Senior Airman Jonathon Hartman, 7th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, marshals in a B-1B Lancer during Green Flag-West 11-10 Sept. 20, 2011, at Nellis AFB, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brett Clashman)
Airman from the 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron (EMS) works on the rear stabilizer of a B-1 Bomber May 16, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Airmen from the 7th EMS provide on and off equipment aircraft maintenance, assuring mission readiness to meet higher headquarter taskings. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Joshua T Jasper)
Airman 1st Class Eric Cipriani, 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, inspects a panel on the side of a B-1 Bomber May 16, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The B-1 Bomber is a highly versatile, multi mission weapons system capable of carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Joshua T Jasper)
Airman 1st Class Mathew Lees, 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, cleans a protective apron after using it to service the hydraulics of a B-1 Bomber May16, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The B-1 Bomber is capable of delivering precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Joshua T Jasper)
Airman 1st Class Christian Erbanski observes Airman 1st Class Cody Frank, both from the 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, as he attaches a hydraulic line to a B-1 Bomber during an isochronal inspection May 16, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. During the inspection thousands of items listed in the technical orders are looked over and replaced if necessary. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Joshua T Jasper)
Staff Sgt. Mathew Johnson, 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, places a hose into a hydraulic fluid holding tank while servicing a B-1 Bomber May 16, 2013, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. While being serviced, more than 215 panels are removed and every component of the aircraft is inspected. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Joshua T Jasper)
by Airman 1st Class Charles V. Rivezzo
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
6/4/2013 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- With a career that spans across three decades and a warfighting reputation that rivals nearly every aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal, the B-1 Bomber has established itself as one of the United States' most crucial assets to maintaining air and ground superiority.
This achievement was built on the backs of hundreds, if not thousands, of Dyess maintainers who have kept this Cold War bird fighting well into the 21st century.
With the bomber's ever increasing role in today's combat operations, pushing the airframe to the limits of its original design, skilled maintenance professionals are crucial to ensuring mission success.
Located within one of Dyess' most prominent landmarks the "Global Power for America" hangar is the 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron's maintenance flight - a group of roughly 40 maintainers who strip this aircraft down to its frame only to inspect it, repair it and put it back together.
"Most B-1 aircraft are around 26 years old and require a lot of maintenance to keep mission ready," said Senior Master Sgt. Mark Mueller, 7th EMS maintenance flight chief. "The isochronal inspection, better known as ISO, is a vital part of this effort. With a keen eye and dedication to duty these inspections make the daily maintenance easier. The effort is about finding and replacing the parts that failed, or are about to fail, before they cause mission delays."
Each year, this dedicated flight of Airmen inspect more than a dozen B-1s inside and out, manually removing approximately 215 panels just to begin the process. This is the beginning of a tedious and painstakingly complex list of tasks that ensure this heavily-employed bomber continues to provide constant overwatch for troops on the ground.
"ISO has a specific flow of how the maintenance is accomplished to make sure everything gets completed on time," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Johnson, 7th EMS. "Day one is our de-panel day and most of the time if the jet is playing nice, we can de-panel 90 percent of the aircraft in just one day."
From there, thousands of items are inspected for any discrepancies the aircraft may have and are repaired or replaced. The quality assurance shop then performs a follow-up inspection to ensure any repairs made to the aircraft were done correctly.
Once again, the tedious process of re-paneling the aircraft takes place, manually reinstalling each individual screw by hand.
"We then apply hydro-power and preform an operational check out of the components that have been disconnected or replaced," Johnson said. "QA performs one last follow-up inspection and run the engines to complete the rest of our operational check outs."
The 7th EMS maintenance flight is allotted 15 to 18 duty days to complete this entire process, a objective that isn't friendly to the personal lives of these Airmen.
"For us, the duty day doesn't end until the job is completed. If we get behind for some reason or we find something that requires labor intensive disassembly we will work right through the weekend to ensure everything is done correctly," Mueller said. "Our main objective is to keep the aircrew safe, keep the aircraft in the air and ensure freedom for everyone," he added. "One mistake on our part and we jeopardize that objective."
Furthermore, unlike many Airmen who move from station to station every few years, Dyess maintainers rarely leave the B-1 platform, some spending their entire Air Force careers mastering every inch of the super-sonic bomber.
"This is a blue-collar, down-in-the-weeds type mission we have here," Mueller said. "The job we do isn't glamorous nor is it in the spotlight, but I could not be prouder of the men and women of the 7th EMS maintenance flight and their contribution to the freedom of the United States."
Comments
6/11/2013 3:40:33 PM ET Thanks for a great story about a great jet and some of the people who make it what it is. I'd offer one correction because saying the B-1's history is built on the backs of its maintainers doesn't give them the proper credit. That phrase makes it sound like they're an unwilling part of the achievement. Instead the maintainers I've known in the B-1 are absolutely out front pushing the envelope--making things happen with their hearts hands and heads. They are some of the most dedicated smartest and capable professionals in the AF and have made a complex and unique jet succeed well beyond its initial design. Yes they've got strong backs--but they've got a lot more than that. Keep up the great work
