Maintenance career fields team up at the Isochronal Dock, fix C-130s

Airlift continues 365 days a year on Ramstein Air Base thanks to the combined and coordinated efforts of Airmen across a variety of professions. At the 86th Maintenance Squadron Isochronal Dock, aircraft maintenance Airmen work as a team to inspect and repair Ramstein’s C-130J Super Hercules fleet and keep it functioning reliably.

When a C-130 is in the Isochronal Dock, one might see Airmen from shops across Ramstein’s maintenance squadrons working all over the aircraft.

On a platform under the wing, there may be an Airman combing through the interior of an engine, looking for the tiniest crack, while another Airman fits a piece of sheet metal to repair a crack in another engine. Someone may be sitting on a wheel, shining a flashlight as he inspects the landing gear while a fellow Airman runs guidance systems on the flight deck. As all of this is happening, crew chiefs may be performing checks to uncover discrepancies and doing maintenance anywhere on the aircraft.

According to SSgt. Cory Garland, 86th MXS aerospace maintenance craftsman and Isochronal Dock floor boss, each C-130 in Ramstein’s fleet undergoes an inspection in the Isochronal Dock every 270 days. These inspections, called letter checks, comb through the aircraft to find deficiencies the flight line might have missed. The checks ensure that every C-130 stays in top condition.

A team of crew chiefs and aerospace propulsion personnel inspect and repair aircraft within a certain time frame depending on the type of check. A C2 check, the most extensive letter check, takes 14 days.  

While crew chiefs have general maintenance knowledge and propulsion troops specialize in engines, sometimes repairs require expertise from other shops who specialize in areas such metals technology or communication and navigation systems.

“It’s definitely a huge team effort,” Garland said. “It takes a lot of communication between shops.”

The personnel who support the Isochronal Dock come from specialties such as repair and reclamation, aircraft structural maintenance, aircraft metals technology, nondestructive inspection, aerospace propulsion, communication and navigation systems and guidance and control systems.

Airman 1st Class Joshua Pravel, 86th MXS aerospace maintenance apprentice, often works with various professions in the dock.

“It’s really neat the way we all assist each other,” Pravel said. “Sometimes we get to train someone from a different shop to do a certain task. It’s also really rewarding when you get to see how you help them make their mission happen.”

Pravel gave the example of when an aerospace propulsion troop was working on the engine and Pravel ran the auxiliary power unit for him.

Garland explained that because airlift is Ramstein’s mission, finishing repairs and returning aircraft to the flight line in a timely manner is one of the Isochronal Dock’s primary concerns. It is also one of the biggest challenges. A routine inspection may uncover damage which takes much longer than expected to repair.

Senior Airman Tailor Wimberly, 86th MXS aerospace propulsion journeyman, explained the challenge of time constraints that he often works with. In this case the Airmen were performing a B check, which takes 11 days.

“On the aircraft we have in the hangar right now, we found two cracks in the engines,” Wimberly said. “Each crack takes 96 hours to fix so altogether you’re looking at 192 hours of fix time.”

Wimberly explained that he and the team still have to keep their 11 day timeframe while they accomplish those 192 hours on top of all the regularly scheduled checks and fixes they would normally do. The shops work together to get the job done.

“We’re gonna be working hand-in-hand with sheet metal trying to ease their job and help them fix the cracks quickly and efficiently as possible while still taking care of all of our checks,” Wimberly said.

As Garland explained, a big job might require 24-hour shift work. The Isochronal Dock coordinates with other shops to bring in their Airmen on various shifts, and make sure each shop understands the importance of the deadlines they have to meet.

“We have had situations, like a crack in the engine, where we have to have days, swings and mid shifts come in and keep it going 24 hours for two or three days at a time,” Garland said.

It all takes a dedicated and hardworking crew, which is exactly how Garland described the Isochronal Dock team.

“When they’re getting down to the line and need to get a job done, they always put their heads together and knock it out,” Garland said. “I think it’s a great team. These guys care about the job. They come in willing to work and learn. They’re pretty eager.”

With all the hard work that they put in, Wimberly explained the part of the job he finds most rewarding is when they give an aircraft back to a customer.

“Sell back day,” Wimberly said. “When we put a plane back out there, we can say with confidence that it’s the best plane in the fleet right now because it’s the most new and up-to-date. We know nothing’s wrong with it because we went through it with a fine-toothed comb and checked every inch of the plane. It feels pretty good.”

Garland believes his shop puts out an amazing product and the team does an exceptional job. He also finds the work rewarding.

“It’s cool to be driving in to work every once in a while and see the planes flying out and knowing that you had an impact on that plane and that mission,” Garland said.

Airlift continues because of the hard work and team effort of Airmen like those who work in the Isochronal Dock, each trained in their specific roles so that when they come together as a team, they make planes fly.