines are started by a smaller one.

After the four main engines are brought up to speed, everything on the aircraft is powered by them. Engine driven generators give the aircraft electrical power. Engine-driven hydraulic pumps power the hydraulic system. Even the air-conditioning system is powered by bleed air from the engines.

It's easy to see, then, why the Engines section is so important. Without all four engines working in near perfect condition, our prized warhorses become little more than incredibly good looking static displays.

But our Engines technicians won't let that happen.

The downside to being in such high demand is that there are several situations where an aircraft may have several discrepancies, but many of them cannot be effectively troubleshot or operationally tested without the engines in working order.

Much of the weather at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing makes work challenging for everyone on the flightline, but the Engines section is particularly overwhelmed by the heat.

Fault isolation guides and operating manuals specifically state that decreased performance in several engine operating parameters will be decreased in temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. Many locations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility often soar well in excess of 45 degrees during the middle of the day. These temperatures only exasperate the challenges that the Engines section faces.

Every day, as temperature and humidity increase, the air density decreases, which means aircraft engines and starting systems have to work that much harder to do the same job. Engines specialists correspondingly have more work to do because of it.

Things are further complicated when dust, omnipresent in the desert environment, makes it into the system. The Engines section has proven techniques servicing which helps combat the harsh environment's effect on our motors, including increased inspection intervals, but it all means additional effort from the technicians to keep them in optimal condition.

The workload is enormous. But Engines specialists have the skills, muscle and work ethic to keep them rolling strong.