MAAS overhaul at 380 AEW
Staff Sgt. Brian Seabolt, from the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, tightens a bolt on the mobile aircraft arresting system, Aug. 27, 2011, during a two-week maintenance overhaul of the system at an air base in Southwest Asia. This maintenance is due every 10 years. The MAAS is an emergency braking system for tail-hook-equipped aircraft used in emergency situations where a fighter aircraft needs assistance coming to a stop after flight. This occasionally occurs due to mechanical failures beyond the pilot's abilities to correct prior to landing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Patrick Mitchell)