Altus Air Force Base News

 

Fabrication specialists enhance Altus maintenance mission

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Megan E. Acs
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The 97th Maintenance Directorate A-Team plays a huge part in the success of the Altus Air Force Base mission of training and deploying Airman warriors.

Fabrication flight, in particular, is in charge of maintaining, repairing, and replacing parts of several different types of aircraft, which keeps the aircraft flight ready.

"We fix things that break. Scheduled and unscheduled, our mechanics are in a constant state of inspection. Our primary goal is to provide the 97th Air Mobility Wing a safe, fully functional aircraft for aircrew," said Anthony Rodriguez, 97th MX manufacturing fabrication flight chief.

Fabrication is a generalized title covering a wide variety of sectors that work together to maintain and repair the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft and U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratocaster refueling aircraft. Welding, machining, sheet metal, composite structures, metal tubing, flight control cables and corrosion control, all come together to keep the planes in the air.

Even painting is an important task that affects how an aircraft functions. Painting aircraft parts, such as wheels, gives the parts an additional coating of protection against the elements, preventing vital parts of the aircraft from corroding and breaking, keeping the aircraft functioning smoothly for as long as possible.

"Our workload varies with the cycle of inspections for each airframe. Unscheduled repairs are from discrepancies found on the flight line at pre- and post-flight inspections. Aircraft fuselage skins and panels develop cracks and broken brackets due to normal wear and stresses," said Rodriguez. "We perform field level repairs, sometimes even fabricating parts made here in our shop. Cracked or bent metal tubing is made here as well as braided steel cable for flight controls."

Fabrication keeps a supply of sheet metal, rivets, adhesive bonding chemicals, Kevlar, graphite and other materials on hand for when it is needed, and specific instructions are followed to restore damaged parts to their original strength and function.

Afterward, a quality inspection process is done to ensure the item is ready to re-install on an aircraft. Another inspection is done after the installation of the part is completed.

Great care needs to be taken when repairing and manufacturing each needed part, but out of everything, fuel tank work is the most challenging part of the job, said Rodriguez.

"The C-17 and KC-135 carry fuel in their wings, which have ducting and brackets throughout that sometimes break," he said. "Getting into the tanks through the access holes is challenging, as is drilling and working in the confined space inside the wings."

While it isn't always easy or glamorous, Rodriguez said there is satisfaction in the job.

"We are, in most cases, able to take a broken part, fabricate new parts or even make a whole new part back to factory specifications," he said. "My favorite thing to do is a split decision between composite work on the C-17, and repairing aluminum structures, such as a damaged leading edge wing of a KC-135."

By keeping an eye on things that wear and break, the members in fabrication are able to avoid a larger and more extensive repair process, which in turn saves the Air Force not only money, but manpower.

"We have saved a lot on different projects by making them in the shop. One time we received a C-17 heads up display, which would have cost $70,000 to replace, but we removed broken screws and were able to put it right back into service," said Joe Leveille, who is an A-Team machinist and certified welder. "We also made a fixture for a C-17 and saved over $27,000 in shipping costs by making our own, rather than using Boeing's fixture."

Making replacement parts on base is not the preferred option. However, when ordering a new part from supply or from the manufacturer is not an option and fabrication has the material and capability, they request blueprints and manufacture the part themselves.

Not only does this capability help the Altus mission flow smoothly, but it lends a hand to other bases as well.

"Many of the items we build are extras that are put into supply for other bases to utilize. Our ideas have also been used at other bases to meet their mission needs," said Leveille.

As long as an aircraft is in the Air Force's inventory, it must be maintained in flyable condition. This includes the older KC-135 and the same will go for the incoming U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft.

"Getting a new airframe like the KC-46 will impact all maintenance, but not negatively. We are already working with Boeing, sending various skilled positions to their facility in Washington to be prepared for new demands," said Rodriguez.

The diversity within fabrication is often overlooked by those not in the field. Those who work there, however, are proud to be a part of the Air Force mission.

"There's a misconception about our job that everybody can do it," said Gary Farmer, an A-Team sheet metal mechanic. "But when work comes in, you can't just pick anybody from the base and say 'This is what I need. Go fix it.' There are certain skills you need to have in order to be successful in this field."