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Flight keeps metal components in top shape

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Whenever metal tools or aircraft components begin to show signs of wear, cracking or corrosion, the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron fabrication flight is there with the right tools to repair the item so other Airmen can complete their missions. 

"We provide support for more than 100 Air Force, joint and coalition aircraft," said Master Sgt. Buddy Manners, 379 EMXS fabrication flight chief, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "We also maintain the structural integrity of over 500 pieces of aerospace ground equipment, and we are the centralized repair facility for aircraft wheels and brakes for the entire area of responsibility." 

The shop repairs approximately 200 to 250 items in a month, said the Durant, Okla., native. However they can get more than 1,000 items in one month, which happened in January. Because some of these repairs aren't covered by a technical manual, an engineer must review the procedure to make sure it won't damage the component in some way. 

"We submit approximately 10 engineering technical assist requests per month for the authorization to locally manufacture, machine, weld or perform repairs to aircraft components every month," the sergeant said. "We save the Air Force literally thousands of dollars in acquisitions and shipping costs per month, not to mention, prevent several days of aircraft down time." 

One factor that makes the flight successful is the mix of active duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard Airmen, said Sergeant Manners. This gives the shop a wide breath of experience, especially considering some of the guardsmen and reservists hold civilian jobs similar to what they do here. 

"At any time I may have someone in here with 30 years experience in their field just because they are guard or reserve," he said. 

The flight is broken down into four sections; Aircraft structural maintenance, corrosion control, metals technology and nondestructive inspection. 

The aircraft structural maintenance shop is responsible for sheet metal repairs, composite repairs and the creation of hydraulic tubing. 

Corrosion control has the ability to take objects and remove primer, paint and rust by blasting them with a mixture of glass and plastic beads. The section can then repaint the object and return it to the flightline. 

The metals technology section is a combination of a welding and a machine shop. This section manufactures most of the items produced by the shop, which can be a simple task, as welding together a shelving unit or complex, like creating an emergency hatch bailout cable for a B-1B Lancer. 

The nondestructive inspection section has various methods of scanning items for cracks that aren't visible to the naked eye to determine if the item needs repairs. They also determine if engine components need to be replaced by scanning for the level of metal particles floating in the component's oil. 

"We specialize in anything that is needed to get the mission done," said Staff Sgt. Cory Goines, a fabrication flight aircraft structural journeyman, deployed from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. "We've done specialty work on the Navy's P-3 (Orion), as well as patch jobs for the British and Australians." 

Because of all the skill sets and equipment available here, aircraft components from other locations are occasionally flown in for repair, Sergeant Manners said. 

"Recently, we had the opportunity to manufacture a hydraulic tubing assembly for one of the three C-130s owned by Iraq," he said. "Our direct efforts helped return the aircraft to full mission-capable status and increased Iraq troop movement and supply-line capabilities." 

Along with the standard parts work requests the flight gets, there is the occasional job, requiring them to work on parts they normally don't look at. 

"One of the stranger things we've had to fix was a toilet assembly on a KC-135," said Sergeant Manners. "We had to find some way to stop it from leaking on the airframe and causing corrosion, which would have caused different problems. So my guys had to actually do composite repairs to fix the assembly." 

The fabrication flight here has some of the most motivated and skilled workers anywhere in the Air Force, Sergeant Manners said. 

"Our Squadron's motto is 'Only the Best,'" said Sergeant Manners. "And that's exactly what you get from the fabrication flight, especially with all the talent we have stationed here."