Maintenance keeps Carpathian Summer flying

Airmen from the 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 86th Maintenance Squadron work on a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 17, 2015, at Otopeni Air Base, Romania. The aircraft’s nose landing gear steering control swivel valve broke and maintenance personnel were able to replace the part and get the aircraft back into action for Carpathian Summer, an off-station training exercise between the U.S. and Romanian air forces. Approximately 80 personnel traveled to Otopeni Air Base to participate in the bilateral training exercise. The U.S. Air Force transferred authority of three C-130Js participating in the exercise to NATO . This Transfer of Authority is a standard procedure that will serve to enhance interoperability and readiness to conduct combined air operations with Romania and NATO. The TOA will end at the conclusion of the exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Timothy Moore)

Staff Sgt. Ryan LaMonte, 86th Maintenance Squadron hydraulics systems craftsman, replaces the nose landing gear steering control swivel valve on a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 17, 2015, at Otopeni Air Base, Romania. Approximately 80 personnel traveled to Otopeni Air Base to participate in Carpathian Summer, a bilateral training exercise designed to increase readiness and interoperability between the U.S. and Romanian air forces. The U.S. Air Force transferred authority to NATO of the three C-130Js participating in the exercise. This Transfer of Authority is a standard procedure that will serve to enhance interoperability and readiness to conduct combined air operations with Romania and NATO. The TOA will end at the conclusion of the exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Timothy Moore)

Maintenance keeps Carpathian Summer flying

Published Aug. 20, 2015
By Senior Airman Timothy Moore
86th Airlift Wing

OTOPENI, Romania -- There are many things that can keep an aircraft from flying, ranging from natural phenomenon such as storms to manmade issues such as malfunctioning parts as large as an engine or as small as a broken bracket.

However, when it is a manmade issue maintenance personnel leap into action to get the aircraft back into flying condition and keep the mission going.

Such was the case when a nose landing gear steering control swivel valve broke on one of the C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany being utilized for the off-station training exercise, Carpathian Summer.

The part, though small, plays a huge part in ensuring the aircraft functions properly.

"The aircraft can't move right now," said Tech. Sgt. Derek Brown, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flightline expeditor. "If the pilots get up there and try to steer, it's just going to dump hydraulic fluid everywhere, possibly not even turn the nose gear."

This particular valve doesn't malfunction often, but it gives even more credence to a routine the maintenance personnel perform.

"I've been doing this for three years and never fixed this part," said Senior Airman Stephen Grady, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. "Just for this one part specifically to be broken won't happen all the time, but there are tons of things that can go wrong. So, that's why we inspect the planes every time they come down from flights."

The post and pre-flight inspections check for gas and other fluid levels, oxygen levels, or worn and damaged parts such as tires and other essential aircraft parts.

With the three C-130Js being under NATO authority via a standard and routine Transfer of Authority only for the duration of the two-week long exercise, it is imperative that they are kept in working condition and repaired as quickly as possible.

"You've got to have maintenance anywhere these planes go," Brown said. "If it's just for the day-to-day stuff such as the maintenance after the flights or pre-flight inspections all the way up to the plane breaks, maintenance is there to take care of it. If they can't take care of it where they are at, they will make calls to get somebody here with the proper parts and get the plane back in the air."

The maintenance performed when off-station is no more important than the maintenance performed when at home station, but Grady says it is illuminating.

"When you are flying with an aircraft and it breaks off-station, like we are now, the only way this would get back to Ramstein is because we are here to fix it," Grady noted. "It shows you a bigger part of the mission. It wouldn't make it there if we didn't fix it."

The maintenance personnel are saving the day by keeping these aircraft in the air and supporting this training..

"It's a lot of hard work, but it pays off," Brown said. "Whenever you are out on a job for 12 hours and finally get it fixed, then you see a plane flying. It's rewarding. You put the plane in the air. We're the pilots' heroes."